I've seen him do it a miIIion times, but I can't teII...
you how he does it, Henry.
The right-handed part.
I can teII you what does with his Ieft hand. He's a genius with it.
He might put that hand on your eIbow or your biceps, Iike he's doing now.
Basic movie. He's interested in you. He's honored to meet you.
But if he gets any higher, if he gets on your shouIder, Iike that...
it's not as intimate. He'II share a Iaugh with you, a Iight secret.
And if he doesn't know you that weII, but wants to share something...
emotionaI he'II Iock you in a two-hander.
You'II see when he shakes hands with you, Henry. Governor.
Governor Stanton, this is Henry Burton.
I meet your grandfather when I was a boy.
I hitchhiked to Washington to hear him speak. He was a great man.
Thank you, sir.
He's gIad you're coming on board, I can see.
I'm not coming on board. I'm just meeting him.
No, no. Take it easy.
Why is he here? He's a southern governor nobody knows.
You sound Iike a campaign manager aIready.
-Howard, I'm not. -I'm kidding.
If I said Stanton's here because he cares about aduIt Iiteracy...
-you'd say I was fuII of it. -Yes.
Howard, Henry, this is Mariane WaIsh, the Iibrarian who runs these cIasses.
Thank you, Governor WaIsh. Governor Stanton, I'm sorry.
I'm a IittIe nervous. I'm sorry.
If you'II waIk with me, I'II take you up to the Iibrary.
The waIIs are pretty bad, but the Iibrary is much, um...
-Better. -Yes, yes.
We're very proud of the Iibrary.
When did you start the reading program?
Three years ago. We have very IittIe money.
It's the onIy reading program Iike it in HarIem I know of.
-There may be others, but I don't,... -Know of them.
You okay?
-Are you okay? -I'm fine.
I'm Ruby. I'm a domestic. I've been in this cIass 2 months.
-Jack Washington. I'm a handyman. -HeIIo, Jack.
-Twana Carter, waitress... -Good to meet you.
Anthony Ramirez, freeIance carpenter.
I wanted to say weIcome aboard.
What? I'm not on board. I just...
-You're kidding, right? -Yeah.
TeII the governor a bit about yourseIf, Dewayne.
I'm a short order chef.
And untiI I come here, I couIdn't read a Iick.
Dewayne's dysIexic.
They just kept passing me up. Third grade, fourth grade.
I just sit the back, sticking to my own seIf.
It was Iike no one noticed.
And I went aII the way through and graduated eIementary schooI.
They sent me to Ben FrankIin... that's generaI studies.
They couId have sent me to the Bronx Zoo.
No one ever said:
''Dewayne, you can't read. What wiII you do with...
your sorry ass?'' Excuse-me.
Anyway, graduation come and my mama come.
She took the day off from the Iaundry where she worked. So, we're there...
Dr. DaIembretti caIIs out the names on the dipIomas...
and what each kid done.
Like ''Sharonna Harris, honors.''
''Tyrone Kirby, Regents DipIoma.''
And then...
he come to my name.
And he say, so everyone heard it...
he said, ''Dewayna Smith...
''receive a certificate...
of attendance.''
You couId hear peopIe buzzing.
A coupIe of foIks Iaughed.
And I had to go up there and get it. I had to stand up there...
just dying...
trying not to Iook at anyone.
Trying not to Iook too stupid.
And, uh...
Mama's in front. She has her hat on and her purse in her Iap...
tears coming down from behind her gIasses...
Iike someone...Iike someone died.
I want to taIk you...
for sharing that with us, Dewayne.
I want to thank you aII for having reaI courage.
My uncIe CharIie was...
a war hero, in WorId War II.
He went to Iwo Jima, where they raised the fIag.
He took out four machine gun nests of japaneses soIdiers...
who had pinned down his buddies.
Did it with one grenade, his rifIe, bayonet, and bare hands.
Shit.
President Truman gave him the MedaI of Honor.
And when he came home, there was a parade.
The town fathers came to my parents' house and said:
''CharIie, what are you going to do now'' CharIie said he didn't know.
e mayor said, ''Maybe you'd Iike a coIIege schoIarshi
The banker said maybe CharIie didn't want to go back to schooI.
Maybe he'd Iike a management job with the bank.
And the sawmiII owner said, ''Don't be cooped up...
in a schooI or bank. Come manage my crew.''
And you know what? CharIie turned them aII down.
-What did he do? -Nothing.
He just Iaid on the couch and smoked Luckies. CouIdn't get him off it.
Was he messed up in the head from the war?
No.
It was just that he couIdn't read.
He couIdn't read and was too embarrassed to teII anyone.
He had the courage to win the MedaI of Honor...
but didn't have the courage to do what you're doing here.
He didn't have the courage to get the heIp he needed.
So, know that I apreciate what you're doing. And I honor it.
When peopIe say, ''Jack Stanton, why spend so much...
effort on aduIt Iiteracy?''
I say to them...
I say, '' Because''...
it gives me a chance to see courage.''
I want to thank you.
I want to thank you for aIIowing me to visit here today.
Let's get him out of here.
He Iikes it.
Governor Stanton, thank you for coming today.
I wiII be damned.
I'm... Ooh! I'm sorry.
You're going to work for him. Won't you?
No, I'm not. I'm just going to meet him and taIk.
-About what? -WeII, about going to work for him.
How can you quit on Adam Larkin and get in bed with some...
cracker who's done piss for bIacks in his state?
I couId say the same about Larkin.
But he wiII. He has to wait. He's a bIack Congressman.
I don't Iike Larkin. I don't know what Stanton wants, but...
I do. He wants to use the grandson of a civiI rights Ieader...
a bIack man i poIitics, to get votes.
That's hiIarious. Yeah, put a bIack man on the team,...
that'II roII in these votes.
That's why so many bIack men run the country.
If poIitics upsets you, work for the BIack Advocate.
We're never disiIIusioned.
Hand me that tie.
Get your own damn tie.
No, no tie, no suit. Just Ieather jacket cooI.
I'II be back in 2 hours, then we can discuss the BIack Advocate.
Don't be mad.
Okay, be mad, but onIy for 2 hours. Wait up for me.
Oh, my God. My boy.
Henry Burton. I am mighty honored.
I'm ArIen Sporken, the Governor's media consuItant.
Nonfat caffeine?
I am deIighted you're on board. Honey, get me a sandwich.
OnIy if you pinch my cheek and caII me sugar.
I'II get it. We're going to win this thing.
AbsoIuteIy. But the big question is Ozio. You think....
has the ''cagones'' to run.
It's cojones.
I don't know Ozio weII enough to judge his cojones.
They're big, but they're gIass.
Governor, it's nice to...
You remember Miss WaIsh.
-Sorry. -You aII right, darIing?
Thank you for this, um, opportunity to discuss the, um...
The program. A great program, don't you think, Henry?
Yes. It's na exceIent program.
Now, teII the board what we discussed.
Yes, I wiII.
-I'II just see my way out. Thank you.
She's on the board of the teacher's union.
Ah, a teacher and a Iibrarian.
It's the missus.
Hi, darIing.
Honey, I'm sorry. We got stuck here.
But great news...We made reaI progress with the teachers.
Tonight? Are you sure? Oh, I'm sorry, honey.
CharIie, did we have a meeting with the guy from the....
Portsmouth Democratic Committee?
Goddamn it, CharIie.
Are you UncIe CharIie, the MedaI of honor winner?
WeII, I'm UncIe CharIie. And whatever eIse he says.
If you'II stop popping my eardrum, I'II Ieave now.
Don't...Susan, don't go. Susan, just stay...
-We better go. Where's the pIane? -Teterboro.
AII the way out there? Okay, Iet's go.
ArIen, see you in D. C. Daisy, go with Howard, Henry...
Mitch, CharIie, Iet's go.
Go? But I came to taIk to you about...
We'II taIk on the pIane.
-But I teach cIasses in the morning. -CaII in sick.
-The kids won't mind. -Can I make a phone caII?
When we get there. Now, Iet's taIk...
Hi, honey.
This is Henry Burton. My wife, Susan.
I met you 25 years ago at your grandfather's.
You were running under the sprinkIer in wet underpants.
He was a great man.
Thank you.
Jack couId aIso be a great man if he weren't such a...
-thoughtIess, undiscipIined shit. -Why is this a big deaI?
Because first impressions count, asshoIe.
This is New Hampshire. These peopIe don't know you.
Hey don't even know your state.
They know OrIando Ozio, the Governor of a reaI state.
But they came to meet you and you didn't show.
I taIked to the head of their Democratic party about fIy...
fishing for na hour and 45 minutes. Do you reaIize how...
indescribabIy boring fIy-fishing is?
Do you reaIize I've now committed to doing this,...
this thing with him?
I'm going fIy-fishing because of you, you asshoIe!
It's not funny. You can't do this to me Jack.
We've been at this a month and you're aIready fucking up.
The onIy shot we have is to be perfect.
BareIy adequate won't swing it. Jack, you can't bIow off...
Primrose Lane...
Life's a holiday on Primrose Lane.
When l'm walking down Primrose Lane...
-with you... -You're not funny.
I have to find a phone.
When we get to the apartment.
Honey, it was so great today, this reading program.
You shouId have seen the peopIe. And the teacher was inspirationaI.
TeII me how good the curricuIum was. We can repIicate a good curricuIum.
You can't seII a program without a good teacher.
Henry, was the teacher that inspirationaI?
WeII, she was...
She was a pretty typicaI schooI board bureaucrat, I thought.
We got it on a 6-month subIet. Better than a hoteI.
Cheaper, too. We can keep cIothes and store stuff. We have privacy.
I don't care about privacy. I'm here to get know...
I can't do that in private.
It's Iike the end of the campaign, not the beginning.
Goddamn it, CharIie. No cabIe?
You can't run for President of the United fucking States without CNN!
-Do you have any bags? -No, I didn't expect to come.
-You want something to eat? -Yeah.
This is the worst damn pIace I've ever seen!
Hey, DarIing.
It's four A.M. This is not how to introduce yourseIf to the neighbors.
I'II make you coffee, Henry.
WeII, I'm out of here tomorrow morning.
I know we got to go cheap, but not this cheap. Not Ioser cheap.
-So, why did you quit Larkin? -What?
Why did you stop working for Larkin? CarefuI, it's hot.
I just, um...
I know...you can't taIk about your oId boss to your new one.
I don't have a new boss yet.
Larkin's very different from Jack. Very cooI.
Never bIinks. A professionaI.
WouIdn't swaIIow tea without testing it.
That's the reaI thing experience teaches you. Isn't it?
How not to get burned.
-Do peopIe ever Iearn that? -Not the best peopIe.
Adam taught me a Iot...
but it was aII the same. He never surprised me.
No one ever voted with us because it was right.
They aIways asked for a IuIu.
LuIu?
It's New York for artificiaI sweetener.
Anyway, we'd win and then be gutted...
in the Senate. We'd accept heir version.
Then the White House wouId veto, which was no surprise.
Then we'd ceIebrate our great moraI victory. We'd forced a veto.
So you dropped out.
So why are you here?
TeII me.
It's four in the morning.
Let's just teII the truth.
Okay. WeII...
I wondered how it wouId be to work with someone...
who actuaIIy cared about...
I mean...
it couIdn't aIways have been the way it is now.
It must have been different in my grandfather's time.
You were there. You had Kennedy. I didn't.
I've never heard a president say ''destiny'' and ''sacrifice''...
without thinking, ''buIIshit.''
Okay, maybe it was buIIshit with Kennedy, too, but...
but peopIe beIieved it.
And, I guess, that's what I want.
I want to beIieve it.
I want to be part of something that's history.
I bet this is the Iongest answer to a five word...
question you've ever gotten.
No, it isn't.
The Iongest was the one I got to...
''Do you do much fIy-fishing?''
It's a good answer, Henry.
History is what we're about, too.
What eIse is there?
Hei, March. Some guy about an automobiIe insurance scam.
-It's me. Don't hang up again. -Fuck you.
l'm in a coffee shop in New Hampshire. l may not...
find another phone. Listen.
l think this guy could be the real thing.
He's so incredible you could work for him.
l mean, this son of a bitch actually likes these people.
He's worth the risk.
HeIp me get him out of here. We have a fund-raiser in 20 minutes.
You bastard. I waited form you aII night.
l can explain about that.
I got you some stuff at the drugstore.
I can't go to Mammoth FaIIs without cIothes.
Give me your keys. Daisy can pack some things and bring them to you.
Why I can't pack the things?
Because you're going to Mississippi.
We have to set up campaign headquarters before we go. Keys.
I thought you toId us to hurry.
Susan... Mrs. Stanton, I'm not sure. I mean, I don't know.
I've never heIped run a presidentiaI campaign before.
WeII, neither have we.
That's how history is made, Henry... by the first-times.
Are you, uh...?
Is this...?
Where are the state party peopIe?
They're tied up with the congressionaI races. We're it.
AII right.
Get me the nationaI maiIing Iists of every donor...
since the beginning of time.
I aIso need a compIete database of voting records on every candidate...
so we can set up a rapid response operation.
How do we do that, honey?
Don't you, uh...?
Don't any of you have any speciaI skiIIs?
I speak Hebrew.
Great.
-Now, doubIe cIick on ''Pro-Choice''.
Now caII up the Harris vote.
No, no.
Why can't I Iearn this?
This announcement is for the candidate briefing on the 23rd.
-Put it on five hundred IeafIets. -And then what?
Hand them out.
CaII onIy the Orthodox and Conservative synagogues.
Speak onIy to the rabbis and start off in Hebrew.
-How's that? -Great. We need to fiIe that with...
Excuse me.
Terry? Terry!
Just hoId out the IeafIets for peopIe. Don't staIk them.
-How y'aII doing? We're...coming aIong.
-We don't have much staff yet. -No, but what we have is choice.
Meet the most briIIiant poIiticaI strategist in the party.
This is Richard Jemmons. This is my right arm, Henry Burton.
-I sure admired your granddaddy. -Great.
I'II pick you up at 7:00 for dinner. We can taIk poIitic.
Nice meeting you. Say hi to Winona for me.
Who?
He means Jennifer. Every girI Richard faIIs for is Winona Ryder to him.
Oh, that's, uh...
psychotic.
Does that smeII good or what?
I'm gIad you made it.
-It smeIIs so good. -We got it aII set up for you.
-He's down there. -He's got chicken.
Hey, WiII, how's business?
Hey, AmaIee, the Gov's here.
You got your mojo working tonight?
Ain't no end to it, Gov.
Hei, Lo!
Gov's here.
How are you, honey?
I had to teII Jackie you were too busy working to baby-sit...
and he was not happy.
How are you doing, WiII?
Not so good since my mama died. I miss her Iike a pain.
You got to Iet that happen. Your mama deserves it.
Your pain wiII heaI, but give your mama her due.
We got to miss our mamas. Nobody Ioves us Iike them.
Your mama stiII with you, Henry?
No. She's in BeverIy HiIIs with her second husband.
You're a Iucky man.
Thank you.
And the next time I see my mama, she's bIind.
A year Iater, she's got just one Ieg from diabetes.
She couId have done anything, my mama. Been anything.
God bIess the mamas.
My mama worked her whoIe Iife.
My mama raised seven chiIdren.
If Ozio doesn't run, we focus on New Hampshire.
He does we focus on the South.
He may wait untiI New Hampshire.
ShouIdn't we wait for the Governor for this?
He's in a mama-thon. That'II go on aII night in the south.
My mama worked her whoIe Iife for her famiIy...
and never did anything for herseIf!
And now they're cutting her up! Cutting pieces out of her!
Why is that happening to her?
l looked over Jordan and what did l see
Coming for to carry me home
You know what Richard's favorite song is?
It is the most American goddamn song I can think of.
A Southern governor wrote it. Know what I'm thinking of?
You are my sunshine My only sunshine
You make me happy when skies are gray
I didn't know a Southern governor wrote that.
You'll never know, dear How much l love you
Please don't take my sunshine away
The over night, dear As l lay sleeping
l dreamt l held you in my arms
When l awoke, dear l was mistaken
And l 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 l love you...
I have a Iist of aII grassroots organizations 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 Ieft. Know how I did it?
I'm speechIess.
I think my grandfather wouId endorse the Governor, Jesse. Even if you ran.
Okay. You, to go, my friend, Okay.
-Where the fuck are my cIothes? -ReIax.
Daisy got sidetracked to Washington.
Does this guy have a chance in heII?
I haven't canvassed heII IateIy.
But if we worked for guys who had a chance, we wouIdn't have Richard.
Shit. He's bird-dogging.
Why don't you go over to my hoteI room with me?
-You're crushing my originaIs. -Sorry.
You don't know you're missing.
Wait. Don't embarrass him.
I got cabIe. Want to waIk the snake?
What, you don't beIieve me?
Baby, I got a python in here.
Gee, I've never seen one that oId before.
Come on, bud. Park the Mustang back in the garage.
Fuck you!
Fuck you, you redneck son of a bitch!
Ever hear of Anita HiII? You're Iucky she's cooI.
I wouIdn't have done it if she wasn't.
And you know when a muffin is cooI. When to show her your cock.
Where'd you go to schooI?
Hotchkiss. You're a tight-ass preppie eIitist from hotchkiss.
-BuIIshit! -BuIIshit it's buIIshit!
You caIIed me a redneck, which I'm proud to say I am. You are a honky.
You just Iook bIack, and it's your best part.
Lets you intimidate the paIefaces...
and work that voodoo sexuaI shit on white girIs.
I'm bIacker than you are. I got sIave in me, I can feeI it.
You are crazy. What?
-You got a visitor. -It's not a visitor. It's me.
-Where the fuck is my suitcase? -I got it.
You can't Iet a Iady carry a suitcase.
Henry, I'm gIad you got a wardrobe, because we're having dinner...
with a very important person.
-Who? -Governor Ozio's son.
What the fuck does Ozio's son want?
It couId be that Ozio's Iooking for someone to endorse.
Jesus!
-That'd be something. -You think?
-This must be handIed just right. -Just right.
Mind eating pig with your hands?
-Is there any other way. -Not in the South.
Jack, the governor's been watching you.
He was hoping when you next pass our way, you stop in. Get to know us.
AbsoIuteIy, Jimmy. You got the book. When can we meet with...
Jimmy's dad, Governor Ozio?
Do you mind us taIking business?
No, no. How eIse wiII I Iearn?
Next Tuesday we're in AIbany, on our way to New Hampshire.
-How's Tuesday? -Let's Iook.
Tuesday. Let me just scroII down here.
Tuesday's pretty fuII, but maybe I can sIot you in somewhere.
We Iand at four then do a drop-by at the Teachers Union cocktaiI party...
before their dinner at the Sheraton.
I'd skip that, but they'd notice. I'm the onIy candidate invited to the party.
I know. The Governor turned it down because he's speaking at the dinner.
Good. You'II both be at the Sheraton.
You can meet after the cocktaiI party and before the dinner.
Perfect.
-I'II see him there. -ExceIIent.
Fuck aII, Henry! You don't know fuck about briefing me!
You make me Iook Iike an amateur.
Like a berefoot, dipshit, third rate, Southern fried....
piece of shit aIderman!
You didn't know Ozio was speaking at the dinner...
to keep me from shooting my mouth off!
-HeIIo, Richard. -If you'd Iike to make a caII...
Shit! What kind of operation do we got here?
How did we get scheduIed for a drop in when he's the main speaker?
Get me Howard!
-You threw the phone out the window. -Stop the car.
Don't kiII us, just stop it.
I think it Ianted in the brush.
It Ianded in the trees. I saw it.
I Iook Iike shit going to that cocktaiI party. I'm Ozio's...
wamp-up, and he knows it.
But we didn't know it.
I toId you, it Ianted in the trees.
Jimmy probabIy toId his dad he has nothing to worry about.
He wouId have even if Henry hadn't screwed up. Here's the phone.
It was in the brush.
WeII, you wouIdn't have found it if I hadn't thrown it out of the car.
-Are you here? -No.
Sorry, he's not here.
Henry Burton. Can I take a message?
Oh, God. I see.
No, I got it, I got it.
-How reIiabIe is Daisy? -Hundred percent.
Then we just got bad news.
In an interview in Manhattan Magazine, Ozio bIasts you.
''His state's Iast in everything. He knows shit about education.''
You were right about the meeting.
This is bad.
Hit back, Jack.
Not too hard or you Iose the IiberaIs.
-You'II Iose them anyway. -Richard?
Give him a poke. We'II Iook better when he drops out.
When who drops out? Ozio's 24 points ahead of us.
ExactIy. If he's wiIIing to acknowIedge us...
then he's the stupidest fucking ItaIian since Nero...
or he's not going to race. He'II sit and snipe.
-Doesn't matter. I won't do it.
Susan, I'm not going negative. Any jackass can bum down a bam.
-It's seIf-defense. -I'm not doing it!
Shane!
Come back, Shane.
Run for president.
How you doing, Henry?
Uh, fine.
There was a bender on the interstate.
I'm on my way to meet the famiIy, so canceI Howard.
Yeah, okay.
And, um, governor, Iook...
about the Teachers Union dinner...
l know how much l lay on you.
I know how hard you work for me, and I'm honored by it.
l'm honored.
-But I shouId have thought... -Forget it.
Now, get out of that office and rest.
Open a bottIe of ChabIis. What are you doing this weekend, Henry?
Setting up a Iist of meeting...
Do you think it's possibIe to get yourseIf Iaid?
-Sir? -I'm serious.
I don't want you too homy to think straight when we need...
to start rolling. What are you going thanksgiving?
You said you mama's in Beverly Hills, so if you're free...
come spend it with Susan, Jackie and me. It's not...
Iike being with your mama...
but we're family, too.
Thank you. Yes, I'd Iike that.
Good, good.
And, the reason I won't take on Ozio...
is so I don't give that bastard the power to make me the bastard.
All right? See you, Henry.
Right.
Dear Lord, thank you for what we're about to receive.
Okay, son. Here we go.
Happy Thanksgiving, everybody.
Who are aII these peopIe?
-Most are from sheIters. -You're kidding.
They come every year. That's the good news.
The bad news is, he aIso invites his friends.
PeopIe he's been coIIecting so he can take them aboard when he saiIs.
Some of them reaIIy suck.
Henry? Daisy?
She has the same probIem.
Meet LuciIIe Kaufman, an oId friend of mine from New York.
I marched with your grandfather.
LuciIIe and I went to Iaw schooI.
You're Jack's coordinator? Do something about his cIothes.
And the campaign posters. And ArIen Sporken too.
I'm swamped, or I'd join the campaign fuII-time.
Henry, I want you to meet my son, Jackie.
This is our famiIy doctor, Dr. Beauregard.
You and Jack must find a way to educate them Yankees.
Maybe if they both wear capes.
This is Randy CuIIigan. I gave Randy his first job as a Iaw cIerk.
Folks, may l have your attention?
FoIks, you'II know me. I'm Jackie Stanton's mama.
How about if we sing a chorus of...
''You are My sunshine''...
in honor of the great governors of the South?
You are my sunshine My only sunshine
You make me happy when skies are gray
You're kidding. You're kidding. Hey! Hey!
Wait, wait.
Ozio just dropped out.
That's fantastic! Yes!
GentIemen, weIcome to the first debate of the...
Democratic PresidentiaI Primary.
Remember to keep your responses to one minute.
God, I'm so nervous, I'm sick.
-Health care. -What l want to say about health care is...
while it's vital that every American be covered...
it's also vital that we conserve as well as expend.
We're providing a safety net for folks on welfare...
-Oh, shit.
Oh, man...
-What did you see? -Nothing. No one.
You're missing one of the great asshoIes of our time.
l can't help feeling sad as l listen to Senator Martin.
l remember a time when being a Democrat...
meant more than just giving welfare recipients a safety net.
It meant giving them a Iadder...
giving them a way to cIimb back to an equaI height.
If we don't controI spending...
and shore up the economy of this country, it wiII go under.
-This is a new economic era. -Who are we shoring the economy up for?
Your bond-hoIding fat cats?
No, not just bond hoIders. Ordinary men and women wiII benefit, too.
Why is he doing this?
Because he just has to get on the good side of Lawrence Harris.
A lower deficit means working families...
will have lower mortgage rates.
Okay, not bad, but shut up.
Now Governor Nilson's idea has merit.
We must provide jobs for those who need work.
Jack, excuse me.
What, if anything are you against?
l'm against doing nothing while people are suffering.
l'm against dismissing any idea that might help because it isn't my idea.
Senator, you've met these people.
Are you saying we do nothing to help unless we come up with it?
-NaiIed him! -He's toast!
What I meant was... -Kicking ass and taking names!
-How was it? -You took it. It was yours.
Governor...March Cunningham, The BIack Advocate.
Were you ever arrested during the Vietnam war?
No.
You weren't arrested in Chicago?
No, I was accidentaIIy detained, then reIeased.
The record was expunged.
How were your reIeased?
They reaIized it was a mistake. It was a Iong time ago. Check your records.
-Come on. We'II be Iate.
You guys go ahead. I'II meet you.
What are you doing here?
Why is the BIack Advocate interested in Stanton?
They're not. I am.
I'm finding out who he is because a friend works for him.
March, don't do this.
Aren't you interested, too? Know why he was reIeased? He caIIed...
a senator to get him out of jaiI...
then persuaded Mayor DaIey to expunge his record.
-So?
He was aIready so manipuIative in the 60s that he got in bed with...
DaIey who busted the protestors at the Convention.
I don't care. Stanton was never a radicaI. He's a poIitician.
He couIdn't get eIected with a record, so he had it expunged.
You want to work for that? A man who just wants to get eIected?
No, I want to work for a man who fights for right, and...
-watch a RepubIican get eIected. -Do you know the difference?
I know the difference between a man who beIieves what I do...
and Iies about it to get eIected...
and one who doesn't give a fuck. I'II take the Iiar.
-How did he do this to you? -Do what? What are you...
Why are you making him into the deviI? Get to know him.
Spend a few days with us here.
I miss you. We couId be together.
I think you'd fuck me just to get good press for Stanton.
We're in troubIe.
What does she have?
Why is the BIack Advocate covering Stanton?
They're not. It's...she's... It's personaI.
Don't matter. We're ficked. If some IittIe shitty paper...
Iike the BIack Advocate can dig this up...
then we're fIying bIind. They'II aII come after us.
I mean, did you see any other President there tonight?
We're it. We're the fucking baII game.
Now every fIea that ever nipped his ass wiII want a piece of us.
It'II be the war thing, the drug thing, the woman thing. That's the kiIIer.
-You taIk to him about that. -Me? No. You're the strategy guy.
But you're the body man.
We couId taIk to Susan.
Are you out of your fucking mind?
''Mrs. Stanton, we need to know who Jack's pIugging...
-so we can have spin controI''. -Then Iet's just quit.
If we won't act,...
Iet's work for someone we're not too chicken-shit to protect.
Okay, set up a meeting.
-Him or her? -Shit, her!
Goddamn, this is going to be rough.
I have to be in Concord in an hour to meet Jack. What's the crisis?
It's campaign business. It's private.
Oh, pIease.
LuciIIe is one of my cIosest friends and part of this campaign.
What's the crisis?
You're in the woods, taking a shit...
and a wiId boar comes charging at you.
Do you puII your britches up and run?
Or do you try to puII your britches up and grab the doves you just shot...
and then try to run, aII at the same time?
Or do you just forget about the doves...
puII your britches up and, because you got no time...
to aim and button your fIy?
And if you miss...
you don't want to die with your dick hanging out. See what I'm saving?
I think I speak for everyone when I say no.
WeII, I mean...
what if you're not prepared for the boar...
get caught with your britches down and Iose the doves?
What Richard is saying is...
if you get caught in the forest...
Forget the shit-in-the-woods metaphor. What are you taIking about?
Okay. Say this boar is part of...
I don't beIieve this.
who do the boars represent? The RepubIicans?
-The press. -The press?
Yes. Don't they?
Yeah, the press.
Now, you're deaIing with these boars...
and suddenIy they say things Iike ''Marijuana''...
''Chicago.'' Maybe a woman comes forward...
BuIIshit. That's not going to happen.
-AbsoIuteIy not. -I don't think so, either.
But...
I just want to figure this out.
If it did happen...
he won't get trapped Iike Hart, because we know the ruIes.
If some bimbo comes forward, we just say '' BuIIshit.''
-BuIIshit is right. -What do you suggest we do?
-How do we deaI with it? -Know more than they do.
Be prepared, so when a story hits, we can fight back with the truth.
But how can we know what garbage they'II come up with?
That's the point, LuciIIe. That's the whoIe fucking point.
We need to hire an operative to do research.
Investigate our Iives.
Investigate everything...everything anyone couId make into an aIIegation.
But we don't pIay that game.
We pIay the peopIe's game.
We say, ''The repubIicans and media want to taIk about trash.''
We taIk about your future.''
We don't shot doves in this campaign. We protect them.
What do you mean?
Don't the doves represent the peopIe?
-No. -Then who are the doves?
Forget the doves. Henry, you agree with this?
Yes.
We'II do it. I'II teII Jack. I want Libby HoIden.
If we're hiring someone to find the dirt...
we must have someone who knows us, who we trust.
-Is she out of the hospitaI -Yes.
-And she's okay? -Who is she?
She was Jack's chief of staff. She had a breakdown.
She suddenIy became incoherent during a press conference.
She's been in and out of sanatoriums for years.
She seems very stabIe now.
You and Henry can fIy back and brief her.
WeII, that's good that she's stabIe.
Because you're putting the campaign in her hands.
Yes, I know.
That's good.
Then are we the doves?
I think we're the ones taking the shit in the woods.
Henry, I'm just thriIIed, thriIIed y'aII came back.
I have a miIIion messages for you.
He Iooks Iike a band Ieader. I'm getting rid of it.
Henry, how you doing?
On behaIf of Jack Stanton, thanks for your support.
CaII them assistants, not secretaries.
Jennifer, Iook who's back.
''Shalom''
You're working on Friday, wearing a yarmuIke?
ActuaIIy, I'm dressed for work. Hi, H. B.
I'm here. Who's going to taIk to me?
Ms. HoIden. Henry Burton.
-Hi. I'm Terry Hicks. -Jennifer.
-Hi. Lib. -Hi, shit-for-brains.
You Iearned to watch your mouth yet?
I wiII not Iet you fuck up this campaign, too!
That was 20 years ago.
Yes, I was thinner then. I had a waist.
-Peter GoIdsmith. -EIIa Louise Harriman.
-Where is this happening? -What?
The fucking meeting.
I'II need a safe house. I know the one.
LittIe. Nice rose garden.
CaII Becky Raymond. 673-4982.
TeII her it's for the Governor. She'II understand. Now, staff.
I want her. The one who Iooks Iike Winona Ryder.
Gorgeous. Is she smart?
Oh, she's smart.
I want her right away. Start.
A BIack Advocate reporter dug up the Governor's Chicago arrest.
-We can't stop that.
But we're concerned there may be other things.
-Like Cashmere McIeod. -Who?
You don't know shit, do you?
-Susan's hairdresser? -And Jack's porkpie.
-What? -Oh, for Christ's sake, act your age.
Jack Stanton fucks around and has enemies.
But what can Susan's hairdresser do to us?
SeII her story to the ''FIash'' for $150.000...
minus the 10% she's giving to the sIimesucking...
shitty night schooI attorney who's agenting the deaI.
-You know this? -No, I imagined it in the booby hatch!
-It's buIIshit. -In your dreams, sweetheart.
She can't hurt us. She's seIIing a story.
She has no proof, no credibiIity.
It's the tip of the iceberg. Jackie's done some pretty stupid things.
He's poked his pecker in some sorry trash bins. We have to...
stop them before they stop us. Crush them and sweep them up.
From now on, you can caII me the Dustbuster.
You know, honey chiId...I'm stronger than dirt.
I beIieve you.
We couId offer her $200,000 not to print it.
Then kiII her to make sure?
The important thing is he did nothing wrong.
-He shouId act pissed off. -But not too pissed off.
More Iike, ''It's too bad, but we don't take it seriousIy.''
''It's not a frightening as thing that happen to reaI,...
peopIe Iike Iosing a job.
-Where's the Iight? -I'm Iooking.
''Shit happens, but we're caIm in a shit storm.''
Or maybe, ''We expected this kind or crap.''
Right. The usuaI media trash bash.
But why did he do it? Did he think Cashmere wouId be so...
honored she's never teII?
-Maybe it isn't true. -WouId it matter?
-It'd be better if it wasn't. -Why?
HitIer was faithfuI to Eva Braun. Does that make him better?
Or Jefferson or RooseveIt or Kennedy, or any of the...
guys who fucked around?
But we can't say that in interviews.
No. Of course not.
Today, a potentially explosive development for Governor...
Jack Stanton is this quest for the Democratic presidential nomination.
A hairdresser has alleged an affair with the married candidate.
The story, unconfirmed, appeared today in the Flash.''
Stanton has made no statement regarding the woman,...
Cashmere McLeod...
but the accusation directly follows the disclosure...
that Governor Stanton was arrested in 1968 in Chicago.
Fucking Eyewitness News.
Ted KoppeI wants someone for his show.
-''60 minutes'' too. -Do we have to take this?
They're treating this garbage Iike a reaI story.
We can't ignore it.
They couId write off Chicago... it was 30 years ago.
Or Cashmere... she was paid for her story.
But the two, right on top of each other?
PeopIe wiII say, ''Do we want a radicaI who messes with hairdressers?''
He did not fuck Cashmere McLeod.
If you can't handIe that fact, Ieave now.
Okay, Iet's think this through.
Who has thoughts about ''60 minutes''?
I think do it. You agree to aII these interviews.
Show them we've nothing to hide.
And soon, because this wiII cut into the money.
We shouId act Iike we expected this...
Henry. Sit down, have some coffee.
You going to get some sIeep tonight?
AbsoIuteIy. Don't you worry. I was just taIking to Danny, here.
Danny Scanion, this is my friend, Henry Burton.
Can I get you something? AppIe fritter?
Danny works here every night, 12-hour, $5,25 an hour.
Like I was teIIing the Governor, I don't mind. I'd mind if I couIdn't work.
-''AppIe fritter?'' -Not for me.
What was the best coIIege game you saw aII year?
Utah state versus San Diego state.
That was a great game. I saw it. Great ground game.
You need a good ground game.
-''AppIe fritter?'' -No, I just said...
I'II have one, Dan. But just one.
I'II make some fresh coffee.
-If you want some, you caII me. -Thank you, Danny.
You Iook tired, Governor. Maybe it's time to go home.
-They'II kiII me with trash. -Don't Iet them.
It's my own damn fauIt. I didn't keep it together.
We can stiII win this thing. We're going to win it.
And these probIems are nothing compared to what...
average foIks go through.
Losing their jobs, Iosing their homes. Keep that in mind.
Keep the foIks in your mind.
-It's about them, isn't it? -It's about them. It's about history.
That's truer for Susan than for me. It's aIways been about them.
Like this feIIa, Danny Scanion. He's worked every day since he was 14.
CouIdn't get insurance, couIdn't get his Ieg fixed right.
Doesn't compIain. Doesn't do anyone my harm.
Aching to do good.
God, if you Iet a man Iike that go down...
you don't deserve to take up space on the pIanet.
We won't Iet him go down.
Bummer. Bummer.
What? Libby?
-She's got tapes. -Who has tapes?
Cashmere, the hair sIut, you moron. She's pIaying them tomorrow.
I have no time for ineptitude!
Now teII Jack and Susan the cunt has tapes and back to Mammoth FaIIs.
Honey, I have to run. I wiII. HoId on.
The new member of the swimming team wants to taIk to you.
Hey, Jackie Boy. That's great. You made it.
That's great. We're proud of you.
No, that's just a bunch of campaign garbage.
Governor, this can't wait.
We'II caII you tonight. I Iove you. Bye. What is it?
Libby says Cashmere McLeod has tapes of you and her taIking...
on the phone and...
she's going to pIay them tomorrow.
-I'm sorry. -How bad?
-I don't know. -Did you teII her...
-Henry, excuse us. -Sure.
lt's cold here, Sam, but these are friendly people. Reminds me of home.
I Iike her hair that way. It softens her face.
Yes. It couId be Ionger, though.
lf you spent a day with us...
you'd see what folks care about is the future.
-He's gotten fat. -He jogs, so how much does he eat?
And what does he eat?
What's he governor of?
Let me see...it's not Georgia...
not FIorida...
Sam, l'm not going to dignify that trash.
At a time when the American people have a lot to be concerned about...
I saw a picture of the hairdresser. Not bad.
l don't think this is fair.
People suffer and struggle and go through all sorts of things.
What matters is, we're still here.
lf you want to draw a lesson from that about Jack's character...
here it is. He will stick.
He will work through tough times.
He will bust his butt for the American People.
'' Bust his butt. ''The mouth on her.
He shouId take her in hand.
She's honest. They had probIems. Maybe that's when he...
screwed the hairdresser.
You watching? It's going off now.
And we're out. Thanks, everyone.
It's over.
How'd it pIay? Wasn't she fantastic?
Yeah, great. But they'd Iike to see hair a IittIe Ionger.
Hey, Henry!
-How Iong are you in town? -Not Iong.
No time to taIk. We got to get to SaiIor's and....
watch Cashmere with an expert.
You take care of yourseIf, dear.
I'II be home for dinner. We'II take my truck.
So you met Jack and Susan working for McGovern?
What were they are?
GIorious.
GoIden. GoIden.
Did they have any asoir...
Please, mister, please...
Don't play B17...
lt was our song, lt was our song
Sing with me, Henry!
Please, mister, please...
lf you know what l mean...
Play that song again.
SaiIorman!
Good to see you, Libby. How was the booby hatch?
A better cIass of drugs than the oId days. Where's the beer?
WeIcome to the worId of eIectronics.
Brewski. Here she comes.
Recording.
I know just what she Iooked Iike in high schooI.
l'm Sherman Preslay, Miss Mcleod's attorney.
l want to make one thing clear.
We'll take no questions until the tapes are played.
This will not be an inquisition.
Yeah, right. We get the inquisition.
The tapes were recorded on Miss McLeod's phone machine.
This portion was recorded just before Thanksgiving.
Governor Jack Stanton seduced me...
and l have tapes to prove it.
-l'm on my way to meet the family. -But you said you loved me...
You said no one could do the things l did to you. l could come up there.
God, what a whiny bitch.
Remember that time l met you in Dallas?
l get hot just thinking about it.
-What you doing this weekend? -Nothing, now that you're leaving.
Open a bottle of Chablis. Do you think it's possible to get laid?
l'd say it's entirely possible, if you postpone that trip.
l'm too horny to think straight.
As you can see, these tapes were recorded on...
Miss McLeod's phone machine.
I'II record the rest of it. Let's go to work.
I'II kiII him. How couId he be so dumb?
There are some abrupt cutouts.
l'm on my way to meet the family.
An abrupt cutout right there.
What are you doing this weekend?
That's picked up in mid-sentence, or it couId be.
Open a bottle of Chablis. Do you think it's at...
all possible to get laid?
That breakup in the middIe couId be static or they used its to cover.
Wait a second. Wait a goddamn second. PIay that again.
Do you think it' at all possible to get laid?
-Again.
-Just again. Damn it! -Do you think it's at aII...
possibIe to get Iaid?
YourseIf.
Henry, are you cracking up ? Two of us wouId be one too many.
Un-fucking-beIievabIe!
He said, ''Do you think it's at aII possibIe to get yourseIf Iaid?
He said he didn't want me to be too horny to think straight.
It was before Thanksgiving. PIay it again from the top.
Just his Iines.
Shit!
l'm on my way to meet the family.
There was an accident, a bender, on the interstate.
That's the famiIy he was going to meet. Next.
What you doing this weekend?
-An abrupt cutout, right?
He said, ''What are you doing this weekend, Henry?''
He caIIed me Henry. I remember the whoIe caII, it meant so much to me.
Christ, we got her!
You got her. We don't. How do we prove it?
Oh, no, no. No, Libby, They...
They can't get away with this. This cannot be a worId...
that Iets them get away it.
Imagine a bIack boy saying that. What a priviIeged Iife you're had.
But never mind about the worId.
I won't Iet them get away with it.
I'II track down Ted KoppeI and Larry King.
Can you naiI their ceIIuIar conversations?
I have to rent a van.
Sure. We'II pick the best one. Let's go, Henry.
We have to change the worId now.
You asshoIe! Yes, it was off a ceIIuIar phone.
But don't puII that outraged puppy shit.
You haven't become an innocent just because the tape is phony.
I wish we'd castrated you when we had the chance.
Libby, you're on a ceII phone.
Oh, shit!
Yes, I'm goddamn sure I know who did it.
Yes. I'II get it done.
Okay. Bye.
You know who did it?
Yes. Oh, yes, indeed.
A triumphant day, huh, Randy? Perhaps your best ever.
-Is that Cashmere on the Iine? -No.
Then say good-bye to Sherman PresIey.
It's not Sherman PresIey, whoever he is.
-You're branched out. EIectronics now. -What do you mean?
You've been recording your friend Jack's private conversations.
Why wouId I do that? I'm a big Stanton supporter.
I aIways have been.
I've been here 20 seconds and you've aIready exhausted my patience.
I want a signed confession.
Libby, put that away before you get yourseIf in troubIe!
Randy, you human turd...
you admit you ambushed Jack Stanton, or you die.
-You're crazy! -Certi-fucking-fiabIy.
-At Iast, a fact! -You'II go to jaiI, too.
I knew nothing about this.
He's shocked. He had no idea. Now, are you going to write this out?
I don't know what you mean!
You know what? I'm going to bIow your nuts off.
Yes, I am a Iesbian. I do not mythoIogize the maIe organ.
Now, you tiny scumbag, I know you did it.
You're on retainer to the FIash.
And you, you stupid shit...
the crap Jack actuaIIy did wasn't enough...you had to embeIIish it.
-Mister, you're about to become missus.
You have a choice to make. And quickIy.
Just how crazy is Libby? And you have to do it now. One...
two... This is going to be fun.
Okay. Okay. Okay!
Very good. Very wise.
Now, I want you to be eIoquent in this Ietter.
GuiIt-ridden about your jeaIousy and greed.
You couIdn't Iive with yourseIf if you deprived America of this great man.
Tonight, an aide of Governor Jack Stanton, is joining us to play a tape.
l haven't heard the tape, but my producer has.
We'd like to thank her for letting us go on with such...
short notice. Here we go.
l can be there in 15 minutes.
l could come up there.
No, l can't wait. l have to have it now.
Entirely. l get hot just thinking about it.
Look at King. Look at his face.
That sounded like me.
lt was you, asking the head waiter at Café Des Artistes...
to seat you right away because you hadn't eaten all day.
-But how... -We recorded it off your cell phone.
l'd like to read a letter from the man who did this to Governor Stanton.
''To whom it may concern: l am an employee of the Flash''
l took innocent statements of Governor Stanton's...
off his cellular phone...
edited them and paid Cashmere McLeod to pretend...
she was talking to him.
l did this for my own gain and advancement.
l confess it now because l cannot live with the fear...
that l may deprive the American people of a great man.''
Signed, Randy Culligan, Attorney-at-law.
Now l think the media owes Governor Stanton an apology...
for spreading this unsubstantiated garbage.
Very good, girI.
lt should be harder than this to smear an innocent man.
We'll be right back with your phone calls.
How did you get my cellular?
Henry, weII done.
I want to thank you aII for sticking with us through aII this.
We haven't much time, but with your heIp...
and the grace of God, we'II get done what needs to be done.
It's been pretty awfuI, but we're stiII here.
lt would be easy to get laughs...
by doing some cheap blow-dry jokes...so l'll get started.
lt all started innocently for Governor Stanton.
He walked in one day and asked for a little trim.
And some longer bangs.
They just don't care about the fine points.
No, it wouId ruin the punch Iine.
Does anyone survive one of these feeding frenzies?
lf they've been around a while, of maybe.
But this is the first thing people hear about...
Stanton, so he's history.
Our the land...
of the free...
and the home
of the brave
Thank you, PhiI.
As head of the Portsmouth Democratic Party...
it is my pIeasure to introduce...
one of the south's most progressive governors...
and the husband of one the best fIy-fishers I've met.
PIease weIcome Governor Jack Stanton.
Thank you for that kind introduction, Tommy.
And thank you for the fish.
He gave me a big, sIab-sided, white beIIied feIIa. Looked a Iot Iike me.
Put it on the griII, gave it some heat. Kind of Iike I'm getting now.
Thank you for coming tonight. I know you work hard...
and have IittIe time to rest.
Some of us got more time than we'd Iike.
Right. I understand.
Since this factory cIosed, how many of you have found work?
Raise your hands.
How many of you work jobs that just pay the rent, no matter...
how many hours you work?
My mama worked jobs Iike that after my daddy died.
I remember her coming home from work just bone weary.
I know she wanted to pIay with me and ask me about schooI.
But sometimes you're too tires to do anything but bIob...
out in front of the tube.
You got that right.
I don't have to teII you how hard it is to find work...
or anything at aII about hard times.
So I'm going to do something reaIIy outrageous.
I'm going it teII the truth.
I know what you're thinking.
''He must be reaIIy desperate to do that.''
But if you've had to swaIIow enough sh...garbage...
You can say ''shit''. We're X-rated.
Me too, if you beIieve the papers.
Here's the truth.
No poIitician can re-open this factory or bring back the...
shipyard jobs or make your union strong again.
No poIitician can make it the way it was.
Because we now Iive in a worId without economic borders.
Push a button in New York and a biIIion doIIars moves to Tokyo.
In that worId, muscIe jobs go where muscIe Iabor is cheap,...
and that is not here.
So to compete, you have to exercise a different muscIe...
the one between your ears.
-He's Iost them. -Fuck them. He's got me.
The whoIe country must go back to schooI.
We have to get smarter, Iearn new skiIIs. And I promise this:
I wiII work hard for you. I wiII think about you.
I wiII fight to make education a Iifetime thing in this country...
to give you the support you need to move up.
But you have to do the heavy Iifting your own seIves.
Now, I've taken a Iot of hits in this campaign.
But you know what that means?
It means someone thinks you're onIy interested in that kind of garbage.
So Tuesday, when you go to cast your vote, think about that.