Designated Survivor (TV Series)

Suckers (2017)

Kiefer Sutherland: Tom Kirkman

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Quotes 

• Alice Rowland : We appreciate your meeting with us again, sir. But the people that I represent...

  Tom Kirkman : I know. They want action, not just words.

  Alice Rowland : What they want is their money back. And as long as I'm their advocate, I don't intend to rest until I get it.

  Tom Kirkman : And I share your desire, which is why I've met with all of you three times over the last four months.

  Alice Rowland : Three times because we're not making any progress.

  Tom Kirkman : It might not seem like it to you, but I promise you, we are making progress.

  Alice Rowland : Not fast enough, sir. The fat cats that got screwed by Barton Cushing will survive. But the beneficiaries of the compromised state pension funds, they need this money to live. They're teachers, firefighters, secretaries...

  Tom Kirkman : The backbone of America. And I am trying to get relief for all of them.

  Alice Rowland : Trying is not the same as getting.

  [realizing her accusatory tone] 

  Alice Rowland : I'm sorry, Mr. President. These people don't want to work until they're 75. They want to be able to take a vacation, pay for their healthcare, enjoy their golden years.

  Tom Kirkman : I know you're frustrated. I am, too. But I need you to trust me. And we are closer than you think.

• Tom Kirkman : My point is that this financial scam didn't just hit the rich. It wiped out hundreds of thousands of state employee pensions. $8 billion in savings, gone up in smoke.

  Senator Alan Rouse : You want me to support your pension bailout bill. But my party does not believe in bailouts. We believe in individual responsibility.

  Tom Kirkman : Until it's time to bail out Wall Street or the banks. Then the Republicans are all for it.

  Senator Alan Rouse : You have a sponsor for the bill. A Democratic sponsor.

  Tom Kirkman : We need bipartisan support to get it across the finish line. Come on, Alan. That's why we're here. Government exists to help people who can't help themselves.

  Senator Alan Rouse : That is not government, sir. That i-is charity.

  Tom Kirkman : Fine. Then I'll make a stipulation that the American people are suckers. Come on, how long have we been playing hockey together, three years? I've never even asked you to cross-check someone for me.

  Senator Alan Rouse : I understand. But, sir, this... this is a big ask.

  Tom Kirkman : Then don't do it for me. Do it for your own conscience. Barton Cushing's swindle is gonna cost the American people $31 billion. We're facing a potential run on the banks. Markets are teetering on free-fall. If we don't shore up consumer confidence, we might as well just jump head-first into the abyss.

  Senator Alan Rouse : I'll run it up the flagpole.

  Tom Kirkman : Thank you. I appreciate it.

• Tom Kirkman : Have you made a decision about a lawyer for your mother?

  Alex Kirkman : What about McKinley and Bradshaw?

  Tom Kirkman : They're a great firm.

  Alex Kirkman : Their white-collar practice isn't as big as it used to be, but... Davenport and Williams?

  Tom Kirkman : They got a full acquittal for Senator Downing.

  Alex Kirkman : Yeah, but that place is a Republican stronghold.

  Tom Kirkman : Alex, any one of these firms will do a great job. But you know my recommendation.

  Alex Kirkman : Kendra Daynes.

  Tom Kirkman : Present company excluded, she's the best lawyer I know. With the added benefit that she's easy to find.

  Alex Kirkman : The way she handled Hannah's investigation, it just... it rubbed me the wrong way.

  Tom Kirkman : Wasn't it you who once told me that that's what a good lawyer's supposed to do, rub you the wrong way? That's how you know they're doing their job?

• Carson Kramer : Senator, you've been highly critical of what you term "government handouts". So, what about the pension bailout bill?

  Senator Alan Rouse : Another handout.

  Carson Kramer : But the President's a big proponent.

  Senator Alan Rouse : Yes. And, um, to be frank, I'm not quite sure why. I met with him to discuss it, and he called the American people... suckers.

  Carson Kramer : Excuse me, Senator. He said what?

  Senator Alan Rouse : His exact words were "I'll make a stipulation that the American people are suckers."

  Carson Kramer : Wow. It looks like the President's the one who may need a bailout.

  Senator Alan Rouse : Yes, Carson. I was pretty shocked when I heard that myself.

  Lyor Boone : [watching on TV]  That disloyal, treacherous, lying...

  Tom Kirkman : He wasn't lying.

  Emily Rhodes : Sir?

  Tom Kirkman : He betrayed my confidence. He took me out of context. But he wasn't lying.

  Lyor Boone : It doesn't matter. Sir, you have a very distinct brand. You're Honest Tom. Man of the people. If that's compromised...

  Seth Wright : Lyor's right, Mr. President. This goes to your core identity. We can't spin this.

  Lyor Boone : Exactly, 'cause it's a middle finger aimed squarely at your base. And I don't like to traffic in overstatement, sir. If this sticks, it's political Armageddon.

  Lily : [entering]  Mr. President, you have calls from the Senate Minority and Majority Leaders, the House Speaker, and the House Minority Leader.

  Lyor Boone : The Four Horsemen of the Apocalypse.

  Tom Kirkman : Put them through. One at a time, please.

• Lyor Boone : They're calling it Suckergate, sir. Suckergate. There are no good "-gate"s. Not Watergate, not Irangate, not...

  Tom Kirkman : I think we should just go about our business.

  Lyor Boone : All due respect, sir, we can't. This will have a knock-on effect. You need to issue a strong denial.

  Tom Kirkman : I can't.

  Lyor Boone : Yes, sir. You can. If the President says he didn't say something, it was never said.

  Tom Kirkman : I'm not gonna start fighting distortions with falsehoods. Besides, you said I had a good reputation because I was honest. Now you want me to start lying?

  Lyor Boone : Yes. To preserve that reputation.

  Tom Kirkman : You heard what you just said, right?

• Tom Kirkman : I was just explaining to Lyor and Emily how we're friends. And I have to be honest. When among friends, there is an expectation that what one says remains private.

  Senator Alan Rouse : I'm sorry if I violated that expectation.

  Tom Kirkman : Well, you did. And I need you to set the record straight.

  Senator Alan Rouse : Well, I'm sorry, sir. I didn't lie, so I can't issue a retraction.

  Tom Kirkman : I'm not asking you to. I just want you to provide the full context of our discussion. Which was me asking you to sign on to a bill that I thought would be helpful to the average American.

  Lyor Boone : An overture you portrayed as the President's contempt for average Americans.

  Tom Kirkman : Alan, I know you don't believe that, but I can't have the American people believing that, either.

• Senator Alan Rouse : You say you're not a politican, then you coerce me into backing a bill you know is anathema to my party.

  Tom Kirkman : [talking over each other]  Asking for your support is hardly coercion!

  Senator Alan Rouse : It is if the person asking is the President, sir. But more to the point, I have an obligation I owe to my constituents.

  Emily Rhodes : Which should include an obligation not to misrepresent the President's words.

  Senator Alan Rouse : I stood up to those words. My office received over 1,500 calls today thanking me for that. I cannot defend you, sir.

  Tom Kirkman : Senator, I'm not asking you for your defense. I'm asking you for your honesty. You're out there portraying me as an enemy of the people. That stops now!

  Senator Alan Rouse : With respect, sir, if you don't want to be the people's enemy, you need to start talking about them as if they were your friends. I'll see myself out.

• Lyor Boone : So, in the last eight hours, we've lost Congressional support for our judicial slate. Your pension bailout bill, that's gone belly-up.

  Emily Rhodes : And the only topic of conversation at the G20 conference is the murder rate in America.

  Tom Kirkman : What's the press coverage?

  Seth Wright : Uh, the "Post" and the "Journal" have hit out at you over Suckergate. The "Times" is running an op-ed on the administration's failure to rein in arms dealers.

  Lyor Boone : We're looking at a perfect storm, sir. So we have to take emergency action. Finding Thorn's killer, that's part of the solution. The other part is cauterizing Suckergate.

  Tom Kirkman : Look, I understand we've taken a hit for this thing...

  Lyor Boone : No, no, sir. It's much more than that. This thing, it's made you radioactive. And the fallout's just gonna get worse.

  Tom Kirkman : Fine. What do you suggest?

  Lyor Boone : [handing him a folder]  Oppo research on Senator Rouse. It's a silver bullet. It'll stop the bleeding.

  Tom Kirkman : Lyor, bullets don't stop bleeding. They start it.

  Emily Rhodes : We need to stabilize your base, sir.

  Tom Kirkman : If I go down this road, there's no turning back. We will find another way.

  Lyor Boone : Mr. President...

  Tom Kirkman : We will find another way.

• Tom Kirkman : In the end, perception is everything. I've been fighting on behalf of the American people from the second I was sworn in. Now they think I'm fighting against them.

  Mike Ritter : No, they don't, sir. Everywhere we go, you inspire people. But the problem is...

  Tom Kirkman : It's all right, Mike. Finish the sentence.

  Mike Ritter : Sir, when someone takes a cheap shot, you don't respond.

  Tom Kirkman : I don't like mudslinging. It's not who I am.

  Mike Ritter : Don't sling mud, sir. Sling hope. See, that's the fight people want. It's the hope you give them. And sometimes it gets lost under all these attacks.

  Tom Kirkman : You might just have a future in politics, Mike.

  Mike Ritter : [snickering]  No, sir. I like my fights where I can see them. Right in front of me.

  Tom Kirkman : Smart.

• Tom Kirkman : I would like to do an OTR.

  Lyor Boone : An "on the road"? I like the impulse, sir. What I don't like is the risk. Just too many variables we can't control. We should do a one-on-one.

  Seth Wright : With Carson Kramer. Same forum as when Senator Rouse made his accusation.

  Lyor Boone : Release the oppo on Rouse right before you go on just to set the stage.

  Tom Kirkman : Lyor, I'm not interested in the politics of personal destruction.

  Lyor Boone : Respectfully, sir, this is not something that...

  Tom Kirkman : Look, if the problem is that I've lost the people, I need to take my argument to the people. Show them that I'm fighting their fight. I want to do an OTR. Shoot for lunchtime.

  Emily Rhodes : Yes, sir.

• Tom Kirkman : Alice, how are you?

  Alice Rowland : Not good, sir. I'm hearing that the pension bailout bill is dead.

  Tom Kirkman : That's not true.

  Alice Rowland : Well, the people I represent want their futures back. Can you promise me that you can still help them?

  Tom Kirkman : Well, I-I can't promise...

  Alice Rowland : Well, then you're right, Mr. President. We are suckers. For trusting you.

• Emily Rhodes : It wasn't that bad.

  Lyor Boone : No, she's right. It was catastrophic.

  Tom Kirkman : Yeah.

  Lyor Boone : So... you've already lost cachet with Congress. Stonewalling your judicial nominees was the canary in the coal mine. Your whole legislative agenda's at risk now.

  Tom Kirkman : It was one word. I was being sarcastic.

  Lyor Boone : Not to put too fine a point on it, but the rule is things last one news cycle or ten. We kill this story today, sir, or it kills us.

  Tom Kirkman : Emily?

  Emily Rhodes : The business community is jumping ship. The media is turning on you. If we wake up tomorrow and Suckergate's the lead, the spiral may be irreversible.

  Tom Kirkman : This is ridiculous. I mean, there has to be a solution.

• Carson Kramer : It's been a rough couple of days, Mr. President.

  Tom Kirkman : Yes. Yes, it has. But you won't hear me complain. Not for a second. Because I know that there are people out there who are really having a rough time right now.

  Carson Kramer : Now, I know you want to address Senator Rouse's, uh, incendiary claim that you called the American people "suckers". The floor is yours, sir.

  Tom Kirkman : Thank you. I think that there is something the American people should know about Senator Rouse. And that is...

  Lyor Boone : [watching on TV]  Go there. Please go there.

  Tom Kirkman : ...that he is telling the truth.

  Lyor Boone : Oh, my god.

  Emily Rhodes : What is he doing?

  Tom Kirkman : He took my words out of context, but he is quoting me accurately.

  Seth Wright : This is bad.

  Carson Kramer : So you really think the American people are suckers?

  Tom Kirkman : Yes. I guess so. Because they believe in the American dream. This idea that our best tomorrows are in front of us, regardless of what today might be saying. And if that makes you a sucker, then count me in.

  Emily Rhodes : Less bad.

  Tom Kirkman : The great American generations that have come before us...

  Lyor Boone : Bring it home, sir. Bring it home.

  Tom Kirkman : ...have always managed to pull together when times were tough. We cannot be the exception. That's why it is so important that Congress gets behind the pension bailout bill. Too many Americans have had their security and their dreams snatched away from them.

  Lyor Boone : Trending good.

  Tom Kirkman : It's our turn to fix that. So I am promising the American people that I will not rest until that security and those dreams have been restored.

  Lyor Boone : I'm calling our pollsters. Our boss may have just pulled off the great escape.

• Tom Kirkman : Thank you for coming. I invited you back here because I wanted to tell you myself how much I respect you.

  Alice Rowland : Well, that respect is mutual, sir. I saw your interview on television. I know what kind of man you are. An honest man.

  Tom Kirkman : Thank you. I appreciate that. I do the best I can, and... and I know you do, too. Your work as a victims' advocate is inspiring. And... and I hope you don't mind, but I wanted to find out what motivated you. And I was surprised to see that you weren't one of the victims. But instead, the wife of one of the perpertrators. Your late husband managed one of the feeder funds and funneled hundreds of millions of dollars back to himself.

  Alice Rowland : Yes.

  Tom Kirkman : So you became an advocate out of a sense of obligation, to those who paid such a high price while your family prospered.

  Alice Rowland : Yes.

  Tom Kirkman : The guilt must be overwhelming. I would expect at times you feel like it's hard to even go on.

  [she nods, but doesn't reply] 

  Tom Kirkman : I feel like that every time I walk into this building. And sit in that chair, and have someone call me "Mr. President" simply because I survived. Because I was lucky. You know what people like you and I are supposed to do with that kind of luck?

  Alice Rowland : No, sir.

  Tom Kirkman : Pay it forward. I promise you - in fact, I pledge to you - that I will do everything in my power to try and pay it forward. And I know you will, too.

• Aaron Shore : You know, Cray's boat had a $5 million cache of black market munitions. And we think he was making a back-room deal with one of the G20 delegates to arm an insurgency.

  Seth Wright : His arrest was all over the wire, sir. Mumbai is linking him with arming Tamil separatists. The French are blaming him for selling C-4 to Basque insurgents.

  Lyor Boone : And we're the ones who brought him to justice. It's excellent.

  Tom Kirkman : That's burying the lead. What's important here right now is whether or not he was connected to Thorn's murder.

  Aaron Shore : The gun found on him was the same model, same caliber used to kill Charlotte Thorn. We're running ballistics.

  Tom Kirkman : Is Cray talking?

  Aaron Shore : No, sir. He's in recovery and lawyered up. As soon as ballistics is in, I'll let you know.