Power Page #8

You didn't want to go with the guy,

I did, so I left.

He was slime!

He didn't deserve getting you!

And I didn't deserve being left

in the middle of a campaign!

I didn't deserve that from you!

Hey-- goddamn it,

are you going to make me beg?

What in the hell did you do?

We billed Cade over $200,000

for those two polls.

That makes him

the biggest contributor...

...to the Phil Aarons

for U.S. Senate campaign.

It's illegal.

And it's stupid.

We're running

short of time.

From now on, this campaign

frames a single question:

"Is it or isn't it

time for a change?"

Now, we reshape the question,

and make the other two guys

part of the problem.

But, the critical thing is,

we don't get bogged down...

...trying to come up

with the answers!

By November, there's going to be

a feel out there...

...that you can do a better job

to find them.

- Look, I know you're--

- Phillip!

I could squeeze you out the whole

foot and a half of bullshit,

but neither of us has the time.

Everything I learned in the last

if they like you,

they'll vote for you. Period.

People don't vote issues,

they vote people.

Yeah, but the whole point of--

Phillip, you're the best guy

running, am I right?

I wouldn't be here

if I didn't believe that, right?

I think that's why you called me,

in the first place.

Now, the leaves

are starting to turn.

We got a debate

coming up, Phillip,

with statewide exposure.

You got a question

you got to answer:

Phillip,

are you running for office

or running for principle?

I hope I'm running for both.

Oh, Phillip... Phillip!

I'm personally convinced you'll do

a hell of a job once you get in,

but you got to get

through that door!

What's the price of admission?

Why just kiss off

the middle class?

I've seen some intriguing numbers.

A lot of them out there

like what you're saying,

but they're not going to

vote for you. You know why?

Because they don't really know you.

They think they know you.

They see you

without a tie,

wearing an old beat-up jacket

and chinos...

They get frightened!

We're throwing those votes away!

On the gut issues, you're not

that far away from them.

You got to ease off on the ones

that you are, though.

Look, Phil.

They're scared about the future.

Whether or not they're going to

have a job next year.

You got to make sure

they really listen to you.

They all turn off when you

stand up wearing a flannel shirt,

and hiking boots, looking like you

just came off a picket line.

Yeah. That's all you got to do.

- Are you through with the file?

- Yes, I think so.

I just want to make quite sure,

if there were any outstanding notes

on their property,

any liens, things like that,

it would be recorded here?

Well, are they residents here

and is the property here?

- Yes, Georgetown.

- Then, it'll be here.

Okay.

Thank you.

Yeah, Ellen.

All right, fellows,

bring the boxes in here.

What?

- What is going on out there?

- The pipes in the basement burst.

There's 6 inches of water

down there.

Yeah, say it again.

No, don't say it

over the phone.

I'll meet you there.

Yeah, bye.

What time will you be back?

It never opened.

The construction costs went

way over budget and...

...they couldn't get the rents

they were asking.

I don't get it.

The owner is the Liberty Mall

Development Corporation.

General partners...

...Arnold Billings and

Claire Hastings.

He advanced me some money.

A lot of money...

...for my share

in the partnership.

Well, I bought this house and--

redecoration got out of control,

I took a second advance.

in anticipation of profits,

when they--

sold the share to the

limited partners...

...and the rents

started coming in.

That whole neighborhood was due

for urban renewal,

until it got killed

in some goddamn committee.

And, ludicrous as it may seem,

I still believed, even then,

that in the end...

...everything was going to

turn out all right.

When did Billings

start leaning on you?

In January.

He said a couple of clients

would be hurt...

...by the new solar design

and he asked me...

...to persuade Sam

to stop pushing it.

I told him he was crazy!

I mean, my God, Sam--

wouldn't listen to me

on the abortion!

It was damned sure he wouldn't

listen on solar generation.

This went on for a month,

six weeks,

and then, he brought up

a surprise:

the money.

How much money

did he give you?

A little more.

What was so funny

was I thought...

...that I could handle it--

and him!

Even when he started to...

...come to the house and

show up all the time,

I still thought that I--

it was only a little kind

of intimidation.

And then, one day, he--

walked right past me

into Sam's office, and...

...laid it on the line.

Laid it on the line!

And he asked Sam

to kill the appropriation.

Sam threw him out of the house!

And then--

because of me, because--

of what might happen to me,

he's walking away

from a job...

...that he's put his life

and soul into.

Remember when you

were here last...

...and you spoke about friendship?

You didn't tell me...

...that you had come here

to dig up something on us, but...

...after you had left,

I knew why you had come!

That was one thing I could

figure out for myself!

When you write this,

make sure I am the monster.

Right, right, right.

Just send it to me. If, uh,

if I have any questions

I'll get back to you.

Yeah, okay.

I had a long talk with

Claire Hastings last night.

Well, I happen to know

Mrs. Hastings quite well.

I don't know if she told you,

but we were business partners.

I'm out.

I assume that means

you're resigning from...

...the Cade campaign. Is that

what you mean, Mr. St. John?

The plane. The phones.

Two clients cancelling out,

what was the point?

The point-- to what?

The point is...

...I didn't trust you, okay?

I didn't want you

on this campaign.

One, you're much too close

to Hastings and, out of nowhere,

this Aarons jumps in the race,

and your old pal Buckley

is calling the shots on that one?

No, no.

Look,

we hired you to do a job,

Mr. St. John,

and it wasn't to investigate

me and my company...

...and it sure wasn't to exchange

information with your ex-wife.

Look, we wanted you to know...

...that if you really

did try and screw us,

that something bad

could happen to you.

That's the message

we were trying to convey.

Now, the plane,

the phones...

...merely dramatic illustrations.

Don't you walk out on me.

Oh, you think it's all

some kinda game, don't you?

You just walk in,

you jerk the locals around,

you put in whoever's paying you

and you leave.

It is no f***ing game!

You are deciding

who's running this country,

who's running other countries.

I care about that.

My clients have to deal

with the consequences.

You don't give a sh*t!

Look, I, uh--

Come on, we're the same guys,

you and me.

Why don't you just do

what you've always done?

Just elect Cade,

and get paid,

and leave.

What is the problem, Peter?

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