Game Change (2012)

Summer, 2008: John McCain secures the nomination, but polls behind Barack Obama. Strategist Steve Schmidt suggests a game changer: picking a conservative female with media savvy, unknown Alaska governor Sarah Palin, as vice president. She's an immediate hit and a quick study - the gap closes. Then, Tina Fey's impersonation, a raft of criticism, and missing her family send Palin into a near-catatonic state: she doesn't prepare for her Katie Couric interview and bombs. Schmidt searches for an answer: don't expect her to learn the issues, but give her a script. Palin does well in the debate with Biden; she finds her voice, goes off script, and goes rogue. A mistake?

Keywords: 2008-presidential-election, acceptance-speech, alaska, american-soldier, argument, arizona, breaking-telephone, bus, campaign, campaign-manager

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Quotes:

Steve Schmidt: You seem totally unfazed by all this.::Sarah Palin: It's God's plan.

John McCain: You're one of the leaders of the party now Sarah. Don't get co-opted by Limbaugh and the other extremists. They'll destroy the party if you let them.

Steve Schmidt: Still think she's fit for office?::Rick Davis: Aw, who cares. In forty-eight hours no one will even remember who she is.

Anderson Cooper: If you had to do it over again, would you have her on the ticket?::Steve Schmidt: You don't get to go back in time, Anderson and have do-overs in life.

John McCain: And they said we were dead. Next stop the White House!

Rick Davis: Listen, I too wish that the American people would choose the future Abraham Lincoln or Thomas Jefferson, but unfortunately, that's not the way it works anymore. Now it takes movie-star charisma to get elected President, and Obama and Palin, that's what they are - they're stars.::Steve Schmidt: Primary difference being Sarah Palin can't name a Supreme Court decision, whereas Barack Obama was a constitutional law professor.::Rick Davis: Fuck you.

Woman: I can't trust Obama. I've read about him and he's not a... he's a... he's a arab. He's not an Americ...::John McCain: No, ma'am. No, ma'am. He's a decent family man citizen who I just happen to have some disagreements with on certain fundamental issues. And that's what this campaign is all about.

Sarah Palin: Why'd you make me do Katie Couric? Did you see the coverage? Did you? [silence] ARE YOU THERE? ARE YOU LISTENING TO ME?::Nicolle Wallace: Yes, Governor, I'm here. Katie was a logical choice; she's been very fair to us this entire campaign.::Sarah Palin: You call that interview fair?::Nicolle Wallace: Yes, Governor, I do.::Sarah Palin: I certainly don't, she was out to get me from the get-go!::Nicolle Wallace: No, she wasn't! The interview sucked because you didn't try!::Sarah Palin: What, what do you mean I didn't try?::Nicolle Wallace: You didn't fight back, like you did in the Charlie Gibson interview - when you didn't know the answers, you clawed your way back and it went fine! You just gave up!::Sarah Palin: [through gritted teeth] Nicole, it wasn't my fault; I wasn't... properly... prepped!::Nicolle Wallace: [angrily] You weren't properly prepped because you wouldn't LISTEN to us! You never LISTEN to your advisers!::Sarah Palin: [heatedly] Because you're overwhelming me with TOO MUCH INFORMATION! You know, I-I don't, I don't wanna do these interviews! I want to do what I want to do!::Nicolle Wallace: [sighs] We're just trying to help you get through this, Governor. All we want is for you to succeed.::Sarah Palin: [scoffs] Yeah, you're NOT helping! You're just screwing me up! You're telling me what to say, what to wear, how to talk... I AM NOT YOUR PUPPET! NOW I understand what Hillary meant when she said she had to find her own voice!::Nicolle Wallace: [incredulously] Yeah... cause you're just like Hillary.::Sarah Palin: You have ruined me! You have ruined my reputation! I AM RUINED IN ALASKA! [throws phone against the wall]::Nicolle Wallace: [shakes head, calls Steve Schmidt] Steve, it's Nicole. I will gladly resign if you want to blame me for Couric, but if you want me to stay, I'm back on McCain's bus tomorrow, as I never want to deal with that woman ever again!

Jack Cafferty: [news clips analyzing Sarah Palin] If John McCain wins, this woman will be one 72 year-old's heartbeat away from being President of the United States... and if that doesn't scare the hell out of you, it should.::Campbell Brown: In fairness, probably most people can't name a Supreme Court case. But most people are not campaigning to be Vice-President.::Fareed Zakaria: It's not that she doesn't know the right answer, it's that she clearly does not understand the question. This is way beyond anything we have ever seen from a national candidate.

Steve Schmidt: Name one fucking paper!