Running for public office is hard. We’ve had that idea pounded into us for a long time, and seen it in every recent election. It’s hard if you’re black, a woman or someone who thought it would be a good idea to make a sex tape with their mistress while seeking a party nomination. Heck, it’s just hard for everybody.
That’s why, when The Scene heard the news that a student would be running for the local neighborhood commission to make our voices heard (insert patriotic marching music here), we thought it might be a good idea to collect the best media representations of running for office. Future candidate, these might help ease some suffering in the coming fight.
“Bulworth”
“Bulworth” stars Warren Beatty, who also co-wrote, co-produced and directed this film about a candidate who gets drunk one night and actually speaks his mind — driving voters en masse to support his flagging campaign. The main problem: in a previous fit of suicidal depression, Senator Bulworth hired an assassin to kill him so that his daughter’s inheritance will be left alone after he shuffles off this earth. Now the senator must run his newly vital campaign while avoiding the hired killer out to get him. We don’t think this will be a problem for our student representative, but we don’t want to judge.
Radiohead’s “Electioneering”
You’ll need some music for the campaign trail, so why not this cut from Radiohead’s 1997 opus “OK Computer.” Thom Yorke croons over one of Johnny Greenwood’s most driving guitar riffs, “I will stop, I will stop at nothing / Say the right things when electioneering / I trust I can rely on your vote.” Later, the lyrics are less optimistic: “Riot shields, voodoo economics / It’s just business, cattle prods and the IMF / I trust I can rely on your vote.” Note that this will not inspire confidence in your electorate.
“Election”
This movie might be the closest to the scale we’re looking for. “Election” stars Reese Witherspoon as a student embroiled in a tough election for high school class president, under the watchful eye of her history professor, played by Matthew Broderick. The film offers biting satire of the world of high school and the world of politics — two places where tawdry affairs and lying to make friends are a part of the game.
“Recount”
The thing to remember from this HBO film about the 2000 election in Florida is to always make sure Justice Anthony Kennedy is on your side for the inevitable Supreme Court case. Start sending him chocolates now.
“Wag The Dog”
What do you do when your candidate, the incumbent president, is caught in a terrible sex scandal? In “Wag the Dog,” spin-doctor Robert De Niro decides to fake a war with Albania (the most dastardly of the Baltic counties). To do this, he enlists a film director to help design a fake war, including pictures of Albanian orphans and heroic exploits to really get the American people on his side. It works, and the public forgets all about the president being caught in a room with a girl scout. Advice for our candidate: Everyone is easily distracted.
“The West Wing”
If we want to talk about political television, the conversation begins and ends with “The West Wing.” That show’s third and fourth seasons depict the rigors of the campaign trail better than any hologram on CNN ever could. Martin Sheen’s straightforward depiction of the idealized American president doesn’t use any tricks or terrible sleights of hand to win the election — just good old honesty. Note: It is not as boring as that makes it sound.
The National’s “Mr. November”
The National, as dapper as they seem in their suits, have never been the political types, preferring to perform brooding songs about the heartbreak of youth rather than the estate tax. But on this song, singer Matt Berninger chants the dreams of every politician: “I’m the great white hope / I’m the new blue blood / I won’t fuck us over, I’m Mr. November.” The song is hopeful; it’s clear that the narrator wants to live up to his admittedly modest goals. Whether the band or we believe him is another story.
“Saturday Night Live”
It’s always best to look to the satirists during election time, and even if it is hip to pile criticism on Saturday Night Live, it rises to the challenge of every major election. Pick a year and there’s a memorable bit of takedown, emphasizing the inherent boastfulness of politicians, undercut by their most glaring personality flaws. The show can be credited with sticking Sarah Palin with her reputation as an intellectual featherweight, allowing the phrase “I can see Russia from my house” to enter the media as if she had said it herself. If you take nothing else from “SNL,” it’s this: It’s important to have the funny people on your side.
“All The King’s Men”
Based on the rise of ruthless politician Huey Long, “All The King’s Men” is one of those rare political novels that works as a sublime view of the corrupted American dream rather than a soapbox for the author’s ideals. Robert Penn Warren’s novel examines the relationship between the media and the world of politics, and how the most charismatic leaders can sweep along the ostensibly objective members of the news media. Note to our candidate: On the optimistic/nihilistic scale, this one breaks the limits of the latter.
mrichardson@theeagleonline.com
