"You know, when my students ask about '88 I always tell them... that the only thing worse than the indignity of campaigning back then... is the horror of campaigning now." "'88 was the year the curtain on our private lives got pulled back." "That was the year the media took down Gary Hart for having a mistress." "And after that, everyone, everything became fair game." "In '88,Johnny Carson might have done a couple of slightly risqué jokes about Hart." "But 1 0 years later,Jay Leno's doing six blow-job jokes a night on Clinton." "Everything changed." "Did you know that before Bush ran in 2000... he investigated himself?" "He actually hired a detective to find out what he'd done." "And not because he was too impaired to remember... but because preemptive dirt-digging just makes good sense today." "If you've lived an imperfect life - and who hasn't - and you've left a paper trail... or living witnesses... you better know about it before you start, because you can bet it'll come out later." "That's why I released my own F.B.I. file." "You gotta bust yourself first." "Take the fun out of it for the media." "Take a five-day story, make it two." "But let's be clear." "There's a price to a candidacy." "The more you reveal of yourself... the more your personal narrative - good and bad - becomes public domain... the harder it is to hold on to what it means." "By the end of the campaign, I'd look in the mirror and say, "Jack who?"" "[ Man ] Stand by, open." "Open's up." "Stand by,Jack's mike." "[ Announcer ] This is WMUR-TV's NewsNine New Hampshire Close-Up..." "[ Man ] We'll go in five, four, three..." "a weekly discussion of news..." " two, one- -and political events that affect New Hampshire." " Mike, and cue him, please." " Welcome to Close-Up." "I'm Jack Heath." "Well, the cold weather has been big news this week, as we all can testify... and cold weather has caught up to some of us... including those who chase the would-be presidential candidates around the state." "Despite the cold weather, things are heating up with the New Hampshire primary." "Our guest this week is one more candidate... who wants to be the next president of the United States." "He is Jack Tanner, and he wants you to know that he's a serious Democratic candidate... for the presidential nomination." "Well, who is Jack Tanner, and where did he come from?" "Good morning, Mr. Tanner." " Good morning,Jack." "Nice to meet you." " Where did you come from?" " East Lansing, Michigan." " [ Smattering Of Applause ]" " And Warm Springs, Georgia." " [ Hooting, Applause Continues ]" " San Antonio, Texas?" " [ Whistling, Applause Continues ]" "And... how about Walla Walla, Washington?" "[ Cheering, Applause Continues ]" "Riverside, California." "[ Heath ] And, uh, Pearl Harbor?" "Well, let's not forget Pearl Harbor, Hawaii." "I was born in Pearl Harbor." "You know, I have to say,Jack, you sound like George Bush a little bit, the vice president." " It's hard to know what state he's from." " Well, that's true." "But I actually lived in all these states." "I was an air force dependent." "And as you know, when you're an air force dependent you move around a lot." "[ Heath ] I know you've been out- You resigned from the House in 1 976." "I saw Gary Hart the other day, and he says you've been out of it too long." "What do you say to that?" "Well, I guess Mr. Hart has been busier than I have, but, uh " "I think the national impression of you... is that you had a unanimous draft from your state to run for Congress." "You were a popular congressman." "On a sadder note, I know your daughter had a serious illness." " Yes, she had." " But you got out, and now you're back in." "Tell us what brought you back into this crazy world of running for president." "Well, I mean, it's always presumptuous to say that you wanna... be the leader of this country... but I felt that the way things looked... the way this race is wide open, the sort of lack of leadership that's been demonstrated... the way, to my thinking, we've gone way, way off the track in the last eight years... uh, the issues are there." "You also stand out from some of the candidates..." " 'cause you received a Ph.D." " Yes." "Tell me." "Do you feel - I don't wanna put it bluntly" " Do you feel smarter than some of the people running for president?" " Yes." "[ Male, Female Singers ] Exercise your right to vote" "Choose the one you like the most" "It's your individual right" "To choose the one you want to fight for you" "[ Woman ] Mm-hmm." "I got the media buy for the 1 4th, two days before the primary." "Yeah, we got Bz in Boston- that's NBC." "And WMURin Manchester." "Yeah." "[ Man ] Broder did a follow-up on Iowa." "He didn't even mention him." "[ Woman ] Jack, this is a great position." "I'm working on the other two stations." "Our main problem seems to be money." " [ Man #1 ] Gore was right about Iowa." " [ Man #2 ] The thing I told Jack about Iowa... is that there's hardly any point." " You've gotta get there two years ahead." " [ Woman ] Resnick's being such a hard-ass." "[ Man #2 ] You've gotta gain their confidence, marry their daughters, fix their plumbing." "[ Man #1 ] Iowa, we hardly knew ye, ye hardly knew us." "[ Woman Laughing ] Yeah." "[ Man #1 ] Fuck ye." "[ Man #2 ] Where is Deke with the film?" "[ Woman ] Deke's supposed to be coming here with a rough cut, but I haven't seen it yet." " No,Jack, we can't change one thing." "[ Woman #2 ] Do you save this half-and-half?" "." " 'Cause I could use it for that homeless project." " That's fine, Andrea." "Thanks a lot." "[ Man #2 ] Hey, listen, where are my hash browns?" " Are those my hash browns, Stringer?" "[ Stringer ] Oh,yes, they are.!" "[ Andrea ] Want me to get you some more?" "[ Woman #1 ]Jack,you're in charge." "[ Man #2 ] On second thought, you can have these back." "[ Stringer ] Hey, we made Haley's column today.!" "[ Man #2 ] Is it a positive?" "[ Stringer ] Oh,yeah, i-it's a positive... not." "[ Woman #1 ] I can't wait to see ya." "Yeah, we're working real hard." "Okay." "Get on that plane." "All right." "Good-bye." "Bye-bye." " Damn it!" " [ Stringer ] What?" " His plane was grounded in Durham." " [ Andrea ] I was in Durham once." " [ Man #2 ] But he's gonna be here, right?" " Yeah, he'll be here." " Here's something you don't see every day." "[ Woman #1 ] What?" "[ Stringer ] The word "debacle"used twice in the same sentence." "Come on!" "Nobody edits that paper." " It's computers in some room." "[ Woman #1 ] What's going on with the focus group?" " Has Hughes arrived yet?" " [ Man #2 ] Yeah, Hughes is in the hotel." "He's getting all the stuff set up and everything." "He was under the impression that he was testing some spots for Super Tuesday, but  [ Conversation Continues ] - [ Woman On TV] Go, Tanner!" "Go, Tanner!" "Go, Tanner!" "Jack Tanner for the homeless!" " [ Stringer ] "The Future Is Now.!"" "[ Woman #1 Chuckles ]" "[ Stringer ] Uh, they're coming in about 1 0:00." " There should be about 30 people." " [ Man #2 ] That's a good number." "[ Woman #1 ] We're not gonna have a thing to show him." "Stringer, see if you can find Deke." "[ Andrea ] Should I start setting up the chairs" " Oh, here he is." " Showtime." " [ Laughs ]" " [ Humming: "Hail to the Chief' ] - [ Man #2 ] Did you make all the changes?" "Ladies and gentlemen, I give you the next president of the United States..." "Mr.Jack Tanner." " Whoo!" " [ Humming Continues ]" "[ Tone Beeping ]" "[ Woman #1 Sighs ] I thought" "I thought he was gonna be raking leaves." "People vote in November,you know." "Hi." "How are you?" "Good to see you." " Come on up." " [ Deke ] I can't control the weather." "[ Phone Ringing ]" "Oops." "There's my phone." " [ Staffers Snickering, Laughing ] - [ Phone Continues Ringing ]" "[ Woman #1 ] Deke?" " What?" "[ Woman #1 ] What's with the Mister Rogers opening?" "[ Deke ] Come on." "Think Pee-wee's Playhouse." "[ Phone Continues Ringing ]" "Hello?" "[ Dramatic Fanfare ]" "[ Announcer ] Early last year... in a modest family home in East Lansing, Michigan... a phone began to ring." "At first there were only a few calls a day." "Then several." "Then the phone began to ring off the hook." "The callers?" "Community leaders... public officials, party officers... from all around the country." "The message?" "We wantJack Tanner for president." "I'm glad you called." "[ Announcer ] Who's Jack Tanner?" "[ Continues ]" "[ Andrea ] He looks really handsome." " [ Deke ] Ooh!" "You notice that transition?" " [ Woman #1 ] I like it." "Yeah." "[ Stringer ] Nice." " [ Announcer] The son of a career army air force officer- - [ Stringer ] That's notJack." "John Quentin Tanner was born in Pearl Harbor, Hawaii..." " Oh, his mother is beautiful." " [ Man #2 ] Quentin." "Should he use that?" " on May 1 , 1 938." " Three years later..." " Wait.!" "Aren't those American planes?" " [ Deke ] Aplane's a plane." " [ Laughing ]" "Not in Pearl Harbor it isn't." "[ Franklin Delano Roosevelt ] December 7, 1 941 ... a date which will live " "Is that Woodrow - That is Woodrow Wilson's voice!" "Deke, this footage looks very-very familiar." "This looks very familiar." "I lifted it from a Dole film campaign." " You what?" " What?" "Well, I mean, hell, he lifted it from stock, right?" "Y-You don't really think they sent a crew out to film a future wounded president, do ya?" "[ Man #2 ]Jack's father was a pilot." "[ Stringer ] We'll have to use Bush's footage." "Right." "Is Bush a pilot?" "[ Laughing ]" "[ Announcer] Young Jack learned firsthand about the rigors of [ Stringer ] Oh, this is dignified." "[ All Laugh ]" "[ Woman #1 ] I really think they don't have to scoot across the floor on their derrieres." "[ Andrea ] Men in underwear." "Men in underwear rate very highly with women." " This is more stock footage." " He's a team player." "That's what we're getting at." "[ Andrea ] Do you have to rate a film like this?" " They don't use this play anymore." " "G, " "PG, " "R"?" "[ Deke ] Wait a second." "[ Game Announcer] Davis on the rebound!" " [ Man #2 ] Deke, is that your voice?" " Yeah!" " [ Deke Announcing ] The game goes into overtime." " Wilt Chamberlain." " [ Deke Announcing ] Tanner is down." " I wanna associate him with the big guys." "This could be a real blow for theJayhawks." "Tanner is out of the game." "[ Woman #1 ] Oh, I love that face.!" "Vote for that man." "[ Announcer ]Jack became a tireless leader in the civil rights and antiwar movements." "[ Rock Guitar:" "Ballad ]" " What happened?" " [ Stringer ] Can you fix that?" "Is thatjust on the monitor or" "Well, you can play off of that one." "[ Woman #1 ] Where'd you get the civil rights stuff, Deke?" "Uh, off a You Are There- an old You Are There." " Yeah, the old Walter Cronkite show." " I love this speech." "[ Kennedy ] Ask what you can do for your country." " [ Staffers Exclaiming ]" " Ooh.!" "Down on a play.!" " I have a dream today!" " [ Cheering ]" "[ Woman #1 ] Is this Walter Cronkite?" "Who owns the rights?" "[ Stringer ] Michael Jackson. [ Chuckling ]" " [ Singing Along With Guitar]" " I loved that video." "The MichaelJackson video?" "One small step for man... one giant leap for mankind." "[ Man #2 ] Right." "Use Michael Jackson doing the moonwalk." "[ Announcer ] During the turbulent '60s..." "Jack's effectiveness as an activist and community organizer... eventually led to a successful run for Congress in 1 970." " "I read the news today, oh, boy. "" " I buried Paul Simon." "[ Stringer Chuckling ]" "[ Andrea ] Oh, if you do the record backwards?" " [ Announcer] Once in office..." " Yeah." "Congressman Tanner proved himself an astute and capable legislator." " Out front on such critical issues..." " [ Man #2 ] What's that?" " [ Deke ] It's a balloon." " as the environment and consumer safety [ Man #2 ] What's this?" "Eggs?" " W-Why eggs?" "There's a lot of chicken farmers in New Hampshire." "[ Woman #1 ] Maybe we could take a second look at that." " [ Man #2 ] Yeah, that should go." " [ Stringer ] That's nice light." "[ Announcer] Landslide reelections followed..." " and the future looked bright." " [ Stringer ] "Sound Solution Muffler. "" "Oh, it's Love, American Style." "[ Announcer ] But in 1 976" "[ Woman #1 ] Uh, Deke, I'm not real wild about his poster burning up." "[ All Talking Simultaneously ]" "[ Woman #1 ] Okay, guys, quiet!" " Where'd you get these pictures ofhis daughter?" "[ Deke ] His bedroom." "[ Announcer ] His only child, eight-year-old Alexandra... was stricken with Hodgkin's disease... and Jack abruptly resigned from office... in order to spend more time with her." "The Tanners returned to East Lansing... where Alexandra gradually recovered... whileJack resumed part-time teaching... to support his family." "[ Woman #1 ] You gotta cut it, Deke." "He's never gonna go for that." "[ Announcer] For a man as devoted to public service as Jack Tanner, it was a difficult decision." "Don't worry about the color balance." "I can bring that around." "[ Andrea ] Is that really their house?" "Well, there's no question... those years in the political wilderness... were tough ones, but they weren't wasted." "I discovered I'd been given a... valuable chance to learn... to challenge my most cherished assumptions... about both myself and my country." "It was a rare opportunity." "And so I engaged." "I took stock." "I read." "I traveled." "But most importantly, I listened." " He's such an intellectual." " [ Woman #1 ] Wait a minute." "Where's the rest of that speech?" "[ Stringer] That's all he says?" "Well, he says more, but I thought it'd be more important to watch him listen." " He's a listener." "Listen." "Watch." " [ Woman #1 ] But he had a lot more to say, Deke." "He's got a wonderful quality." "I think when we come in on him, he's coming across very well." "He's steady, he's concentrated, you trust him." "[ Andrea ] He's handsome." " [ SoftJazz ]" " People today like to talk in terms of limits." "Not too many of them live in New Hampshire." "New Hampshire's on the move." "New Hampshire's accessed the future." " New Hampshire knows the future's now." " [ Ends ]" " [ Woman #1 ] All right, okay, look." " [ Andrea Applauding, Whistling ]" "We've got all the shots, all the changes noted." "So you go back and do your work and it's on to New Hampshire!" "[ Stringer] T.J.!" "[ Chuckling ] We're in New Hampshire." "Oh. [ Chuckles ] Well, then on with New Hampshire!" " Yeah.!" "[ Andrea ] Yeah.!" "Are you hungry?" "[ March ]" "[ Male, Female Singers ] Exercise your right to vote" " Choose the one you like the most" " Daddy?" "Hi!" " Hi, sweetie." " How are you?" " It's your individual right" "Just got here." " To choose the one you want to fight for you - [ Laughing ]" " [ Continues ]" " Goddamn Bush and the goddamn White House... they've blocked off all the exits to the airport." " Is that right?" " Can you believe the nerve of that man?" "Well, that's nothing new." " [ Woman ] Welcome.!" "Welcome.!" " [ People Chattering ]" "Exercise your right to vote" "Choose the one you like the most" "It's your individual right" "To choose the one you want to fight for you" "[ Andrea ] Electrical shocks or something, if that happens." " Hi, Anthony." "How's it going?" " Good." " We're all set up?" " All set." "You won't believe this group we've got here." "We've got a shepherd out there." "We got barmaids, we got tax collectors." "There's a black guy." "We've got everything." "It's gonna be a great group." "I'm so excited!" " We're all ready?" " Mm-hmm." "Okay, here we go, here we go." " [ Chattering, Shouting ] - [ Woman #1 ] Good morning." "Good morning." "Stringer, are we ready to start?" "Andrea?" " Andrea, are we ready to go now?" " I think so." "Okay." "Okay." "Okay." " Good morning." " [ Chattering Continues ]" " [ Woman #1 ] Good morning.!" " [ Woman Shouts ] Good morning.!" " [ Chuckles ] Hi." " [ Crowd Quiets ]" "My name is T.J. Cavanaugh, and I am Jack Tanner's campaign manager." "[ Man ] It's really cold in here." "Are we gonna [ Stringer ] We're getting some heaters." "[ T.J.] Yeah, well, it'll get warmer." "And I'd like to introduce Dr. " " Do you wanna take that?" "Yeah,just a second - Dr. David Hughes... who's going to help describe some of these gizmos you're holding in your hand." "You don't have to be afraid of Dr. Hughes." "His doctorate is in philosophy." " All right, talk to you later." " [ Andrea ] Here, T.J." " Thank you, honey." " Thank you very much for coming." "The kind of thing you're going to do today is part of a new technique " "[ Stringer ] We need some space heaters in here because it's freezing." "There's no heat." " No." "No, that's not gonna be enough." " Will you please get off the phone?" "Take them out of the other rooms." "We need them here." " [ T.J.] Get off the phone." " For Tanner." "Yes." "I'll be right there." "Thank you." " All right, let's go, let's go." "Get two." " There's only one." " Get two." " I'll try.!" "I don't want people to freeze to death in there." "Come on!" "Come on." " Would anyone like a blanket?" " [ Woman ] I know." "Exactly." "[ Man #2 ] Sir, we're gonna be getting to that." "And we will have heaters as soon as possible." "Andrea, could we, uh- Thank you very much." "[ Man ] Could we get on with this?" "I've got things to do.!" "In case I haven't introduced myself to you, my name is Emile Berkoff." "I'm the pollster for the Tanner campaign." "Excuse me" " Miss Cavanaugh, they're really complaining about the cold." "I know." "Stringer just went out for heaters." "He's gonna be back in a minute with, hopefully, two of them." " Okay, 'cause they're complaining a lot." " Give them some coffee." " What, from room service?" " We don't have money for room service." " Get the coffee in there." "There's a ton of it." " Oh, great!" " Oh, it's already made!" " Yeah." "Is Mr. Tanner gonna be here soon?" "I really want them all to meet him." "He's not gonna be here." "He's having a television session at a farmhouse this afternoon." "[ Anthony ] Farmer Bob?" "You're not setting up with Farmer Bob." "He's right across the street from the airport." "Every politician" "[ T.J.] I know, but he is conveniently located, and besides, he had an opening." " [ Knocking ] - [ Radio:" "Announcer ] Look for partly cloudy skies." " [ Alex ] Mr. Bob!" " Are you comin' in or not?" "Yes, sir, we are!" "[ Radio:" "Announcer Continues ] Right now it's 1 7 degrees in Concord... 22 in Nashua, 20 degrees in Manchester and 1 5 degrees" " Hi, Mr. Bob." " You my 1 0:30 people?" " Yes, we are." " You're late!" " Hi." "I'm Jack Tanner." " We're very sorry." "My dad's plane was late." " It's the weather, the snow " " Now, don't be tracking snow all over." "Mrs. Bob's got plenty to do without having to mop up after people." "I'm sorry." "Forgive us." "Oh, those Minicam people are the worst." "I've seen Holsteins with better manners." "[ Alex, Tanner Laughing ]" "I really" " I had to threaten to sue NBC when one of them trucks tore up my lawn!" " Oh, dear." " Is that right?" " Oh, dear." " You're not expecting anybody, I hope." "Yes, we are." "WMURwere sending over a TV crew to " "I sent 'em away." "You gotta try to be here on time." "Sent 'em away?" "How could he send 'em away?" "We have to get them back." " Here." "Here." " All right." "All right." " Practically everybody" " Hello." "everybody takes it black." "Except Gephardt." "He turned his coffee into a damned milk shake!" "Do you have Sweet  Low?" "My dad likes Sweet  Low." " No, I don't, actually." "I drink it black." " I hope this is tolerable." " It's not as fresh as it was 40 minutes ago." " Thank you!" "Mrs. Bob didn't really take to that Gephardt fella too much." "Thank you." "She ca" " No, no, no, that's yours." "I don't drink coffee." "She called him a blow-dried blowhard." "[ Tanner Laughing ] Is that right?" "Okay, so you all have the idea of the importance of opinions." "And, of course, what we're doing here today is very important to the candidate." "What is Deke doing with that damn camera?" "Why is he shooting these people?" "What's the point?" "[ Hughes ] We're going to use that scale which is on the box... and you notice it goes from "very unfavorable, "which is "1"... to "very favorable," which is "7."" "I need a flight reservation for a Dr. G. David Hughes." " Deke, why are you shooting these people?" "Just something of my own I'm working on." "Don't worry." "I'm not paying for the tapes." "[ T.J.] Well, what are you doing?" "It's a neorealistic political film documentary, actually." "Excuse me.!" "Excuse me." "Would you mind if I took your picture here?" "All right?" "All right." "There we go." "Oh, good!" "Hey" " Ohh.!" "Thank you so much.!" "That's good." "That flash, it doesn't work all the time and I have a terrible time " " They're very funny, those cameras " " I know it." "She's not really committed yet." "I-I'm probably gonna vote for, uh, "Dudakis."" "Well, now, you don't wanna vote for a guy unless you know his name." "Know his name?" " Isn't that good?" " That looks just like him." "And then I've got a whole batch of Kemps here." "But I thought that my neighbor down the road, Ellie Duncan, would trade me some of her Doles." "Then I would have a complete set with this fella." "Listen, I want you to sign in my guest book." " All right?" " Sure." "I'd be glad to." "Here we go." "All right." " You've got 'em all, haven't you?" " Yeah, sure." "Robertson." "Kemp." "That's a pretty scary page." "[ Farmer Bob Laughing ] The whole rogues'gallery.!" "You want me here under Smilin' Al Haig?" "Would you like a button?" "No, thanks." "I don't collect those buttons." "I collect the Polaroids instead." "Sure." "[ Mrs. Bob ] Margaret Burke does those." " There you go." " "Jack Tanner"?" " Who's that?" " [ Mrs. Bob ] Never heard ofhim." "Now, please dial your political philosophy." "Number one if you're a conservative..." " [ Chanting ] It's time to work the vote!" "George Bush ain't got no stones!" " number two if you're a liberal... and press the button on top of your box to enter." " It's time to work the vote!" " But dial first, then press the button." "[ Laughing, Chattering ]" "[ Chanting ] It's time to work the vote.!" "It's time to work the vote.!" " Excuse me!" " It's time to work the vote!" " This is Jack Tanner's " " Al Haig kicks ass!" "His balls are brass!" "It's time  [ T.J.] Excuse me" " We're in the middle of a meeting." "No, we got an Al Haig vote-a-thon we gotta be at!" " What is this?" " You've got the wrong room." "Jack Tanner?" "That bum?" "Give me a break!" " Didn't he drop out?" "[ Andrea ] Oh, Stringer.!" "The heaters.!" "The heaters.!" "[ Shouting, Chattering Continues ]" "Okay, guys,just get the fuck outta here!" " Whoa!" "She means business, man." " Al Haig!" " Go on." " [ Participants Chattering, Applauding ]" " Yea!" " Yeah!" "[ Applause Continues ]" "[ Chuckles ] He's 1 .2 in the polls." " They get nervous, they get angry." " [ Laughing ]" "Okay-You know, let's have some pizza." "You want some pizza?" " [ Cheering, Applauding ]" " Good." "[ Man #1 ] Sees your pieces occasionally." "Pretty good stuff." "[ Man #2 ] Thanks." "How's Elizabeth?" "Did you ever marry that tall blonde that wore the retainer?" "[ Man #1 ] No, I didn't." " She was crazy." " She was a hophead." " She was a drunk." " Oh, God." " [ Alex ] Who's that?" " [ Tanner] I know him." "[ Man #1 ] So, the question I asked you- -[ Man #2 ]Jack.!" "He's our entourage." "His name's Hayes Taggerty." "He's with the Boston Globe." " [ Tanner ] Hiya, Hayes." "Jack." " How you doin'?" " I been trying to catch up with you all day." "You were supposed to be at Farmer Bob's at 1 0:00." "Well, you're media, right?" "I mean, you're not just individuals." "[ Laughing ]" "That guy hasn't been the same since Carter posed with his chickens in '7 6." " This is Frank Gatlin from Time." " Time magazine." "Oh." "Really." "I - I guess I'm coming up in the world." "I gotta get going." "I've got a meeting down - an assignment in Concord." "[ Tanner ] Oh." "Nice to meet you, anyway." "[ Alex ] It would only take a couple minutes." "[ Alex ] It would be valuable time spent." " He worked with my father." " Yeah?" " He's a good man." "Alex?" " Yeah?" "I'm sorry." "What?" " He married the craziest girl" " This is a friend of mine, Hayes Taggerty." "Hi." "It's nice to meet you, Mr. Taggerty." " Let me see." "B.U., right?" " Yes." " Second year." " Yes." "Arrested in the shantytown incident." "Suspension revoked." "Right?" "Why?" "Do you support apartheid, Mr. Taggerty?" "Where do you get this stuff, Hayes?" "[ Laughing ] The interest is there,Jack." "Listen, I'm writing a series of columns... on the events and figures that helped shape the characters of the various candidates." " Oh, great." " Which am I?" "A figure or an event?" " [ Tanner ] This is great." " [ Laughs ] She's charming." " [ Radio:" "Country ]" " Afternoon." "Can I get 1 0 of your large pizzas, please?" "As quick as you can." " Sure." "Ten large pizzas?" " Yeah." " Would you like something on 'em?" " No, nothing." " How long's that gonna take?" " About 20, 25 minutes." "Uh, 1 5, 20?" "That'd be great." "I'm in a hurry." " Push 'em in for ya." " Let me get a milk while I'm waiting." " Okay, the name?" "Stringer." "All right, very good." "Okay, here's your milk." " Thank you." " You're welcome." "Uh, Vinnie, better make that nine." " Okay." "No problem." " Thanks." "[ Radio:" "Man Singing ] They say you're wanted for robbin'" "The grocery store" "Disguised as a little old lady" "I'm a backpacker It's my money you are after" "I consider you armed and crazy" " [ Man ] Hey, Stringer." " [ Radio Continues ]" "Hard to find a good massage parlor when you're on the road, isn't it?" " You're the expert, Rogan." " Yeah, I used to be." "When your candidate's hot, you gotta send out." "You know what I mean?" " When you gonna get yourself a job?" " Enjoying your 1 5 minutes, are you, Rogan?" "What can I say?" "The Duke cuts it in New Hampshire." "Hell, folks around here, they like tooling' down I-95... just to see what the economic miracle looks like." "Yeah, and what it looks like is an S.D.I. pig-out." "Reagan's buildup saved Dukakis's ass." "If his own party had won, he'd now be selling elevator shoes in South Boston." "If that mouth of yours had a real home, Stringer" "Look, you ever get over your aversion to winning... call me at campaign headquarters." "I'd call yours, but I wouldn't want to tie up the lines at the Sleepy Bear Motor Lodge." "Oh, and, Stringer..." "Gore's got enough problems without you canceling his volunteer meetings." "[ Radio Continues ]" "Armed and crazy Armed and crazy" "[ Women Laughing, Chattering ] -[ Woman ] And as you can see... all of these quilts have been signed by celebrities." " Oh, yes." " Governor Sununu." " And Annette Funicello." " Oh!" "And Mildred is working on Paul Newman." "He comes here every year to race his racing cars." "[ Tanner ] Oh, really?" "I didn't know that." " [ Laughing, Chattering Continue ] - [ Woman ] Hi." "How ya doin'?" "Who's Congressman Tanner?" "He's the, uh, male one." "If you would be willing to autograph one of our squares, we'd be so honored." " Oh, I'd be more than happy to." " Mildred, would you hand me that?" "Thank you." " It's for a good cause." " Mm-hmm." "The quilts will be auctioned off... and the proceeds will go to benefit the library at Trinity School." "Now, you just take this pen and you write your name." "[ Woman ] Ladies." "Ladies.!" "Whoo-hoo.!" "Whoo-hoo.!" "Whoo-hoo.!" " Ladies!" " [ Chattering Subsides ]" "In case some of you don't know... this handsome gentleman is Congressman Jack Tanner... and he's graciously consented to sign one of our squares." "[ Chattering Resumes ]" "He's also agreed" "He's also agreed to say a few words to us." "So let's give him a warm ladies auxiliary welcome." "[ Tanner ] Thank you very much, ladies." "It's a pleasure to be here." "Um, I'd like to, first of all, introduce my daughter Alex." " She's up here helping me." " [ Women Offering Greetings ]" " [ Woman ] Like to make a quilt?" " And, uh, I wanted to say, uh..." " [ Chattering Resumes ] first of all, I'm inspired to say that, um   [ Woman ] Welcome to New Hampshire." " [ Alex ] Thank you." " this beautiful work..." " Are you helping run   [ Chattering Continues ] - moves me to say that I think there's a lot " "I'd like to say something about volunteerism in this country." " [ Woman ] Your first trip to New Hampshire?" " [ Alex ] Uh, yes!" " Volunteerism is a - - [ Ladies Chattering Excitedly ]" "[ Woman ] Why isn't your mother with you?" "[ Tanner ] I just wanted to say..." " Uh, she's in California." " a couple of things about volunteerism." " Where it's warm." " Volunteerism" " People like yourselves..." " No, she's not." "My parents are divorced." " are truly the backbone of this country." " [ Women ] Aww.!" "This country, without women like yourselves" " Excuse me." " Boston U., sophomore year." "I told you people were interested in this kind of stuff." "[ Woman ] Would you like to try embroidery?" " I think you should take a picture." " I don't think I'm very good at it." "Now, you put your needle in, and then back up again." " And hold it firmly." "Okay?" " Who's this, now?" "This is Bert Convy." "You know Bert Convy." "Oh." "Bert Convy." "[ Chattering Continues, Loud ]" "[ Hayes ] Tanner... sews up New Hampshire." "[ Women Laughing ]" " Leaves 'em in stitches." "[ Tanner] "ForJesseJackson, New Hampshire's an anomaly." ""So why does Jackson seek validation in this icy political no-man's-land?" ""One might as well ask..." ""why the boy born to Helen Jackson and Noah Robinson, Sr...." ""that October night in 1 941 ..." ""spent his childhood in pursuit of legitimacy." "Shamed by the taunts of-"" "Jesus, Hayes, you don't miss a Freudian freckle, do you?" "Hey, it's the only way to understand the man,Jack." "I mean, it's easy to evaluate the manager." "But the leader, that's something else." "You have to determine not just what the candidate is... but why." "You have to ask what drives him." "Listen,Jack, don't get me wrong." "I haven'tjoined the character cops yet." "And unless you start twirling your trousers around your head like Hart..." "I'm really not interested." " Why are you driving?" " What?" "You've never driven me anywhere." "Why are you driving?" "You're the candidate." "I'm the advance person." "That means I drive." "[ Sighs ]" "She drives." "I didn't even know you had a license." "[ Laughing ] This is good." "[ Tanner] Get out of the car, Hayes." "[ Hughes ] Okay, now, this is the event you've all been waiting for." "You've been wanting to see this Tanner tape... and we want you to respond continuously." "We're all set." "I'm going to go back and turn on the VCR and you just start responding immediately." "Okay, I'll be back in the back room." "Take care of things." "[ Hughes ] Remember to keep dialing continuously." "We need your reactions all the time throughout the tape." "[ Andrea ] I think you're gonna like it, though." "I'm not supposed to say that." "[ Man ] Start clicking now?" "[ Hughes ] Anytime." "Any feelings you have" "You see that little red dot?" "That's the average for the whole group." "And the bar on each side is the standard deviation - that's how much they differ among themselves." "You can see over here " "[ Tanner] There's my phone." "[ Phone Ringing ]" "[ Emile ] T.J., we're doing fantastic so far." "[ Hughes ] They seem to like the snow scene." "I think they identify with that." " How's he doing with the women?" " We'll have that in a few minutes." "[ TV:" "Phone Rings ] -[ TV:" "Tanner ] Hello?" "[ TV:" "Dramatic Fanfare ]" "[ People Laughing, Chattering ]" "[ TV:" "Announcer] Early last year, in a modest family home " "[ T.J. ] Is it going down, or is it holding steady?" "[ Hughes ] It's going down now." "Look at that." "Way down to three." " [ TV:" "Announcer] Then the phone began to ring off the hook." " [ TV:" "Phone Ringing ]" "[ Laughing, Chattering Continues ]" "[ TV:" "Announcer ] The callers?" "Community leaders... public officials, party officers from all around the country." "Where's this guy from?" "Shh!" "[ Male, Female Singers ] Pick the proper candidate" "You can change the course of fate" "It's a decision that you must make" "Select the one you think is great for you" "[ Tanner ] Pat, how are you?" " Hey!" "Great to see you!" " This is my daughter Alex." " Hi." "How are you?" " Hi." "Good." "How are you?" " Sure tearing' 'em up in my home state." " Well, Michigan is a strong one for me." " You know that,Jack." " It made me glad to be a Democrat." "I wouldn't want to be up against you." "Well, the Republicans are gonna be tough this year, but we wish you the best." " Looking tougher all the time." " [ Robertson Laughs ]" " Congratulations." "Take care of yourself." " Thank you,Jack." "What about this term "Christian hardball" we keep hearing?" "Are you gonna be throwing at their heads?" "I used to be a boxer" " Golden Gloves - and a heavyweight wrestler... and so I'm not afraid of political hardball." " I just don't want anybody to play dirty." " You're playing for keeps, though?" "Playing for keeps, playing serious, but not dirty." " All right." " All right." "[ Man ] All right." " Hey, whose mike cord?" "Excuse me." "Thank you." "[ Announcer] In 1 97 6..." "Jack's young family was struck by personal calamity." "[ TV:" "Soft Jazz ]" "[ TV:" "Announcer ] His only child, eight-year-old Alexandra" "[ Woman Sighs ]" "Sob story." "[ Hughes ] He's not getting the women." "They're going down on it." "[ Anthony ] Not a handsome child." "[ T.J.] Why do you think that is?" "Well, it's the sympathy compound." "The voters really resent using the family to try to get a sympathy vote." " [ T.J. ] They're feeling manipulated?" " [ Hughes ] Oh, absolutely." "Bush, for example, when he introduced his family... in that Houston 90-second clip, that was a disaster." "He ended on a low note because of the way he treated his family." "People are tired of that." "People even tune down for Mrs. Dole... because they're getting tired of bringing the family in." "But I haven't seen anything this bad." " Bob, how are you?" " Hey,Jack." "How you doin'?" " You're killin' 'em." " You're closing the gap, right?" " I'm hanging on by my fingernails." " You're doing a great job." "Thanks very much." "But you're really something." "You're really doing it." "Well, we got 'em on the run." "Beating the bushes." "Well, I think it's gonna be you and me in the final stretch, if I can hang in there." " It's good to see you." " Good luck, and we'll see you in November." " Take care." "Bye-bye." " Pleasure to see you again." " Nice to see you again." " Take care." "Bye-bye." " Come on, kiddo." " Okay." "Let's go." "They don't feel pain that's not their own." "And yet this is central to the way Americans feel about themselves." "Wait." "Look, it's going back up." "Again, the same shot." " What do you think they're responding to?" " [ Deke ] Scenes of New Hampshire." "No, they're responding to his face." "He's got a great face." "[ TV:" "Tanner] To be stimulated... by the same disputes, even on either side... is to be alike." "Now, in my generation, the, uh... civil rights awakening compelled people to choose sides." "For some of us, not to go to Selma was to be on the wrong side." " [ Snickers ] - [ Man #1 ] Selma.!" "What?" " Selma!" " [ Man #2 ] What is this?" " [ Chattering, Laughing ]" " Hey, Bill, what's Selma?" "[ Man #2 ] What's the guy's foreign policy?" "Alabama." "He wasn't there." "It doesn't make any difference." " Any questions?" " Did you march down in Selma?" "Oh, yeah." "I certainly did." "It was quite a time." " [ Woman ] What's Selma?" " "What's Selma"?" " "What's Selma"?" " [ Man #3 ] Hey.!" "That's my question.!" " That's right!" " You were ahead of him." " Hello?" " [ Hughes ] How do you want to approach this?" " Do you want to mark lows and highs?" " Oh, hello, Congressman." "It's Emile Berkoff." " [ Deke ] I can't believe my work is subjected to this computer.!" " Hi." "How are you?" "[ T.J.] Listen,your work is gonna be subjected to more than that." "Joe. [ Chuckles ]" "Where's my cigarettes?" "Does anybody have a cigarette?" " T.J. T.J." " I want a reedit tonight" " What?" " It's Joe again." " [ Deke ] A reedit?" " Oh." "Great." "Okay." " She's coming,Joe." "[ Emile ] Okay." "Nice talking to you." "Right." "Bye-bye." "[ Deke ] Who?" "[ Emile ]Joe Kennedy." "Hi,Joe." "Yeah." "Listen, can I call you back?" "I " "Joe Kennedy's on the phone?" " Yes." "Excuse me, please." " [ T.J. ] Joe" "Joe " " That's Bobby Kennedy's son." "Hold on a second, will ya?" "Is he sliding or holding steady?" "Sliding." "[ Whispers ] Come on, damn it." "Joe, listen, I've got kind of a situation here." " Okay, uh, why don't we start by" " So we've gotta talk at another" "Let's just pick out the lows." " [ Hughes ] She mentioned the highs before." " Mm-hmm." " [ Emile ] Then let's pick out the highs." "Fine." " Yeah." "Oh, yeah, I know." "But listen, I don't know that committee." "I don't know any of the people." "I don't know the players." "I don't know how that committee works." "I just can't help you." "I know." "I know." "It's getting to me too." "I " "What?" "What?" "Where are you calling me from?" "A basketball game." "Listen,Joe, why don't you just go ask your uncle?" "[ Reporter ] Is it hurting your campaign... that you can't travel the state without running into the other candidates?" "Oh, not at all." "I mean, you expect to run into the other candidates." "It's a small state, small towns." "We just ran into Bob Dole here." "He's a lovely guy." "I've known him for years." "I like seeing him, actually." "I don't agree with him for a second, politically, but, uh, that's the game." "We like each other." "There's a collegiality about it all." "Yeah, people get a very skewed view." "I mean, they- they see candidates for the presidency as enemies, and they're not." "I mean, we're, you know - we're all friends... and part of the same community." "There really is no antagonism between personalities." "[ Reporter ] Are you getting the impression... there might be a political career for yourself down the road, 1 0, 1 2 years from now?" "I can't think about that right now." "I'm just here to help my dad." "Do not pull that on me." "That was a victory party." "I was drunk, and it was just a figure of speech." "Now " "Okay, I'm hanging up now,Joe." "Do you hear me?" "I'm hanging up." "No, I'm not!" "No, I'm" " Listen " "[ Sighs ] Bobby, I just don't have time for this." "I'm " "[ Hughes ] We really lost them on that- that point right here." "Did I say that?" " [ Hughes ] Never really recovered." " [ Sighs ]" " Well..." " I've never seen anything like this..." " that's how tired I am." " for somebody with no previous TVQ." "It's true." "I don't have a highly structured campaign organization." " I don't have an army of advance men." " [ All Laughing ]" "I certainly don't have much money." "But what I do have is infinitely more valuable - the currency and power of ideas." "[ March ]" "[ Male, Female Singers ] Exercise your right to vote" "Choose the one you like the most" " Gary!" "Jack, how you doing?" "Nice to see you." "Just do your interview?" "Oh, this is my daughter, Alex." " It's a pleasure." " Gary Hart." "Very nice to see you." " So how's it going?" " Fine." "I'm tired." "How you feeling?" "I gave you a plug in there, so go get 'em." "Good luck in the race." "I wanna beat you, but I'd rather have you in there than Kemp." "Well, I understand." "Same is true of you." "Good luck to you." " Take care of yourself." " Okay." "You too." "Senator, if we could get some time before I leave tomorrow, that'd be great." "Sure." "I'd be glad to." "I don't know whether I've got anything to say, but " " All right." "Keep warm." " You too." "Thanks." "[ Male, Female Singers ] Pick the proper candidate" "You can change the course of fate" "It's a decision that you must make" "Select the one you think is great for you" "Exercise your right to vote" " New Hampshire is on the move." "New Hampshire " "Choose the one you like the most" "It simply isn't working!" " It's your individual right" " How many farmers have we got here today?" " To choose the one you want to fight for you - [ Siren Wailing, Horn Blasting ]" "Don't forget me on election day!" "[ Hughes ] This is symptomatic of... no faith in his ability to control the situation." "He goes in, he's supposedly going to be running the country, but he can't even  [ Deke ] No.!" "It adds to the realism of the man." " [ Emile ] Mark it, please." "[ Deke ] People don't understand neorealism... and the predominant theme of a man's struggle against an indifferent society." "Yeah." "Yeah." "[ T.J.] Deke, if I hear you use that phrase "neorealism"one more time... you're gonna be using it outside." "[ Hughes ] Conservatives right now are little better than liberals." "Age group, there's no real split." "When Jack comes in" "[ Emile ] We're doing much better with the women." "Great." "The conservatives are going up, the women are going up." " Maybe Phyllis Schlafly will vote for him." " [ Deke ] Who's Phyllis" "[ Men, Women Chattering ]" "[ Alex ] Hi." "How are you?" "[ Alex ] Do you want a button?" " You gonna do well in school?" " Maybe." "Make me proud of you?" "Keep your mother off my case?" "Mom is in California, where she can't catch you." "Remember?" " She can always" " Hi." "I'm Jack Tanner." " Hi." "I'm Alex Tanner." " [ Man ] Nice to meet you." " I'm Jack Tanner." "[ Man ] You too." "Welcome to New Hampshire." "[ Alex ] Thank you very much." " I'm gonna go talk to the TV station now." " Oh, okay." "All right." " Hi." " Hi." "I'm Jack Tanner." "How are you?" "I'm a Republican, but I thought I'd come down to see what you had to offer as a Democrat." "[ Tanner ] Well, I'm glad you came." "Joe?" "Hi." "I just want to come over and thank you for coming out." "I think we're gonna make a lot of noise out here today." " I'll probablyjust vote for a Republican after all." " Well, keep an open mind." "[ Chuckles ]" " Have you seen her mother lately,Jack?" " Who?" "Alex's mother, Carol." " Stop that, will ya?" " Stop what?" " [ Microphone Feedback ]" " Hi." "I'm Jack Tanner." " Testing." " [ Chattering Continues ]" " Can you hear me?" "Can you hear me?" " [ Feedback Continues ]" "Your friends say that she held you to an incredible high standard... that you could never measure up." "The same situation with your mother." "Similar." " Who says this?" " Friends." " About my mother?" " No, Carol!" "And to Mrs. Bohanan and Mrs. Melville for all the really great food." "I haven't had any yet, but I can smell it." "It smells wonderful." "Why do you think they tell me things like that?" "Hmm?" "I don't know why anybody'd ever tell you anything, Hayes." "Every time a candidate takes a leak, you start taking notes." "[ Alex On P.A.] All this snow is very familiar" "Am I" "Am I taking notes?" "And I'm here to introduce you to my dad... a very special man and the next president of the United States, Mr.Jack Tanner!" " Oh, by the way, I learned to drink to please my father..." " [ Cheering, Applause ]" " [ Alex ] Dad?" " who I wanted to murder so I could then marry my mother." " Dad?" " This is true." "Be sure you get it right." " Quote me correctly, will ya?" " Dad?" "Mmm!" "I told you to watch out for that New Hampshire beer, Dad, but you didn't listen." " [ Laughing ] Yes, you did." " [ Alex Laughing ]" " Jack Tanner, ladies and gentlemen." " [ Cheering ]" "Thank you, Alex." "Thanks, ladies and gentlemen." "Sorry I missed my cue, Alex." "I was having such a great time over there." "You know, a few minutes ago..." "I looked out over this indescribably beautiful vista... and I said to myself..." ""New Hampshire is a rich state."" " [ TV:" "Tanner] New Hampshire's on the move." " [ Woman Scoffs ]" " New Hampshire's accessed the future." " [ Man Chuckles ]" " New Hampshire knows the future is now." " [ Woman ] Amazing." "All right, we're coming in to the end here." "What do you think of the overall trend?" "Is it still downward or [ Hughes ] I'm afraid it is." " [ TV:" "Soft Jazz Ends ]" " [ Andrea ] Yes!" " [ Chattering, Murmuring ]" "And this is truly our natural heritage... that we used to take for granted." "[ Snowmobiles Approaching ]" "But now we know that these vast, fragile lands... are our most precious legacy." "They replenish the soul... and they soothe" "They replenish our spirit and they soothe our [ Snowmobile Engine Idling ] - they soothe " "Whatever!" "[ Chuckles ]" "All right, um... at th" " Uh, I'm sorry." "At this time we're going to bring Professor Hughes back into the room." "He's going to help us assess your, uh - the data that we've, uh, culled from your- from your reactions to the film." " And now here's, uh " " Fine." "Thanks, Emile." "This has been a very useful session for us." "You've given us a lot of good response, a lot of material to think about..." " a lot of information." " [ Banging ]" "But the most important information doesn't come from the numbers." "It comes from people." "[ Andrea ] Okay, well, let me first help you hand these out." "[ Women, Men Chattering ]" " Pizza!" " [ All Responding Enthusiastically ]" " Okay." " There you go." " Take one, pass it back." " We're trying to explain what's going on " "I know, but they can eat at the same time." "Here you go." " Pass one back." " I think they're plain, actually." "[ Woman ] Oh, my.!" " Be careful." "The bottoms are hot." "He doesn't say anything the whole time that he's talking." "[ Hughes ] But you liked some aspects of the speech, though." " That's right." "[ Hughes ] Okay." " [ Chattering, Shouting ]" "They're all other people's ideas." "He had Kennedy, he had Martin Luther King." "Where's his ideas?" "Forget this stuff of associating himself with heroes." " Well, I " " It's almost like Biden." "Instead of coming out and just plagiarizing... he puts these old faces around him." "It's the same thing." "He's not saying anything." "He's letting other people speak for him." "He's saying that ideas are his currency." "Well, if that's his currency, then let's see the color of his money." "Aside for anything else, the thing that spurred my gut reaction is... that someone would allow himself, or encourage his publicist... to portray him in such a sentimental manner." "These soulful monologues by the fireside with this soppy music underneath " " I just" " I don't trust anyone who - - [ Woman ] He's a lovely man.!" "That's all he is, as far as I'm concerned." "He's a nice man." "[ Hughes ] And you don't particularly want a lovely man for president?" " No, I have to have a little more substance." " [ Man ] He's the perfect vice president." "[ Men, Women Laughing ]" "What's he want to be president?" "What's he running for anyway?" "[ Hughes ] What made you say he was looking for a sympathy vote?" "Well, he's giving you that old World War II stuff about " "The sob story about his kids   [ Chattering Continues ] - [ Andrea ] No, I don't feel that way.!" "I'm not" " I" " I disagree." " I'm from that exact - - [ Man ] Selma?" "You're" "I've been to Selma." "[ Airplane Flying Overhead ]" " [ Radio:" "Female Announcer, Indistinct ] - [ Tanner Laughing ]" " [ Radio:" "Female Announcer ] Five Democrats and two Republicans..." " [ Hayes ] Will you let me out?" "journeyed across the Granite State in search of votes... in the upcoming, first-in-the-nation primary election." "[ Groans ] You take care of your dad." "Okay?" " See ya in the funny papers." " [ Tanner] Yeah, yeah." "[ Radio:" "Announcer Continues ] Bruce Babbitt was in Seabrook... where demonstrations against the Seabrook Nuclear Power Plant were scheduled for the noon hour." "JesseJackson was in Concord for a news conference on the statehouse steps." "Jack Tanner and Richard Gephardt are also in the state today." "Both Republicans were in Dartmouth for the" "[ Stringer ] The thing of it is, these people... have seen presidential candidates come through here all their lives." "It's a whole state of Farmer Bobs." "They've been exposed to too many candidates, too many political ads." "[ T.J.] Stringer, what are you saying?" "Are you saying the people of New Hampshire are too sophisticated for us?" "Are you saying that they're too jaded... for some film collage from an East Village pitch artist?" " What did she say?" " Uh, excuse me." "Mrs. Cavanaugh?" "Yeah, Andrea, what is it?" "I was wondering if it would be okay for me to come in and sit with you guys for a while." "Because Dr. Hughes left with all those "demographic-ers."" "I've been feeling kinda depressed." "You're depressed?" "Ye" "Well, not really." "I've been thinking that maybe it's because " "Andrea, it's okay, honey." "Come on in." "Sit down." "Thanks." "I know that Tanner's going to win." "I mean, none of that has changed." "[ T.J.] You can't blame the consumer." "Ask yourself, Stringer... is that guy on the tape the guy you left Shearson Lehman for?" "Is that guy running through the snow to answer his telephone... the next leader of the free world?" "T.J., all I'm saying is, it could be the process itself." "For the voters it's long, it's tedious, it's numbing." "What they may be resisting is the whole idea of another candidacy." " Ohh." " No." "No." "I'm sorry, but I disagree." "That is not what the people in the next room have told us." "Quite the reverse." "More than ever, people want a leader that they can believe in." "Ninety-one percent of Americans... believe that this is the best place on the planet." " [ Softly ] Sure." "I do." " [ Emile ] That gives people a sense of entitlement." "The best demand the best." "God, more than ever people want a leader who can lift them up... someone who can... cast a spell... who can throw a bold message into high relief with peerless grace... someone who can lead without intimidation... who can command without rancor." "They want a" "They want a " "A whiteJesseJackson." "[ Emile Laughing ] Yes." "Or a - a - a black Bruce Babbitt." "[ Mid-tempoJazz:" "Clarinet Lead ]" " [ Radio:" "Jazz Continues ]" " Dad?" " Mm-hmm?" " Do you like him?" " Who?" " Taggerty." "When do you have to be back at school, honey?" " I don't." " What do you mean, you don't?" "I don't have to be back at school." "I'm taking the semester off." "Oh, that's great, Lexy." "You mean you dropped out so you could hang around a hotel " "I talked to the dean." "It's perfectly fine." "It's crazy, is what it is." "I may not even be a candidate after 48 hours!" " Then in 48 hours I'll be back at school." " Oh, honey" "Dad, if you make it and I had nothing to do with it, I'd never forgive myself." "And if you don't make it... well, I have to be there." "No,you don't." "That's the point." "T.J. said she can use me advancing... and if I could really get my act together I could stand in for you sometimes, maybe." " Your mother's gonna " " Mom will get over it." "No, she won't." "She'll find me." "She'll hunt me down." "She'll reopen the custody battle." "She'll string me up." " Daddy!" "Hello." " She'll cut me open." "I've been there before." " I'm 1 9." " Yeah." "[ Radio:" "Female Announcer ] Checking the weather" " And with a license." " And with a license." "[ Radio:" "Announcer Continues ] Temperatures falling into single digits tonight." "Sunny tomorrow." "I'm Robbie Hoenig reporting." "[ Door Opens, Closes ]" "[ Men Chanting ] It's time to work the vote.!" "George Bush ain't got no stones.!" "Al Haig kicks ass!" "His balls are brass!" "It's time to work the vote!" "[ Alex ] I have to tell you, those are the Haig volunteers." " [ Chanting Continues ]" " They roam through the halls all hours of the day and night screaming " " Hi, guys." " Al Haig kicks ass!" "His balls are brass!" " See if you can stay away from 'em." " Oh, I'll try real hard." "But they're just so charming and drunken." "Haig supporters have all the fun   [ Alex ] Life is very fun in the hotel." " Oh." "Okay, you got a reception in the Versailles Room at 7:1 5." " Okay, okay, okay." "I'll be there." " Don't be late." " [ Kiss ]" " Bye-bye." " I missed you." " I missed you too." " I've already seen nine people I know." " The price of fame, my dear." "We're in 204." "Last one there pays for the Magic Fingers." "[ Woman ] I'm gonna have to get out myJane Fonda tape,you realize." "[ Man ] Ain't you Tanner?" " Yeah, hi.Jack Tanner." " We just saw a movie of you on TV." " Really?" "Did you like it?" "You said something about accessing the future." " Mr. Tanner!" "Hi!" "Betsy Trammell." " Yeah." "Yeah, it's important." "Hi, Betsy." "[ Woman ] May I have your autograph, please?" " [ Tanner] Yeah, I feel strongly that - - [ All Chattering, Shouting ]" " We don't know what you stand for." " [ Chattering, Shouting Continues ]" "[ Stringer ] Sorry, folks." "We're gonna have to leave you." "We've got radio interviews in 1 0 minutes." "Sorry." " We got radio interviews to go to, folks." " I do want to talk to you about this." " Question " " I know." "It's a question of time." " Hi." "Nice to see you." " Mr. Tanner!" " [ Chattering, Shouting Continues ] - [ Tanner ] Excuse us." "[ Stringer] That was the focus group we just finished." "[ Tanner] Yeah?" "How'd we do?" " I think we're gonna surprise a lot of people." " Yeah?" "Well, surprise me first." "No.Joe, I'm sorry." "It's not a good time to talk." "Don't you have anybody else you can discuss this with?" " I'm not turning on you!" " [ Andrea ] Hi." "Mr. Delduca?" "This is Andrea Spinelli." "I got your name from Mark Atreo." "He said you might be interested in doing some volunteer work... for thejack Tanner campaign." "Yeah." "Are you still interested?" "That's great, 'cause we need as many people right now as we can get." "[ T.J.] What is it with your family?" "You Kennedys always take it personally... whenever somebody wants to get back involved with their own life." "[ Andrea ] If you could come down sometime this afternoon" " It's not " "[ T.J. ] No." "I'm s" "Well, I'm s" "What?" "[ Andrea ] Oh." "Well, I'm sorry you're disappointed with Congress,Joe." "So quit." " Heavy mantle, my ass!" " But since I have you on the phone " "You're starting to sound like Prince Charles." "Well, I don't know." "I just" " How " "Okay." "Okay,Joe." "Vote "yes."" "Vote "yes."" "Okay, then vote "no."" "I don't know what to tell you." "I c " "I-I gotta go." "U-Um, yeah." "No, I gotta go right now." "Okay." "Good-bye." "Good-bye!" "Trouble in Camelot?" "That's the third time he's called today." "[ Tanner Sighs ] Well, tell me you had a better day than I did." "[ T.J.] I can't." "[ T.J.] The group didn't get it." "[ Tanner] What?" "[ T.J. ] Any of it." "Why you're running." "The point of your candidacy." "They didn't get it, and neither did " "[ Tanner ] Yeah." "And you're not so sure you get it either, right?" "Ehh." "I'm tired." "Yeah, so am I." "You know, T.J.,just before you called me last spring..." "Lexy and I went down to the Democratic leadership conference in South Carolina." "The last night we were sitting around with Kirk O'Donnell and..." "Hart, Biden... a couple of the other candidates." "We were shooting the breeze about how much the party had changed... since the '60s." "Suddenly, out of the blue..." "Lexy turned to Hart and she asked him who his favorite Beatle was." "At first Hart laughed." "Then he stumbled around trying to remember a name." "Then she repeated her question for Biden, and Biden said... well, he'd never been a Beatles fan, he was into jazz." "And Dukakis answered, "Paul. "" "'Cause he liked his wife or something." "Now, I don't know if Lexy knows the names of all the Beatles herself... let alone the answer to her own question... but it suddenly dawned on me... that I sure as hell did." "And I knew for sure that anybody who didn't... had absolutely no claim to generational leadership." "Now, I must have, what, uh, 1 0 years on Joe Biden... but, damn it, he wasn't paying attention back then, and I was." "And one of the things I figured out very early on was the singer mattered as much as the song... that ideas were only as valuable as the people who got behind them." "I mean, people that wouldn't settle... people unafraid of honest inquiry... people who didn't mind asking..." " [ Bangs On Table ] - the impertinent question!" "[ Sighs ]" "God, the impertinent question." "Where the hell would we be without it?" "It's the glory and the engine of all human experience." "Copernicus asked it." "Shook the foundations of his world." "Darwin asked it." "He's repudiated to this day." "Thomas Jefferson asked it." "He was so invigorated by it... he declared it to be an inalienable right." "I'm not smart enough to know all the answers... but I do know... we've got to keep asking the questions." "That's what the American experiment is all about." "It's at the very core of our character as a people." "We owe our vigor to its constant renewal." "You know, I don't have much patience for these guys who go around saying... the pride is back in America." "For some of us, it never left." "Vietnam may have covered some patriots in shame... but not this one." "We got in there for moral reasons... and, by God, we got out of there for moral reasons!" "Where else on this earth does such debate center on anything other than expediency?" "Only in America." "Watergate." "Triumph of the system." "How could anybody watch Barbara Jordan... thunder away at those House hearings... and not feel a surge of pride in the miracle of this country?" "Now, there are those people who tell you that our... noisy dissent, our raucous squabble... weakened us as a country, caused us to lose our supremacy." "Don't you believe it." "We are the envy of this world." "Why?" "Because throughout our history... we have always maintained... that we could do better." "We've insisted that we could do better!" "We've always been willing to reinvent ourselves for the common good." "And in our darkest hour... leaders - real leaders... have always stepped forward... to hold the American people... to the responsibility of citizenship!" "Well, it's time for that kind of leadership now, T.J." "And I'm not sure that it's me... but I'd like the chance to find out." "Oh, and if you young people are still wondering... the right answer's John Lennon." "Did you get it?" "I got it." "[ Click ]" "Oh!" "What?"