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My Fellow Americans · 1996 — Chapter 2 of 13 · 1'36" · B1

The Missing Appointment Log, Explained: shift the stink

A payoff scandal is about to break, and the accused president is sure it is a setup: "It's Haney's mess, but now he's shifting the stink to me." The plan is simple—pull the Oval Office appointment log as proof—until the archives turn up a name no one can explain.

What happens

A former president learns that a contractor is about to swear he took a kickback, and he suspects the accusation is a cover-up meant to protect Haney. To prove his innocence he sends for the Oval Office appointment log, which should name everyone at the meeting. The log arrives from the archives with his name, Reynolds's name, and a single circled word: Olympia.

AccusationsInvestigationComplainingExplainingSpousesB1fastamericanClean
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go for the goldshift the stinkfriggingaffidavit

00:00 / 01:36
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Phrase of the scene

shift the stink

to push one's scandal or blame onto someone else

说话的人抱怨汉尼惹出烂摊子，却把丑闻的责任推到自己头上。

The manager shifted the stink to the interns after the launch failed.

Also in this scene

  • go for the gold

    to go all the way for the strongest option

  • frigging

    委婉版脏话，相当于 fucking 的弱化说法

  • affidavit

    宣誓书；经宣誓后出具的书面证词

Everything marked in this scene

27 notes across 31 lines

Phrase · B2take a kickbackHe's the friggin' contractor who says I took that kickback.
Grammar · B2who says I took

relative clause with who

He's the friggin' contractor who says I took that kickback.
Slang · B2friggin'He's the friggin' contractor who says I took that kickback.
Phrase · B2go for the gold

to go all the way for the strongest option

If you have to use the "f" word, go for the gold.
Phrase · B1such a thingNow why would he say such a thing?
Phrase · B2cover for someoneI think he's covering for Haney.
Phrase · C1shift the stink to someoneIt's Haney's mess, but now he's shifting the stink to me.
Slang · B2the stinkIt's Haney's mess, but now he's shifting the stink to me.
Phrase · B2learn from the masterHe learned from the master.
Phrase · B1bring someone inHaney brought him in to the office for lunch, but nothing much happened.
Phrase · B1nothing much happensHaney brought him in to the office for lunch, but nothing much happened.
Phrase · B1as I rememberAs I remember,
SoundAs I remember

liaison

As I remember,
Phrase · B1sit around doing somethingwe sat around talking about golf most of the time.
Phrase · A2most of the timewe sat around talking about golf most of the time.
Phrase · A2be getting ready to do somethingNow Reynolds is getting ready to release an affidavit saying that at that meeting he was alone with me.
Soundwait a minute

flap

Hey, wait a minute. Yeah, wait a minute.
Phrase · B1take placeIf the meeting took place in the Oval Office,
Grammar · B1If the meeting took place

conditional clause with if

If the meeting took place in the Oval Office,
Phrase · B1there has to be somethingthen there has to be a record of it in the appointment log naming everybody present.
Grammar · B1there has to be

has to for logical certainty

then there has to be a record of it in the appointment log naming everybody present.
Phrase · B1hard evidenceand get some hard evidence that I can shove right in Reynolds' face.
Phrase · B2shove something right in someone's faceand get some hard evidence that I can shove right in Reynolds' face.
Phrase · A2well doneWell done, dear.
SoundWhat do you mean

weak form

What do you mean it's not there?
Phrase · B1right in front of someoneSir, I have the appointment log right in front of me.
Phrase · B1be circled in redI see your name, Charles Reynolds' name, and at the bottom, the word "Olympia" circled in red.

The Missing Appointment Log, explained

What's really going on

The scene works like a small detective story folded into a comedy about two ex-presidents who despise each other. The furious complaint is not really about the payoff—it is about the maneuver: "It's Haney's mess, but now he's shifting the stink to me." So he does what a cornered politician does: he reaches for a document. The appointment log is supposed to settle everything by naming who was actually in the room, and the clean plan is the joke—of course the archive will not cooperate. What comes back is not proof but a clue: his name, Reynolds's, and the word "Olympia" circled in red. The scene turns a denial into a mystery, and the two men who cannot stand each other now have to solve it together.

Theme

CorruptionA kickback scandal and a blamed contractor put the presidency's dirty deals at the center of the scene.
DeceptionThe accusation reads as a cover-up to shift blame, and the search for proof uncovers a coded clue.

What you'll learn

  • Use appointment log in the same situation
  • Hear hard evidence as pressure, not small talk
  • Catch who the line is aimed at

Listen for

  • As I remember — liaison
  • wait a minute — flap
  • What do you mean — weak form
It's Haney's mess, but now he's shifting the stink to me.

The speaker accuses a rival of dumping responsibility for a scandal onto him.

Now, before we check out, do you want me to steal all the little shampoos and conditioners?

A deadpan domestic joke that punctures the political tension with petty hotel theft.

and get some hard evidence that I can shove right in Reynolds' face.

His plan is to win the argument with a document, not a denial.

If you have to use the "f" word, go for the gold.

A comic line about profanity: if you are going to swear, at least do it properly.

Questions about this scene

What is Kramer accused of?

A contractor, Charlie Reynolds, is preparing an affidavit claiming the president took a kickback at a meeting, which Kramer insists is a lie meant to protect Haney.

Why do they look for the appointment log?

If the meeting happened in the Oval Office, the log should name everyone present, which would disprove the claim that Kramer was alone with Reynolds.

What does the appointment log show?

It shows Kramer's name and Reynolds's name, but no third name—only the word "Olympia" circled in red at the bottom, which no one in the scene explains.

Why does Kramer think Haney is behind it?

He believes the accusation is Haney's mess and that Reynolds is covering for him, so Haney is shifting the blame onto Kramer.

What does "go for the gold" mean here?

It is a joke about swearing: if you are going to use the "f" word, use the strongest version rather than a mild substitute like "frigging."

My Fellow Americans · 13 chapters

All chapters →
Up next · Chapter 3skedaddleTanner Summons the Presidents
Chapter 1too little too lateGolf Talk Turns AwkwardWatching · Chapter 2shift the stinkThe Missing Appointment LogChapter 3skedaddleTanner Summons the PresidentsChapter 4in the middle of nowherePresidents Hijacked in the WoodsChapter 5get away with itWalking to Ohio for EvidenceChapter 6stick a fork inPassengers Gossip About the PresidentsChapter 7steams my clamsPresidents Trade a Watch for a RideChapter 8live in the pastOld Rivals Almost BondChapter 9shut your cake holeWayne Gets the History WrongChapter 10put on a spreadKramer and Douglas Find the FixChapter 11up to its knees inHaney Confesses to the Cover-UpChapter 12the end of the worldTanner Corners Them in the TunnelChapter 13a way aroundThe Presidents Confront Each Other
Chapter 2 of 13 · about 26 min to go