Highway to Heaven

I still can't understand

why Pete would want to go into politics.

Maybe he wants to do something to help his city.

Since when did a politician want to help anybody except himself?

You know, they're all crooks and liars.

Oh come on, Mark, there's a lot of good, honest people in public office.

Honest? You can't be honest.

You tell the truth, you don't get elected.

Well, whose fault is that?

The politician or the people who vote for him?

Both. The people want the government to be everything for them.

But they won't elect the guy who says they're gonna have to pay for it.

We're getting to be like a bunch of spoiled kids with bad parents.

Would you mind telling me why we are going over

to your friend's campaign headquarters to help?

Because Pete Nelson is not a politician.

He's a cop who worked his way through law school,

thinks he can make a difference.

When you look in the dictionary under the word "integrity,"

you'll find Pete's picture there.

Then he's running for mayor,

because he wants to do something for his city.

Isn't that what I just said?

Yeah, one of us said it.

The other one said that he doesn't trust any politicians.

What are you listening to him for?

I told you, he don't even look like a politician.

How would you know what a politician looks like?

Hey, how are you?

You always were good at sneaking up on people.

Hey, listen, I want you to meet my friend, Jonathan Smith.

Listen, we kind of work together these days, if that's all right with you.

- Welcome aboard. - Thank you.

I can use all the help I can get.

Come on in, I'll show you around.

Where you taking us to, a smoke-filled room?

As a matter of fact, I am, except nobody smokes anymore.

Ann, look who I found out in the streets.

Mark Gordon. Oakland's finest.

How you doing?

Oh, I'm fine. I'm so glad to see you.

I'd like you to meet my campaign manager, Phil Schott.

Phil, this is Mark Gordon and Jonathan Smith,

our new advance men.

We've already got advance men, professional advance men.

That's the problem.

You professionals treat me like I'm running for president.

I can't even go to the bathroom without a press release.

I've known Mark Gordon for 20 years.

He's a buddy, not a PR man.

Besides, if anyone can keep his perspective under fire,

- it's Mark Gordon. - Right.

Perspective doesn't win elections, Pete.

Money wins elections,

media exposure wins elections,

advertising wins elections.

You'll have to forgive Phil.

He doesn't have much faith in the voter.

I don't have much faith in anything

except getting my candidate up on the podium

with a smile on his face, come election night.

There is only one rule in politics. That's to win.

Richard Osbourne knows that rule, believe me.

Who's Richard Osbourne?

He's the enemy, right, dad?

Don't tell me this is Jeff!

Well, it had better be.

Or I've been feeding the wrong boy all these years.

This is the guy who threw the first pass you ever caught, son.

And now he's all-city tight end, Mark.

You're Mark Gordon?

Yeah, that's right.

Well, I'll be...

The last time I saw you, you were about this high.

I remember you being a little bigger, too.

Well, everybody changes over the years.

Almost everybody.

I can't promise to change the system overnight,

but I guarantee you that if I'm elected mayor,

there will be enough books in the schoolrooms,

and the kids will be able to play in their schoolyard without fear.

That's what the last mayor said.

Now what makes you different?

Because the last mayor didn't make you pay the price.

What price? Higher taxes?

I won't rule out higher taxes if necessary.

Look, in Japan, teachers are in the upper 10% of the wage scale.

In the United States, they're in the bottom 10%.

But I'm talking about what you,

what you must pay as parents.

The best teacher in the world is a parent.

The best crime prevention I know of

is the example parents give their children at home.

You believe that Nelson?

First, he won't rule out higher taxes,

then he wants the people to solve their own problems.

You see, people want answers, they don't want lectures.

Yeah, well, whatever he's saying, it's working.

These overnight tracking polls

still have him with higher integrity numbers than you have,

and lower negatives.

Well, we'll see what Pete Nelson's integrity numbers are

after we nail his father-in-law.

Pratt, how are you and the U.S. Attorney doing on the Steelgrave case?

Hmm?

Of course he did inside trading,

and he cheated on his taxes.

Nobody made that kind of money by being honest.

That's what I like to hear, yeah.

Um... don't let anybody know where you got this idea.

- Dad. - What?

Are we still going to the game on Saturday?

What game?

The game between Taft and Kennedy.

Well you want me to go watch Nelson's kid beat your school?

Jeff Nelson isn't that good.

We can beat them.

"We"? "We"? What are you talking about, "we"?

You didn't make the team.

Sheila, I want to go over these debate notes.

Good idea.

Look, I think the harder we hit the drug issue, the better.

I mean, it's headline stuff every day now.

We can't go wrong.

Well, I want to drop that bombshell on Nelson tonight.

I thought you wanted to save that one for a while.

Well, no, I think it's good timing right now

because look, it got Ginsburg out in nothing, flat.

- How you doing today? - Good.

There's some seats right there.

Hi, how you doing?

Nice to see you here. Follow these guys here.

Hey, you're Richie Osbourne, aren't you?

Yeah. What of it?

I'm Jeff Nelson. I'm Pete Nelson's son.

Yeah, I know who you are.

Hey, you go to Taft, don't you?

Yeah.

We'll play you guys, Saturday.

So what?

- That was Jeff Nelson... - You know it was, mom.

His picture's only in the paper every other day.

We can't escape it.

It's in the news everyday,

and both of you know what I'm talking about.

What are you going to do about the drug problem in our city, Mr. Osbourne?

As District Attorney of this city for the last 4 years,

I have prosecuted more drug offenders than anyone in the whole state.

Now, unlike my opponent,

I wholeheartedly endorse the new procedures

given to us by the court and the police

to deal with the scum who would poison our children.

Zero tolerance.

Searching trash.

Hot pursuit.

Looking through school lockers.

Finally we're getting the tools

to bring those who deal with drugs to their knees.

Mr. Nelson?

There is no more pressing problem

in our society today than drug abuse.

When our children aren't safe from drugs,

even in our elementary schools,

then it's time for drastic action.

It's my opinion

that actions should center on education and interdiction,

not the hysterical tramplings of our constitutional rights

as favored by Mr. Osbourne.

Drug dealers have no rights.

That's the kind of demagogic rhetoric

that confuses the issue.

All American citizens have rights

until proven guilty of a crime.

That's what this country has fought 200 years for.

What kind of message are we sending our young people

when our own government makes deals with drug dealers in foreign governments

while taking away the constitutional rights of it's own citizens?

That's exactly the kind of remark I'd expect to hear from a former drug user.

How'd they get that?

Those are pretty serious charges, Mr. Osbourne.

I don't make charges I can't back up.

I... I believe...

Mr. Osbourne is alluding to a period 20 years ago when I was in college.

If it weren't for people like you in the '60s,

we wouldn't have any drug addicts in the '80s.

I admit, I smoked marijuana when I was in Berkeley.

We all do things when we're young that we aren't proud of.

If we didn't make mistakes, we'd never learn.

I've tried to teach my own son about the horror of drugs,

including this nation's most vicious killer, alcohol.

When you give your body and your mind over to a chemical,

nothing good can happen.

And I promise you,

that drug dealers and drug users

will be prosecuted

just as vigorously under a Nelson administration

as they would be under my opponent's.

And I'd also like to add

that is the DA's office wasn't so busy

rummaging through people's 20-year-old trash,