Posted on 10/23/2006 7:57:46 AM PDT by Behind Liberal Lines
When Eric Massa and a large contingent of veterans announced their campaigns for Congress earlier this year, award-winning filmmakers Brent and Craig Renaud took notice.
Arkansas natives, the Renaud brothers were intrigued that the veterans - most with no prior political experience or aspirations - wanted to serve their country again. Not by going to war this time, but by going to Washington.
"It was an interesting idea to us. There were so many veterans coming together, led by Massa, and they were basically coming together in opposition of the way the war [in Iraq] was being run," said Brent Renaud, who with his brother won acclaim for their 2005 film, "Off to War."
"One of the reasons it was interesting to us was, when the retired generals came out against the policies in Iraq, it was before it seemed OK to criticize Bush and his handling of the war, the way it is now," he added. "And here we had veterans doing it. I know they don't break ranks easily, so we wanted to meet them."
In their upcoming documentary, "Taking the Hill," the Renaud brothers tell the stories of some of these veterans and chronicle their political journeys as they campaign through their home states before November's elections. The two-hour world premiere will air Dec. 12 on the Discovery Times Channel.
"The initial draw was the veterans angle," said Renaud, who noted that at no other time in history have so many veterans - over 50 - run for national office simultaneously. Some call them the Band of Brothers.
"We really were not interested in making a political film," Renaud said. "We wanted to know, what is it to get all these veterans together ... what is it that makes them all want to run as Democrats? Since then, it turned out to be part of what may be a historical political event for this country."
Renaud said they also looked at the documentary as a "coming home story," hoping to show how these veterans are dealing with their combat experience and how it has shaped their feelings about the war and their run for Congress.
Massa, who spent 24 years on active duty as a naval officer and served combat tours in Beirut, Lebanon, and during Desert Storm, is among several veterans featured in the documentary. Massa is vying for the 29th Congressional District seat against incumbent Republican John "Randy" Kuhl Jr. Kuhl's office had no comment this morning.
"We were drawn to [Massa] right away," Renaud said. "He has a real fiery personality. When you meet him, you don't think politician. With Eric, I see a guy who says what's on his mind, with off-the-cuff remarks all the time, who's pretty much doing it his way. He likes to run his own ship."
Renaud said he and his brother, who filmed candidates separately, had complete access to them over the last six months, which included about two days per week for each candidate. Besides Massa, the brothers will feature Capt. Patrick Murphy, a paratrooper with the 82nd Airborne Division running in Pennsylvania's 8th District; Sgt. Rick Bolanos, a Purple Heart recipient in Vietnam running in the 23rd District in Texas; Capt. Tammy Duckworth, an Army captain who lost both her legs when her helicopter was shot down in Iraq, running in Illinois' 6th District; and Lt. Colonel Andrew Horne, who led his troops into combat during Operation Iraqi Freedom, running in Kentucky's 3rd District.
"We chose a cross-section of candidates in different parts of the country, different amounts of money, different chances of winning," Renaud said. "Early on, the candidates were eager for attention. Massa was working out of his garage when we first went to see him. He had one volunteer."
Massa's base has since grown, and the Renauds have followed him to debates with Kuhl, meetings with unions and political groups, appearances at various events and other stops along the campaign trail.
"It's been a unique experience," Massa said. "It's been fun to be part of the process."
In addition to the individual candidates, the Renauds follow many prominent personalities that the candidates come into contact with, including Bill and Hillary Clinton, Rahm Emanuel, Nancy Pelosi, General Wesley Clark, and triple-amputee Senator Max Cleland who serves as a mentor to many of the candidates.
• • •
gmuscato@fltimes.com
Gee, not a single Republican.
But of course neither the filmmaker or Ms Muscato have an agenda here...
After Vietnam, I became an anti-war vet only to the extent that it got me laid.
I wonder what carrots the Dems offer these days.
I think we know by now that the leftist media has an agenda(massive understatement). The libs still depend on dupes, and dupes still read newspapers for thier daily injection of liberal trash. And they get it.
These phonies are the rat's Band of Frauds.
This was a big strategy for the Dems this time around because they knew there was no way they would be able to out do the Republicans and Bush on National Security and the military.
Clinton and company have been getting these candidates in place. I don't think it will work.
bump
Let's just have the entire election decided by veterans. Ya feel lucky, punk?
Disclaimer: Opinions posted on Free Republic are those of the individual posters and do not necessarily represent the opinion of Free Republic or its management. All materials posted herein are protected by copyright law and the exemption for fair use of copyrighted works.