State of the Union Page #16

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I am paying

for these broadcasts.

Don't cut him off.

Give him a chance.

It'll cost me my job.

Ladies and gentlemen,

that speech you just heard

Mrs. Matthews make,

she doesn't believe

a word of it.

When she told you

I was a good husband,

a man of courage

and the rest of that tripe,

the words were choking

in her throat.

A few minutes ago,

she told me

what she really thought of me.

She called me a coward

and said that I had sold out

my ideals to a gang

of corrupt politicians,

and she was right.

Then she was telling me

the truth.

Stop him.

I have as much right to run

for president as a gutter rat.

Cut him off! Cut him off!

Let him talk!

That squealing you hear,

that's from the politicians.

Those fearless patriots

you heard supporting me

on the air tonight.

Now, they are hurt.

They are hollering.

They are trying to shut me up.

And I don't blame them.

You can't call me corrupt

and get away with it.

Your dirty company union fake.

Give me that microphone!

There it is. Go on. Take it.

Tell them how you bragged you

could deliver those 700,000

union votes of your men

if I made you

the big shot of labor.

Go on, your men

will be interested

to hear that.

Tell them I was sucker enough

to believe that you could

deliver any votes.

Wait until I get through

with your plants.

You won't do a thing

to my plants.

Put him on the front page,

boys.

Are there any

of the rest of you characters

who'd like to use

this microphone to speak

a little truth into it?

You any better than they are?

A man just

stepped up and asked me

if I was any better

than the rest of them.

No, I am not.

As a matter of fact,

I am worse than they are.

They're after

all they can grab.

They're one-way guys.

But not me.

I was going to play both ends

against the middle.

I sold out to them,

but get this straight,

I am no lamb

led to the slaughter.

I ran to it.

I had the right idea

when I started to talk

to you people of America.

The idea that you voters,

you farmers, you businessmen,

you working men,

you ordinary citizens

of whatever party

are not the selfish scum

that venal politicians

make you out to be.

I thought I could

speak my piece

straight out and forward.

I thought I could tell you

that this country of ours

is young. It's not old.

That we've just begun to grow.

That all we need is courage.

And from out of that courage

will come a greatness greater

than we ever dreamed.

I wanted to tell you

that we Americans

are the hope of the world.

And the secret

of our great plenty

is freedom.

And we've got to share

that secret and that plenty

with the other nations

of the world.

And I wanted to tell you

that we face a great problem.

Because when people

are cold and hungry

and scared,

they gather together

in panicky herds,

ready to be led

by communists and fascists

who promise them

bread for freedom

and deliver neither.

Those are the things

I wanted to say you.

But I lost faith in you.

I lost faith in myself.

I was afraid

I wouldn't become president.

I forgot that the one thing

you've got to do is speak

your piece no matter what.

So with the help

of this gang of parasites,

I convinced myself

that the way to be elected

was to play down

to your lowest

common denominator instead

of up to your highest.

To cater to the hatred

of every class and race.

To appeal to the worst in you,

not the best in you.

I used my wife,

my kids, my friends.

My whole campaign was a fraud.

This is no simple

fireside broadcast

paid for by your dollars

and dimes.

This is an elaborately staged

professional affair.

I have spent $200,000

in exploitation and publicity

on "Matthews for President"

campaigns.

I thought I could hijack

the Republican nomination.

I became

an Al Capone of politics,

but I forgot one thing.

I forgot how quickly

the Americans

smell out the double dealers

and the crooks.

My wife knew,

and I knew tonight.

When I attended a meeting

right here in Greatwood.

They were all

my friends there.

People who had known me

for years and liked me.

But they didn't

like me anymore.

They were on to me.

They knew I was a phony.

Well, I guess

that's the story,

ladies and gentlemen.

And it certainly isn't

one I am proud of.

I am the guy who screamed

for a warrior's courage

to face the simple

private battles

of everyday life.

I am the guy they meant

when they said,

"Physician, heal thyself."

And so, here and now

I withdraw

as a candidate for any office,

not because I am honest,

but because I am dishonest.

I want to apologize

to all the good,

sincere people

who put their faith in me.

And

I want to

apologize to my wife.

Grant.

This is where I came in.

About that job, Kay,

still win or lose?

Then I lose, Jim.

I saw a man

on the cover of Newsweek

that I think you and I...

Mr. Matthews,

Republican headquarters

called.

They want to know

if this means

you're out of politics.

No, I am just

getting into politics.

I am going

to the Republican Convention

and I am going

to the Democratic Convention.

I am going to open doors,

break down windows,

let in fresh air.

I am going after

every candidate

who compromises

and I am going after

every lazy voter

who doesn't vote.

Take that gosh darn

microphone.

Maizie!

Fired?

Fired.

Hired?

Hired.

Matthews is our man!

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