Battleground (2012) s01e13 Episode Script

1
Election day was so exciting.
Samuels' interview had gone better
then anybody had hoped.
She was up in the polls,
the president was in town.
And, uh, best of all.
- George, we gotta go.
- He said he was just pulling up.
Hey. Uh
I just wanted you to know that
I turned down that campaign in New York,
- so it's not all work all the time.
GEORGE: He's here.
TAK:
Really love to see you and the kids.
GEORGE: He's here.
TAK: So call me back.
JORDAN: Sorry. Sorry. Alarm didn't go off.
- But you had time to stop for donuts?
I have low blood sugar.
Didn't think it'd be good for me
to pass out in front of the president.
[DOOR SLAMS]
- Were we all supposed to wear red?
ALL: Yes.
Cole, I just wanted to apologize again.
I really enjoyed talking to you.
You were just doing your job. I got it.
I'm glad it worked out.
TAK: Did the doctor call back?
KJ: He's gonna meet us at the rally.
Okay, we should have some remarks
prepared for George
just in case the shot doesn't work.
- Yeah, I'm on it.
JORDAN: What's the shot?
Steroids. It can give her her voice back
for a short period.
Hope you don't Hulk out.
"Deirdre smash." Heh, heh, heh.
Let's take a right turn up here.
Is Breeze Blocked off?
How much further?
In this traffic, 20 minutes?
We've only got ten minutes until the
Secret Service closes down the backstage.
TAK:
This isn't working.
LINDSEY: I know a shortcut. We can't drive.
TAK: How long from here?
LINDSEY: Ten minutes if we run.
SAMUELS: Let's do it.
She says do it. Let's do it. Let's go.
Stop here. Stop here.
TAK:
Let's go. Let's go.
COLE: Through the arch.
Through the arch, Lindsey says.
TAK: Let's go. We're going through the
arch. Right here. Right this way. Follow me.
- Excuse me, excuse me, excuse me, guys.
JORDAN: Go ahead. Go ahead.
TAK:
I'm sorry, I'm sorry.
Deirdre, look out. Careful.
TAK:
Come on, come on. I got you, I got you.
Where's George?
OBAMA:
A country where we look after one another.
A country where I say
"I'm my brother's keeper
and my sister's keeper."
[CROWD CHEERING]
We got here
just as they were closing the gates.
Well, Jordan didn't make it in.
He had some sort of, uh
respiratory situation
and he had to stop running.
But the rest of us made it.
- Hey, how's the voice?
[IN HOARSE VOICE] I can do it.
TAK: We're good.
- Great, thank you.
You're gonna be on
in just a few moments, okay?
- Got it.
- Have fun.
OBAMA: I believe in an America
that gave my grandfather
the chance to go to college
because of the GI Bill.
TAK:
Sure you got this?
We've been going six months,
I'm not stopping now.
This is your moment.
You're gonna be great.
- Thank you.
- Okay? Now go kill it.
- Yeah.
COLE: Kill it.
GEORGE: You're gonna be wonderful.
- Thank you, guys.
GRETCHEN:
He skipped ahead. Let's go.
TAK:
Excuse us. Excuse us. Sorry. Excuse us.
OBAMA:
You gotta help us finish this fight
and make some phone calls
and knock on some doors.
Talk to your parents, talk to your friends,
do not quit, do not give up.
We keep on going,
we are gonna get this done.
We are gonna make history.
[CROWD CHEERING]
LINDSEY:
Show the picture.
COLE: Show the picture.
- Yeah.
ALL [CHANTING]:
Show the picture!
- Show the picture! Show the picture!
BEN: No, no, no. Oh, okay. Okay.
Here is a picture of me
and the president of the United States.
KJ:
Guys, there are some volunteers--
Observers from Kenosha and Beloit that
are reporting people voting from Illinois.
Don't you need a Wisconsin
driver's license?
No, you can show a Wisconsin pay stub
and claim residency.
- I wonder who the pay stub is from.
- Creighton campaign.
I love it. They bus people up here,
pay them to get Makers on the ballot
and then bring them back up to vote.
KJ:
Classic D-Day.
We knew from our internal numbers
that we were up.
The only way Creighton had
a chance of winning was to cheat.
So he started cheating.
TAK: All right, have our observers challenge
every ballot from a Creighton paycheck.
At least then they'll be provisional.
Help us in case there's a recount.
COLE: Yeah.
KJ: Okay.
- Hey, great job on the speech, by the way.
- Thank you.
- Nailed it. Absolutely nailed it.
- Thank you very much. I appreciate it.
Eight more hours
till we have a new governor, huh?
Senator.
She's running for senator, Jordan.
- What did I say?
- You said governor.
Feeling a little light-headed.
You wanna know the truth? You can't win
in Iowa, you're not evangelical enough.
You'd have to focus in on New Hampshire.
Small state, low budget.
You do well there, then you can make a run
at Super Tuesday.
[LAUGHING]
Yes, sir. Born with it.
Okay.
Well, that's my opinion, sir,
you take it for what it's worth.
All right. You take care.
Get some sleep. Thank you. Bye-bye.
- Who was that?
- Congressman Donnellan.
Republican?
He's from Maine. It doesn't really count.
He's thinking about
running for president.
He doesn't have anybody else.
Is he offering you a job?
No, I don't think so.
He just wanted some advice.
I didn't tell him anything
he wanted to hear. What's up?
Makers just endorsed.
With a whole five hours to spare.
Guess it's better than tomorrow.
Tak played it off, but getting that call
from Donnellan was a big deal.
A presidential campaign.
That's what we all wanted.
ALI: You are not gonna believe this.
- Hit me.
A 527 group called the Minority Majority
is running a new spot
that's telling blacks not to vote.
- What?
- Yeah, check it.
MAN [ON VIDEO]: African-Americans
have been taken for granted for too long.
Empty promises and zero results.
And what happens? Nothing.
This year,
let the politicians in Washington know
our community isn't buying in to their lies.
Don't vote.
That's ridiculous.
- KJ!
- Behind you.
- I'll call the stations.
- Tell them to pull that ad right now
or we start getting our phone banks
to start calling their advertisers.
- Unbelievable.
WOMAN: Hey, Tak.
Can we grab you for an interview?
- Yeah. Sure.
WOMAN: Great.
- Going live. Two minutes.
- Going live.
- Are they running the ad?
- They were first.
- Okay.
- Tak, maybe you shouldn't go on.
Relax. I'm fine. I'm fine.
He's not fine.
So somebody's gonna pick you up from
the corner of Spooner and Monroe at 3:45,
they're gonna take you to the polling station
and then back home again. Okay?
Great, you're confirmed. Great.
Samuels campaign.
Hello? Hello? Is anybody else
having problems with the phones?
Yeah. I'd say half my calls,
no one's there.
Okay, can I get you to run
and go get Cory for me?
- Hey.
- Hey.
Aren't you going back to Washington?
I was. But I heard there's,
like, an election tonight or something.
- You guys might need volunteers.
- Nice. Welcome.
Good. We're rising in the polls.
Focused on the turnout.
People can call the campaign
if they need a ride down to vote.
What about voter suppression?
What about it?
The Creighton campaign
just put out a press release
stating your observers are suppressing
the vote in some of the southern towns.
How do you react?
Tak was just waiting for the right question
to pounce.
The poor reporter had no idea
what was coming.
Tak just lost it.
Instead of following some bullshit
press release, maybe do your job.
Go down to Chicago, watch Creighton
pick up homeless guys in buses
and then bring them back across
ing state lines to ing vote.
TAK: KJ, I know. I know.
- Do me a favor.
Don't talk to the ing press
for the rest of the day.
- You want me to apologize?
ALI: Hey, Tak.
Ali, I know, it was stupid.
I don't wanna hear it anymore.
- I thought it was awesome.
- Ali!
ALI:
I did. That's not why I came in here.
TAK: What?
- People are posting on our Facebook page
that they can't get through
to the van hotline.
- We have 30 lines.
- And the volunteers are saying
they're getting a lot of empty calls
from the same number.
- Milwaukee's having the same problem.
- Who?
I traced the number back
to a telemarketing firm on East Wash.
Bayer Communications.
Creighton hired a firm to jam our lines.
You said Bayer?
ALI: Yep.
- Yep. I know him.
I worked with him six year ago.
How much do we have left in discretionary?
Five grand for the victory party.
For the victory party? Heh, heh.
Our people can't get to the polls and you're
worried about the victory party. Cancel it.
See? I knew he wasn't fine.
Heard you missed the big bird
back to D.C.
What?
Air Force Uno.
- Oh. Yes. Yes, I did.
- Uh-huh.
- You got a place to stay tonight?
- Yup, I do.
Coolio.
Planning on eating?
Eventually. Yeah.
Cool. Um
COLE: Jordan.
- Cole Train.
Here comes Mr. Cock-Block.
- What's up?
- What are you doing?
What? Sorry, gotta take care of that.
Don't bullshit me, okay?
You and I both know what you're doing.
You have two options.
You take the 5 grand
and start calling numbers we give you,
or keep jamming us
and I tell your wife
about our little trip to Janesville.
Oh, no? Watch me.
- Why'd you come back?
- Why do you think?
- For me.
- No.
Yeah, you were sitting back on the plane
and you were about to take off
- and you pressed the eject button.
- Oh, the eject button?
Yes. It's Air Force One,
every seat has an eject button.
And you ran down the tarmac
and you commandeered a luggage jeep
and you drove here.
- Yeah.
- For me.
Absolutely. You are completely wrong
about every single part of that.
Except the coming to see you part.
KJ: Good news. The van lines
are working again. Nice work.
It wasn't me. It was a stripper
named Peppermint from Janesville.
I'm gonna assume that makes sense.
Regardless, we're doing good.
- Any trouble spots?
- Long lines in Milwaukee.
Polls close in three hours.
- Can they stay open?
- Yes and no.
The secretary of state
can keep them open.
- Oh, good.
- He's Creighton's brother-in-law.
- That's not good.
- Have our lawyers petition the courts.
Make sure the press knows if they get there
by 6, people will get the chance to vote.
- Got it.
- Great. Awesome.
- Boo!
TAK: Ah!
Who are these people?
I don't know these people.
- My name is Charlotte.
- Ella.
TAK: Oh, no, my kids, they do
funny dances, so you can't be my--
You can't be my-- Oh, you ca--
Yeah, you are my kids! I missed you guys.
What are you doing here?
The girls wanted
to help Daddy out today.
Oh. Thanks, Sarah. It means a lot.
Did you really turned down Tyler for us?
I did.
That is good news.
ELLA: No, you didn't!
- I did!
ELLA: No, you didn't.
- I did.
SARAH: I think so.
ELLA: No.
TAK: Who wants to help Daddy
make some phone calls?
SARAH: I do.
TAK: Me. Let's go.
SARAH: Please, please.
TAK: We're gonna head over to Ben.
And he's still trying to figure out
how to use a landline, so
This will be a learning experience
for everyone.
[INDISTINCT DIALOGUE]
- Circuit court turned us down.
- I was worried about that.
- We can go to the secretary of state.
- No, it's pointless.
As long as the people in line get to vote
we should be all right.
Remind me to call Jo--
We are T-minus 15 minutes
from the polls closing.
You know,
we have a saying in Tukong Moosul.
Your opponent is not the man
in the ring with you,
but the man in the ring with him.
- The referee.
- No.
You are the true opponent.
We have fought fear.
We have fought doubt.
Don't thank me for what I've done.
Thank Tak.
Thank KJ.
Thank
yourselves.
Remember:
[SPEAKING IN KOREAN]
[APPLAUSE]
Jordan just gave a speech
to the entire staff.
- Is he still going?
- No.
- Aw!
- I'm sorry.
I think that the camera crew
caught it on tape.
They'd probably show it to you.
That's okay. I'm good.
- What time is your flight?
- I don't have a flight.
- Really?
- Yeah.
Well, then maybe I'll give you a ride
to your hotel.
I don't have a hotel.
Really?
Yeah.
Even better.
Oh. Sorry.
Just wanted to let you know
the results are coming in.
COLE:
Great. Great.
- See you in there.
- Cool.
What?
What?
Did I miss a Jordan speech?
- It was breathtaking.
- Ah.
It was a tearjerker.
- Was it a tear--? It was a tearjerker.
LINDSEY: I cried a bit.
- You did? Did he get any Korean in there?
- Top-- A little. A touch of Korean.
- Thank you.
- What'd we get?
TAK: Okay. We're 20 points
over projections in Madison.
We split Green Bay.
We just waiting on Milwaukee.
Where's Samuels?
She's working on her speeches.
You didn't write her
a victory speech did you?
No, but when we started getting
positive exits polls,
George pushed her
to write some ideas down, so
Bad idea.
And then she murdered a black cat
with a mirror.
Under a ladder?
- No an open umbrella.
- Better.
- Yeah.
- Hey, Tak.
What is this?
This can't be right.
ALI:
Board of Elections website.
[TAK SIGHS]
Okay.
Creighton is 30 percent
over projections up north.
That's why we didn't see a lot of ads
in Madison,
because he was spending it all
up north.
Well, if we do well in Milwaukee?
Yeah. Maybe.
Ben. Anything from Milwaukee yet?
- The page is reloading.
CHARLOTTE: Can you carry me?
Of course I can carry you, honey.
Wauwatosa, six points.
Walnut Hill, 4 points.
If we do better in Bayview
than we hoped?
No.
Nope. It's not enough.
[CELL PHONE BUZZING]
[SIGHS]
- Where's Samuels?
- Office.
The networks are gonna call it
for Creighton.
Hey. We do not hang our heads.
You are the best staff in this country.
Do you hear me?
You are the best.
It has been an honor and a privilege
to work with every single one of you.
You will be proud of what we did.
Okay. I'll go tell Samuels.
[CELL PHONE BUZZING]
- Tak. You're getting a phone call.
- I need a second, Ben.
It's Congressman Donnellan.
TAK:
Cole.
Hello, congressman.
Yes.
Yes, sir. Well, it's not looking good.
Thank you, sir.
I will pass that along to her.
Okay.
Well, that's very generous.
Well, I would have to check with my staff
and my family, but, uh
Right. Yes.
Okay. Then I will talk to you tomorrow.
Thank you very much, sir.
He wants us to run
his presidential campaign.
[TAK LAUGHING]
That's great news, man.
Oh, man.
ALI:
Oh, my God. Ha, ha, ha.
The chaos of a campaign
is overwhelming.
Real sleep is an afterthought.
There's no time clock, no lunch break
and no end of the day.
You're not living, you're reacting.
It's a 24/7 emotional roller coaster
that, at any moment, can end in a crash.
It's funny, you know,
the speeches will be forgotten,
the relationships will become
distant memories.
And the only thing remembered?
[INDISTINCT DIALOGUE]
Did you win?
SAMUELS:
Tak?
You wanted to see me?
You know, it was the toughest thing
I've ever done.
And I miss it.
Every day.