All language subtitles for Primary Colors (1998).en

You know, I've seen him
do it a million times now,

but I can't tell you
how he does it, Henry.

The right-handed part.

I can tell you a whole lot about what
he does with his left hand, though.

He's a genius with it.

He might put that left hand
on your elbow

or on your bicep,
like he's doing now.

Very basic move.
He's interested in you.

He's honored to meet you.

If he gets any higher,
if he gets on your shoulder, like that,

it's not as intimate.

It means he'll share a laugh with
you or a secret, a light secret,

not a real one,
but very flattering.

If he doesn't know you that well and wants
to share something emotional with you,

he'll lock you
in a two-hander.

Well, you'll see when he
shakes hands with you, Henry.

Governor.

Governor Stanton, this is Henry Burton.
Governor.

I met your grandfather
when I was a boy.

I hitchhiked to Washington
to hear him speak.

He was a great man.
Thank you, sir.

How are you?
Good to see you.

He's really glad you're
coming on board. I can tell.

I didn't say
I was coming on board.

Did you tell him
I was coming on board?

No, take it easy.

What is he doing here anyway? He's a
Southern governor nobody's heard of.

Already you're sounding
like a campaign manager.

Howard, I said...
I'm kidding, I'm kidding.

If I told you Jack Stanton's here 'cause
he's interested in adult literacy,

you'd tell me
I was full of shit.

Yes.

Howard Ferguson, Henry Burton,
this is Marianne Walsh,

the very special librarian
who's running these classes.

Thank you, Governor Walsh...
Oh, Governor Stanton. I'm sorry.

I'm a little nervous.
I'm sorry. Um.

If you'll walk with me,
I'll take you up to the, uh, library.

The walls
are pretty bad,

but the, uh, the library
is much, um...

Better?
Uh, yes, yes.

We're very proud
of the library.

How long ago did you start up this
reading program? About three years ago.

We have no money.
Uh, very little money.

It's the only reading program like
it in New York, that I know of.

Of course, there may be others,
but I don't... know of them.

Ooh!

Are you all right?
Yes, I'm fine. Thank you.

Yes. Um...

My name is Ruby. I'm a domestic.
I've been in this class two months.

Jack Mandela Washington.
I'm a handyman. How are you, Jack?

Tawana Carter. I'm a waitress.
Good to meet you, Tawana.

Anthony Ramirez,
freelance carpenter.

Nice to meet you.
Raymond Dominguez. I'm a truck driver.

I just wanted to say,
"Welcome aboard." What? I'm not on board.

I just ca...
Maria Lopez, waitress.

You're kidding too, right? Yeah.

Why don't you tell the governor a
little bit about yourself, Dewayne.

I'm a...
I'm a short order chef.

And, uh, until I come here,
I couldn't read a lick.

Dewayne's dyslexic.

And, uh, they just kept
a-passin' me up...

third grade,
fourth grade.

Uh, I just sit in the back
and stickin' to my own self.

And, uh, it was like
no one noticed.

I go on all the ways through and,
uh, I graduated elementary school.

And, uh, they sent me
to Ben Franklin.

That's general studies.

They could've sent me
to the Bronx Zoo.

I mean, no one ever say,
"Dewayne, you can't read.

"What you gonna do with
your sorry ass?" Excuse me.

Anyway,
graduation come, and my mama come.

She take the day off from the
laundry where she work at.

So we're there, and, um,

Dr. Dalembretti is calling out
the names on the diplomas,

and, uh, and... and
what each kid done.

You know, like,
"Sharonna Harris, honors.

Tyrone Kirby,
Regents diploma."

And then...

Then he come
to my name,

and, uh, he say
so everyone hear it...

He said,
"Dewayne Smith...

receives certificate...

of attendance."

You could hear people buzzin'.

I mean, a couple
of folks was laughin'.

I gotta go up there
and get this.

I gotta stand up there,

just dyin',

trying not
to look at anyone.

Trying not to look
too stupid, you know?

And Mama's sittin' out front.

She got her hat on.
She got her purse on her lap.

And tears coming down
from behind her glasses...

like someone...
like someone died.

I wanna thank you...

for sharing that
with us, Dewayne.

I want to thank all of you
for having real courage.

My Uncle Charlie...

was a... a war hero,
World War II.

He was sent to Iwo Jima,
where they raised the flag.

He took out four machine-gun nests
of Japs... Japanese soldiers...

who had a squad
of his buddies pinned down.

He had one grenade, his rifle,
his bayonet and his bare hands.

- And he took 'em out.
- Shit.

They gave him the Medal of Honor.
President Truman did.

When he came home to Grace
Junction, they had a parade for him.

The town fathers came to my
parents' house and said to him,

"Charlie, what you got
in mind for yourself now?"

Charlie said
he didn't know.

The mayor said, "Maybe you'd like a full
scholarship to the state university."

The banker said
maybe Charlie didn't want

to go back to school
after all he'd been through.

Maybe he'd like a management
job, a big future at the bank.

The sawmill owner said, "You may not want
to be cooped up in a school or a bank.

Come manage my crew."
You know what?

Damned if Charlie
didn't turn 'em all down.

- What'd he do?
- Nothin'.

He just laid down on his couch
and smoked his Luckies.

You couldn't get him
off that couch.

Was he messed up
in the head from the war?

It was just
that he couldn't read.

He was embarrassed and
didn't want to tell anyone.

He had the courage to win the
Congressional Medal of Honor,

but he didn't have the courage to do what
each and every one of you is doing here.

He didn't have the courage to
admit he needed help and get it.

I understand what you're doing,
appreciate it, and honor your commitment.

People say, "Jack, why do you spend so
much time and effort on adult literacy?"

And I say to them...

I say to them, "Because...

it gives me a chance
to see courage."

I want to thank you.

I want to thank you for
allowing me to visit here today.

Thank you, Governor.

Let's get him
out of here.

- He likes it.
- Governor Stanton.

I want to thank you
personally for coming.

I will be damned.

Because I'm...
Ooh! Sorry.

Can I help you?
You should have those shoes checked.

If there's anything...

You're gonna go work for him, aren't you?
No, I am not.

I'm gonna meet him
at his suite

in the Sherry-Netherland
so we can talk.

About what?
Probably about going to work for him.

How can you walk out on Adam Larkin
and get into bed with some cracker...

I'm not getting into bed... who
hasn't done piss for blacks in his state?

I could say the same about Adam Larkin.
But he will.

He has to bide his time.
He's a black congressman.

I don't like Larkin.
I didn't like working for him.

I don't know what
Stanton wants, but...

Well, I do.

Stanton wants to use the grandson
of a civil rights leader,

a black man in politics,
as a vote getter.

That's hilarious. And you tell
me you have no sense of humor.

Put a black man on the team,
really roll in those votes.

That's why there are so many
black men running the country.

If you're so upset about politics,
come work at The Black Advocate.

We're never disillusioned.

Would you hand me
that tie on the headboard?

Get your
own damn tie.

No tie. No suit.

Just leather jacket cool.
All right.

I'll be back in two hours, and then
we can talk about The Black Advocate.

Okay? Aw, come on,
don't be mad. Co...

Okay, be mad, but only for two
hours, and wait up for me.

Oh, my God.
My boy.

Henry Burton,
I am mighty honored.

I'm Arlen Sporken,
the governor's media consultant.

- Hey, Henry.
- Hi.

Nonfat caffeine?
No, thank you.

I am just delighted that
you're on board. No.

Get me one of
those sandwiches.

Only if you pinch my cheek and
call me "sugar." I'll get it.

We're gonna win this thing.
Isn't that right, Arlen? Absolutely.

The big question
is Ozio.

You think he's got the "cagones" to run?
Uh, cojones.

And I don't know Ozio well
enough to judge his cojones.

They're big but they're glass.
Hey, there, Henry.

Governor Stanton,
it's nice to, uh...

You remember Miss Walsh?
I... Oh, I'm sorry.

- You all right, darlin'?
- Uh, thank you.

Thank you.
For this, um,

opportunity to discuss the, um...
The program.

That's a great program.
Don't you think?

- Yes, excellent program.
- Excuse me. If I could just...

Uh, thank you very much. You take up
what we talked about to the board.

Oh, yes, I will.
I'll just see my way out.

Thank you. Uh, good-bye.
Bye-bye, now.

Miss Walsh is on the regional
board of the Teachers Union.

Ah, a teacher
and a librarian.

It's the missus.

Hi, darlin'.

Oh, oh, listen, honey,
I'm sorry.

I'm... Well,
we got stuck here.

But great news, honey.
We had real progress with the teachers.

Tonight? Are you sure?
I'm so sorry, honey.

Charlie, did you know we were
supposed to meet with that guy

from the Portsmouth
Democratic Committee?

Well, goddamn it,
Charlie.

Now, honey.

Are you Uncle Charlie,
the Medal of Honor winner?

Well, I'm Uncle Charlie and whatever
else he says. He's the master.

If you just stop popping my
eardrum, I'll leave right now.

No, please, don't...
Susan, don't go.

Susan, just stay...

We'd better go.

All right. Where's the plane?
Teterboro.

Shit. All the way out there?
All right. Let's go.

Arlen, see you in D.C.
Daisy, come with Howard tomorrow.

Henry, Mitch, Charlie,
let's go, let's go.

Go? I just came here to talk to
you about... Talk on the plane.

It's just New Hampshire.
I teach... Sorry.

I teach classes
in the morning.

Call in sick.
The kids won't mind.

I... Do I have time
for a phone call?

Well, when we get there.
Now, if we're gonna talk, let's talk.

Governor?

Hi, hon.

Mmm.

This is Henry Burton.
This is my wife Susan. Hello.

I met you 25 years ago at your
grandfather's in Oak Bluffs.

You were running under the
sprinkler in little wet underpants.

Your grandfather was a great man.
Oh, thank you.

Jack Stanton could also
be a great man,

if he wasn't such a faithless, thoughtless,
disorganized, undisciplined shit.

Honey, why are you making such a
big deal of this? Because it is big.

First impressions count, asshole.
Oh, hello, this is New Hampshire.

These people don't know you. They
probably don't even remember your state.

They're waiting to be swept
off their feet by Orlando Ozio,

who's governor
of a real state.

They came to meet you,
and you didn't show.

I talked to the head of the Portsmouth
Democratic Party about fly-fishing...

for an hour
and 45 minutes.

Do you realize how...

indescribably boring
fly-fishing is?

Do you realize I'm now committed
to doing this... I'm sorry.

This thing with him. I'm going
fly-fishing because of you, asshole!

You can't... It's not funny.
You can't do this to me, Jack.

We've only been
at this a month,

and already you're fucking up
in your old fucked-up way.

The only shot
we have here...

The only shot
is to be perfect.

Barely adequate won't swing it.

No, Jack,
you can't blow off...

Primrose Lane
Jack.

Life's a holiday
on Primrose Lane

When I'm walking down
that Primrose Lane

With you
You're not funny.

I have
got to find a phone.

When we get back
to the apartment.

Honey, this was
so great today,

this readin' program.

You should have seen
the people,

and the teacher was...

Well, she was
just inspirational.

Gimme a break.

Tell me how good the curriculum
was, not the teacher.

We can replicate
a curriculum.

You can't sell a program
without a good teacher.

This is an argument
I always win, Henry.

Was the teacher
that inspirational?

Well, she...

She was a pretty typical school
board bureaucrat, I thought.

Ha.

We got it
on a six-month sublet.

It's better than a hotel.
Cheaper too.

We can keep clothes
and store stuff.

We have privacy.
I don't give a shit about privacy.

I'm here to get known,
and you can't get known in private.

This is more like the end of
a campaign than the beginning.

Goddamn it, Charlie!
No cable?

You gotta be kiddin', man.

You can't run
for the president

of the United-fucking-States
without CNN!

Do you have any bags?

I didn't expect to come.
I'm leaving in the morning.

How about something to eat?
That'd be great.

This is the worst two-bit,
candy-assed, goddamn place I've ever seen!

Hey! Darling.

It's 4:00 in the morning. This is not how
you want to be introduced to the neighbors.

Come on, Henry.
I'll make you some tea.

Yeah, well, I'm out
of here tomorrow morning.

I know we gotta go cheap,
but not this cheap.

Not loser cheap.

- So why did you quit Larkin?
- What?

Why did you stop working for Adam Larkin?
Careful, it's hot.

Thank you.
Well, I just, um...

It's all right. I know you can't talk
about your old boss to your new boss.

I haven't got
a new boss yet.

Larkin's very different
from Jack. Very cool.

Never blinks.
Hmm.

A pro.

Oh.

He would never swallow tea
without testing it.

Aah.

That's the real thing
experience teaches you. Isn't it?

How not to get burned.

Do you think people
ever learn that?

Not the best people.

He, uh... Adam taught me
a lot, but...

it was all the same.

He never surprised me.

Almost no one stepped up and voted
with us because it was right.

They always asked for a lulu.

Lulu?

Uh, yeah. It's New York
for artificial sweeteners.

Anyway, we'd win,
and then we'd be gutted in the Senate.

We'd settle
for their version,

then the White House
would veto,

which we knew
from the start.

Then what? We'd celebrate
our great moral victory.

We forced a veto.

So you dropped out?

Yeah.

So why are you here?

Tell me.

Tell me.

It's 4:00 in the morning.

Let's just tell the truth.

Okay. Well,

I was always curious
about how it would be...

to work with someone
who actually cared about...

I mean,

it couldn't always have been
the way it is now.

It must have been different
when my grandfather was alive.

Hey, you were there.

You had Kennedy. I didn't.

I've never heard a president use
words like "destiny" and "sacrifice"

without thinking,
"Bullshit."

And okay, maybe it was
bullshit with Kennedy too,

but...

but... people believed it.

And... I guess...

that's what I want.

I want to believe it.

I want to be a part
of something that's history.

I bet this is
the longest answer

to a five-word question
you have ever gotten.

No, it isn't.

The longest answer to a five-word
question I've ever gotten...

is the answer to:
"Do you do much fly-fishing?"

It's a good answer,
Henry.

History's what
we're about too.

What else is there?

March, some guy about an automobile
insurance scam on line three.

Thanks.

Yes?

It's me. Please
don't hang up again.

Fuck you. March,
I'm in New Hampshire in a coffee shop.

I don't know when I'll get to the next phone.
Could you just listen for two minutes?

Listen, I think this guy
could be the real thing.

This guy could be so incredible,
you'd end up working for him.

This son of a bitch
actually likes these people.

He's worth the risk.
This guy could really do...

Henry, hey.

Help me get him outta here.
We have a fund-raiser in 20 minutes.

You bastard.
I waited for you all night.

I can explain about that.

I bought you some stuff at the drug store.
No, I can't.

I can't go to Mammoth Falls
without clothes.

Give me your keys. I'll have Daisy
pack things, bring them on Wednesday.

Why can't I pack
things and bring 'em on Wednesday?

Because by Wednesday
you'll be in Mississippi.

We have to set up the campaign headquarters
before we leave. So keys, please.

Hey.

I thought you were supposed
to be telling us to hurry.

I... Um...

Susan... Mrs. Stanton,
I'm not sure.

I mean,
I... I... I don't know.

I've never helped run a
presidential campaign before.

Well,
neither have we,

but that's how history
is made, Henry...

by the first-timers.

We are beginning
our pre-boarding procedure.

Are you, uh...

Is this...

Uh, where are
the state party people?

They're tied up with the
congressional races. We're it.

All right. All right.

Okay, get me the national
committee mailing lists...

of every donor
since the beginning of time.

Also, I need
a complete database

of voting records
on every possible candidate,

so we can set up a rapid
response negative operation.

How do we do that,
honey?

Don't you, uh...

Don't any of you have
any special skills?

I speak Hebrew.

Great.

Now double-click
on "Pro-Choice," Ella Louise.

All right.

Uh, now call up
the "Harris Vote."

- Like this?
- No! No!

Why can't I learn this?

This announcement is for
the candidate briefing on the 23rd.

Put it on 500 leaflets.

And then what?

Hand them out.

Goin' places
that I've never been

Call only the Orthodox
and conservative synagogues.

Speak only to the rabbis
and start off in Hebrew.

Check.
On the road again

How's that?
Fantastic.

Okay, we need
to file that with...

Excuse me.

- We need your vote.
- Terry.

Will you give them to your friends?
Terry!

- Terry.
- Thank you. Bye!

Ha-ha!

Look, just hold out the leaflets
for people. Don't stalk them.

Okay.

Hey, Henry.
Oh.

How y'all doing?
We're coming along.

We don't have
much staff yet, do we?

No, but what we have
is choice.

I want you to meet the most brilliant
political strategist in the party.

This is Richard Jemmons.
This is my right arm, Henry Burton.

Hi.

I sure admired
your granddaddy.

- Great.
- Henry.

I'll pick you up for dinner around
7:00 p.m. We can talk a little policy.

Right.

Nice meetin' you, Henry.
Say hi to Winona for me.

Who?
He means Jennifer Rogers.

Every girl Richard falls for
is Winona Ryder to him.

Oh, that's...

Psychotic.

On the road again

Like a band of gypsies
we go down the highway

We're the best of friends

Does that smell good,
or what?

Hey, Gov!
Hey! How y'all doin'?

Come on over here.

How's the food?

Willie.
Hi, honey.

I'm glad
you made it. Hi.

It smells so good.
Hey, good.

We got it
all set up for you.

Yeah!
He got chicken.

Hey, Will! How's business?
Hey, Gov.

Hey, Amalee, the gov's here.
It's hot.

You got your mojo workin' tonight?
Ain't no end to it.

My friend!
Loretta!

Hi, Governor.
How're you doin'? Hey, Lo!

Good to see you.

The gov's here!
How're you doin', now?

Hi. Henry Burton. Pleased to meet you.
Good to meet you.

Honey,
how's it goin'?

I had to tell Jackie you were too busy
working for the folks to baby-sit.

He was not happy.
Yes'm.

How're you doin'?
Welcome.

How're you doin',
Will?

Hey, not so good
since my mama died.

I miss her like a pain.
You gotta let that happen.

Your mama deserves it.

Your pain will heal with time,
but you gotta give your mama her due.

We gotta miss our mamas.
Ain't nobody gonna love us like our mamas.

You still got your mama
with you, Henry?

No, she's in Beverly Hills
with her second husband.

You're a lucky man.
Thank you.

The next time I see
my mama, she's blind.

A year later,
she's just got one leg from diabetes.

She could've done anything.
She could've been anything.

God bless the mamas.

My mama worked her whole life
and never asked for nothin'.

Shit, my mama
raised seven children.

If Ozio doesn't run,
we concentrate on New Hampshire.

If he does,
we concentrate on the South.

Ozio might wait
until New Hampshire.

Shouldn't we wait
for the governor?

This pertains to
how he's running the campaign.

He's on a mama-thon.
That can go on all night in the South.

We have to figure...

My mama worked her
whole life for her family...

and never did anything
for herself!

Now they're cuttin' her up!
Cuttin' pieces out of her!

Why'd that happen
to my mama?

I looked over Jordan
and what did I see

Comin' for to carry
me home

You know what Richard's
favorite song is?

I tell you that it is the most American
goddamn song that I can think of.

A Southern governor
wrote it.

You know which one
I'm thinking of?

You are my sunshine

My only sunshine

You make me happy
when skies are gray

I'll be damned. I didn't know
a Southern governor wrote that.

You'll never know, dear
how much I love you

Please don't take
my sunshine away

The other night, dear,
as I lay sleeping Come on, darlin'.

I dreamt I held you
in my arms

When I awoke, dear

I was mistaken

And I hung my head
and cried

You are my sunshine,
my only sunshine

You make me happy
when skies are gray

You'll never know, dear,
how much I love you

Henry, I have a printout

of every grassroots
organization in New Hampshire.

Great. Put it on my desk.

These rabbis
are putty in my hands.

Fantastic.

I started out with 200.
I have one left.

You know how I did it?
No.

Look.

Terry, I am
speechless.

Well, I think my grandfather
would endorse the governor, Jesse.

Even if you ran.
Okay. Yeah.

You too, my friend.
All right.

Where the fuck are my clothes?
Take it easy.

Daisy got sidetracked. She's not a muffin.
She works for Sporken.

What am I doing here?
Does this guy even have a chance in hell?

I haven't canvassed
hell lately.

If we only worked for guys who had a
chance in hell, we wouldn't have Richard.

Oh, shit, he's bird-dogging.

Sweetheart,
I got a hotel room.

Why don't you go
with me for a little bit?

You're crushing
my originals.

I didn't mean to do that.
You don't know what you're missing.

It's got room service, a vibrating bed.
Wait. Don't embarrass him.

Cable movies.
You wanna walk the snake?

What's that look?
You don't believe me?

Baby, I'm tellin' you,
I got a python in here.

Hey!

Gee, I've never seen one
that old before.

Come on, bud.

Let's park that Mustang
back in the garage.

She's not married,
is she?

Hey, fuck you!
Fuck me?

Fuck you, you redneck son of a bitch.
Ever hear of Anita Hill?

You are so lucky
she's cool.

I wouldn't have done it
if she wasn't cool.

You know when
the muffin is cool.

Your sensitive mind tells you
when to show her your cock.

Where'd you
go to school?

Hotchkiss, right?
I read up on you.

You're a tight-ass preppy
elitist from Hotchkiss. Bullshit!

Bullshit, it's bullshit! You called me
a redneck, which I'm proud to say I am.

You, Hotchkiss, are a honky.

You just look black.
It's the best part of you.

It lets you intimidate the pale
faces, especially lib-labs,

and work that voodoo
sexual shit on white girls.

I'm blacker than you are.
I got some slave in me. I can feel it.

You're crazy! What?

You got a visitor.
It's not a visitor. It's me.

Where the fuck
have you been?

Where is my suitcase?
I got it.

Can't let a lady carry
a suitcase, not in the South.

Henry, I am so glad that you
finally got a wardrobe,

We got a very important dinner
with a very important person. Who?

Governor Ozio's son.

What the fuck does
Ozio's son want?

A scouting expedition
for Pop, I guess.

But it could be Ozio is
looking for someone to endorse.

Jesus.

Wouldn't that
be something?

Mm-hmm.

This has to be handled
just right.

Just right.

Red Skelton.
That's what I remember.

Red Buttons.

All right. I hope you don't
mind eatin' pig with your hands.

Is there any other way?
Not in the South.

There we go.

The governor's been watching
you move around the country.

He was hoping the next time you
pass our way, you'd stop in,

spend a little time, get to know us better.
We will absolutely do that.

In fact, you got the book. When can we
meet with Jimmy's dad... Governor Ozio?

You don't mind us talking
business, do you? No.

How else will I learn?

Let's see.
We're pretty booked.

Next Tuesday we're in Albany
on the way to New Hampshire.

How's Tuesday?
Let's look.

Tuesday.

Let me just
scroll down here.

Tuesday's pretty full.

Maybe I can
slot you in somewhere.

Yeah.
Oh, um...

We land at 4:00,
then there's a drop-by

at the Teachers Union
cocktail party...

before their annual dinner
at the Sheraton.

I'd like to skip that,
but they'd notice.

I'm the only candidate
invited to the cocktail party.

I know.

The governor turned it down because
he's the keynote speaker at the dinner.

You'll both be at the Sheraton
at the same time.

You can meet after the cocktail
party, just before dinner,

in his suite.

Perfect.

I'll see him then.
Excellent.

Fuck all, Henry.
Fuck all.

You don't know fuck all
about briefing me!

You make me look like
a fuckin' amateur!

Like a rube-ass, barefoot, dipshit,
third-rate,

southern-fried
piece-of-shit alderman!

You didn't know that
Ozio was speaking at that dinner.

You couldn't tell me, so I don't go
shootin' my mouth off about that party.

Hello, Richard.

If you'd
like to make a call...

Shit!

What the fuck kind
of operation we got here?

How did we get scheduled for a
drop-in when he is the main speaker?

Get me Howard!

You threw the phone out the window.
Stop the car.

Don't kill us. Just stop it.

The phone landed in the brush.
You're wrong.

It landed in the trees.

I look like shit if I go
to that cocktail party.

I'm Ozio's warm-up act.
Don't think he didn't know it.

But somehow,
we didn't know it.

Get out of the goddamn brush.
It landed in the trees.

Jimmy Ozio is probably tellin' his
father he's got nothin' to worry about.

That would be the case
even if Henry hadn't screwed up.

Here's the phone.
It was in the brush.

Well, shit.

You wouldn't have found it if
I hadn't thrown it out the car.

Hello.

No.

No, sorry,
he's not here.

Henry Burton.
Can I take a message?

Oh.

Oh, God. I see.

No, no, no.
I got it. I got it.

How reliable is Daisy?

A hundred percent.
Then we just got really bad news.

In the next issue of
Manhattan magazine,

there's an interview with Ozio
in which he blasts you.

"What's he done? His state's
last in everything.

He doesn't know shit
about education."

Well, you were right
about the meeting.

This is bad.

- You have to hit back.
- But not too hard.

You don't want to lose the liberals.
You're gonna lose 'em anyway.

Richard,
are you with us?

I'd give him a little poke. It'll
make us look better when he drops out.

When who drops out?

- Ozio's 24 points ahead of us.
- That's the giveaway.

If he's willing to acknowledge
our presence,

he's the stupidest Italian
since Nero.

Or he's not gonna race.
He'll sit on his throne and snipe.

It doesn't matter.
I'm not gonna do it.

Jack!

I'm not gonna go negative.

Any jackass can
burn down a barn.

It's self-defense.
I'm not gonna do it!

Shane!

Come back!

Come back, Shane!

Run for president.

Hello?

How're you doin', Henry?
Uh, fine.

Look, there's been
a bender on the interstate.

I'm on my way to meet with the
family, so cancel Howard.

Uh, yeah. Okay.

And, Governor, look.

About the Teachers
Union dinner...

Listen, my man.
I know how much I lay on you.

I know how hard you work for me.
And I'm honored by it.

I'm honored.
Yeah, but I should have thought...

It didn't occur to me...
Forget it.

Get out of that office
for a while and rest.

Stay home, crack open
a bottle of Chablis.

What you doing this weekend, Henry?
Uh, this weekend.

I'm setting up
a list of meetings...

You think it's possible
to get yourself laid?

Sir?
I'm serious.

I don't want you too horny to think
straight or too burned out to kick ass

when we really need
to start rolling.

What you doin' Thanksgiving?
What?

You said your mama's in Beverly
Hills, so if you're free,

maybe you'd like to spend it
with Susan, Jackie and me.

It's not the same as being with your
mama, but we're family too.

Uh, thank you.
Yes, I... I would like that.

Well, good.

And, Henry, the reason
I won't take on Ozio

is that I don't want to give that son of a
bitch the power to make me the son of a bitch.

All right?
See you, Henry.

Right.

Dear Lord,
thank you for what we're about to receive.

Amen.

All right, son.
Here we go.

Happy Thanksgiving,
everybody!

Who the hell are all these people?
Most are from shelters.

You're kidding.
No, he invites them every year.

That's the good news. The bad news
is he also invites his friends.

People he's been collecting
since kindergarten

so he can take them
aboard when he sails.

Some of them
really suck.

Henry. Daisy.

She has the same problem. Right.

I want you to meet Lucille Kaufman,
an old friend from New York.

I marched
with your grandfather.

Hello, Lucille.

Lucille and I went
to law school together.

Let's get a drink.
You're Jack's coordinator?

Can't you do something about his clothes
and the color of the campaign posters?

And Arlen Sporken,
while you're at it.

If I wasn't swamped,
I'd join the campaign full-time.

Henry, I want you
to meet my son Jackie.

Hi, Jackie. This is our family
doctor, Dr. Beauregard.

Henry, you and Jack are gonna have to find
yourselves a way to educate them Yankees.

Maybe if they both
wear capes.

This is Randy Culligan.
I gave him his first job as a law clerk.

Whoo!

Refried black-eyed peas

More corn and chicken fries
Gumbo, rice

Thinks that I am

Unforgettable too

Hey, folks. May I
have your attention here?

Folks, you all know me.
I'm Jackie Stanton's mama.

How 'bout if we
sing us a chorus...

of You Are My Sunshine...
Yeah!

...in honor of the great
Southern governors of America.

You are my
sunshine, my only sunshine

You make me happy when skies
are gray

You'll never know, dear,
how much I love you Hello. Huh?

Please don't take my
sunshine away You're kidding?

Hey! Hey, hey,
hey, hey!

Wait. Hold up.
Ozio just dropped out.

That's fantastic!
Yes!

Gentlemen, welcome
to the first debate...

of the Democratic
presidential primary.

I remind you to keep your
responses to one minute. Okay.

Senator Martin. Oh, God.
I'm so nervous I'm sick.

It's three weeks
to the primary.

What I want to say
about health care

is that although it's vital that every
man, woman and child be covered,

it's also vital that we
conserve as well as expend.

We're providing a safety net
for folks on welfare

who otherwise would be unable
to get off welfare. Oh, shit.

Oh, man.
What did you just see?

Uh, nothing. No one.

Y'all are missing

one of the great assholes
of our time back there.

I can't help feeling sad
as I listen to Senator Martin.

Lookin' sad.

I remember a time when
being a Democrat meant more...

than just giving welfare
recipients a safety net.

It meant giving them
a ladder.

It meant giving them a way to
climb back to an equal height.

It meant dignity.
I say if we don't control spending,

we don't shore up the economy
of this great country of ours,

our economy will go under.

This is a new
economic era.

Who are we shoring
the economy up for?

Your bond-holding fat cats?
I'd like to know.

It's not just bondholders. Ordinary
men and women will benefit as well.

Goddamn it.
Why is he doing this?

Because he's just gotta get on
the good side of Lawrence Harris.

A lower deficit means,
among other things,

that working families will
have lower mortgage rates.

Okay, not bad, but shut up.
We're okay.

Governor Nilson's idea
has got merit.

We do need to provide jobs for
those who need work. That is true.

Jack, excuse me.

What, if anything,
are you against?

I... I'm against doing nothing
while people are suffering.

I'm against dismissing
any idea that might help

because it isn't my idea.

Senator, you have met these
people, looked into their eyes.

Are you saying we should do nothin'
to help unless we come up with it?

Nailed him!
He's toast!

Hell, yes!
What I meant was...

Kickin' ass
and takin' names!

Grand slam.
As good as it gets.

Hi. How was I?

You took it, honey.
It was yours. Sure.

Governor, March Cunningham,
The Black Advocate.

Were you ever arrested
during the Vietnam War?

No.

You were never
arrested in Chicago?

I was accidentally detained.

Then released.
The record was expunged.

You remember how
you were released?

They realized it was a mistake.
It was a long time ago.

- Check your records.
- Honey, we're gonna be late.

Henry? You guys go ahead.
I'll meet you. Go on.

What are you
doing here?

Why is The Black Advocate
suddenly interested in Stanton?

They're not. I am.

I'm trying to find out who he is
because a friend of mine works for him.

Oh, March. Come on.
Don't do this.

I thought you might
be interested too.

Do you know why
he was released?

He called a senator
to get him out of jail

and then persuaded the mayor of
Chicago to have his record expunged.

"So"?
So? I?

You don't care that this guy was
already so manipulative in the 60's...

that he got into bed
with the mayor of Chicago,

the same mayor that busted the
protestors at the Democratic Convention?

No, I don't care. Stanton was
never a radical. He's a politician.

He couldn't get elected with a
record, so he had that expunged.

That's the kind of man you want to work for,
somebody who just wants to get elected?

No, I want to work for a man
who fights the good fight,

then watch a Republican
get elected.

What's the difference? Can you tell?
I can tell the difference

between a man who believes what
I believe and lies to get elected

and a man who... who just
doesn't give a fuck.

I'll take the liar.
How did he do this to you?

Do what? What?
What are you...

Why are you making this guy
into the devil?

Why don't you at least get to know
him, maybe spend a few days with us?

Honey, I miss you,
and we could be together.

God.

I think you'd fuck me to get
some good press for Stanton.

We're in trouble.

What does she have?

What the fuck is The Black
Advocate doing covering Stanton?

They're not.
It's... She's...

It's personal.

Well, it don't matter.
We're fucked.

If some little shitty paper
like The Black Advocate's

got a reporter
who can dig this up,

then we're fuckin'
flying blind in the wind.

Now they're all
gonna come after us.

Did you see any other president
up there on the stage tonight?

We're the fucking
ball game.

Now every flea that ever nipped his
ass is gonna want a piece of us.

It's gonna be the war thing,
the drug thing, the woman thing.

That's the killer right there. You're
gonna have to talk to him about that.

Me? No. Hey,
you're the strategy guy.

But you're the body man.

Maybe we can talk
to Susan.

Are you out
of your fuckin' mind?

"Mrs. Stanton, we need to know who the governor's
plugging so we can have spin control."

All right, then,
let's just quit.

If everyone's gonna take a bite out of
him, we're not gonna say anything,

let's go work for someone we're
not too chickenshit to protect.

All right. We'll set up a meeting.
Him or her?

Shit, her!
Her!

Goddamn,
this is gonna be rough.

So, I have to be in Concord
in an hour to meet Jack.

What's the crisis?

It's campaign business.
It's, uh, private.

Please, if it's not
too private for you...

Lucille is one of my closest
friends and part of this campaign.

What's the crisis?

Say you're out in the woods
taking a shit...

and a wild boar
comes charging at ya.

Now, do you pull
your britches up and run?

Or do you try to pull your britches
up and grab the doves you just shot,

and then try to run,
all at the same time?

Or do you just forget about the fuckin'
doves, pull your britches up and run,

'cause you ain't got time
to aim and button your fly?

And if you miss,

well... you don't want to die
with your dick hanging out.

You see what
I'm sayin'?

I think I speak for everyone
in the room when I say no.

Well, I mean, uh,

what if you're not
prepared for the boar,

and you get caught with your
britches down and lose the doves?

All right, what Richard
is saying is...

If you get caught
in the forest...

Don't give us a "taking a shit
in the woods" metaphor again.

Tell us what you
are talking about.

Okay.

Say that this boar is part...
I don't believe this.

Who do the boars represent,
the Republicans?

No, the press. The press?

Yes. Don't they?

Yeah, the press.

Now, you're dealing
with these wild boars.

Oh, God. Suddenly they start
saying things like "marijuana."

"Chicago." Maybe a woman
comes forward and says...

Bullshit.
That's not gonna happen.

Absolutely not.
I don't think so either.

But...

I'm just trying
to figure this out.

If it did happen,

then he's not gonna get trapped like
Hart, 'cause we know the rules.

If some bimbo from a former life comes
forward, we just say, "Bullshit."

Bullshit is right.
What are you suggesting we do?

How would you deal with it?
By knowing more than they do.

By being prepared, so when a story like Chicago
comes up, we fight back with the truth.

How are we supposed to know what kind
of garbage they're gonna come up with?

That's the point, Lucille.
That's the whole ever-fuckin' point.

We need to hire an operative
to do research, you see?

We need somebody that can get at...
Investigate our lives.

Investigate everything anybody
can make an allegation about.

That's ridiculous.
We don't play that game.

That's the media's game.
We play the people's game.

We say, "The Republicans
and the media

want the election
to be about trash.

We want it to be
about your future."

We don't shoot doves in this campaign.
We protect them.

What do you mean?

Well, don't the doves
represent the people?

No. Then I don't
understand who the doves are.

Forget the doves.
Henry, you agree with this?

- Yes.
- Okay.

We'll do it.
I'll tell the governor.

I want Libby Holden.
Oh, my God!

If we're gonna get someone to find the
dirt, we have to have someone who knows us,

someone we trust
completely.

But I mean,
is she out of the hospital?

Yes.

She's okay now?
Who is she?

She was Jack's chief of staff 20 years ago.
She had a breakdown.

She just suddenly
became incoherent

in the middle
of a press conference.

It was awful. She's been in and
out of mental hospitals for years.

She seems very stable now.
She's been home for 18 months.

You and Henry can fly back
tomorrow and brief her.

Well, that's good...
that she's stable,

because you're kind of putting the
whole campaign in her hands now.

Yes, I know.

Well, that's good.

Are we the doves?
Lucille, I think we can forget the metaphor.

Actually, I think we're the ones
taking the shit in the woods.

Hey, Ella.
Henry.

Oh, I'm just thrilled
y'all came back.

I got a million messages
for you.

He looks like a band leader.
I'm getting rid of it.

Hey, Henry,
how're you doin'?

On behalf of Jack Stanton,
we'd like to thank you for your support.

Never call 'em secretaries. Always call
'em assistants. Jennifer, look who's back!

Henry! Oh!

Shalom.

You're working on Friday
and wearing a yarmulke.

I'm dressed for work.
How you doin', H.B.?

I'm here!
Who's talkin' to me?

Uh, Miss Holden?

Henry Burton.
Ah-ha.

Hi, I'm Terry Hicks.

Jennifer.
Uh-huh.

Hello, Lib.
Hello, shit-for-brains.

You learned how
to watch your mouth yet?

I will not let you fuck up this
campaign too. I will not let it happen!

Uh...
That was 20 years ago.

Yes, I was thinner then.
I had a waist.

Peter Goldsmith.
Ella Louise Harriman.

Where is this happening?
What?

The fucking meeting!

I will need a safe house.

I know the house.
Little, nice rose garden.

Call Becky Raymond.
673-4982.

Tell her it's for the governor.
She'll know what you mean.

Now, staff.

I want that one,
the one who looks like Winona Ryder.

Gorgeous.
Is she smart?

Oh, she's smart.

I want her as soon as the
meeting's over. Start.

Well, um, a reporter
for The Black Advocate

dug up the governor's
Chicago arrest.

We know we can't stop that.
Why stop it? It's a paper trail.

Chicago's not
that important.

But we're concerned
there may be other things.

Like Cashmere McLeod.
Uh, who?

Boy, you really
don't know shit, do you?

You mean Susan's hairdresser?

And Jack's porkpie.

What? For Christ's
sake, act your age.

Jack Stanton fucks around,
and he's got enemies.

But what, Susan's hairdresser?
What can she do to us?

She can sell her story
to the Flash for 150,000,

minus the ten percent she's giving to the
slime-suckin', down-on-his-luck attorney...

who's agenting
the deal for her.

You know this?
No, I imagined it in the booby hatch!

It's bullshit.

In your dreams, sweetheart.

She can't hurt us.
She has no proof.

She has no credibility.
It's bullshit.

She's the tip
of the iceberg.

Our Jackie's done some pretty
stupid things in his life.

He's poked his pecker
in some sorry trash bins.

We gotta stop 'em
before they stop us.

We gotta crush 'em
and sweep 'em up.

From now on, you can
call me the Dustbuster.

You know, honey child?
I'm stronger than dirt.

I believe you.

We could offer her 200,000 not to print it.
Then kill her to make sure?

The important thing is
he didn't do anything wrong,

he has nothing
to be defensive about.

He should act pissed off. But not too
pissed off. He's running for president.

It should be like, "Well, it's too
bad, but we don't take it seriously."

This ain't as frightening
as things that happen to people,

like losing your job
or getting foreclosed.

- Where the fuck's the light?
- I'm looking for it.

Like, "Shit happens, but
we're calm in a shit storm."

Or maybe it's, "We expected
this crap to happen."

Right.
The usual media trash bash.

Why did he do it?

Did he figure Cashmere McLeod would be
so honored she'd never betray the secret?

Wait a minute. Maybe it isn't true.
What difference does it make?

It'd be better
if it wasn't true.

Why? They say Hitler never looked
at another woman after Eva Braun.

Does that make him
better than Stanton?

Or Jefferson, Kennedy, or any of the guys
we wish we worked for who fucked around?

But that's not the official
line for interviews.

No, of course not.

Today a potentially explosive
development for Governor Jack Stanton

in his quest for the Democratic
presidential nomination.

A hairdresser has come
forward alleging

a long-term affair
with the married candidate.

The story, as yet unconfirmed,
appeared today in the Flash.

There has been no statement
yet from the governor...

regarding the young woman,
Cashmere McLeod...

Unbelievable... but the
accusation comes right on the heels...

of the disclosure that Governor Stanton
was arrested in 1968 in Chicago.

Fuckin' Eye Witness News.
Goddamn it.

Ted Koppel wants someone from the team
for his show. 60 Minutes wants a Sunday...

Do we have to take this?
They're gonna dignify this garbage.

We have to go along with that?
Well, we can't ignore it.

They might have given him Chicago
'cause that was 30 years ago,

and they might have given him
Cashmere because she was paid.

But the two right on top of one another...
You see what I'm saying?

How many people are going
to be saying,

"Do we want a former radical hippie
that messes with hairdressers?"

He did not fuck
Cashmere McLeod.

If you can't handle that simple
fact, you can leave right now.

All right.
Let's think this through.

Who has thoughts about
60 Minutes?

Well, I think you do it. I think
you say yes to all these interviews,

and show 'em we ain't
got a thing to hide.

And the sooner the better.
We have two weeks left to the primary.

Right.
And I think we should take the attitude

that we expected this
to happen, you know?

It's just the usual
bullshit media trash bash.

Shit happens,
but we're calm in a shit storm, you know?

This is not near as bad as things
that happen to real people.

Do you agree, Henry?

My problem is I go out
and I run and I work out,

and then I come in here and eat donuts.

Well, you know, you got to eat something.
Oh, yeah, yeah.

I mean, the thing is,
is just not to eat too many of 'em.

I believe you're right.
If you could just have a little bit.

Hey, Governor. Henry, my man.
Sit down. Have some coffee.

No, I'm okay.
You gonna get some sleep tonight?

Hmm. Absolutely.
Don't you worry about me.

I was just going over
some ideas with Danny here.

Danny Scanlon, this is
my friend Henry Burton.

Can I get you something, Mr. Burton?
Apple fritter? No, thanks.

You know that Danny here
works here every night,

twelve-hour shift,
$5.25 an hour?

But like I was telling
the governor, I don't mind.

I would mind if I couldn't work.
How about an apple fritter?

Uh, not for me.

What was the best game you saw all
year, Danny? College, not pro.

Utah State
versus San Diego State.

Oh, yes, that was
a great game, wasn't it?

Yeah, I saw that.
It was a great ground game.

Yep. You gotta have a good ground game.
Yeah, you do.

Apple fritter?
No, I, I just said...

I... I'll have one,
Dan, but just one. Okay.

I will make some fresh coffee,
and if you want some, you call me.

All right, Danny.
Thank you.

You look tired, Governor.
Maybe it's time to go home.

They're gonna kill me with trash.
Not if you don't let them.

It's my own fault. It's my own goddamned
fault. I didn't keep it together.

We can still win this thing.
We're going to win it.

But the hits you're taking are
nothing compared to

what average folks
are going through.

Hmm.

Losing their jobs,
losing their homes.

Keep that in your mind.
Yes.

Keep the folks in your mind.

It's about them,
isn't it?

Yeah, it's about them.
It's about history.

Well, that's truer for Susan than it
is for me. It's always been about them.

Like this fella,
Danny Scanlon.

Worked every day
since he was 14.

Couldn't get insurance,
couldn't get his leg fixed right.

Doesn't complain.

Doesn't do anyone any harm.
Achin' to do good.

God, if you...

If you let a man
like that go down,

you don't deserve to take up
space on this planet, do you?

We won't let him
go down.

Sh...

- Yeah.
- Bummer, Henry, bummer.

Libby?
Yeah. She's got tapes.

Who?
Who's got tapes?

Cashmere, the hair slut,
you moron.

She's gonna play 'em at her
press conference tomorrow.

I do not have time
for ineptitude.

Now go tell Jack and Susan
the cunt's got tapes,

and get your ass
back to Mammoth Falls.

Hey, Henry.
Morning.

Honey, I have to run.
I will. Hold on.

The new member of the swimming
team wants to talk to you.

Hey, Jackie boy.
That's great. You made it.

Well, that's great.
We're proud of you.

Yeah. No, no, just a bunch of
campaign garbage, that's all.

Governor, this...
this can't wait.

All right. Well, we'll call you tonight.
I love you too. Bye-bye.

What is it?
I was just talking to Libby.

She says Cashmere McLeod has
tape recordings of you and her

talking on
the phone together,

and she's gonna play them at
a press conference tomorrow.

- I'm sorry. I'm sorry.
- How bad?

I don't know. Did you tell her...
Henry, could you excuse us, please?

Sure.

Well, it is cold here, Sam,
but these are friendly people.

It reminds me a lot of home.

I like her hair
that way.

It softens her face. Yes.
Could be longer, though.

If you hung out
with us for a day,

you'd see what the folks are
really interested in is the future.

He's gotten fat.

And he jogs. Can you
imagine how much he eats?

Can you imagine
what he eats?

What's he
governor of again?

Let me see. It's not Georgia.
Governor, just to set the record straight,

did you have an affair with
Cashmere McLeod? Not Florida.

Now, Sam, I am not gonna
dignify that trash.

And I am disappointed,
at a time when the American people...

have an awful lot
they're concerned about,

I saw a picture of the hairdresser.
Not bad.

We've had tough times in our
marriage, but we've worked them out.

I don't think
this is fair.

People suffer and struggle and go
through all sorts of crazy things.

The important thing is
we're still here.

If you want to draw a political lesson
from that about Jack's character,

here it is:
He will stick.

He will work
through the tough times.

He will wake up every morning and
bust his butt for the American people.

"Bust his butt."
The mouth on her.

He should just take
her in hand.

Yeah, right. Yeah, but she's honest.
They had some tough times.

Maybe that's when he screwed
the hairdresser.

And with that we come to
the end of The Week In Washington.

Governor and Mrs.
Stanton, thank you for joining us. Yeah?

- Hi.
- Thank you.

Are you watching?

Yeah, it's just
going off now.

We're out.
Thanks, everybody.

And it's over.
How'd it play where you are?

Wasn't she fantastic?

Yeah, great. But they'd like to
see her hair a little longer.

Watch your step, sir.
Thank you.

Hey.

Hey! Henry!

Oh, it's good to see you.
How ya doin'?

How long you in town for?
Not long.

No time to talk. We gotta get to Sailor's
and watch old Cashmere with an expert.

You take care
of yourself now, dear.

I'll be home for dinner.
We'll take my truck.

Uh, I...

And
my friends around to help me.

So you met Jack and Susan in
Florida working for McGovern?

What were they like?
Yep.

Glorious.
Golden. Golden.

And here I am just
missing you again Did they have any...

Please, mister, please.

Don't play B-17.

It was our song.
It was her song.

Sing with me, Henry.
But it's over.

Please, mister, please.

If you know what I mean.
All right!

I don't ever want to play
that song again.

Ha ha ha!

Sailorman!

Libby. Good to see ya, girl.

How was the booby hatch?

Well, a better class of drugs
than the old days.

- Where's the beer?
- Hey.

Welcome to the world of electronics.
Brewski. Thanks.

Cashmere McLeod and
her attorney are about to make...

Here she comes...
Public the tapes
which she says prove her allegations...

Recording.
...against Governor Jack Stanton.

I know just what she looked
like in high school.

I'm Sherman Presley,
Ms. McLeod's attorney.

I want to make
one thing clear.

We'll take no questions until
after the playing of the tapes.

And this will not
be an inquisition.

Yeah, right.
We get the inquisition.

The tapes were recorded on
Miss McLeod's phone machine.

Portions you're about to hear were
recorded just before Thanksgiving.

Governor Jack Stanton
seduced me...

Can you back that up?

...and I have tapes
to prove it.

I'm on my way
to meet with the family.

But you said you loved me.

You said no one could do
the things I did to you.

I could come up there.
God, what a whiny bitch!

Remember that time
I met you in Dallas?

Hmm. I get hot
just thinkin' about it.

- Oh, my God.
- What you doin' this weekend?

Mmm, nothing,
now that you're leaving.

Stay home, crack open
a bottle of Chablis.

Do you think it's at all
possible to get laid?

I'd say it's entirely
possible, if you postpone that trip.

I'm too horny
to think straight.

As you can see, these tapes were, uh,
recorded on Miss McLeod's phone machine...

All right, I'm recording the rest
of this bullshit. Let's get to work.

I'm gonna kill him.
How could he be so fuckin' dumb?

There's a couple of abrupt
cutouts in here. Let's replay it.

I'm on my
way to meet with the family.

That's a pretty
abrupt cutout right there.

What you doin'
this weekend?

That's picked up
in midsentence, I think.

I mean, it could be.

Stay home, crack open
a bottle of Chablis.

Do you think it's at all
possible to get laid?

Now, that breakup
in the middle,

that could be cellular static,
or they might have used it to cover.

Wait a second.
Wait a goddamned second.

Play that line again.

Do you think it's at all
possible to get laid?

"At all possible
to get laid." Again.

What?
Just again, damn it.

Do you think it's at all
possible to get laid?

Yourself.
Yourself!

Hello? You're not crackin' up, are you?
'Cause two of us would be one too many.

Un-fucking-believable!
Yourself...

He said, "Do you think it's at all
possible to get yourself laid?"

He was talking to me. He said he didn't
want me too horny to think straight.

It was just before
Thanksgiving.

Okay, look. Play it again from the top.
Just his lines. One at a time.

Shit! JACK: I'm on my way
to meet with the family.

"Meet with the family."

There was an accident, uh,
a bender on the interstate.

That's the family he was gonna meet.
Okay, next line, his.

What you doin'
this weekend?

An abrupt cutout, right?

Yep.

He said, "What are you doin'
this weekend, Henry?"

I remember he called me Henry. I remember
the whole call, it meant so much to me.

Ha! Jesus Christ!
We got her!

You got her. We don't.
How do we prove it?

Ah, no, no.
No. Libby, they...

We can't let 'em
get away with this.

Come on. This cannot be a world
that lets them get away with it!

Oh, my. Imagine a black boy sayin' that.
What a privileged fuckin' life you've had.

But never mind
about the world, baby.

I won't let 'em get away
with it. I will find a way.

I'm gonna get a lead on where Ted
Koppel and Larry King are this weekend.

Can you nail the conversations
on their cellulars?

Have to rent a van, track 'em.
Sure. Do it.

Then we'll pick the best one.
Let's go, Henry.

We gotta change
the world now.

You asshole!

Yes, it was off a cellular telephone, but
don't pull that outraged-puppy shit with me.

It's not like you've suddenly become
an innocent because the tape is phony.

God! I wish we'd castrated you
when we had the chance.

Libby, you're talking on a
cellular phone! Oh, shit!

Yes, I... Goddamned
sure I know who did it.

Yes.

I'll get it done.
Okay. Bye.

W... W... Wait a minute.
You know who did it?

Yes. Oh, yes, indeedy.

What the...
Triumphant day, huh, Randy?

Perhaps your best day.

Is that Cashmere on the line?
Let me say hi. No, it's not.

Say good-bye to Sherman Presley, then.
We've got business.

It's not Sherman Presley,
whoever he is.

You've branched out, Randy.
Electronics now, huh?

I... I don't know
what you're talking about.

You've been recording your friend the
governor's private conversations, haven't you?

What? Are you...
Come on, why would I do that?

I'm a big Stanton supporter.
I always have been.

Why, he's puttin' this state
right on the map.

I've only been here 20 seconds and
you've already exhausted my patience.

I'm gonna want
a signed confession.

L... L... Libby, put that thing away before you do
something stupid and get yourself into trouble!

Randy, you wet fart
of a human turd,

you ambushed Jack Stanton, and you're
gonna admit it or you're gonna die.

Libby, you're crazy!
Certi-fuckin'-fiably! At last, a fact.

Buddy, you'll go to jail too!

I... I don't know
anything about this.

He's shocked.
He had no idea.

Now, Randy, you gonna
write this out in longhand?

I don't know what you're
talkin' about. Enough.

You know what?
I'm gonna blow your nuts off. Oh, shit!

Yes, I'm a gay
lesbian woman.

I do not mythologize
the male sexual organ.

God!
Now, now, you tiny scumbag,

I know you did it.

You're on retainer
to the Flash. I know that.

And you stupid
little shit!

You couldn't just make do with the crap
Jack actually did. You had to embellish it.

Mister, you're about
to become missus.

Libby, come on. Don't! You have a
choice to make, and very quickly.

Just how crazy is Libby?
And you're gonna have to do it now.

One... two...

Oh, this is gonna be fun.

Okay! Okay! Okay!

Very good. Very wise.

Now, I want you to be eloquent in
this letter you're about to write...

and guilt-ridden
about your jealousy and greed.

You could not
live with yourself

if you deprived the
American people of this man.

Tonight an aide
of Governor Jack Stanton

has asked to join us
in order to play a tape.

I haven't heard this tape yet,
but my producer has.

We'd like to thank her for letting
us go on with such short notice.

Okay, here we go.

Uh,
I can be there in 15 minutes.

I could come up there, sugar.

No, no, no. I can't wait.
I have to have it now, okay?

Oh, entirely. I get hot
just thinkin' about it.

Look at King.
Look at his face. Oh, my God.

Now, that sounded like me.
It was you, Larry,

asking the headwaiter at Cafe des
Artistes could he seat you right away...

because you hadn't had
anything to eat since morning.

Well, how'd... How did you...
We recorded it off your cell phone.

Now I would like to read
a letter from the man

who did the same thing
to Governor Stanton.

"To whom it may concern,

I am an employee
of the Flash.

I admit taking innocent statements
of Governor Jack Stanton...

off his cellular phone,
editing them...

and paying Cashmere McLeod to pretend
she was having a conversation with him.

I did this for my own gain
and advancement.

I confess it now because I can
no longer live with the fear

that I may deprive
the American people

of a great man."

And it's signed: "Randy
Culligan, Attorney at Law."

Don't you think the media owes
Governor Stanton an apology?

I mean, spreading this kind of
unsubstantiated garbage... Good, very good.

It should be harder than this
to smear an innocent man.

There you go, Daisy.

We'll be right back with your phone calls.
Don't go away.

How'd you get my cellular?

Henry, well done. She was...

She was so great!

Still the one
that I wouldn't switch

Still
the one that I wouldn't switch

We're still having fun and you're
still the one There's people out there.

You are
still the one that makes me shout

Still the one
that I dream about

We're still having fun
and you're still the one

Whoo, whoo
Still the one

Yeah, still the one

I want to thank you all
for stickin' with us

and workin' so hard
through all this.

W-We don't have much time,
but with your help and the grace of God,

we will get done what
needs to get done. Yes.

You know, it's been
pretty awful, but...

we're still here!

Well, I know it would be easy
to get a lot of laughs tonight

by doing some cheap blow-dry
jokes, so I'll just get started.

It all started innocently
enough for Governor Stanton.

He walked in one day and he asked
for a little trim.

- And some longer bangs.
- Hmm.

They don't care
about the fine points.

No. It would ruin
the punch line.

Does anyone ever survive
one of these feeding frenzies?

Well, if they've been
around a while, maybe.

But this is the first thing

most people will hear
about Jack Stanton,

and you've got to figure
he's history.

Fuckin' idiot! God... damn...
her!

O'er the land of the free

And the home

Of the brave

Thank you, Phil.

Folks, as the head of the
Portsmouth Democratic Party,

it's my pleasure
to introduce to you

one of the South's
most progressive governors,

and the husband
of one of the best little

fly-fishermen
to ever put on waders.

Please welcome
Governor Jack Stanton!

Thank you for that
kind introduction, Tommy,

and, uh, thank you
for the fish.

Yeah, he gave me a big
slab-sided, white-bellied fella.

Looked a lot like me.

Put it right on the grill
and gave it some heat,

kinda like they're doing to me now too.

I want... I want to thank you
for comin' out tonight.

I know how hard you work and how
little time you have to rest.

Some of us got more time than we'd like.

Right. Right.
I understand.

In fact, since this factory closed,
how many of you have found work?

Let me see a show of hands.

Right. Right.

And how many of you work jobs
that just pay the rent

no matter how many hours
you put in?

I see. My mama worked jobs
like that after my daddy died.

I remember her comin' home from work
just bone-weary. You know what I mean.

And I... I know she wanted to play
with me and ask me about school.

But sometimes you're just
too tired to do anything...

but heat up a TV dinner and
blob out in front of the tube.

- You got that one right.
- There you go.

And I don't have to tell you how
hard it is to be lookin' for work.

Hey, I don't have to tell you
anything about hard times.

So you know
what I'm gonna do?

I'm gonna do something really outrageous.
I'm gonna tell the truth.

I know what you're thinkin'.

You're thinkin' he must really
be desperate to do that,

but if you had to swallow
enough sh... garbage...

You can say shit.
We're X-rated.

Yeah, me too, if you believe
what you read in the paper.

Okay. All right.

Here's the truth.

No politician can
reopen this factory,

or bring back the shipyard jobs
or make your union strong again.

No politician can make it be
the way it used to be,

because we're living in a new world
now, a world without economic borders.

A guy can push a button in New York
and move a billion dollars to Tokyo.

And in that world, muscle jobs
go where muscle labor is cheap,

and that is not here.

So if you want to compete, you're gonna
have to exercise a different set of muscles

the one between your ears.

He's lost 'em. Fuck 'em.
He's got me.

Now, this whole country's gonna
have to go back to school.

We're gonna have to get
smarter, learn new skills.

And I will make you this deal:
I will work hard for you.

I will wake up every morning
thinkin' about you.

I will fight, sweat and bleed to
get the money to make education

a lifetime thing
in this country,

to give you the support
you need to move up.

But you have got to do the
heavy lifting your own selves.

Now, you know I've taken a
lot of hits in this campaign.

But you know
what that means?

It means someone thinks
that you're only interested

in the kind of garbage that
they've been throwin' at me.

So Tuesday, when you go to cast your
vote, you think about that.

You think about what
you're really interested in,

and then pick your candidate.

Yeah!

Thank you.

I don't think I'll be able
to take it if he loses.

If he does lose,
maybe we want to go away for a while.

Try some non-campaign sex,
see if it holds up?

Goddamn it, Richard.
Why are you always in my room?

'Cause it's neater.

Henry, when this is all over,
you and me ought to work together.

Set up a consulting firm.
Tap that black Hotchkiss vote.

Both of you, stop with the "when
this is over, we are pros" crap.

Maybe you're pros, but I've
gotten emotionally involved.

- Can I sleep here?
- No!

All right. Shit.

See, a pro knows
how to say good-bye.

It's primary day in New Hampshire
where the polls are still open.

Harris is a serious man and
has serious things to say

about America's
economic future.

People of this country
recognize that,

and that's why we're
going to see upsets today.

But the biggest upset has
got to be for Jack Stanton.

Stanton, like George Romney,
Ed Muskie, Gary Hart before him,

flamed for an instant
then burned out.

He's just stirring
the ashes now.

I can't understand
why we don't just quit.

I mean, don't we know
we're over?

An entire industry
of political experts

has explained
why we're dead.

Why are we still
walking around?

The fact is Jack...
If it rains across the upper Midwest.

And with 15%
of the vote in,

we are predicting Lawrence
Harris to win in New Hampshire.

Shit, that ain't nothin'.
It's his own state. He's gotta win here.

Governor Jack Stanton,
who is still campaigning, by the way,

has obviously decided to fight

right down to the wire,

and is in downtown Manchester
on this cold and rainy night,

fighting to pick up
any last-minute votes.

This has been his technique all
along, and many are surprised

just how effective
it has been.

According to exit polls, an overwhelming
number of Stanton voters say...

the deciding factor for them was
that they actually met the governor.

So we predict Governor
Jack Stanton a close second

to Lawrence Harris, with Nilson and
Martin a distant third and fourth.

I'll be a son of a bitch!
Don't be discouraged. We could still win!

Are you crazy?
Didn't you hear?

We're second. We're alive.
We're a fuckin' miracle, man.

On the road again

We have a chance now,
a real chance.

If we could just
get rid of Harris.

Harris'll probably
take Colorado.

He could take Florida, too,
unless you start hitting him.

I'll get Florida. It's the South.
But it's Jewish.

You got to fire off a silver
bullet in Florida, Jack.

Without Harris
we have the field.

No. Negative'll boomerang.
I know it. Huh?

I'm not goin' negative.

For president,
Jack Stanton or Lawrence Harris?

I served my country in Korea,

and my boy Jeff fought
in the Gulf War.

Jack Stanton dodged

the Vietnam draft,

and used political connections to
cover up his antiwar arrest record.

I believe in real solutions
and telling the truth.

Jack Stanton believes in glib
answers to tough questions,

about his country
and himself.

I'm Lawrence Harris.

I'll fight the tough fights.
I won't run away.

It's a question of character.

Paid for by the
Harris for President Committee.

Okay, I'm gonna kill
the son of a bitch.

- Yes!
- Yes!

But though I think
he is a fine man,

and I agree with him
about lowerin' the deficit,

I do not agree with Senator Harris's
proposal to study a reduction,

even a freeze, in cost-of-living
adjustments for Social Security.

And I also disagree with
Senator Harris about Medicare.

There's one other area where Senator Harris
and I disagree, and that is the Middle East.

When he was a member of the Senate
Foreign Relations Committee,

my opponent cast many votes regarding the
security and future of the state of Israel.

No! Wait, I agree with
many of his votes, but some...

Well, I think it's important
to stand with our friends.

And America has no better
friend than the state of Israel.

Thank you.

Well, we're up three points
and climbing. Thanks, God...

so a meeting with the Rainbow Coalition
might just be...

Uh, one second. Who is it?
William McCollister.

Can I call you back?
Yeah, I'll just be five minutes.

Ain't you rememberin' me,
Mr. Burton?

Willie. The barbecue place.
Come on in.

So, uh, what are you
doing here?

Well, I figured it'd be easier to
talk face-to-face with a brother

than to the gov, even though
he's like a brother.

I, uh...

I flew here 'cause my daughter
Loretta is with child,

and she says Governor
Jack Stanton's the daddy.

Right.

Has he landed yet? Yeah.
He's in the men's room.

Okay. Uh, is he alone?
What do you mean?

Doesn't matter.

Governor. Hey.
Well, we're in the lead.

Uh, good, good.
Senator Harris is second.

The undecided's
killin' everyone.

Governor, Willie McCollister
came to see me last night.

His daughter is pregnant and
she says you're the father.

Who else knows?
Well, he says no one.

What's he want?
I don't know.

I just can't catch
a break, can I?

All right. All right.
Is Willie still here?

Uh, no, he went back
early this morning.

Well, I can't leave
before the primary.

If this gets out,
it'll kill us.

You and Howard'll have to fly
back to Mammoth Falls tomorrow.

We gotta talk to him.

We gotta make sure he understands
there's been some kind of mistake.

They're good people but not sophisticated.
But I want 'em to know.

Why pick me?

Is it because I'm black? No.

It's because
Willie picked you.

You don't have to say anything.
Howard knows exactly what to say.

But you should be there because
he came to you. All right.

Governor,
if I'm gonna do this,

then there's something
I need to know.

I am not the father
of that child.

Henry, you will never have to be
ashamed to be part of this campaign.

You understand that? You never have to
swallow it, duck it or apologize for it.

I'll make sure
that doesn't happen.

Guys? Hmm?

Hey, Mr. Burton.
Hi, Willie.

Hey, Gov.

You remember
Howard Ferguson.

He works
with the governor too.

Hello.
Mornin'.

Well, what can I
do for ya?

The governor
is very concerned

about this situation
with your daughter.

He'd like
to see it resolved.

As I'm sure you would.

He would like her to have an
amniocentesis as soon as possible

so that paternity can be
positively established.

A what? It's a medical procedure
performed in a hospital.

A needle is inserted
into the abdomen.

Amniotic fluid is drawn
from your daughter's womb.

Genetic material is analyzed.
It can then be compared

with the governor's blood to
determine whether he is the father.

I don't understand.
It's normally used to determine

the health of the fetus, and that's
what you'll tell them at Mercy Hospital.

That you want to make sure
that the baby's healthy.

It's a common
procedure, Willie.

They put a needle
in her belly?

Look, look, look.
Mr. McCollister.

There are people who would like
to destroy Governor Stanton.

He doesn't believe you're one of
them, but he can't allow this.

You can't allow this.

I'm sure your daughter's a fine
young person, but she's a child.

Children are impressionable, and there's
been a lot of news about the governor...

She ain't said a word
to anybody.

I told her not to.
She's a good girl.

Oh, I'm sure she is.

And the governor wants to do
everything possible

to help her, and you,
through this time.

He is prepared to be
very generous.

He will help her
provide for the baby.

Now, he'll do this because he
believes that you are his friend.

But we must resolve this.

We must determine
to everyone's satisfaction

that he is not
the father of that child.

I'm sure that
you, uh...

you know,
you understand...

our position.

Pull over.

Pull over.

Hello, folks.
I'm Izzy Rosenblatt,

and I'm here
with Schmooze for Jews.

And my guest today is
presidential nominee...

and J.F.K. look-alike,
Governor Jack Stanton.

Hi, Izzy.
Hi, Jack.

Jack, when we were talking before, you
were telling me that your mama liked Vegas.

As a tip to our listeners,
when she goes there, where does she stay?

Which hotel?
Well, she's pretty loyal to the MGM Grand.

MGM Grand. Listen up,
you Vegas fans.

And, and who is her favorite act there?
Is it Wayne Newton?

Absolutely. Everybody loves Wayne Newton.
He's marvelous.

He was once a guest on this show.
That was many, many years ago.

Now, to satisfy the
curiosity of our Vegas fans,

when your mother plays blackjack,
where does she stand pat?

Is it 16?
Well, she is a bit of a gambler.

Uh, but sometimes she'll go up to 17.
Oh, my.

Uh, excuse me, Governor, but I'm told
we have Senator Harris on the phone.

- Uh, hello. This is indeed an honor.
- Thank you.

We were just talking
with Governor Stanton

about how his mother
loves Las Vegas.

I was wondering, Senator, does your
mother have a favorite vacation spot?

My mother's dead. Oh. I'm sorry.

Jack Stanton should be ashamed of the way
he's scaring other elderly people down here.

You mean about going up to 17?
What?

I'm not following you.

He's telling people I'm going to
cut their Social Security and...

It's, uh... Come on, Larry.
It's part of your book.

Everyone knows what you're doing down
here, the sleazy politics you're playing!

Is it okay if I get a word in here?
Go ahead. Be my guest.

What am I saying?
You are my guest!

Larry, I'm lookin' at your campaign
book here. Page 18, paragraph 3.

What does it mean when you say you want to
study a freeze of cost-of-living adjustments?

Ah. That's only
one possibility.

Uh, we might want to rework
how they're calculated.

I can tell you,
cost-of-living adjustments

are calculated
to keep up with inflation.

But I guess you don't think
that's such a good idea.

Now, wait a minute! I didn't say that.
It's right here in your book.

I... I said it has to be studied.
Who knows?

We might even want to spend more
on cost-of-living adjustments.

Tell me, Senator, who is
your favorite comedian?

What? I'm tellin' the folks
what my positions are.

You're the one here that...

No, no, no. You're
distorting my positions.

This is the reason no one
trusts the political process!

You just can't defend
your positions.

Not when you play these games.

Ladies and gentlemen, we just can't
afford to keep spending money like this.

You just said
you might want to spend more

on cost-of-living adjustments.

Larry,
I think you're confused.

No, no, no, no.

Excuse me. But, uh, now listen.

Excuse me.

What happened?
Did he hang up or... or what?

Uh, yes. Yes, yes.

Well, uh, so, tell me, Governor,
who's your favorite comedian?

The phones haven't stopped ringing!
It was fantastic, a rout.

We couldn't believe it when we
heard Harris on the phone, could we?

No, no. We couldn't. He's fucked now.
We're gonna walk away with Florida.

Quick! Turn on CNN.
Whoa, whoa. It's on. Shh.

According to sources,
Senator Harris suffered two heart attacks,

the first one immediately after a
phone call with Governor Jack Stanton

during a Florida
radio talk show.

Jesus. Oh, shit.
We heard him having it.

...he remains in a coma.
His condition is listed as critical.

Hospital sources in Florida will not confirm
the senator's condition at this point.

It's difficult to say exactly what
effect this will have on the campaign.

We don't know the damage to
Senator Harris's heart muscle yet.

His doctors have only issued general
bulletins regarding his condition.

Because after such a massive
heart attack...

The vote's in two days.
What do we do?

We go back to Mammoth Falls, and Daisy
stays and pulls the negative ads.

Jack, I understand how you feel.
But couldn't we respect...

We go back to Mammoth Falls.

There's a long history
of plaque buildup in the arteries.

In the case of
Senator Harris...

I was so
prideful, so fuckin' smug.

There was no way
you could know this.

We were gonna
whip his butt.

I could have been gracious.
It would have been smarter.

Well, I'm sorry. The man cuts
a vicious negative ad,

then he ambushes you
in a talk show

and he accuses you
of sleazy politics.

You're supposed to be gracious?
Wha... Am I missing something here?

Is Jackie okay?
Yeah, he's fine. Go ahead.

This is no time to stop
the meeting.

Harris is a smart man, and he's right
about the damn issues. He's right.

He's a pompous son of a bitch.
He rubbed your nose in it.

And I rubbed his nose right back in it,
but that's not how you win the big ones.

All right. I don't know
what I'm gonna do now.

I guess I have to fly back
tonight, address the victory party,

try to get Mrs. Harris on the
phone at the hospital again.

She hasn't been returning my phone
calls, but, uh, can't blame her, can ya?

Ah. What do you think?

Henry.

What the fuck was that in there?
Who were you and Howard starin' at?

Nothing. No one. Bullshit.
That wasn't nothin'.

Who was
that woman with Susan?

It looked like what's-her-name,
Fat Willie's wife.

Why is she worth
starin' at?

Henry, what the fuck is goin' on here?
Nothing.

Party atmosphere...

...after this win
here in Florida.

Yeah. All right. All right.

You son of a bitch!

Amniocentesis...
You motherfucker!

Susan, I... I'm sorry...
When were you gonna tell me?

My wife could
not be with me at this time.

She's with our son Jackie at
Mammoth Falls... Susan, I'm...

I want to extend
my sympathy...

Come on, come on.
I'm sorry. I'm sorry.

A terrible thing has happened to
a good man.

But Larry Harris is a fighter...
Shh, shh, shh. I'm sorry.

With God's help he will rise to fight
again, a worthy and honorable opponent.

And I know every one of us
throughout this great country...

I'm sorry. I'm sorry.

...wishes Senator Harris
a full and speedy recovery.

I think
the people of Florida...

will understand if I forego
any talk of victory or defeat

and ask them to join me
in a prayer.

We'll need a
consultant in New York, Jack.

Norman Asher's good.

Where the fuck
is Henry? Daisy?

I don't know.
I just flew in with you, remember?

Brad, do we have the New York numbers?
You're at 22.

And Harris is running
at 18%, comatose.

Shit, Henry.

I'm really sorry.
The governor would like your input on New York.

How do you think they'll take
the thing with Harris?

Well, obviously, Susan, first we
have to see if Harris is still in.

That's not very helpful.
Lucille?

If Harris is out and Ozio
doesn't change his mind and jump in,

I say the race is ours
by default.

My God,
this poor woman.

I want
to thank all of you...

for your remarkable
outpouring of affection.

It's obvious that my husband
will not be able

to continue his campaign
for the presidency.

Fantastic! I mean...
Well, you know what I mean.

We have asked
our good friend

former governor Fred Picker of
Florida to carry on for us.

To continue to raise the
questions in a meaningful,

honorable way.

She's not too upset to give us a poke.
Give her a break.

Her husband may be dying
and she thinks Jack did it.

Now let me turn this campaign
over to Governor Picker.

Thank you, darlin'.

I hope you'll excuse me.
This is a rather emotional time.

Mr... Governor Picker,
do you think you can win the nomination?

Well I'm, uh, I'm not...

out to win the nomination.

I... I'm out to

continue
what Senator Harris began.

I'm trying to give the American
people an honest choice on the issues.

But if you won
the nomination...

Uh, it's really premature
to talk about that right now.

I really haven't had
the time to think about it.

Now, what I have thought about
is the best way I can help

Senator Harris
in this campaign.

And as I know him as a man
of action rather than words,

the best action is
for me to go down

and donate a pint of blood,

because that's what
he really needs now.

If you folks would like to
come down and donate a pint,

I know Mrs. Harris
would certainly appreciate it.

Jesus Christ, we should have
thought of that blood thing.

Great.
Great goddamn move.

How do we treat this guy? How do we
run against him if he's not gonna run?

Oh, shit, he'll run.

But till he announces it,

he'll be
the flavor of the week.

We'll just be patient
and wait till he comes out.

What kind of changes
can we expect in the campaign?

Lawrence Harris has made several
negative 30-second spots,

and his pollsters
have advised even more.

Will you keep going
in that direction? No.

I won't be doing
any spots,

and I won't be having any polls because
I'm not gonna be paying any pollsters.

I'm not gonna hire folks

to tell me what you're thinkin'
and how I can get at you.

Then what exactly are you gonna do?
I'm gonna talk straight.

Jesus Christ!
Who is this guy?

Well,
let's not panic.

He's as much as
admitted he's runnin',

so now we're gonna see some
tarnish on the golden image.

The media giveth and...
go fuck yourself.

Governor, why did you
quit politics in 1978?

Uh, there were a lot
of reasons, Charlie.

Uh, I had personal problems.

I know this can't be
easy for you to talk about.

No, no, it's not,
but I guess...

it's part of the game now,
so I'll be candid.

You see, what happened was
I got too wrapped up

in the business
of being governor,

and I began
to neglect my family,

and my wife fell in love
with another man.

I quit in part to see if I could
salvage my marriage, but I couldn't.

So I just wanted to make sure
that my boys...

knew that they had two parents
that loved them very much.

And I think if you ask them they'll
tell you that we made it through okay.

They're in college now, and when Mrs.
Harris asked me to do this,

they were very, very
enthusiastic.

So I guess you could say that
I'm doing this for them too.

Awesome.
Best I've ever seen.

What do we do?
Well, now we panic.

As I said earlier,
it must be very difficult...

Hello.

Hey, Amnio Man!

God! How in the hell
did you find out?

It wasn't hard.
Loretta talked to a schoolmate.

A Current Affair just offered
the McCollisters 250,000,

and Fat Willie threw 'em off the
property and threatened to call the cops.

I had to stash 'em in another county.
I could fuckin' kill Jack.

He says he's not the father.
Well, he's probably not.

It doesn't matter. Shit begets shit.
Cashmere made anything possible.

Yeah, didn't she?

Listen, I'm a good consultant
and I know New York.

But I'm not a magician. Those rumors
about you and the black girl...

Norman, can't I tell 'em I gave
blood to disprove the charge,

and we're just waitin'
for the results?

That's too defensive.

I don't like the contrast

between why you gave blood
and why Picker gave blood.

I agree. But it might be a good
idea to get on some TV shows

like Montel and Geraldo.

You mean strip away those last
annoying little shreds of dignity

and just wallow in trash?

Why campaign in New York
at all? What is the use?

You have to.
You can't skip New York.

Well, they'll kill me.

No. It'll just feel
like they have.

But you'll survive.
We all find a way to survive.

Th-That's why
I'm so, so happy to be in New York,

to have the opportunity to...

If, if you just
give me a chance...

Please give me a chance...

to answer your,
your questions...

I love New York!

I hope you rot in hell!

Bugger, bugger, bugger!

Son of a bitch!

You're a phony! A pederast!
You're a sick hetero fuck!

I'm in. I'm in.

I don't know
how much more of this I can take.

Okay, tomorrow we start
working Connecticut.

Picker's speaking at a rally,
and we ought to hit it at the same time.

He can't tomorrow. He's got to go to Brooklyn
and meet with the Lubavitcher Rebbe.

What? Who the fuck
decided that?

The Lubavitcher Rebbe.
Can't win New York without him.

Hey, listen, Governor...
Norman knows New York. It's his call.

Susan's right. You go to the rally.
I better keep the appointment.

Thank you.

Thank you. Well, this is
kind of overwhelming.

He's nervous now.
He's the man now.

I didn't expect this.

To all the folks giving their blood
in the back out there in the tents,

I want to thank them.
I really do.

Would you all do me...
Would you all do me a favor?

Just don't shout
quite so loud.

Thank you.

- Thanks. Now, I... I... I really mean it.
- We love you!

I... I wish everyone would
just calm down a little.

And when I say "everyone,"
I mean, uh, the press,

and, uh, the TV crews
and all my colleagues...

and all the folks who make a
living advising my colleagues.

I think we need
to calm down some.

You know, this is
a terrific country.

But sometimes we go
a little crazy.

And maybe that's part of our
greatness, part of our freedom.

But if we don't watch out
and calm down,

it all may just
spin out of control.

You know, the world is getting
more and more complicated.

And politicians have to explain
things to you in simpler terms

so that they can get their little
oversimplified explanations

on the evening news.

And eventually,
instead of even trying to explain things,

they just give up and start
slingin' mud at each other.

And it's all to keep you
excited, keep you watchin',

like you watch, uh,
a car wreck...

or a, uh,
wrestlin' match.

As a matter of fact, that's exactly
what it's like: professional wrestlin'.

It's... It's staged
and it's fake,

and it doesn't
mean anything.

And that goes
for the debates.

We don't... We don't
hate our opponents.

Hell, half the time
we don't even know them.

But it seems it's the only way we
know how to keep you all riled up.

So what I want to do
with this campaign

is kind of
quiet things down...

and start having
a conversation...

about what sort of country we want
this to be in the next century.

And I want Governor Stanton to know
that I welcome him to this conversation.

Well, okay.

This show is all yours.
You gentlemen know the rules.

No eye-gouging,
no chair-tossing.

Three knockdowns,
I come in to stop the bout.

I hope he don't lose it. Geraldo's gonna
go after him, and Picker's very smooth.

He won't lose it. Frankly, folks,
he doesn't have anything to lose.

...overshadows
your entire campaign.

Is there any truth,
any truth whatsoever, sir,

to the awful allegation that you are
the father of a child by a teenage girl?

Oh, shit! No, it's good.
It's out there.

Now, if Jack just keeps
the answer short...

...that she's been
influenced by all the publicity...

surrounding the phony
Cashmere McLeod tapes.

Now, the family involved are good people.
They're friends of mine.

I spoke with the father just before
they went to an undisclosed location,

and he apologized for
causing me so much trouble.

I think that's all we need to know, Jack.
Don't you, folks?

Jesus Christ.

Picker actually saved him.
I've never seen that before.

That's incredible.
Maybe this is the first time.

Maybe Picker's an original,
the real thing.

You know your problem, Hotchkiss?
It's you got gallopin' T.B.

You don't mean tuberculosis, right?
I mean true-believer-ism.

You talk like a pro,
you act like a pro,

but inside,
you're just like Libby,

who actually goes crazy when her
candidate turns out not to be

the rock her church
was built on.

Do you know in '78 she actually
wore a button that said,

"I'm a Picker Person"...

and nose-dived when
he quit the race?

Didn't even try to get the goods on
why he was... Well, he told us why.

What? He wanted
to stay home with his kids?

"I'd rather be dad than
president?" Gimme a fuckin' break.

The race among Democratic
contenders might be a toss-up.

Polls taken after the two men
appeared on the Geraldo show indicate

that Governor Picker still has
a substantial lead,

but there has been a remarkable
five-percent increase for Governor Stanton.

Fuckin' Norman Asher.

...Stanton's
appearance is attributed by many...

Thank you.

Hey,
I'm just takin' a leave of absence.

I can't stick around and take
orders from Norman Asher.

We're from different parts
of the jungle.

Let him have his day.
This thing's about gone anyway.

I can't believe this.
Why?

Henry, I've been through
this shit a hundred times.

That's what these guys do.
They love you, and they stop lovin' ya.

But Stanton's different.

Yeah, he is different.
He was worth it.

You take care
of your ass, Hotchkiss.

I'll see you
next time.

I'm very sorry about
losing Daisy and Richard.

But we're all pros.
We know these things happen.

I wanna talk
about Picker,

something Richard said
about Picker.

I wanna find out...

why did Picker quit
in '78?

The only dirt I
ever heard about Picker...

was a condo development
named Clearwater Estates

where the state matched money for the
county to build a connecting road.

And?

Nothing specific.

The project was being developed
by a guy named Edgardo Reyes.

Edgardo Reyes is the brother
of Antonia Reyes, who is...

Picker's former wife.
Who else knows about this?

Anyone follow it up?
Nope.

Well, Lib, let's go.

What?

- What?
- I'm tryin' to decide.

Decide what? Whether I wanna do
this for ya, you stupid shit.

I bust dust. I protect ya.
I don't do in the opponent.

What the fuck
is the difference?

All the difference
in the world.

All the moral difference
in the world.

I'm not too interested in
tearin' ol' Freddy Picker down.

And if he's bent, if he's a crook?
It'll out.

But when? Say he wins the
nomination, and then it comes out.

Look at this.
Look at this.

The results of the blood test
Dr. Beauregard gave me.

Congratulations.

- I'm sure this'll help.
- But it won't.

Libby, honey, you know it. It won't matter
that my blood doesn't match Loretta's baby.

It won't matter
that I can't be the father.

The only way it would matter
is if I were the father,

because guilty is
what's interesting.

Am I supposed to live by these rules and
let Picker slide in on a special pass

because you were a Picker
person in the 70's?

You mean "and justice for all"?
That's a stupid fuckin' argument.

Okay, but this isn't. Picker could
be guilty of fraud or a tax swindle.

If he used influence to help his
brother-in-law, he's not fit to be president.

He could be a real shit.

Forget who you thought he was.
Find out who he really is.

Get packed.

We're in limbo now, Henry.

We are outside
the mainstream.

We are in purgatory.
We are lost.

Libby,
if you don't shut up,

I'm gonna kill myself.

We are testing our
limits. We are in the pits.

'Member Limbo Rock?
'Member the words?

"How low can you go?"

Is there a reason we're meeting him
in neo-Bwana Land instead of his office?

Two reasons.
No recordin' devices.

And I've always wanted to see this hotel.
Hmm. Yeah.

Yes, I had this business.

Yes, I hoped having the
governor as brother-in-law...

would be an advantage.

But Mr. Righteous
wouldn't cut me any slack.

We did Clearwater
straight up.

It would be God's little joke if they
nailed him for it anyway, wouldn't it?

Freddy didn't know you hired his
wife and brother to get to him?

Know? Absolutely not.

Thank you, Mr. Reyes.

My friend and I are very
grateful, more than we can say.

Know? What the fuck
did he know?

He was half-stoned
most of the time.

Stoned?

Oh, dear. I really said
something I shouldn't, didn't I?

Saint Freddy's staffers
don't like to hear that.

Stoned how?

Toot, toot,
tootsie good-bye

You two look disappointed. You didn't
know he was a fucking maricon cokehead?

Wait a minute. Coc...
Cocaine. He loved the shit.

Hell, we all loved the shit, but he's the
only one who's a candidate for sainthood.

I... I'm afraid that's
a little hard to buy.

- I mean, it just doesn't fit.
- Maybe not now.

Twenty years ago, almost everyone
was doing everything. Right, Libby?

But where would Freddy score? How could he
keep it quiet in the governor's mansion?

There was a guy.

There was a young guy.
Lorenzo Delgado.

Upper-class Cuban.
A lawyer.

He and the governor knew each other
socially, so it was perfectly all right.

The joke is, Delgado just got
out of prison,

and now lives in a
halfway house in Hialeah.

And Saint Freddy is about
to be president.

Yeah, that is a joke.

Must get a lot of laughs when
you tell it at dinner parties.

I don't talk about Freddy.

I'm talking to you 'cause
you're from his campaign.

It's just...

I'm not the only guy
in town knows this.

Ah, he should have never
gotten back into the game.

Now he'll go down.

This is America.
You can bank on it.

Lorenzo Delgado.

On the porch.
Through there.

Thank you.

Lorenzo?
Right in there.

Thanks.

Mr. Delgado,
we're here about Freddy Picker.

Sit down.
Sit down.

Are you
from the campaign?

I've been expecting you.

You can tell Freddy he has
nothing to fear from me.

Nothing.
Understand?

This happened after him.

I fucked my brains out
in jail.

Not much else to do there.

There were so many boys who spent all
day in the gym working on their bodies.

I like this porch.

I can't do it all the time.
It depends on the weather.

It's strange.

My body temperature is always
off one way or the other.

Too hot or too cold.

It's never just right.

Sometimes the tiniest breeze
can set me off, shivering.

There's nothing I can do about it.
I can't turn it off.

I just gotta let it ride.

So, are you
Freddy's friend now?

You just knew
it was gonna be good.

You just knew
it was gonna be irresistible.

But this has every
fucking thing.

Sex. Drugs.
Corruption.

And none of it,
none of it,

Henry, my man,
is clear-cut venality.

It's all kind of human
and awful and... sad.

Now we'll find out.

Find out what, Libby?
We just found out.

Oh, don't play dumb with me, Henry.
This is a test.

Of us and them.

Actually, of us and them
and us again.

We passed the entrance exam.
We got the dirt.

Now it's about them,
Jack and Susan.

What are they
gonna do with it?

Little buddy, isn't that
what we're both after here?

I mean, after 25 years,
I get to see what they're about.

Not just hypothesize.
Not just hope.

This is it.
Graduation day.

They graduate or I do.

Tell the truth, Henry.
Isn't that what you're really after too?

Watch the
road, Libby, goddamn it.

Isn't it?

Here, Governor, feast your eyes.
You too, my lady.

Henry, a transcript
of our tour.

This is...
This is remarkable.

How on earth did he think he
was gonna get away with this?

Now, now, what do we do
with this?

The Times? No, the Wall Street Journal.
More authoritative in a way.

Through an intermediary,
someone not associated with the campaign.

I don't think so.

What do you mean? I don't think
there's anything of use here.

You gotta be kiddin'.

It doesn't meet
my standards.

What on earth do you mean?

I mean, madame, Henry and I don't think
the use of this material is proper.

We have a moral objection.
And I have a historical beef.

Aw, come on, Libby.

Why did you go out and get it
if you weren't gonna use it?

'Cause Susan was right.
He could've been a real shit.

I didn't think he would be, and he isn't.
But he could've been.

But, Jackie, my dearest,
you're off the fuckin' point.

The point is we don't do
this sort of thing.

Oh, I'll be relentless bustin'
dust and guardin' your ass.

I'd have even blown Randy
Culligan's weenie off for ya.

Well, maybe I wouldn't have.
But this is something else.

This is hurting someone else.
This sucks.

You wanna know
why this sucks?

Because you told me so.

'Member when, Jackie?

Let me refresh your memory.

Weren't they gorgeous, Henry?

- Yeah, but look at you.
- You little shit.

I told you I used
to have a waist.

Libby... Hush up. Don't ruin it.

Do you remember when this was?
You don't, do you?

The Miami headquarters in '72.
Yeah.

It was taken just
after the convention.

I'll never forget
that convention.

Libby, for christ sake, what are you doing?
What's the point?

The point is Eagleton.
'Member, Jack?

I must've known you,
what, two days then?

We hear that McGovern
has chosen a vice president

who had electric shock
treatments.

For the first time
I considered the possibility

we might lose
to that fuckbrain Nixon.

I mean, before that,
I was absolutely convinced we would win.

Can you imagine, Henry?
We were so fuckin' young.

And this one...
He takes me out.

We go to this little open-air Cuban joint.
'Member, Jack?

I got my head in my hands.
Life has ended.

I say, "They did it. The C.I.A.
It had to be the C.I.A."

I couldn't believe that Tom
Eagleton would really be a nutcase.

They had to have dragged him off
and drugged him and made him crazy.

It couldn't have been that McGovern
was a complete fucking amateur.

No, they did dirty tricks. I said, "We gotta
get the same capability as the C.I.A."

'Member, Jack?
"We gotta be able to do dirt too."

You said, "No. Our job is
to end all that.

Our job is
to make it clean.

Because if it's clean,
we win.

Because our ideas
are better."

You remember that,
Jack?

That was a long time ago.

Libby, you said it yourself.
We were young.

We didn't know
how the world worked.

Now we know.

We know that if we don't move on this
Picker situation, two things will happen:

The first is, we're dead.
Everything we've worked for

since Miami 25 years ago
dies, and fast.

The second thing that happens is someday
very soon, when the romance dies,

when they've gotten sick of Freddie
Picker's quiet, righteous act,

some enterprising journalist
will stumble onto this.

If he doesn't, the Republicans will
lead him to it on their timetable.

Next fall, it'll be
another Eagleton.

It'll be our fault this time
for letting it happen.

Your fault, Libby.

Honey, you may be right.

All of it may be right.

But we can't do it because it just
ain't who we're supposed to be.

Maybe we could leak part of
it, the Clearwater stuff.

We know the Republicans
have that.

You don't think they're gonna
have the rest any day now?

You think Reyes is only
gonna tell this story once?

I'm sorry, Libby.
There's just no discussion.

You're right.
None.

Henry and me have decided
this dies here.

I don't think so.

I'm sorry, sweetheart,
but it does.

And here's why.

You know what this is?

Test results on Jack's blood,
Uncle Charlie's blood taken over the years.

This is the blood test report Jack
gave me that proves he's not the father

of Loretta McCollister's baby.

You know what, Jack?
It's not your blood.

Isn't that a riot?

The blood sample Dr. Beauregard
took was not from you.

It was
from Uncle Charlie.

You sent him to have his blood
tested in your place,

because you know good old
Dr. Beauregard loves you and,

"Wants to
teach those Yankees a lesson."

He's not gonna love you enough
to lose his license, Jack.

Once he knows I have proof,
he'll fold like a cheap accordion.

I know that won't prove you are
the father of Loretta's baby.

In fact,
I think you're not.

But it proves you thought
you might be.

That proves you fucked her.
That will kill your chances.

You would do that.

You would end
his political career.

You see, Jack,
she hasn't even heard.

She isn't even upset that you
fucked your 17-year-old baby-sitter.

You know why?
It's never the cheat who goes to hell.

It's always the one
who he cheated on.

That's why you can still talk
in that tenderhearted voice

about bein' in it
for the folks.

And Susie here can only talk in that voice
from hell about your political career.

What kind of shit is that?
Excuse me, I forgot.

It's the same old shit. It's the
shit no one ever calls you on ever.

Because you're so completely
fucking special.

Because everyone
was always so proud of you.

Me too.
Me the worst.

It just makes it
a whole lot easier for me.

It's totally depressing.

What have I been doing this for
my whole pathetic fucking life?

So here's the deal:

If you move on Freddy Picker, who I think
we all agree is a flawed but decent man,

I move on you.

Yes.

I will destroy this village
in order to save it.

Henry, tomorrow we...

Is that for me?

No, darlin'.

Where are we?

We're just coming up to
my beautiful condo by the river.

Hey, do you wanna come in for some
coffee, booze, Diet Coke?

Not tonight.

Deliver this for me,
will ya?

I'm not gonna use it.

You're giving them the blood test
info, letting them off the hook?

Why not? Picker will go down anyway.
We can't save him.

The whole point of this was to see
if they'd turn him in, and they will.

They didn't even
fuckin' hesitate.

So... that's that.

Let 'em swing, Libby.
Let 'em sweat a little.

Oh, honey.

You see that moon?

That's me. It's beautiful, huh?

But, Henry,

it's only reflected light.

It needs the sun.

The Stantons are my sun.

I lived my life drawing
light and warmth from them.

Without them,
I'm bleak and cold

and airless
for eternity.

You be careful, Henry.

You still have something
of an atmosphere.

Find yourself
a life, okay?

Okay.

Come here.

Go on now.

Try and get some sleep.
You can find your way from here?

Oh, sure.

From here? There's only two
ways you can go from here.

Bye, sweetie.
Good night.

No! No. No.

Oh, God, no.

Hey, hey!
No, she's a friend of mine.

She's a close friend of mine.
Come on. Let me through.

It's okay.

It's all right.

A lot of us here today
grew up with Libby Holden.

She was our friend.

She was our big sister.

She bullied us.
She drove us crazy.

Worst of all, she remembered
everything about us.

Everything we hoped to be.

Everything we wanted
the world to be.

All those young promises made,

Libby remembered
in the original wording.

Before she died,
she wrote me a note.

It said,

"I am so fucking
disappointed in you.

Shape up."

I am so sorry
that I disappointed her.

I am so sorry I can't look
at her and say

that I will promise
to do better.

She lent us her courage
and her warmth...

and her madness.

She...

She had
the most amazing heart.

Long trip.

No press
that I can see.

Not yet.

Follow me, Governor.

This is the only copy left.
I want you to have it

because it might help to know
what someone else may find.

I shouldn't have looked for it.
I'm really sorry.

Fucking cocaine.

You know, I was so successful
at everything I did.

In business, politics.
Hell, I could handle anything.

Except cocaine.

Only, I didn't know that
because of cocaine.

That's really what fucked up my marriage.
It wasn't anything else.

And...

I did go to bed
with 'Renzo once or twice.

Hell, it was
just a coke thing.

I could do anything,
so I did that too.

I'm seeing
a really nice woman now.

I suppose I have to tell her.

Hell of a price
to pay, isn't it?

Maybe no one
will find out.

You did... in a day.

I should never have said yes
to Mrs. Harris,

but I liked what Harris was doing,
and I thought I'd give it a week.

Then it...
It just took off.

Once I did that blood thing...
That was great politics.

Yeah. Amazing,
wasn't it?

Jack, I'd like to thank you
for coming here

the honorable way
you have.

I was wrong to stay in.

I just hope when I quit

maybe they won't
hit it as hard.

My boys...

I really don't want them
to know about 'Renzo.

But probably
the bottom line is...

I'm gonna be a national joke.

And I'm gonna have to
explain it all

to my boys,
either way.

Because no matter what I do...

the press is still
gonna find out

the rest of it,
aren't they?

If they think it'll sell
one newspaper, yes.

Oh, my God.

If there's anything I can do, anything
that can make it a little better...

I can still
hear the soft summer wind

In the live oak trees

And those Williams boys

They still mean a lot
to me

Hank and Tennessee

I guess we're all gonna be
what we're gonna be

So what do you do

With good ol' boys
like me

You know,
I love that song.

The line about
the Williams boys.

It's never just Hank.

The picture ain't complete
without ol' Tennessee.

Governor, I'm resigning
from the campaign.

I don't accept
your resignation.

Look, I just don't feel
comfortable about this anymore.

About what?
This...

This line of work.

I spoke to Richard.
He's back on board.

I'm puttin' him in charge.
Campaign manager.

Probably in the office now.

I'm bringing Daisy back
too, if she'll come.

That's not what this is about.
Then what is it?

Libby.
Ah.

Libby's test.
You flunked it.

But just now
I passed it,

so which grade do I get,
the high or the low?

If she hadn't died...

If she hadn't died,
I'd have leaked the file

to someone, and I'd have
felt bad about it.

But you know what?
I would have been wrong not to do it.

What I did now, I did for
Libby, but it wasn't right.

If Picker hadn't quit,
he'd have won the nomination,

gone down and
taken the party with him.

It was only a question of when.
And how.

And who pushed him off
the cliff when he was falling.

Those are fine points,

"how many angels can you fit
on the head of a pin" points.

This is hardball.

You tellin' me you just discovered
that you don't have the stomach for it?

I know you better than that.
We spent too much time together.

This is it, Henry.
This is the price you pay to lead.

You don't think Abraham Lincoln was
a whore before he was a president?

He had to tell his stories

and smile his shit-eating,
back-country grin.

He did it so he would one day
have the opportunity

to stand in front
of the nation

and appeal to "the better
angels of our nature."

That's where
the bullshit stops.

That's what it's all about.

So we have the opportunity to make the
most of it, to do it the right way.

You know as well as I do
there are plenty

of people playing this game
that don't think that way.

They're willing to sell their
souls, crawl through sewers,

lie to people, divide them,
play on their worst fears,

for nothing,
just for the prize.

I don't care.

I'm sorry, but I'm not
comparing the players.

I don't like the game.

I wanna work for something small.
Voter registration.

After everyone's registered,
who will they vote for?

In the end, Henry,
who can do this better than me?

Think about it.
Is there anyone out there

with a chance to actually
win this election

who'd do more for the
people than I would?

Who'd even think about
the folks I care about?

Oh, shit.

Aw, is that them?
So quick?

That damn driver. I knew it.
All right.

We'll go talk
to them together. Come on.

Ah, don't shake your head.

We worked so hard together
to get here.

It's there for us now.
Right there.

We can do incredible things.

We can change
this whole country.

I'm gonna win this thing,

and when I do,
we're gonna make history.

Look me in the eye and tell
me it's not gonna happen.

Look me in the eye
and tell me

you don't
wanna be part of it.

Jeez... Jesus, Henry.

You want me to get down
on my knees?

I can't do without you.
Don't leave me now.

You're still with me,
aren't you?

Say you are.
Say it. Say it.

Come on. Henry!

This is ridiculous!
You gotta be with me!

Mr. President.

Now, don't break our hearts.

Mazel tov,
Mr. President.