THE AMERICAN PRESIDENT movie script excerpt RELEVANT TODAY! Part 2 of 2
THE AMERICAN PRESIDENT movie script excerpt RELEVANT TODAY!
continued . . . Part 2 of 2
ANGLE -- ROBIN
Who's picked up the receiver from a wall phone and punches in four numbers.
THE AMERICAN PRESIDENT 12/15/94 146.
She turns into the wall to shield her conversation from the rest of the room.
Although the specific situation around SHEPHERD'S speech is not relevant given he's already the President and running for re-election, but his words ring so true regarding the Bob Rumson 'character' as it relates to today's candidate.
Where are the President Shepherds of the world that actually give a damn about We The People instead of those who put their personal agenda based on ego and lies that we see today ahead of the American public?
continued . . . Part 2 of 2
ANGLE -- ROBIN
Who's picked up the receiver from a wall phone and punches in four numbers.
THE AMERICAN PRESIDENT 12/15/94 146.
She turns into the wall to shield her conversation from the rest of the room.
ROBIN
(into the phone)
Lewis . . . call A.J. and come on down here . . .
I don't know, but something's happening.
SHEPHERD
. . . and although I have not been willing to engage
in his attacks on me, I've been here three years and
three days, and I can tell you without hesitation:
Being President of this country is entirely about
character.
LEWIS enters with A.J. and KODAK.
SHEPHERD
(continuing)
For the record: Yes, I am a card-carrying member
of the A.C.L.U. But the more important question
is why aren't you, Bob? This is an organization
whose sole purpose is to defend the Bill of Rights,
so it naturally begs the question.
THE AMERICAN PRESIDENT 12/23/94 147.
SHEPHERD
(continuing)
Why would a senator, his party's most powerful
spokesman and a candidate for president, chose
to reject upholding the Constitution? If you can
answer that question, then, folks, you are smarter
than I am, because I didn't understand until a few
minutes ago. Everybody knows American isn't
easy. America is advanced citizenship.
Xx
SHEPHERD
(continuing)
You gotta want it bad, 'cause it's gonna put up
a fight. Its gonna say, "You want free speech?
Let's see you acknowledge a man whose words
make your blood boil, who's standing center stage
and advocating, at the top of his lungs, that which
you would spend a lifetime opposing at the top of
yours. You want to claim this land as the land of
the free, then the symbol of your country can't
just be a flag; the symbol also has to be one of its
citizens exercising his right to burn that flag in
protest." Show me that, defend that, celebrate
that in your classrooms. Then you can stand up
and sing about the land of the free. I've known
Bob Rumson for years. I've been operating under
the assumption that the reason Bob devotes so
much time and energy shouting at the rain was
that he simply didn't get it. Well, I was wrong.
Xx
SHEPHERD
(continuing)
Bob's problem isn't that he doesn't get it. Bob's
problem is that he can't sell it. Nobody ever wonl
an election by talking about what I was just talking
about.
(more)
THE AMERICAN PRESIDENT 1/12/95 148*.
SHEPHERD (cont'd)
This is a country made up of people with hard
jobs that they're terrified of losing. The roots
of freedom are of little or no interest to them at
the moment. We are a nation afraid to go out
at night. We're a society that has assigned low
priority to education and has looked the other
way while our public schools have been decimated.
We have serious problems to solve, and we need
serious (women and )men to solve them. And whatever
your particular problem is, friends, I promise you, Bob
Rumson is not the least bit interested in solving it.
He is interested in two things and two things only:
Making you afraid of it and telling you who's to
blame for it. That, ladies and gentlemen, is how
you win elections. You gather a group of middle-
aged, middle class, middle-income voters who
remember with longing an easier time, and you
talk to them about family and American values
and personal character. Then you wave an old
photo of the President's girlfriend. You scream
about patriotism and you tell them she's to blame
for their lot in life, you go on television and you
call her a whore. Sydney Ellen Wade has done
nothing but put herself through law school,
prosecute criminals for five years, represent
the interests of public school teachers for two
years, and lobby for the safety of our natural
resources.
SHEPHERD
(continuing)
You want a character debate? Fine, but you better
stick to me, 'cause Sydney Ellen Wade is way out
of your league. I've loved two women in my life
I lost one to cancer, and I lost the other 'cause I
was so busy keeping my job I forgot to do my job.
Well that ends right now.
>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>
*(women) was added by me
*(women) was added by me
Although the specific situation around SHEPHERD'S speech is not relevant given he's already the President and running for re-election, but his words ring so true regarding the Bob Rumson 'character' as it relates to today's candidate.
Where are the President Shepherds of the world that actually give a damn about We The People instead of those who put their personal agenda based on ego and lies that we see today ahead of the American public?
Labels: Aaron Sorkin, presidential candidates, presidential election, THE AMERICAN PRESIDENT movie
posted by Paper Architect @ 7:41 PM
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