A political neophyte recruits an out-of-work reporter to help take on a Seattle city councilman, waging a valiant fight to create an urban monorail system instead of a proposed ground rail train. The year is 2001, and Grant Cogswell (Joel David Moore) has a vision: he sees a state-of-the-art monorail system connecting the city of Seattle as it's never been before. But there's one man standing in his way, and that's Seattle city councilman Richard McIver (Cedric the Entertainer). Councilman McIver has drawn up plans for an ambitious rail system -- one that Cogswell believes will be bad for the environment, and divide the city even more. Short-fused, foul-mouthed, and determined to defeat the political incumbent at all costs, Cogswell hires unemployed alternative weekly columnist Phil Campbell (Jason Biggs) to launch a massive political campaign, and quickly finds a collection of rabid volunteers who are willing to rally for his cause.