The Contender Page #9

- No, I have not.

- No?

You're quite sure? Madam Senator, you

understand that, uh, you are under oath.

Yes, I understand that, between the two

of us, I'm the one that's under oath.

When you guys go before the Antitrust

Committee, don't you want Hank on your side?

Sure, but not at any price.

Last time we spoke,

you were sitting where you are now.

Hank was sitting where Len is. You started

telling him what a shame it would be...

if the refrigeration systems

on the trucks went out.

Hank's a hothead,

and he took that as a threat.

If we were threatening him,

he'd know it.

That's what I thought,

but now we have some massaging to do.

Hank's gotta be treated

with kid gloves.

- Senator Hanson? Congressman Webster's here to see you.

- Sorry. Yep?

- Guess we got our ten minutes.

- Okay, send him in.

No, I want to resolve this.

I do. Just give me a few minutes.

If you want something to drink,

Jerry will take care of you.

- We're gonna get back into this?

- We will. We will.

Senator, you want me to sit in? Make sure

the congressman's clear on everything?

We'll be fine. Won't we, Mr. Webster?

We'll be all right. Thanks.

Proud of yourself?

So, what can I do for you,

Mr. Webster?

I'm sure you're wondering

why I'm here.

I think you're here because you want

to know why I'm not fighting back.

Because despite it all, you've got

some odd sense of fair play.

You're kicking my ass. It's gone from feeling

like easy pickings to out-and-out bullying.

I feel like there should be some back and

forth between us, you and the committee.

I'll give you back and forth on Social

Security, relations with Israel...

on the Dow Jones, the census,

almost everything, but not this.

No, not my personal life.

It's just nobody's business.

That's not what the people will tell you; the

people will tell you it is their business...

that you're setting standards

of morality for their children.

Especially their girls.

Have you ever heard

of Isaac Lamm?

- Isaac Lamm? No.

- He was the first one to come before HUAC...

the House Un-American

Activities Committee.

He was also the first one to name names,

first to cooperate with the government.

The dominoes fell from there.

Careers crushed,

families destroyed.

Just imagine, Mr. Webster, if Mr. Lamm had

just said, "F*** you," to the committee.

Imagine how much harder

he would've made it for them.

Are you accusing the committee

of sexual McCarthyism?

Well, it's not necessary

to make the accusation.

Oh, I just can't respond to the

committee's lightly veiled accusations...

because it's not okay

for them to be made.

Or maybe you can't respond because the

answers you have to give are too embarrassing.

You know what?

You're young.

That's okay. That's okay.

You're young.

I'm gonna choose to be amused by your

naivet, give you the benefit of the doubt.

I'm gonna spell it out

for you even more clearly.

If I were a man,

nobody would care...

how many sexual partners

I had in college.

And if it's not relevant for a man,

it's not relevant for a woman.

Jerry, send the folks back in, please.

I gotta finish this up.

He's not a bad man.

He believes in what he's doing.

There's an odd sort

of integrity there.

But in this business,

with so much at stake...

it's not enough to believe

in yourself, you have to be right.

This is an ideological rape

of all women.

- Timmy, that's a little too high.

- Okay, Mommy.

Thank you, sweetie.

Well, then I'll survive it

for all of us.

Tomorrow morning Congressman Marshall

is gonna ask you questions.

He's going to hit you

with abortion.

I promise you that Shelly will find

some way to call you a baby killer.

We're ready for him.

Our position papers are first-rate.

- Every one of them.

- You let him finish.

Then you look him in the eye

and you ask him...

"Mr. Runyon, 20 years ago

your wife Maggie had an abortion.

Do you think her a murderer?"

He's a hypocrite.

No, he's not.

Shelly has no idea.

Are you saying you would appoint

a Supreme Court justice...

based on his being pro-choice?

Mr. Marshall, the vice president

does not appoint Supreme Court justices.

Should you succeed the president

or even advise the president?

I would be inclined,

though not without flexibility...

to disregard any man or woman who is

pro-life from serving on the High Court.

So you would allow a personal political

belief to enter into such a decision?

Abortion isn't

a constitutional issue.

The fine ladies and gentlemen

who serve on the Supreme Court...

which is now stacked

with right-wing appointees...

have no business deciding whether women

have to resort to back-alley abortions...

You mean they have no business deciding

whether women have a license to commit murder.

Mr. Marshall, your time has expired.

Sir, if the distinguished "gentlelady"

from Ohio would answer the question...

I think the lady has made clear

her propensity for abortion.

- Come on, Mr. Runyon!

- Mr. Lewis, you do not have speaking privileges.

Mr. Chairman, I find your term,

"propensity for abortion"...

misrepresentative of my position.

I have a propensity

for a woman's right to choose.

- To abort a child!

- A fetus.

To kill a baby

as it grows in the womb.

Personally, Senator...

I do not believe that it is

the right of our citizens...

to... to butcher

a defenseless human being simply...

simply as a matter of choice.

At the risk of my own future,

I tell you this:

If you support the right...

of a woman to choose,

you are supporting...

nothing less than

a- a-a holocaust of the unborn.

Mr. Chairman,

are you calling me...

I believe my position

on this issue is clear.

Yes, madam,

it most certainly is.

God, I love this game.

When she tries to tell me

how to do it, I do it my way.

Then she comes back and changes it

afterwards, and that way...

Jeez.

Good one, sir.

You're an all-weather golfer,

I see.

What kind of stick

you using there?

- It's a putting stick.

- Right, putting stick.

When I asked for you last week,

they said you were in Vegas.

- Business, sir.

- Vegas is business?

I did blow

a roll of quarters.

Will you excuse us?

- How's that cough doing?

- Aah.

That's her casino account balance.

She offered to take her sorority sister

to Vegas, her treat.

Do you swear to tell the truth, the whole

truth and nothing but the truth so help you God?

I do.

Please state your name

for the record.

Cynthia C-H-A-R-L-T-O-N Lee.

Thank you.

Please be seated.

We will start the questioning

with Mr. Skakle.

Mr. Skakle, the five-minute rule

is in effect.

Thank you, Mr. Chairman.

Miss Lee.

Miss Lee, hello. I'm over here.

Thank you for joining us.

Now, you are under subpoena,

is that correct?

Yes.

- Miss Lee, could you speak directly into the mike?

- Yes.

I understand you're nervous, but believe

me when I tell you you're among friends.

Miss Lee, you are not married.

No... No.

- No, I'm not.

- But you once were.

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