The Candidate Page #8

The unemployment figure for this

state is 8%. Think of it!

The biggest, the richest,

the most powerful country...

...cannot keep its

full job force working.

It cannot tend all its sick people.

It cannot feed all its hungry people...

...or decently house its poor people.

It cannot educate everyone

who needs an education.

I say there has got to be a better way!

That's what this election is about.

Because the time has passed...

...when you can turn your back

on the fundamental needs of the people.

And don't think that you can

distract them any more...

...by playing off

the young against the old...

...black against white...

...the poor against the less poor.

I think the time has come...

...when the American people realize...

...that we're in this together...

...and that we sink or swim together.

And I say to you,

maybe, just maybe...

...that's how it should be.

The test of our courage...

...of our compassion...

...our faith in ourselves...

...and our faith in our country.

No candidate can come before you

and say he's got all the answers.

Crocker Jarmon says

that he has the answers.

Does he?

All a man can say...

...is "here I am."

That's what I say to you tonight.

Here I am. I'm willing to give it all

I've got! Let's make a beginning!

Thank you very much.

Sorry, lady.

Hello, Pete.

How are things at the office?

Some of the guys are down on you,

but we knew that.

I've been there since the beginning.

I know what this is costing you.

I saw something out there tonight.

It's really effective.

I can feel it.

You can go all the way.

We both know it's bullshit,

but the point is, they're believing it.

Come on.

The car is waiting.

Right. Excuse me.

It's good to see you, Pete.

Ladies!

If we can all simmer down and keep

our blood pressures under control...

...Mr. McKay has something very

important he wants to talk to us about.

Thank you.

First, I would like to say that...

...I'm sorry I ate all the shrimp.

You know the state's

unemployment figure is 8%?

The official figure.

It's really closer to 12%.

Think of it, the richest,

most powerful country...

...can't keep its

full job force working...

...cannot afford to feed

all of its hungry people...

...or decently house its poor people!

We can't any longer play off young

against old, black against white!

It won't be decided by newspapers.

It will be decided by you!

I say there's got to be a better way!

There's got to be a better way.

Better way.

Ladies and gents...

...the time has passed.

The time has passed.

Got to be a better way.

I say to you.

Can't any longer...

...can't any longer,

play off black against old...

...young against poor.

This country cannot

house its houseless...

...feed its foodless.

They're demanding

a government of the people...

...peopled by people.

Our faith...

...our compassion...

...our courage on the gridiron.

The basic indifference...

...that made this country great.

And on election day...

...and on election day...

...we won't run away.

Vote once...

...vote twice...

...for Bill McKay,

you middle-class honkies!

Losing 15 minutes of free airtime

is like throwing away $80,000! Go!

- We're only 5 minutes late.

- Look out for the bus!

- I don't care what you do! Go!

- On your left.

What floor?

Where is News Scene?

Sir, you can't go up there.

Take a seat.

I have to call your name first.

But this is Bill McKay.

- I don't care who he is.

- You're doing a great job. Right on.

I need your autograph

for my girlfriend.

We have an interview.

Please take a chair.

We'll be happy to send your names up.

We're doing our job.

It's against the rules to do this.

Back! Back, I say!

- Aren't you late?

- We got hung-up in traffic.

We are not going to reassemble them.

Sorry. Hello, Mr. McKay.

- We'll play it as it is.

- We only have time for one take.

Everybody off the floor now.

Clear the floor, please.

Hold it.

Ready number one.

- Is this buttoned?

- Yeah, it's buttoned.

Stand by.

Okay. Tape rolling.

This is Bill McKay.

Cut!

Take it from the top.

- Sorry.

- Ready?

All right, tape rolling.

Tape rolling, go!

This is Bill McKay.

I'd like to talk to you tonight

about the crisis in....

I fail to see the humor.

I fail to see the humor.

Hold it just a second, okay?

- Relax, take it easy. Grim up.

- This is it, gentlemen.

- Stand by.

- Ready?

Tape rolling. Ready?

Go!

I can't.

- That's enough.

- Give us thirty seconds.

There is nothing I can do.

I got it. No, I got it.

I want to run through

this motorcade stuff with you.

A 4 block area on Montgomery Street.

You all see that?

Damn it!

This is the entire run of

the whole parade, right here.

This is the only place

we could find buildings...

...big enough and old enough

so that windows still open.

We come through here at exactly 12:04.

It's when everybody goes on lunch break.

Now, when these people...

...pop out of those elevators,

hit the street...

...we want them to see

confusion, activity.

In the middle of the confusion...

...they must see the smile of Bill McKay

bearing down on them!

We insure that two ways.

First, we stall cars on adjacent

streets. Nobody else can get through.

Two, we run a sound truck in and out,

half an hour ahead of time.

"Bill McKay, a better way.

There's a ticker tape parade today."

Half hour before McKay gets there.

Somebody has

a medium-well down there.

I've got a medium-rare.

We got to deal with the union.

We'll start dropping...

...from the roofs

of these buildings at....

12:
15.

That's exactly what I mean.

Timing is critical. 12:05!

- Rye bread?

- That's mine.

That's mine.

It's the end cut?

First, you got your

Dixieland band on a flatbed.

In the first car, you got Lucas.

There's Congressman, what's his name?

Rawley is the mayor.

- The mayor won't be there.

- What?

- The mayor won't be there.

- Beautiful!

Can we get this thing straight?

Who has the medium-rare?

All right, that's enough.

Luckily for Bill, he hasn't got to know

some of you like I have.

Otherwise, he'd know what a miracle

this campaign really is.

What we have in this room is

essentially a bunch of lazy dilettantes.

The polls say we are within 3 points.

We haven't made many converts,

but we've made a lot of undecided.

One final word.

Get out the vote tomorrow!

We want one more long day's work.

Stay off the hard stuff...

...and leave your number at the desk!

What's that?

Nothing.

An early return.

Are you still in bed? Come on, you got

to get up and vote by 7:00!

Or you won't make

the afternoon papers!

- What do you think of the weather?

- When you going back to L.A.?

- I think after lunch.

- Pardon, what'd you say?

It's raining today, on election day,

all over the state.

At McKay headquarters there's concern to

get out their voters. They believe...

...a big turn-out will favor them.

Many volunteers will knock on doors.

Jarmon has offered 76 other pieces

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