Democratic Senator Jay Bulworth (Beatty), running for 1996 re-election in California, faces speculation-induced financial ruin, and is depressed after cashing in on a right-wing trend at the expense of his beliefs. He puts out a contract on his own life so his wife Christine (Baranski) can collect a large sum from his new insurance policy. Living each moment on borrowed time, he suddenly begins spouting raw, unfiltered, satirical thoughts -- some of which are verbally offensive -- to his shocked audiences and handlers. The imminence of his own death frees him to write brutally honest lyrics that reiterate his old liberal (even socialist) stance in the style of rap music he stumbles upon when he falls in love with Nina (Berry), a black woman from South Central Los Angeles. Thus spiritually reborn, he realizes he doesn't want to die. Frequently showing up late for campaign events, giving interviews that lambast the right-wing media, and chasing a beautiful black woman while trying to call off the Mafia boss he hired to murder him, Bulworth proves that white guys can be cool, even if geeky, and that even the guys from the hood respect a good, caring man.