Bob Roberts (1992) - full transcript

[Rhythmic clapping and cheering]

Cobra Two, Cobra One. It's showtime.

West quadrant secure.
Whitey Two moving in east quadrant.

Here we go.

[Ecstatic cheering]

Some people will work

Some simply will die

But they'll complain and complain
and complain and complain and complain

Some people must have

Some never will...

- [man] Bob Roberts is a stalwart American.
- [Man] Bob's a champion swordsman.



- [Man] A tireless worker.
- [Man] Bob's a man of vision.

- [Man] Dynamic personality.
- [Man] He's a unique individual.

- [Man] Bob is prime-cut, Grade A.
- [Woman] He's a genius.

- [Man] He's a man of the people.
- [Woman] I love Bob Roberts.

- [Man] He's a mover and a shaker.
- {woman] The leader of a generation.

[Man] A young man with a guitar starts
singing, right in the middle of the restaurant.

This is happening in Brophy's.

He not only had a brilliant mind
and wonderful wit, but could also sing.

He finishes the song, tremendous applause,
then out the door, he's gone.

I look at Mr Hart and I say, "What was that?"

And he says in his own inimitable way,
"That, my friend, was a gold-mine. "

- And then?
- And then it happened.

- He became a star overnight.
- That is correct.

He has a tremendous talent.
An artist in the true sense of the word.



And the next senator from Pennsylvania.

Seize the day!

[Bob]... I spend all my time drunk in a bar

I want to be rich, I don't have a brain
So give me a handout while I complain

Bob Roberts, fencing enthusiast,

poet, folk singer, businessman,

senatorial candidate.

This controversial
yet extraordinarily popular entertainer

appeared on the music scene three years ago

with his debut album
The Freewheelin' Bob Roberts.

Despite being assailed by the music critics

as a corrupt, unfair diatribe against the '60s,

the album remarkably soared to number 23
on the Billboard charts.

- [Clapping]
- [Terry] Backed by a team of novices,

without the support of a major record label,
relying on word of mouth

and his team of associates who seem
more suited to a town house than a tour bus,

Roberts created a niche in a business
that had contemptuously rejected him.

His second album, Times Are Changin' Back,
peaks at number three, an achievement

for a journeyman folk singer that Spin
magazine called "a crypto-fascist clown".

- You have the wrong pass.
- I don't see the problem.

You need to go to the police and get a pass.

[Terry] On July 4th,

Bob Roberts announced his candidacy
for the Senate seat in Pennsylvania.

This documentary chronicles the man
and his quest for election.

[Bob] Eight years ago, I had had enough.

I had seen the dreams of a generation
squashed by an evil menace,

an evil menace called drugs.

I made up my mind there and then
to dedicate my life

to seeing that this problem end in our lifetime.

I contacted my friend Lukas Hart
and I enlisted his help.

It is because of Lukas Hart's
diligence and efforts

that eight years ago Broken Dove was born.

[Bob] Broken Dove is hard at work fighting
the war on drugs but it will take time.

We must start the war early,
ladies and gentleman.

We must start the war
with our children at home

- and in our classrooms.
- [Skip To My Lou]

Hey, mister, can I see your gun?

- Can I see your gun?
- What makes you think I have a gun?

Come on over this way.
Get some great shots with the kids.

- [Child shouting]
- You got me!

You got me. Good work, kids. I'm dead.

Here's Mrs Roberts. Here's Mrs Roberts. Polly.

Polly and Bob.
Let's take a picture with the kids.

Sit right there on the table.

[Doctor] Bob is a tireless worker.
Unbridled energy.

As his doctor,
I tell him to slow down. He won't.

Without his organisation Broken Dove,
this clinic would not exist.

[Aide] I want you all to say, "Vote Bob".

Vote Bob!

What did the teacher tell you
in school today, in school today?

What did the teacher tell you
in school today, my child?

He said it's a crime to say a little prayer

He said God's no longer wanted here

Oh, that's what the silly teacher
told you in school

Robert Roberts Junior was born
on January 3rd, 1955

in St Vincent's Hospital, Philadelphia.

In his early years, Bob lives on a commune
in rural Pennsylvania.

It was an idealistic attempt.

This was the late '50s, pre-hippie.

We tried to establish a community based
on the idea of collective responsibility.

It's a crazy idea. It was nuts.

It was an unrealistic environment
for a child to grow up in.

We moved to Philadelphia
when Bobby was three.

It'll be cold today. Chilly, chilly as the leaves
of autumn make way for the wind of winter.

Early snow was reported in some mountain
regions but don't dust off the skis yet, folks.

Here in Philly it's a brisk 43.

Now, Kelly Noble interiews
senatorial candidate Bob Roberts.

I must say that I'm not a fan of your music.
I find it offensive.

I wouldn't vote for you
if my life depended on it.

Good morning, Philadelphia.
Our guest today is Bob Roberts,

Pennsylvania senatorial candidate
and folk singer.

Our viewers are curious about where it began.
Where did it start for you?

Where did what start?

Was it a small colonial home

with a mom in a starched dress
and a dad in a seersucker suit?

- You're speaking of my upbringing?
- Yes.

I came to speak about the issues
but I will indulge your personality search.

I was born and raised lower middle-class

right outside the city of brotherly love,
Philadelphia.

My father was a fry cook, my mother
a peacenik. I had no brothers or sisters.

Make your judgements if you must.

He was a model student.

So full of life and energy.

Some of the other kids didn't like him
very much. But I did. Very much.

Increasing restlessness and trouble
with authority figures and classmates

create problems for Bob in high school,
and by his senior year his grades have fallen.

[Bob] I know what it's like to be without
a home. I was homeless when I was 17.

I didn't ramble, I didn't roam.
No boxcars or park benches.

No panhandling for me.

I went straight to work,
earned enough money on my own

to enrol myself in a school of my choice,
a school I wanted.

That's not quite true.
Bobby enrolled himself in military college

by forging my signature on a cheque of mine.

[Father] He was happy there. He said
he needed discipline, more structure in his life.

He felt we offered too much freedom.

And do you know what? He was right.

I was trying to instil different values in him
than the ones he has now.

Let's just leave it at that.

The '60s are, let's face it,
a dark stain on American history.

At no other time has lawlessness
and immorality been so widespread.

You're speaking of Watergate
and our invasion of Cambodia.

No. No, I'm not. I see. I'm speaking of you,

of lawlessness and immorality
with regard to drug use and sexual practice.

- Excuse me?
- Disregard in the press

for the sacred institutions that have
made this country what it is today.

Is social protest disregard
for our laws and institutions?

- Certainly it is.
- It is a guaranteed right in our constitution.

- So is burning the flag. Need I say more?
- You need say more.

Or are we to believe that Bob Roberts
wants to see a compliant and silent public

which respects the actions of its presidents,
no matter how immoral or illegal?

- Are you a communist?
- Excuse me?

Self-determination.

The choice to be what you want to be.

And I wanted to be... rich.

[Laughter]

[Terry] Roberts graduates from Westmoreland
Military Academy with honours in 1977

and is selected as a candidate for a master's
degree in business at Yale University.

In 1980, Roberts graduates from Yale and
begins his phenomenal rise on Wall Street.

Grandma felt guilty about being so rich

And it bothered her until the day she died

But I will take my inheritance

And invest it with pride, yes, invest it

- [crowd joins in]
- With pride

You have just said that our chief executives
are immoral criminals.

I take offence at that, deeply.

I'm an American that believes
intensely in morality

and in the sanctity of the office
of the presidency.

I trust that the American public does not share
your cynical anti-American views

and will cast their votes accordingly,
with pride and conviction.

- Thank you, Kelly and Bob...
- I certainly hope not.

It means you want Americans to cast
their votes based on hatred and ignorance.

You're taking sides, ma'am. You're abusing
your responsibility as a journalist.

I am offended by you, sir. If I ignore
my feelings, I'm taking your side.

Isn't your job one of objectivity?

You're not talking about objectivity.
You're talking about ignorance.

- Is he one of yours?
- [Bob scoffs]

Hey, brother. Does getting in on the ground
floor mean checking your skin at the door?

- Black people can have another opinion.
- You're still black?

I think so. We don't have to adhere
to a militant black party line.

[Man] Your albums just get better and better.

Wonderful work on the news.
Always watch you.

You're now a member of our campaign team.

Can I get one for my son?

- Of course. We'll send you some.
- Take care, Dan.

You're welcome here any time, Bob.
Good luck on the campaign trail.

Great.

Bob Roberts is from that faction that lives to
destroy whatever good came out of the '60s,

to rewrite the history of that important period,

a period where the American people
actually were informed and aware

and realised that they had a voice.

They demanded that a war end.

Bob Roberts is Nixon, only he's shrewder.
More complicated, this Bob Roberts.

Here's a man who has adopted the persona
and mind-set of the freethinking rebel

and turned it on itself.

The rebel conserative.

That is deviant brilliance.

What a Machiavellian poseur.

- This land
- [cheering]

Is my land

- This land
- [crowd joins in]

Is our land

You gotta proud to be

In the land of the free

This land was made for us

This land was made for me

[wild cheering]

[Chanting] Bob! Bob! Bob!

Mr Roberts, my name is Bugs Raplin.
I'm from Troubled Times Journal.

- I'd like to arrange an interiew.
- Certainly.

- Call our campaign headquarters.
- Yeah, right (!)

Let's fire it up.

Koji, are you there?

[Speaks Japanese]

Nikkei's up 24,041.45.

- As tensions continue to mount...
- Members of the 101 st Airborne...

- Final step on American soil...
... Operation Desert Shield.

Senator Brickley Paiste was on
the campaign trail yet again yesterday.

He sampled homemade goodies
while visiting the local ladies' auxiliary

and presided over the dedication
of the steam torpedo monument.

I think it highly suitable today,

as war clouds once again
are upon the horizon,

that we dedicate this steam torpedo,

a symbol of the 13 million of us
who fought in World War II.

- Carol?
- Thanks, Chuck.

Senator Paiste's opponent, Bob Roberts,

is creating quite a sensation
in his election tour,

playing to sold-out audiences
from Scranton to Pittsburgh.

He was in town today
paying a visit to the local Menck clinic.

With the story, Rose Pondell. Rose?

[Rose] This is the Menck Clinic in Scranton,
set up with money raised by Broken Dove,

senatorial candidate Bob Roberts'
private relief organisation.

The clinic and Broken Dove honoured
Bob Roberts in a ceremony at the clinic.

Honouring you as patriot of the year.

Bob has a great vision
for the future of our country

and for the future of the children
of our country.

He is the only man to vote for.

He's amazing. He's a poet and a genius.

It's clear to all present here
that drugs are a tough problem

and a tough man is needed to tackle it.

From all indications,
Bob Roberts just might be that man.

At the Roberts campaign in Scranton,
this is Rose Pondell, WAPW, Action News.

- Thank you, Rose. Chuck?
- Thank you, Carol.

Polls show incumbent Senator Paiste
in the lead over Roberts by 10%,

but sources in the Roberts campaign
say Roberts will be a strong finisher.

I could use a strong finisher myself, Carol.
How about you?

[Laughing]

Mr Hart loves it.

- What about Bob?
- Bob loves it, too.

What is Lukas Hart's connection
with Bob's success?

- No connection.
- He's helping send Bob to Washington.

They do this every morning for hours.

It throws me behind schedule and pisses me
off. I'm the one that gets the speeding tickets.

I really don't give a shit
but I do the best I can.

[TV] Good morning, Philadelphia.

Senator Brickley Paiste denied allegations
in a report in the Pittsburgh Post Times

accusing him of an extramarital liaison
with a campaign worker.

The girl is a friend of my granddaughter.

The entire photograph shows that
my granddaughter is in the back of the car.

I deeply resent this slander and you can be
sure I'm going to find out who's behind it.

Polls show that Senator Paiste's lead
has slipped considerably

and he's ahead by only a narrow margin.

[Aide] We are doing very well
in every area of the state.

We're doing well in the depressed areas.

These areas have been hit hard.
They're depressed economically.

Plants and their supporting industries
have closed.

People don't have jobs.
They can't afford to feed their families.

They're foreclosing on their homes.

Something has to be done for them.
Bob's going to do it.

Check our security coordinates.

- Call...
- Henry.

[Aide] Come on, next. On my screen.
Key in, key in.

- 5,006.
- Next.

- [Aide] 5,000...
- I sent a fax on that, Bob.

[Bob] Lavalle, you'll be on a slow boat
to Tiananmen Square.

[Terry] Bob Roberts is a tribute
to the possibilities of the American dream.

A self-made man at the age of 35,

he is rumoured to have a net worth
of something over $40 million.

I'm waiting to meet Bob Roberts
in the sanitary confines of the Pride,

his functionally designed
two-room trading floor on wheels.

Ever since this Iraq business, talking to your
broker's like talking to an insecure child.

- Who was that?
- Lavalle.

- There goes the pool.
- And the house in the country.

Tell me something. The markets
have been in a tumultuous state

for the last three years, since the crash of '87.

Did you lose money in the crash?

- Yeah, right.
- What's funny?

Back to work.
The slow lost money in that crash.

The smart money got out
before the junk bond hit the fan.

That up-to-the-minute, gold-plated information
cost me considerable effort.

If I had been out when those calls came in,
I'd have been screwed, but I am smart.

I know the importance of paging systems
and mobile phones.

Everyone's nerous about the lack of control
of the political situation overseas.

You can't readily obtain that information
but you can stay in touch.

I won't say too much.
There are things you can do.

There are ways you can read the world.
And what I read excites me.

W- W-W-W-Wall Street

W- W-W-Wall Street

Wall Street rap

Michael takes a loan
from a Midwestern S&L

He puts the money in a quick-drying inkwell

Takes a loss, gets cross
Walks to the corner store

Pulls a knife, calls his wife
Can't take it any more

Look out, Joe, how far will it go

Take away the fire
And where does the water flow?

S&L
S&L

Jerry's in the attic, messing with the static

Junior's on the telephone
Nothing problematic

Julie's selling T-bonds
Her bill is turning over

John is building walls
Manipulating a takeover

Look out, Joe, how far will it go

Take away the fire
And where does the water flow?

Manipulating a takeover

Get tough, get right
Try to get some sleep at night

Try hard, get harder
Love to win, live to fight

Own the town, love the best
Don't share the treasure chest

If you cheat, get away
Lead them down an alleyway

Look out, Joe, how far will it go

Take away the fire
and where does the water flow?

Look out, Joe, how far will it go

Take away the fire
and where does the water flow?

Po-po-po-po-po-pork

Pork pork pork
Pork bellies

[Bob] Now is the time to invest. We mustn't
be intimidated by Third World madmen.

We must stay strong and market confident.
Reluctance feeds the aggressor.

As we say, if you're afraid of an act of market...

[all shout] You're a dead man!

[Aide] Let's lock and load.

There'll be a resolution in the Mid-East
and a bull market. Mark my words.

Thank you for your time.

[Aide] We're on the move.

[Crowd shouts Bob's name]

[Man] Good luck, Bob!

To the right, please.

Everybody to the right, please.
To the right, thank you.

To the right, please.

Mr Roberts, I contacted your campaign office.

They told me I had to be connected
to a major news network or newspaper.

That's ridiculous. Talk to Chet MacGregor
and he'll take care of it.

- What is your name?
- Bugs.

John Alijah Raplin.

John Raplin. Publication?

Troubled Times.

There'll be a pass at the door tonight.

Yeah. Sure.

[Laughter]

- It scares the hell out of me.
- My goodness.

- I don't think so.
- Of course not. It's a bad idea.

You wanted to see it through.

Mr Hart thinks we should stick with the red,
white and blue. Simplicity and strength.

I agree with Mr Hart. This one is too basic.

This one, I like it but it's too strong.

This one is a nightmare. It scares me.

I tend to agree with Mr Hart as well.
Stick with the current campaign. Bart?

- Absolutely.
- Straight up.

- Terry, what do you think?
- Me? No question. That's the one.

- How about you?
- Nigel?

The nodding Nigel. Thank you.

Next, our new television commercial.

Guys, get out of the way.
Bob, you sit here. Scat, Bart.

It's 15 seconds. It makes its point strongly.
It starts airing tomorrow.

[Choir] For a new day dawning

- What do you think, Bart?
- I love it, Bob.

- Perrigrew?
- Great, Bob.

- Dockett?
- Chilly most, Bob.

- What'd he say?
- Chilly most.

- What's that?
- It means terrific, Bob.

Glad you like it.
We have two more spots in production.

We have the mayor's wife outside,
lovely lady, who wants to see you

and three boys who want to say hello
to Bob Roberts.

[Security] Cobra Two, we're on the move.

- Hello.
- Hi.

Mrs Davis, this is Bob Roberts.

We're so happy to have you here.

We're so proud to play your music
in our home.

Sometimes I play it when I'm alone,
but don't tell my husband.

Frank and I agree that you are an excellent
example for the youth of this country.

We wish there were more singers like you
and we intend to vote for you.

We're so tired of Brickley Paiste
and his philandering.

- This is my son Roger and his two friends.
- We got all... both album...

- Nice to meet you.
- Hi.

We got a band. We play some of your songs.

We play Retake America
and This Land Was Made For Me.

- What instrument do you play?
- Guitar. We all play guitar.

When Roger first wanted his guitar,
my husband I were fit as birds.

But my husband trusted that his son
would take the lessons of the Lord with him,

no matter what instrument of the Devil
caressed his hand.

You inspire us to do, like, stuff.

- You... you're great.
- I wish that there was... you know, stuff.

Like, you know, if there was...
When I heard that...

Are there any more stuff?
Has... When's the new album?

Election Day. We're releasing it Election Day.

Mr Roberts has to be on his way.
What are the songs about?

Various things. Congress, liberals, Iraq.

We heard about that. Iraq.

Yeah. I hope we kick their ass.

So do I. Will it be necessary to use force?

We must be strong
whenever democracy is threatened.

We want to avoid violence but it might
be necessary. Hussein is a madman.

- Sorry, Bob has a show to get ready for.
- Of course.

It's been a pleasure meeting you. I wish there
was a way I could vote for you 100 times.

- There is, actually.
- Really?

Just kidding.

[Man whispering]

[Praying]

Let's not show this.
Come on over here with me.

[Bugs] To understand who Bob Roberts is,
you have to understand who Lukas Hart llI is.

Lukas Hart is a spook,
one of the Langley crowd new guard.

Hart has been in the shadows for years.

A lieutenant in Vietnam, Special Forces.
Worked on the infamous Phoenix programme.

Transferred to South America,
helped overthrow Allende.

In Central America,
he probably popped a couple of heads.

Set up an organisation, Broken Dove, which
supplied transport planes to US operatives.

Got his hands dirty in Iran-Contra,
but the Senate washed him clean.

- I can't recall, sir.
- You can't recall. I see.

Did you or your organisation Broken Dove

have anything to do with a transport plane
downed in Nicaragua...

- Sir...
... on May 23rd, 1987?

The plane was contracted
to fly humanitarian supplies

into impoverished regions
in southern Honduras.

Broken Dove is a private relief corporation.

You had no knowledge of the guns
on that plane?

No, sir.

The three men were all
close business associates of yours?

Rest their souls, yes.

They were patriots acting
on their own volition, their own beliefs.

Can you sum up these beliefs for us?

That the US Congress was restricting
the growth and safeguard of democracy

in Central America.

That the actions of these men,
although against the Boland Amendment,

were nevertheless on the side
of goodness and decency.

I have a copy of an FBI report

regarding traces of cocaine
found on one of the transport planes.

This is sensitive material
that should be dealt with in closed session.

This is an example of the depths to which
the US Congress is prepared to sink.

This is a travesty.

[Terry] The charges were found to be
groundless and Broken Dove was exonerated.

The whole investigation was a sham.

They discovered a secret government of liars
and drug smugglers and did nothing.

Slap on the wrist.
The story died in the major press.

Idiots like me keep investigating
to find out how deep it goes.

I have a contact who claims to have evidence

that connects Broken Dove to a failed
savings and loan. It could be big. Gotta go.

[Hayden] I cannot believe the lies
and innuendo you have been the victim of.

It is clear that you had no involvement with
this escapade and we're wasting your time.

- I am sorry.
- I appreciate that.

Is there anything
that you would like to add, Mr Hart?

These allegations are erroneous at best,
always have been, always will be.

How much more of this fiction
must my family suffer?

God knows, I've done enough by now

to make my position on narcotics
perfectly clear.

Drugs stink

They make me sick

Those that sell 'em

And those who do 'em

String 'em up

From the highest tree

Without a trace of sympathy

Drugs stink

Drugs stink

Be a clean-living man
with a rope in your hand

Drugs stink

Drugs stink

Hang 'em high for a clean-living land

Pot-headed weirdos

Sex deviates

Dancing fools

Their day is done

It's time to leave the face of this earth

Dope-smoking morons

Dirty hippie freaks

Drugs stink

Drugs stink

Be a clean-living man
with a rope in your hand

Drugs stink

Drugs stink

Hang 'em high for a clean-living land

Hang 'em high for a clean-living land

Hey!

Despite indications of a stagnant economy,
one business is showing an increase in profit.

Ribbon manufacturers have had
a huge increase in demand

as Americans are showing support
of our troops in the Persian Gulf.

[Paiste] Mr Bob Roberts suggested he knew
which way I was leaning

on the question of war in the Middle East.

I am totally opposed to it.
It's the enemy of the month club again.

Saddam Hussein, I believe, is the most
evil man - what did the President say? -

since Adolf Hitler.

Before that, it was Noriega.
He was the most evil man since Fu Manchu.

And there was Gaddafi and there was Castro.

And these figures are thrown out to the media
and made into great monsters.

Why? Because we must justify
the military budget.

In order to do that, you must have enemies.

So we blow up these local thugs
into these huge, Hitler-like figures

and pretend it's World War II all over again.

[Aide] Do not pin your hopes and dreams
on transport planes.

They'll only build transport planes
if the shooting war is prolonged.

It's not going to be another Vietnam.
A little bird tells me this.

- Was it Hart, Dockett?
- Hi, Lisa. Mr Bourne will be dropping by.

Don't wait for him. Come on, get it.

Buy 6,012. Next. Sell 45,000.

- Hang on to those puts.
- [Phone]

How can I help you vote Bob?

Bob, you're the best.

- We love you, Bob.
- Cheez whiz, Calvin, don't be a fag! God!

You support Broken Dove?

Yes, proudly. Broken Dove works effectively
to keep children off drugs.

Before its current incarnation
as an anti-drugs organisation,

Broken Dove bought transport planes
that smuggled drugs.

That is absurd and subversive and old news.

Broken Dove was exonerated of these
ridiculous charges by the US Senate.

Evidence suggests these planes were bought
with money from a low-income housing loan

from West Pennsylvania Savings and Loan,
now insolvent.

What are you saying?

You took money meant for housing
to buy planes to smuggle drugs.

Ridiculous. Chet, did you hear that?

- Where is the money from those loans?
- Building housing.

Where exactly are these houses?

Do you feel any responsibility for the illegal
activities carried out by groups you support?

I told you. Broken Dove was exonerated
of these charges.

Why would you ask a question like that?
What would motivate you?

I am talking about new evidence
connecting Broken Dove to the failed S&L.

What is your question? Ask the question.

A group that you support
was recently implicated...

What is meant by the word "implicated"?

- To suggest. To connect.
- Not proved. Not to indict.

Are you making allegations
you're willing to back up in court?

The camera just documented all this on film.

I don't think you're being fair.

- Where is your evidence?
- I have a sworn affidavit.

You're not showing any respect and you're
abusing your responsibility as a journalist.

Leave it on.

Is being responsible as a journalist to ignore
the issues, to gloss over the facts?

No. Responsible journalism is objective.

The interiewer does not bring
his own opinions into the interiew.

I asked a question and you evaded it.

I evaded nothing. You have asked a slanted
question based on lies and conjecture

and I have given an answer appropriate
to that kind of yellow journalism.

- That answer is?
- The answer is I don't talk to liars or gossips.

- The interiew is over. Thanks for your time.
- Turn the camera off now, please.

Bart, please escort this gentleman to the door.

Mr Roberts, is it true you referred to crack
as a great equaliser?

Camera off.

And suggesting that crack seres
to reduce the African-American population?

- When Bob says cut it off, cut it off.
- It's off now.

- Is that off?
- Yes, it's off.

What the hell is this? This is a meltdown!

- Where were your men?
- We took the wrong door.

Clark, this can't happen.

You were supposed to go where? You were
supposed to meet me upstairs. Listen to me.

We have a campaign we've got to win.

Listen.

[Cheering and applause]

She's a beautiful girl

As pretty as a picture

She's a day in May

As real as today

She's got to be a girl

She's a beautiful girl

A face full of flowers

A dynamite dame

- She's destined for fame
- Bob!

She's got to be a girl

[comp?re] Ladies and gentlemen,
our finalists are Miss Crucible...

...Miss Broken Dove...

...Miss Three Mile Island...

...Miss Pittsburgh...

...Miss Roadkill...

...Miss Philadelphia.

She's a beautiful girl...

Take care of her, Bart.

- Bye, Mom.
- Goodbye, Mother!

A five-alarm fire

- [woman] There he is!
- Our heart's desire

A beautiful girl...

A drug smuggler. And you're gonna pay!
You're gonna pay!

You've sold out your country, Mr Roberts,
and I'm going to get you!

You're looking at me, Bob! At me!

- Just wait there, ma'am.
- Give me that.

A spectacular girl

I'm gonna get you, Bob Roberts!

A recent report on homelessness
by the Coalition for the Homeless

estimates that over...

I can't read that.

...Americans live without homes

and a lot of Americans
live below the poverty level.

At a press conference, Senator
Brickley Paiste addressed the problem.

We've discussed the Paiste amendment,
which I shall introduce into the Senate.

This will earmark $200 million
for the homeless throughout the country.

Where does the money come from?
It's the famous peace dividend

which I hope very much the President
will not transform into an investment in war.

On a lighter note, the Miss Independence
Beauty Contest was held tonight in Altoona.

Contestants came from throughout the state,

vying for top honours and the chance to
represent Pennsylvania in the national finals.

Senatorial candidate Bob Roberts was there,
lending his support for the contest.

- And the winner was Miss Crucible.
- There she is. Beautiful.

- You talked a lot about your childhood.
- You do? That's exciting.

- Yeah. She had really great rhythm.
- She told me she never had fried chicken.

Polls show Bob Roberts ahead of Senator
Brickley Paiste in their race for the Senate.

Paiste can't seem to shake
the accusations of sexual misconduct

that hit his campaign last week.

Have the allegations hurt your campaign?

Of course not. This is America.
Virtue always prevails.

Reports suggest that the Roberts campaign
has been behind the leak of the story

regarding yourself and a campaign worker.

- That is a lie.
- The whole thing is a lie.

I've already explained that the girl
is a close friend of my granddaughter

and I was driving them both home.

I'm also distressed that a 16-year-old
who has done nothing wrong

should be so publicly vilified.

As for Bob Roberts,
I could imply guilt by association,

which I think you would like me to do.

But I won't

because I do not believe, and I have
never believed, in negative campaigning.

Ladies and gentlemen,
why can't you get ahead?

Why can't you have the home of your
dreams, the fast car, a nice vacation?

Let's tackle the homeless problem.
Let's tackle childcare, health care.

Why has your American dream been
relegated to the trash heap of history?

I'll tell you why.

Because of the wasteful social programmes
of Brickley Paiste.

Let's put people back to work,

create jobs, encourage industry.

I can see a brighter future

but we have to work hard
and, dare I say it, sacrifice.

And I remind the public

that Brickley Paiste still has not told us

how he will vote
on the use of force in the Persian Gulf.

We need a strong America,
dedicated to issues that matter.

We need to care about people.

Let's cut taxes, let's make it possible for the
working man to keep the money he earns.

Because that is what politics is really about.

Reality, not image.

Vote for me and I will bring the values of the
common man to bear in Washington, DC.

I will bring youth and experience

and passion and belief.

So let us be real together.

Thank you for your vote.

[Applause]

[Paiste] I was quite disturbed during
our famous debate, if it could be called that.

A series of photo opportunities
is perhaps more precise.

I get vibrations from Mr Bob Roberts

of a very disturbing sort.

I haven't any idea who he is.
I haven't any idea what he's like.

I don't think I'm supposed to have any idea.

I know that he proved to be a master
of pushing racist buttons and sexist buttons,

this and that.

The politics of emotion.

He's very good at that.

What's behind it?
I don't see anybody at home.

But I will say that once or twice
in the course of our debate

I detected a slight whiff of sulphur in the air.

I'm a bleeding heart

Let's give money away

To lazy people in the slums

I'm a bleeding heart

Let's eliminate our nuclear bombs

Arabs can be

Our friends

Right (I)

Don't vote if you believe in that

We'll be fine without you

It's plain to see what you believe

Will lead to anarchy

I've been up all night to meet the deadline.
"Bob Roberts and S&L", by Bugs Raplin.

And I quote, this based on a source
I spoke to last night...

"October 22nd. " Today.

"An unidentified source in the West
Pennsylvania Savings and Loan disaster

told this reporter that in 1986 an organisation
called Broken Dove procured real estate loans

under the pretence of building housing
for the homeless

and used the money to buy
transport planes for private enterprise. "

"Active board members at the time
included businessmen Lukas Hart III

and US senatorial candidate Bob Roberts. "

So if you're hanging to the right

You can vote for me

It is your God-given right

From sea to shining sea

[Bugs] Roberts and Hart ripped off
savings and loans to buy planes.

The money meant for low-income housing
went to buy planes to smuggle drugs.

- This is an astonishing accusation.
- This is the smoking gun. He's going down.

Together we'll be strong

If the majors pick up this story,
I'll be surprised. I don't expect they will.

I have a contact at a TV station in Harrisburg.
Maybe he'll run it. This could be big.

I gotta go. You keep that.

[Whistling]

[Rapturous cheering]

How about a big hand for Clarissa Flan?

[Audience chanting]

Thanks, Clarrie.

- This next little ditty is dedicated to...
- Bob stinks!

[Audience boos]

This next little ditty is dedicated to you.

- One, two, three, four!
- Cobra, come in.

Some people must have

Some people have not

And they complain and complain
and complain and complain and complain

Some people will work

Some simply will not

But they'll complain and complain
and complain and complain and complain

Like this

It's society's fault I don't have a job
It's society's fault I am a slob

I've got potential no one can see
Give me welfare, let me be me...

What's going on?

Hey, bud
You're living in the land of the free

No one's gonna hand you opportunity...

Bob Roberts doesn't represent the common
man. He represents big business.

- Contemptible yuppie scum.
- It's about his money.

He talks about traditional American values,
as if he defined what they were,

as if traditional American values
meant greed, distrust and avarice.

[Man] He passes the blame onto the silent,
who he knows will not respond.

According to Bob Roberts,
the disenfranchised are the problem,

like blaming the woman for the rape
or the dead for the murder.

[Woman] What I learned about
traditional American values

was that they had something to do
with altruism, equality and kindness.

[Man] Forget human rights, forget
women's rights, forget helping the homeless.

All that's gonna go away.

They'll take all the money everybody makes
and use it for their own benefit.

Bob Roberts is not for the people.

He's for himself and the people
who have made him powerful.

He reminds me of the roast beef
at the butcher's shop, up front,

the good piece of meat.

The powerful, whoever they are,
are bringing out this guy.

But underneath that beef,
something smells, let me tell you.

...but they'll complain and complain
and complain and complain and complain

Yeah, they'll complain and complain
and complain and complain and complain

[rapturous cheering]

You're commie liberals!

[All talk at once]

[Girl screams]

- Get away!
- What are you doing?!

We are marching always forward

[Clarissa sings lyric indistinctly]

[Dockett speaking German]

- [Dockett continues speaking German]
- [Clarissa sings softly]

[Dockett chuckles]

- [Dockett] Wiedersehen, Peter.
- We're marching for the honest

And silently, as one

We march for brighter days

- Days of profit proudly won...
- [Bob joins in]

- We're marching on and on...
- Good evening. At the top of our news:

Violence broke out during a Bob Roberts
concert at Penn State University.

Sources say that 20 to 30 students began
verbally abusing the popular singer-candidate

midway into the concert.

As they were removed,
the protestors attacked security guards

and a m?l?e ensued.

Sources close to the candidate
say that he is unharmed

but "upset at the preponderance
of radicals on campuses today".

"The '60s are over," said Roberts.

I couldn't agree more, Tawna.

Polls indicate that Brickley Paiste
is running neck and neck

in his race against
the folk-singing politician Bob Roberts.

Paiste has been hurt recently by rumours
of an affair with a teenage campaign worker.

Although he's denied the allegations,
Paiste has not recovered in the polls.

[Both] We are marching for our children

We are marching for the poor

We're marching for self-interest

We'll march for ever more

[TV newsreader]
A bombshell dropped overnight, Chuck.

The morning finds us with a story destined
to be troubling for the Bob Roberts campaign.

From our sister station in Harrisburg,
correspondent Rock Bork.

Behind me was once
the West Pennsylvania Savings and Loan

which until last year was a viable thrift.

Federal regulators closed the bank

and began an investigation of improprieties
involving misuse of funds.

Today comes information that Lukas Hart III,
Bob Roberts' campaign chairman,

may be subpoenaed to tell the regulators
what he knows about Broken Dove

and unpaid housing loans.

Hello, reality check. Broken Dove ripping off
S&Ls? Its altruism surpasses net worth.

Broken Dove whose donations
to hospitals keep youngsters off drugs.

- Accuse your enemy of your worst crime.
- Disinformation.

- Credo hipocritus.
- Pot calling the kettle black.

Terry, most political campaigns
would pale in comparison,

but this one is a peach.

- It's like a vicious, hard-fought game.
- [Man bellows]

Close to the final minute,
absolute chaos reigns

and then one team explodes
right through the proverbial roof.

The dust settles, the blood is flowing,
it's a massacre

but one team is jumping up and down
with big, silly grins on their faces.

That's gonna be us, Terry.
That's what it's all about, fun.

There's nothing like the unbridled fun
of a hard-fought campaign.

- He's down!
- Bob! Bob!

- Stay down!
- [Woman] My God! Bob!

[All shouting]

- Seal the wound!
- Call an ambulance!

Get your goddamn hands off me, you fag!

- Move it!
- Get the bike!

Put your guns away!

You get on the goddamn bus.
Security's falling apart.

Bush league, pal.

- Get the goddamn camera out of here!
- Terry, ride behind in the van.

[Choir] We shall not
Not be moved

We shall not
Not be moved

Times are changin' back
Times are changin' back

Times are changin' back today

Deep in my heart I do believe

Times are changin' back today

Today, children, I am talking hypocrisy.

We shall not be moved
We shall not be moved

Hypocrisy that winds itself down every day
from Washington, DC.

The hypocrisy of an organisation
that calls itself the US Congress.

Times are changin' back today...

The hypocrisy of an investigation
that seeks to implicate patriots,

our dearest friends,

in the constant struggle
to make this land a pure one again.

Times are changin'
Changin' back

Whoa... yeah

Lord, pave the way for a rebel's path
to Washington, DC.

Make the road a smooth one for Bob Roberts.

A man who can clean up the Devil's mess
in our capital.

- Say amen.
- Amen.

- Say amen.
- Amen!

- Amen!
- Amen!

[TV] Despite his efforts to rise above
what may or may not be the truth,

trouble seems to be following
the Roberts campaign. Chuck?

It seems more bad news
has come for Roberts.

It was announced that Lukas Hart III,
Bob Roberts' friend and campaign chairman,

was subpoenaed to appear
before the sub-committee

investigating
the West Pennsylvania S&L scandal.

Partisan manoeuvring. Unsubstantiated
innuendo. These allegations are hogwash.

The timing is meant to hurt us

but the voters will see straight through
this pathetic attempt to derail our campaign.

The subpoena has come
as a shock to the campaign.

Campaign staffers fear a slippage in the polls.

Despite Hart's denials, this could spell trouble
for the Roberts campaign. Carol?

More news in a moment.

[Phone]

The current senator of Pennsylvania believes
in giving free rides to welfare recipients.

The current senator of Pennsylvania believes
in giving unqualified men and women jobs

that could be yours.

The current senator of Pennsylvania
voted to give himself a pay raise last year.

Paiste.

As he sleeps, we live his nightmare.

Wake up. Vote Bob.

[Terry] One week before the election,
amidst controversy and declining polls,

the Roberts campaign travels
from Pennsylvania to New York City.

Can't touch this!

Immigrants.

[Terry] Bob has been invited to perform
on the top-rated TV show Cutting Edge Live.

The show reaches 20 million people
nationally, one million in Pennsylvania alone.

We hope so.

Not in a real interesting way.

- More like in expense of the immigrants.
- Immigrants love the Kornhausers.

- My grandfather's an immigrant.
- Excuse me.

Bob, how are you? Nice to see you.

- Good to see you, too.
- This is Polly Roberts.

- I'm Michael James.
- It's such a pleasure for us to be here.

I can't tell you what big flan... fans we are
of the show. I'm so nerous!

- It's an honour to be here.
- It's an honour for me to be here.

- Uh... this is my assistant Carol.
- Hello, Carol. My wife Polly.

- Our guest host is...
- Working on his lines.

- "Immig... "
- I love the Kornhausers. It's my favourite.

Can't touch this!

Is the lobster family gonna be on?
Polly's favourite is the lobster family.

- Sorry to interrupt. Just carry on.
- Bye-bye.

See you, Bob.

- Michael, Michael, Michael.
- Yes?

- What's up with Bob Roberts?
- Musical guest.

You said KRS-One
was gonna be the musical guest.

- Right, and they're sick.
- Standards.

- In LA.
- Standards.

- They got sick in LA. They can't fly.
- It was definitely standards.

- I think it's an ear thing and they can't fly.
- Standards.

- In five, four, three, two...
- Am I in this one?

Hi. Join us for Cutting Edge Live.
Watch me grovel before the video altar

with a guest who I thought
was gonna be KRS-One.

- Can't touch this.
- Stop saying that.

- Good, I love it. How'd we do?
- That was good for time.

- He didn't say...
- I'm not going to say that.

Bob, if you strum a bit.
John, if you say the first part over again.

- With the both of them?
- And they have to stand together.

All right, here we go.

- This is promo number two.
- Want me to say "Can't touch this"?

In five, four, three, two...

Hi. I'm sorry.

I'm... leaving.

[Paiste] Offhand, I would not say that being
a professional singer is the best background

for a legislator of the United States.

I believe in Mr Bob Roberts' background,

if it is true that he has had
some experience with the CIA,

then he comes better prepared
than most people do to the Senate

with a knowledge of what the real government
of the United States is,

which is the National Security Council.

It was created in 1950 by Harry Truman

and the country is governed
by the National Security Council,

which is the Defense Department, the CIA,

in combination with the great makers
of weapons around the country.

So he's already had some initiation
into true power.

In the beginning, our great company
provided appliances.

We heated your home, refrigerated your food,
improved the quality of your life.

We prospered and grew into a multinational
corporation. We own this very network.

- Don't Vote and a new song.
- Brand-new.

Don't Smoke, that's what we agreed on.
Yeah, and Prevailing Tides. Michael?

Our chief source of income, however,
is the arms industry.

Yes, we rely heavily
on those fat government contracts

to make these useless weapons
of mass destruction.

Even though we have been convicted
for fraud several times,

you don't hear too much about our bad side
because, well, we own our own news division.

- Bob doesn't care what we agreed on.
- Really?

He feels very strongly about the new material.

He feels it should be said right now
and will not back down.

Chances are slim that you'll hear
of our environmental mishaps

or the way we bust those unions.

We even have a highly rated show

that the public buys as entertainment
with a leftist slant.

I'm sorry, but we have a policy that no new
material is performed until it's proven to work.

This is live television. This is not a party.

- It doesn't work.
- It's not funny.

It's self-hating.
It's shooting your paycheque in the foot.

- It's not funny.
- I think it's funny.

You don't have to work here next week.

We want to change the world
but also keep our jobs.

I personally find him repulsive.
I fought his appearance on this show.

But the network has new owners and they like
Bob Roberts, a lot of things we don't like.

They're the boss.
They can tell us Bob's on the show.

You've got to be crazy if you think we're going
to let that fascist yuppie go on live television

and sing whatever he wants to.

Please calm down.

Let me assure you,

Bob says he'll walk off
if he is not allowed to express himself freely.

Let him walk.

We're gonna go to my office
and talk about this.

Carol, have Bonnie place a call to Lukas Hart.

How do I find him? What jail is he in?

- That was uncalled for!
- Excusez-moil

- She is a loud, abrasive woman!
- Shove it!

And she's rude!

It is not funny!

It's been a crazy week, full moon and all.

We're an hour away from air
and I can't find the host.

- Michael?
- Where is he?

- I don't know.
- That's not an answer. Find him.

- What are you guys watching?
- The news.

- Real news?
- Michael!

Excuse me, guys. Michael, it's taken care of.

The occupying army...

Network wants a copy of the lyrics.

- Mr Hart's on his way down. We'll be OK.
... growing disenchantment...

Can't touch this!

[Comp?re] And now, once again,
Pride recording label artist Bob Robertsl

- [cheering]
- [Woman boos]

I was going to sing
a song called Don't Smoke.

But in the spirit of live television,
I'd like to sing a song I just wrote,

about courage and conviction
in these troubled times.

[Choir sings]

Shit.

There's a man for all seasons
There's a man with a plan

Who has the courage
To take an honest stand...

- What is going on?
- Calm down. Get the camera out.

- Go to commercial.
- No.

- You lied to me.
- The network wants it on.

- You can't fucking do this.
- The network reviewed the material.

How dare you? This is obscene. This is
a fucking commercial for a political candidate.

You've got nothing left, Michael. You're
nothing but a fucking shell with goo inside.

Are you having your period?

[She sighs]

Only one man understands
The American way

Shit!

America is a work of art

- And I thank the Lord for America
- [she mutters furiously]

Retake America...

Cocksucking Nazi. Fuck you.

[Crew members shout]

[Man] What happened?

- What happened?
- You get out now. You are finished.

- Boo-hoo!
- Get out now!

- No problem!
- Move it!

- Ready with the lobster sketch?
- Yes.

I want to apologise, very humble apologies.
You're gonna be on this show again.

Everybody, a nice round of applause
to Bob Roberts.

[Enthusiastic cheering and whistling]

Where's Polly?

She stayed behind to watch the lobsters.
She'll join us at the hotel later.

We're coming out.

[Cheering]

[Bugs] Mr Roberts!

[Bugs] Did you read my article, Mr Roberts?

- [Shrieks]
- Go! Go!

[Gunshots and screaming]

[Bugs] It's not me! It's not me!

Call an ambulance! Call an ambulance! Bob!

Somebody call an ambulance!

We can't wait for the ambulance.
Let's just get him in the car.

[All shout at once]

Get the door! Get the door!

Clear the door!

- Hang on!
- Watch the steps!

- Watch his head!
- Easy! Easy, easy, easy!

Nigel, hurry up.

Watch his head, Bart.

- Move, move, move!
- [Siren whoops]

I was waiting for Bob and then - gunshots.
Seven or eight of them.

I jumped to protect him.

Then I saw seven or eight Arabs. I disarmed
the main guy, knocked him unconscious...

- Terry Manchester?
- Who wants to know?

Don't get smart with me.
You Terry Manchester?

You were filming during the shooting.

We want to see the footage.
It might provide us with evidence.

I'll get it.

[Roger] I hope he dies. I swear to God,
I'm gonna fucking find that guy.

Please, Jesus, please, Jesus.
Save Bob, save Bob...

At 12.17 am this morning, Pennsylvania
senatorial candidate Bob Roberts was shot

as he was leaving
the Cutting Edge Live television show.

He was shot twice at close range
with a. 22-calibre pistol.

- His condition has been listed as critical.
- Is there a suspect?

Yes, we have a suspect in custody
under interrogation.

- Who is it?
- I cannot reveal that information at this time.

I got a report that Lukas Hart llI was by
the singer's side when the shooting occurred.

- Can you verify that?
- Yes, Mr Hart was by Mr Roberts' side.

Witnesses say that Mr Hart
wrestled the gunman to the ground

and took quick action to save Mr Roberts' life.

Is there a political motive in this crime?

Yes. That possibility has not been ruled out.

Theirs is a fool's game and those that play

Will find their hands tied
And their hearts dry

Prevailing tides will drown you

Unless you learn to swim against them

He's in serious condition, Jack,
and they don't know if he'll live or not.

Minutes ago, we learned the name of
the suspect from Frank Ryan of the NYPD.

His name is John Alijah Raplin,
nickname Bugs.

He's an ethnic male,
approximately 35 years old.

Not much else is known about him at present.

They'll be moving him shortly from
the 33rd Precinct for further questioning.

This is Ernesto Galiano reporting live
from Mid-Manhattan Presbyterian Hospital.

- Where's the 33rd Precinct?
- [Crowd] Sh...!

Alijah. He's an Arab.

[All talk at once]

- Let's go!
- Come on!

Come on, let's go!

- Come on!
- We're getting the assassin! Let's go!

[Terry] What's going on? Come on.

[Enthusiastic shouting]

[Terry] Stop it.

- Are you all right?
- Get off of me!

- Fuck you, man!
- [Terry whispers] Did you get that?

[Mob shouting]

- [Approaching siren]
- We shall not be moved

We shall not be moved

We shall not be moved today

Our minds are quick
And our hearts are smooth

We shall not be moved today

Times are changing back

Times are changing back...

I'm evil. I killed him. It was my fault.

I'm bad luck.

He said I could. He said I could kiss him.

- [Terry] Who said you could?
- [Girl] One of the Bob men.

The men with black strings in their ears.
He said, "You can kiss Bob. "

He said, "Bob wants you to give him a kiss. "
I kissed him and he was shot.

- I just came for some air.
- How's Bob?

He's going to live. Thank God.

He probably won't walk... for a while.

But he's gonna live and that's what counts.

You've had a very rough evening.
I'm sorry we had to bother you.

That's OK.

Just... No mind.

Um... I'm... I'm gonna go back up.

We have a doctor who can shed light on Mr
Roberts' medical condition. Dr Caleb Menck.

I'm Bob Roberts' personal physician.

I flew out from Philadelphia
the moment I learned of the shooting.

Mr Roberts' condition is critical.

One of the bullets, regrettably,

entered the spinal column at the L-5 vertebra.

Paralysis has incurred in both of his legs.

Mike, right here.

Is there any truth to the rumour
that the assassination attempt was filmed?

Yes, there was a documentary film-maker
present at the scene of the crime

and we are now in possession of that film.

[Reporter] Does the film identify the assassin?

I have no answer for that question at this time.

The film is being analysed.
We will inform you as soon as we know.

It was Raplin. I was standing
right behind him. I saw him shoot Bob.

The fact that men like Raplin exist
shows what you get with a liberal agenda.

You pump people full of drugs
and they come gunning for people like Bob.

But they don't realise you can't kill the truth.
Bob Roberts won't be stopped by any bullet.

He'll be back and you'd better watch out.
He's headed straight for Washington.

That's all I've got to say.
Excuse me. I have to go pray.

[Clamour of questions]

The film offers no concrete evidence
of any kind regarding my client.

Mr Raplin asserts that the gun
was placed on him at the scene,

that he was set up.

- Who did it if not Raplin?
- That's for the police to find out.

I'm just representing the accused.

Is it true that the assassin was a card-carrying
member of the American Civil Liberties Union?

- I do not know. If he was, so what?
- Will Raplin be released?

No. There are witnesses who say he pulled
the trigger. He's being held without bail.

That's all for now. Thank you.

[Terry] After the attack on Bob's life,
the media outcry is unprecedented.

His face echoes across
the American landscape,

on the covers of magazines,
in newspapers and on TV news broadcasts.

Roberts is proclaimed an American hero,
a martyr of the new right,

a crippled prophet for the future.

[Crowd] We want Bob!

[Terry] A week after the shooting,
Bob is to be released

and transported to Pennsylvania by
Medevac helicopter in time for the election.

He's coming from the back.

Let's go!

[Chanting] We want Bob!

[Clamouring]

[Terry] What are the possibilities
of complete recovery?

[Menck] Like I said, it's up to the individual.
After surgery and rehabilitation,

he could move his toes in a couple of years
and walk a few years later.

To tell you the truth,

it would be a miracle if he ever walks again.

As you've been denied access to him,

Mr Raplin has asked me
to convey his feelings to you.

First, he asserts his absolute innocence.

Due to a restrictive palsy in his right hand,
he would never have been able to fire the gun.

Second, he would like to express his beliefs
that Bob Roberts is involved in dirty dealings

involving guns, drugs and savings and loans.

And lastly and most importantly,

he would like to say
that as a witness to this incident,

he saw the gun fired twice into the ground,
not at Bob Roberts.

What?

Mr Raplin contends that Bob Roberts
was not shot.

[Gunshots and screaming]

It's not me! It's not me!

Charges were dropped today
for lack of evidence against Lukas Hart III

in the investigation of the West Pennsylvania
Savings and Loan scandal.

The case, in which there was
new evidence last month,

was said by the committee chairman to be
"utter contrivance and ludicrous fantasy".

Meanwhile, tensions mount in the Mid-East.

Intelligence suggests that Iraq
is close to developing a nuclear bomb

and that Saddam Hussein
could have a nuclear device within months.

[Terry] On Election Day, his new album,
entitled Bob On Bob, is released

and debuts with a bullet
at number two on the charts.

His video and single I Want To Live
go to number one.

[Election report on radio]

Paiste leads in Franklin County, but Bedford
and Somerset give the edge to Bob Roberts.

In the northwest, Erie is leaning towards
Paiste but Roberts is strong in Crawford.

In Allegheny, Cambria and Westmoreland,
it's too close to call.

The Roberts campaign is depending
on a late return to tip the balance.

That's the news.
Now, more music with Tim Freeman.

I want to live

Chances are I will

In the hearts and minds

Of those that care

Of those that hold their banner high

Of those with pride

I want to live

Beyond my years

In Elysian fields

Where poets wrestle with injustice

Where my heart could rest

Where my words would never die

Take me to the heart of this beautiful land

And walk with me down its fine white roads

Of justice and supremacy

Of roads built by you and me

Mm mm

Mm mm

Mm mm

Ooh

Ooh ooh

Ooh

Ooh ooh

It's as if he knew what was
going to happen to him.

We have to use the word "prophestic".

- [Urgent news theme]
- This is Tack Manners, APWNews.

Pennsylvania voters
have been turning out in record numbers

to vote in a senatorial race
that has been full of controversy and drama.

Brickley Paiste and Bob Roberts
have been running neck and neck

but APWNews has learned
that a winner has been declared.

With 98% of precincts reporting,
Brickley Paiste shows 48%

and Bob Roberts 52%.

[Ecstatic cheering]

[Chanting] Bob! Bob! Bob!

[Band plays Hail To The Chief]

[Band stops]

Thanks are due a lot of people.

But I would like to take a moment
out of this festive celebration

to remember a good friend of ours
who lies at home tonight.

A man who was shot
for having the courage to take a stand.

A young man who speaks his mind
for a better America.

Let's all bow our heads

and pray for the safe recovery
of Senator Bob Roberts.

[Bob] Thank you, ladies and gentlemen.

Thank you, Lukas.

I am truly honoured to be selected

as the next senator
of the great state of Pennsylvania.

I hereby humbly vow
to serve you, the people,

to the best of my ability,
as long as God will allow.

Polly and I thank God and thank you

for this wonderful opportunity.

We won't let you down.

[Crowd claps and cheers]

[Chanting] Bob! Bob! Bob!

It's almost exactly 30 years
since I came to the Senate.

It was 1960.
Jack Kennedy had been elected President.

"We're going to get America moving again. "

There was going to be a new frontier.

And the world was going to be a better place.

Well, the new frontier
turned out to be Vietnam

and we sort of fell off the edge.

With the agreement yesterday of the five
permanent Security Council members,

the coalition the US has mustered
against Iraqi president Saddam Hussein

has crossed a crucial threshold,
authorising the use of military force.

The United States has won the backing of
the Soviet Union, China, Britain and France

for a UN resolution threatening
to use "all necessary means"

to drive Iraq from Kuwait
if it does not leave by January 15th.

[Terry] Six weeks after the shooting,
we receive a call from Chet MacGregor.

Bob wants to see our footage of the tragic
incident at the Cutting Edge Live show.

We have transferred the film to videotape
and are just arriving at Fair Acres,

Bob's palatial estate at Bryn Mawr
in suburban Pennsylvania.

The glory of His righteousness

And wonders of His love
And wonders of His love

And wonders, wonders of His love

Joy to the world
The Lord is come

Let earth receive her king

Let every heart prepare Him room

And Heaven and nature sing
And Heaven and nature sing

And Heaven, Heaven and nature sing

This is precious. Bob, sweetie, look at this.
It's from a little girl in Stowe, Vermont.

"Dear Bob, even though it's not
Valentine's Day, will you be mine?"

- "Signed, Amy Biddle Richman, aged seven. "
- Oh, that's sweet. Look at that.

Why don't we send a letter back to her?

"Dear Amy, your Valentine has made
this difficult transition much easier. "

"Be good and don't do crack.
It's a ghetto drug. "

Straight up, Bob.

To Amy. And all the future soldiers
throughout the land.

Hear, hear.

[Female reporter]
Mike, what's going on in there?

Due to a lack of evidence against the accused,

John Alijah Raplin will be released
tomorrow morning on his own recognisance.

- What about the gun found at the shooting?
- No comment.

Nothing further now. No more questions.

"Make America great for Christian people.
God bless, Doreen Graff, Millersville. "

Somebody got off an early Christmas card.
"Merry Christmas. "

"Where the body is, there will the vultures
be gathered. Love, Billy LaRay. "

Here's one from the board of directors
at Interunys.

"We send our support.
Best wishes for a complete recovery. "

"Interunys is a Fortune 500 company,

specialising in waste management
and genetic engineering. "

"Our philosophy is much in tune with yours.
We play This Land... "

- There it is. The gun, right there.
- Yeah.

"We play This Land as an anthem before
our board meetings. God bless you, Bob. "

Bob...

"May he rot in hell. "

"May God's vengeful sword carry
that terrible man that shot you's heart... "

"Shot you's heart... "

"Shot you's... "? Just a minute. Let me see.

"May he rot in hell...
vengeful sword carry that terrible man...

...that shot you's... "

His heart. OK, I've got it.

"May he rot in hell.
May God's vengeful sword carry that...

...terrible man that shot you's heart
to the pit of hell for eternity. "

"Signed, James McCobb,
Boston, Massachusetts. "

"PS. Don't... Do more songs like Don't Vote. "

Well, I'm going.

Goodbye, all.

Dolores, maybe you better lie down for a while.

- Dolores.
- [Terry] Something wrong?

She's been working very hard.
I think she's had a bit of the bubbly.

She could never say no to the P?rignon.

[Mob shouts aggressively]

[Man] You better watch yourself, my friend!

I've got my eye on you, my friend!
You're dead!

It appears that the gun was placed
on my client's person

- by a third party at the time of the shooting.
- How do you know?

Fingerprints indicate that the gun
was fired by Mr Raplin's right hand.

He cannot pick up a fork, let alone fire a gun.

He has constrictive palsy,
which cripples motor functions in that limb.

There were no powder burns on his clothing.

- Why was he held in custody?
- You tell me.

Dolores? Dolores?

Dolores?

- I can't talk to you.
- Have you left Bob?

- Are you no longer working for him?
- That is correct.

- What happened?
- A mutual decision. I felt it was time to go.

- I don't believe you.
- Sorry about that.

Raplin's been released. He couldn't have fired
the gun. Is there something we should know?

You see, the truth of this is that American
taxpayers have been paying for covert war.

Illegal covert war waged in countries
we haven't even heard of.

Central America, thousands have died.

Chile, Indonesia, Africa.

Until now, Americans paid for these wars
every time they did cocaine or crack or heroin

or any other illegal drug smuggled in
by these self-proclaimed patriots.

Now we have a situation where all Americans
will soon pay for these smugglings of drugs

in the form of taxes
to bail out failed savings and loans.

Savings and loans
that misused people's funds

and provided money
to illegal covert drug smuggling operations.

And surprise.

We find ourselves with a seemingly
insurmountable drug problem.

[Airport tannoy announcement]

- How do you feel, Bob?
- Great. There's a new day dawning.

What about the release of Alijah Raplin?

It's obvious that the legal system
is too lenient on criminals.

I will see to it that this leniency
ends in our lifetime

and criminals like Raplin get their just due.

- Have you been to Washington before?
- Yes. This time is special.

It's a new town now
because Bob Roberts is here to stay.

[Bugs] Iran-Contra happened because no one
did anything substantial about Watergate.

And Watergate happened because there
were no consequences from the Bay of Pigs.

They're all the same operatives.

The soldiers in the Bay of Pigs,
the plumbers busted at Watergate,

the gun-runners in Iran-Contra,
all the same people.

It's easy to figure out the connection -

a secret government beyond the control
of the people and accountable to no one.

The closer we are to finding the connection,
the more Congress turns a blind eye to it.

"We can't talk about that in open session,"
they say. "National security. "

The truth lies dormant and they stay blind
out of choice. A conspiracy of silence.

I think the entire Congress is quite aware
of the National Security Council

and its powers and its functions and the fact
that this is a national security state

and less and less of a representative one.

It's... You know the story of the frog
in the... in the pan of cold water?

If you throw a frog into hot water,
it'll jump around and suffer greatly and die.

If you put the frog in a pan of cold water
and put that on the stove

and you heat it to the boiling point,
the frog doesn't stir, he doesn't feel it.

And at the end of it, he's dead.

These things happen incrementally,
they're gradual.

Are we complicit? Yes, we are.
Are we revolutionaries?

How do you do it once you're here?

There are no Mr Smiths in Washington.
Mr Smith has been bought.

Just a bunch of deal-makers.

No visionaries. No one really concerned
with the disenfranchised.

Just a secret state of business liaisons
so out of control

that they're willing to send American soldiers
to war to protect their business interests.

Walls may come down but what is let in

Godless men, godless men

They'll take the jobs of the decent ones

And wait for the day that their leaders

Will make you their slaves

This world turns its back on God

We must fight to protect Him

This world turns its back on God

We must die to join Him

The desert teems with dangerous schemes

Godless men, godless men

They take the innocent
And stroke their face

And wait for the day that their oil

Will make you their slaves

This world turns its back on God

We must fight to protect Him

This world turns its back on God

We must die to join Him

Meet fury with fury

Belief with belief

God against the Devil
An eternal fight

March on, march on

Brave young men

Our prayers go with you

To the holy land

This world turns its back on God

We must fight to protect Him

This world turns its back on God

We must die to join Him

This world turns its back on God

We must fight to protect Him

This world turns its back on God

We must kill to join Him

[applause]

[Bugs] No poll will tell you the truth.

The corporations that own the networks,

major newspapers,
It's not in their interest to tell you the truth.

It's too dangerous to them.

If you want the truth in this country...

...you have to seek it out.

You must be vigilant...

...unrelenting...

...uncompromising.

I will get Bob Roberts.

I don't need a gun to do it.

Then I found him. Scooped up Calvin,
he had all the candles ready.

I was the first one to find out, though.

He's in that room up there.
I saw him in the wheelchair earlier.

He waved... I couldn't believe it...
I think he recognised me.

[Terry] Which room?

Three up, seven to the left.

The curtain's closed now. It was open before.

So how's the documentary going?

Well, I'm learning a great deal
about Bob Roberts.

You're lucky to be spending so much time
with Bob Roberts.

I don't know if I'm lucky.

What do you mean?

I don't know if I really like him.

I don't know if he's healthy for your country.
Why do you like him?

- He's righteous and he sticks up for you.
- In what way does he stick up for you?

He believes in America,
believes in making money, being rich.

He's not one of those sensitive liberals

that makes you feel responsible
for everything that's gone wrong.

Have you heard about his connection
to the failed savings and loan

and his involvement with drug smuggling?

- No.
- Yeah, I heard about that. That's bullshit.

- It may be, yes.
- It's the press. They always lie.

That may be as well.

[Boy] Roger! Calvin! Roger, Calvin!

He's dead! He's dead. They got him.

- [Terry] Who's dead?
- Bugs Raplin. He's dead!

[Wild cheering]

We are moving for the great day

- A day of triumph in the mind
- [crowd chants] Bob! Bob! Bob!

We are marching for the Lord

Of the silent nameless one

- Working hard for brighter days
- [chanting]

There's a prophet on the run...

[radio] Journalist John Alijah Raplin
was shot at 6.30 pm at close range

by a man calling himself
a member of the Arm of Justice,

a right-wing group dedicated
to undoing injustices in the criminal system.

Outside the 3rd Precinct in Philadelphia,

the as yet unidentified radical
yelled at reporters and police,

saying he is one of many
throughout the country

and that his action
is the beginning of a new era for justice.

Mr Raplin died at 8.30 pm
after a prolonged attempt to revive him failed.

Raplin, who suffered from cerebral palsy,
was released last month

and cleared of any connection to the attack
on Senator Bob Roberts.

Raplin is a self-professed radical
and leaves no surviving family.

A United Nations delegation led by
Secretary General Javier P?rez de Cu?llar

left Baghdad tonight after a last-minute
attempt at diplomacy in Iraq.

The Iraqis have refused
to withdraw from Kuwait

as the UN-mandated deadline
approaches at 12 midnight.

President Bush said that every attempt
at diplomacy has been exhausted

and that the job of repelling the aggressor
has reached a crucial stage.

The Senate voted overwhelmingly to support
the President if force becomes necessary.

Two weeks ago, 48% of Congress
had been opposed to the use of force.

The Democratic majority leader said today
that since war appears imminent,

it is important
that we stand behind the President.

A poll today shows that the American public

are now supporting the use of force
in the Persian Gulf.

Two weeks ago, 58% of the American public
opposed intervention.

Tonight, on the eve of war, only 40%
oppose the use of force, the poll says.

[Woody Guthrie: I've Got To Know]

I've got to know, yes
I've got to know, friend

Hungry lips ask me
Wherever I go

Comrades and friends all falling around me

I've got to know, yes
I've got to know

Why do your war boats
Ride on my waters?

Why do your death bombs
Fall down from our skies?

Tell me why do you burn
My farm and my town down?

I've got to know, friend
I've got to know

I've got to know, yes
I've got to know, friend

Hungry lips ask me
Wherever I go

Comrades and friends all falling around me

I've got to know, yes
I've got to know

What makes your boat
Haul death to my people?

Nitro blockbusters
Big cannons and guns?

Why doesn't your ship
Bring food and some clothing?

I've got to know, folks
I've got to know

Why can't my two hands
Get a good paid job?

I can still plough and plant
I can still sow

Why did your lawbook
Chase me off my good land?

I'd sure like to know, friend
I've just got to know

I've got to know, yes
I've got to know, friend

Hungry lips ask me
Wherever I go

Comrades and friends all falling around me

I've got to know, yes
I've got to know

What good work did you do?
I'd like to ask you

To give you my money
Right out of my hands

I built your big house here
To hide from my people

Why did you hide so?
I'd like to know

I've got to know, yes
I've got to know, friend

Hungry lips ask me
Wherever I go

Comrades and friends all falling around me

I've got to know, yes
I've got to know

You keep me in jail
And you lock me in prison

Your hospital's jammed
And your crazy house full

What made your cop kill
My trade union worker?

You'll have to talk plain
'Cause I've sure got to know

I've got to know, yes
I've got to know, friend

Hungry lips ask me
Wherever I go

Comrades and friends all falling around me

I've got to know, yes
I've got to know

Why can't I get work
And cash a big paycheque?

Why can't I buy things
In your place and your store?

Why do you close my plant
and my... down?

I'm asking you, man
'Cause I sure got to know

I've got to know, yes
I've got to know, friend

Hungry lips ask me
Wherever I go

Comrades and friends all falling around me

I've got to know, yes
I've got to know