American Rhetoric: Movie Speech

"Dave" (1993)

President Dave Kovic Negotiates Key Section of the Simpson-Garner Works Bill

(President) Dave Kovic: Okay, before we get started, couple of things l'd like to go over in the budget.

Bob Alexander: Do we have anything on the budget today?

Alan Reed: No, I don't think so.

(President) Kovic: Now, I -- I think I've found some ways to put back the homeless section of the Simpson-Garner Works Bill.

Bob Alexander: Mr. President, I don't believe that's on your agenda today.

(President) Kovic: No, it's a last minute change, Bob. Now, the way I see it, we need 650 million dollars in order to keep the project. Now, some of this can be done, it seems to me, through some simple changes in our cash management. For example, according to the OMB [Office of Management and Budget], we've got 17 defense contractors who are delinquent in their contracts. Is this true, Frank?

OMB Director: Uh, I believe so, yes.

(President) Kovic:  So even though they're late, we keep paying them on time?

OMB Director: Well, in a sense -- yeah.

(President) Kovic:  Okay, now, instead of giving them money for something they haven't finished, we could hold back that cash, stick it in some interest-bearing savings account --

Bob Alexander: Mr. President.

(President) Kovic: Yes?

Bob Alexander: Nothing.

(President) Kovic:  Great. Like I was saying, if we took that cash and stuck it in even an ordinary savings account, we'd be making 23 million dollars a month in interest.

Treasury Secretary Paul Collins: Well, technically, that's true, but --

(President) Kovic:  Paul?

Secretary Collins: I suppose it's true.

(President) Kovic: Okay, okay. Okay, so that's 23 million x 12 months. Okay, good. Unfortunately, money management's only going to get us halfway to our goal. In order the get the rest of the money, we're going to have to really start making some tough choices.

The Commerce Department.

Commerce Secretary Peter White: Yes, Mr. President?

(President) Kovic: You're spending 47 million dollars on an ad campaign "to boost consumer confidence in the American auto industry.''

Secretary White: Yes, sir. Well, you see, it's designed to bolster individual confidence in a previous domestic automotive purchase.

(President) Kovic: So we're spending 47 million dollars so that somebody can feel better about a car that they've already bought?

Secretary White: Yes, sir, but I wouldn't characterize it that way --

(President) Kovic:  No, no, I'm sure that's important, but I don't want to tell some eight-year-old kid that he's gotta sleep in the street because we want people to feel better about their car.

Do you want to tell him that?

Secretary White: No, sir. No, I sure don't.

(President) Kovic: Course not. Well, then, that's another 47 million. So, this is good. We're doing good. We're doing real good. We're on our way. Okay, let me just add that to the tally here. That'll be plus 47...five, carry the one makes 656 million dollars. We, we can keep the program.