Posted on 03/10/2012 1:03:40 PM PST by 2ndDivisionVet
Several critics, most of them conservatives, have complained that Game Change, the new HBO movie made from the best-selling 2008 presidential campaign book, portrays Sarah Palin as profoundly stupid. And it does. Those critics have also complained that the picture sometimes portrays John McCain and his top advisers as deeply craven. It does that, too. And then there's the fact that Game Change, the movie, focuses on a negative portrayal of Palin while ignoring the dramatic and divisive primary battle between Barack Obama and Hillary Clinton that made up the biggest part of the book. So there's a lot of bias to go around -- not a surprise in a picture made by the same Hollywood writer-and-director team that produced Recount, the pro-Gore HBO version of the 2000 election.
But perhaps the strongest bias in Game Change is not about any particular politician, or even its choice of characters. At its core, the movie's message is that the Republican base is filled with hatred, racism, and xenophobia. In Game Change, the McCain-Palin decision to attack Obama for his ties to the former 1960s radical Bill Ayers -- even as the GOP ticket stayed away from Obama's relationship with Rev. Jeremiah Wright -- brings out the ugliness in the hearts of Republican voters. And those Republican voters are really awful people.
In the movie, McCain is portrayed at his best when he rejects the suggestion from some aides to tie Obama to the fiery minister best known for his "Goddamn America!" declaration. "John, if there ever was a time to run a Rev. Wright ad, this is that time," McCain adman Fred Davis tells McCain in a scene early in the movie. "It's the single best weapon we've got."
"I'm going to run a f--king campaign that my kids can be proud of," McCain answers angrily. "And that precludes attacking a black reverend."
So it didn't happen. Later, McCain's resolve is tested as he falls farther and farther behind Obama in the polls. "We've got to make this about Obama," campaign manager Rick Davis tells McCain in a meeting. "We've got to get tough, and we've got to get negative."
"If we go this way, Rev. Wright is still the best play we have," adds Davis.
Again, McCain rejects all proposals to bring up Wright. "Any of you ever been accused of having a Negro child out of wedlock because your adopted daughter was born in Bangladesh?" he asks the advisers. "And then, when she was 16 and Googled her name, I had to explain to her why President Bush's henchmen called her a bastard when she was 10 years old." (The moviemakers are referring to unsubstantiated stories from the 2000 South Carolina primary in which McCain accused George W. Bush of dirty campaigning. I wrote a long piece for National Review on the lack of evidence for such claims; it's not available online, but an excerpt is here.)
As the scene plays out, Davis tries to humor McCain. "South Carolina, that was an ugly primary, but this isn't the same thing," Davis says. "I mean, Rev. Wright really did say those things."
"That may be true," McCain answers. "But there's a dark side to American populism. Some people win elections by tapping into it. I'm not one of those people."
Rejected, Davis tries Plan B. "Okay, so what about Bill Ayers?" he asks. "Obama began his career in the living room of a domestic terrorist. Domestic terrorist -- nothing to do with race."
McCain thinks for a moment. "Okay," he says. "Ayers is fair."
So the campaign goes after Ayers, with Palin playing the lead role. As the movie portrays her accusing Obama of "palling around with terrorists," Palin adds that she is "just so fearful this is not a man who sees America the way that you and I see America."
That's when the hatred in the Republican masses is unleashed. "He's not a Christian!" one person yells. "He's a socialist!" screams another before Palin leads the crowd in a chant of "USA! USA! USA!" And it's not just the Republican hoi polloi; Palin gets a similar reaction from a well-dressed crowd at a swanky GOP gathering.
A moment later, McCain is on the stump, asking "Who is the real Barack Obama?" "A terrorist!" someone yells. Another shouts, "He's a Muslim!" "He's a socialist!" says still another. And more: "He doesn't represent us!" "He hangs out with people who hate our country!" "Send him back to Africa!"
And finally, the awful climax: "Kill him!"
"We've got to tone the rhetoric down," top campaign aide Steve Schmidt tells a stunned and depressed McCain.. "It's gotten out of control. You can't even mention Obama's name any more. The crowd gets too hot."
"This isn't the campaign I wanted to run," McCain says sadly. The movie portrays him trying to tamp down the hatred, but it's too late.
Here's a question. Did anyone yell "Kill him!" at a McCain-Palin rally? There was one report of that, from the Washington Post's Dana Milbank, who said he heard it at an event in Florida. There was also a local reporter in Pennsylvania who said he heard it at an event in Scranton. But the Secret Service, whose agents were present at the rallies and were charged with protecting candidate Obama as well as McCain and Palin, investigated both allegations and found no evidence that either outburst actually occurred. "The Secret Service takes this sort of thing very, very seriously," noted the liberal web publication Salon on October 16, 2008. "If it says it doesn't think anyone shouted 'kill him,' it's a good bet that it didn't happen." The outburst portrayed in Game Change as the very essence of the hatred in Republican hearts -- well, there's no good evidence it ever happened.
Certainly it's not included in the book Game Change, on which the movie is mostly based. That's not to say that a few people didn't yell insults at McCain-Palin rallies. Game Change authors Mark Halperin and John Heilemann wrote, "At rallies across the country, there were jagged outbursts of rage and accusations of sedition hurled at Obama. In Pennsylvania and New Mexico, McCain audience members were captured on video and audio calling the Democrat a 'terrorist.' In Wisconsin, Obama was reviled as a 'hooligan' and a 'socialist.'" There were rumors and stories of all sorts of things being yelled at the rallies; the authors stuck to what they knew. And of course, anyone could have gone to bunches of McCain-Palin events and never see or hear anything of the sort.
But that's not a story the moviemakers wanted to tell. To hear them tell it, Game Change is a scrupulously fair account of the Republican side of the 2008 campaign. "It has a very evenhanded tone to it," director Jay Roach said recently. There's no reason to think they don't believe that -- but it doesn't make it true.
‘I Want to See the Hard Core communist/socialist agenda Crushed. I want to see their political philosophy dead and discredited. I want to see those enamored of it eradicated from the media, from politics, from academic positions, from any position of power. I want to see the adherents of that dead and discredited idea in charge of nothing beyond a gandy stick and acknowledged for what they are.
................................. Village Idiots............................
Wise dude, you are, RobbyS!!! The Grayfox says hats off to you!!! Right on!!!
The Undefeated airs on the REELZ channel - free tommorrow night also.
Greetings ADemocratNoMore:
You might be surprised what just one letter can do, dear FReeper.
If you get anything less than a good old fashioned butt-kissing response, compose a cover letter explaining the situation. Note the attachment(s) of your original letter copy (especially the coveted smart @$$ed response) and DEMAND the entire package be placed in the station “Public File.” Buzzwords such as “fails to meet community standards of objectivity during an election cycle” in a cover letter are always show stoppers. Cc the FCC.
Witness TRUE FEAR in the eyes of a liberal broadcast journalist enabler: visit any broadcast outlet and ask to review the “Public File.”
Cheers,
OLA
I tend to think now that Hollywood and the media owns the politicians. They both play out of each others hands. And unfortunately our society is now wired for the drama, the scandals and such and really does follow these like a soap opera. So the media and Hollywood continue to feed it to the public.....and mostly the liberals lap it up.
We have the leader we do because of this....the dumbing down of Americans has worked.
In other words, there is a reason why Bill Ayers -- once he was acquitted -- went to Columbia and got a PhD in Education, so that he could become a leading national advisor on secondary school curricula.
When the Soviet-inspired fifth column went underground in the seventies, they focussed on taking over a few key institutions -- education, entertainment and, of course, the media.
And they have succeeded beyond their wildest dreams. Because we weren't paying attention!
Oh I think there were people paying attention Okie, but not enough....and even with enough people they are so entrenched it will take a ‘NEWT-TRON BOMB’ to cut them out of the system and destroy their agendas for our nation.
All the other candidates are in this for their own political advancement.....Newt has nothing to loose and has all the inside tracks to know who they are and where they are entrenched...and the plans to take them out.
Go NEWT Go!!!! It’s a grave mistake for those who underestimate Newt....
Want to run a campaign your kids can be proud of? Win.
Want to run a campaign your kids can be proud of? Tell the truth about your opponent.
Want to run a campaign your kids can be proud of? When you’ve got a good running mate and she’s unjustly attacked, defend her.
Want to run a campaign your kids can be proud of? Fire staffers who leak. Especially if they lie.
(Am I getting through to you, Senator McCain?)
We tend to underestimate younger kids. A bright 8th grader can do the second year of algebra better than an average high school student. I wish we could figure out how to divide kids into age groups that make better since than the “grades” in schools. For instance, the artifical but convenient thing of setting a date for first graders at say, September 1. The kid. who turns 6 on August 31 is seated next to the turned 6 on September 1st the previous years. The crazy egalitarianism that makes 12th graders abide by the exact same rules as a 9th grader. Schools become procrustean beds. Woodrow Wilson did not learn to read until he was 10, Years ago, the Danish schools did not expect students to be up to speed in reading until they were about 8. Our schools get panicked if their child is not reading when he finishes kindergarten. What defeats so many education theories is the simply fact is that kids all grow at different speeds: physically, emotionally, intellectually, morally—even kids in the same family. Set fertlized eggs in a carton in a warmer, and then watch them hatch. Even allowing for the uncertainties of the date of fertilization, note the wide range of hatching dates.
Oh, my! That is an appalling account. Byron York is fair, balanced and honest, I trust him beyond all other journalists. So we have here another typical Hollywood dirty tricks trash movie.
During Dannie Rather's final propaganda crusade I was in Cleveland.
After the story of FReeper BuckHead's work broke; I e-mailed a letter for WOIO's "Public File" over Dannie's unprofessional conduct and the SeeBS Network's due diligence failures. Few days later, I walked into WOIO and asked to view the station Public File.
It was suddenly like the old E.F.Hutton commercials in the reception area. Everyone stops what they were doing, looks; but none daring make eye contact with me.
Cheers,
OLA
Sedition? Just why is yelling something ugly at a Presidential candidate considered sedition? Would Halperin have considered ugliness directed at McCain to also be sedition, and if so, did he mention that in his book, too?
Says it all.
In other words, there is a reason why Bill Ayers -- once he was acquitted -- went to Columbia and got a PhD in Education, so that he could become a leading national advisor on secondary school curricula.
When the Soviet-inspired fifth column went underground in the seventies, they focussed on taking over a few key institutions -- education, entertainment and, of course, the media.
Hmm, you two might enjoy this:
(Vanity) Getting the Point on Ayers, or, An Act of War
Cheers!
If you want to give them some pause. Add the following line to the end of your letter “I expect this letter to be placed as part of the station’s Public File.”
Everytime you find incidents of bias. Document date, time, program and ask that your letter become part of the station’s Public File.
This is a license renewal year for all broadcast stations in Ohio and Michigan. The Public File must be included in the stations renewal application to the FCC.
You can also file a letter to the FCC asking the Commission to re-consider the continuance of a license.
While it is rare for a station to have the Commission deny a license renewal. It does happen at times. And, a large number of letters in a station’s Public File complaining about bias is a good way to get the Media Bureau’s attention.
While the Commissioners are political appointees, the Media Bureau employees are not.
Sorry I didn’t see your post before I wrote basically the same information to ADemocratNoMore.
You are right, if you want to see a receptionist squirm, walk in and ask to see the “Public File.”
In addition to letters to the station, there should also be portion of the file that addresses the number of PSA’s run and the agencies the PSA’s are for. If there are a disproportionate share of left-leaning groups then this can also be brought to the Commission’s attention.
With companies like Clear Channel and Cumulus paying 10X to 20X book for some stations during the period right after the ‘96 Telecommunications Act, they can’t afford to have ANY problems with renewal.
Do I think there was a moment where Sarah Palin felt overwhelmed? Absolutely. But I believe her frustration was that the McCain camp had a defined, "cookie cutter" role for her as the VP nominee and quite frankly, she didn't fit that cookie cutter. She "rebelled" and went out to be herself.
The film chose to spin her bad interviews and such by implying that it was 1) a lack of intelligence, 2) a lack of preparation, and 3) some sort of grandiose sense of invincibility.
Now back to history. Palin was a surprise pick, who wanted to do her best for McCain. I think she tried to force herself into McCain's cookie cutter, but couldn't do it in the end. The pressure was overwhelming. And with that, she stepped out to be her own person.
The film tried to spin that as egomania. I don't think there was any egotism at all on display here. I believe Sarah Palin couldn't compromise who she is to fit McCain's VP mold.
To me, that represents solid core values and character! The film always looks at the glass as half-empty, but I think a conservative could watch the film and find it half-full. They tried to spin it into a real hit-piece (particularly the ending), but in the end, I found myself liking Sarah Palin MORE for certain events in the film.
Thank you very much, SunkenCiv!!!
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