MovieChat Forums > The Candidate (1972) Discussion > McKay's secret probably would have cost ...

McKay's secret probably would have cost him the election


Near the beginning of the movie, Marvin Lucas and Bill McKay are discussing McKay's candidate possibility at his southern California home. McKay's wife, who is also present, mentions that he will have to register to vote first. Lucas responds that this should be kept secret.

Most likely, the public would inquire about McKay's past voting history, and his failure to vote in previous elections would be considered scandalous. I believe the press would hound McKay relentlessly for information regarding his party affiliations, and exploit the lack thereof. Nevertheless, nothing is mentioned further about this issue in the movie.

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i thought you were going to say the girl he was with a few times...was he sleeping with her? when she walked into the corridoor first before that meeting i thought it was going somewhere..

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I agree -- the public would want a more juicy scandal than that he forgot to keep up his voting address with the BoE. That could be explained away anyway. Maybe he moved too many times recently, etc.

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I thought they were going somewhere with an affair subplot. It could have been a problem in comparison to the old married guy he was running against. Or it just could have been an inner struggle as he realized the political game had turned him into his father, sleeping with women who threw themselves at him.

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Back in 1972 that may have been true. His secret affair with that hot groupie may have tripped him up also. If I were a reporter I also would have asked him if he ever smoked pot, being the young, hip tree huggin Californian he was.

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by cryptical70 » Mon May 9 2011 ... McKay's wife, who is also present, mentions that he will have to register to vote first. Lucas responds that this should be kept secret.
I disagree... McKay gives the answer ... 'There was never a reason...' Not only could they use it as spin, they could also use it as a slogan. Vote For McKay: There Is Now A Reason.

'Three can keep a secret ... if two are dead'

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sounds reasonable.



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