#campaignbeard hits Day 15 – turning into #fearthebeard
In every reporter’s desk there is very likely a manuscript tucked away. The novel that explains the intersection of culture and corporate capriciousness with an elegance unmatched since F. Scott Fitzgerald. It’s been cobbled together over late nights, bleary-eyed early mornings and the time in between before the hangover sets in.
In more modern terms, there’s a file hidden on every blogger’s cloud that reveals the unjust world and how politics and journalism have failed to deal with the explosion of a new paradigm that doesn’t recognize the old world class system.
Or something like that.
As a person who’s entire working life has been spent in the orbit where politics and journalism collide, the idea of penning a book based on experiences has passed through my mind. It usually gets parked quickly as life pushes the moments needed aside. But that spark remains, with the ember rising hot when certain media pour a little Cariboo fire starter on it.
FILM, at first, seemed like the best starting place for political focused stories to recommend.
All The President’s Men: Dark politics mingling with honest journalism in a mix that sent a thousand kids to journalism school. It’s a classic, with great acting and holds your attention even though the fall of Nixon is pretty well known.
The Candidate: Another outing that helped to cement Robert Redford’s stature as a leading man with depth. A candidate who can’t win, speaks his own truth and… you guessed, ends up winning. Ended up with extra resonance as it came out just as Milhous was getting re-elected but before full extent of Watergate was exposed.
Bulworth: Another satire, starring an aging Warren Beatty who knows he’s going to lose and simply doesn’t care. The plot is slim – he takes out insurance policy, plans to get assassinated so daughter benefits, meets Halle Berry – but some of the provocative scenes of Beatty letting loose about race and power still hold up nicely.
Power: Speaking of power, this Richard Gere movie was powerful – especially for an aspiring, idealistic reporter who was enthralled by the mystery of the men behind the scenes. Thank You For Not Smoking is a spiritual successor of the movie as well.
The Distinguished Gentleman: Eddie Murphy, really? Yes. The comedy about a conman who talks his way into a Congressional seat is surprisingly pointed – the hunting trip and look on Murphy’s face are worth it – and even the EMF argument, which was timely then, still hits the news on occasion.
The Contender: Joan Allen gives a searing performance, along with Jeff Bridges and Gary Oldman, about the appointment of the first female vice-president. Nominated for a Best Supporting Oscar, Allen refuses to bend her own rules to make history and faces ‘character assassination’ as a result. Fascinating film, especially the role of Bridges as the President – a cunning man, who presents a multi-faceted facade while never abandoning his own objective of burnishing his legacy.
Honourable Mention:
The American President, Dave, Primary Colors and the Manchurian Candidate, plus Mr. Smith Goes to Washington for old time’s sake.
TELEVISION has, over the past few years, supplanted film as the home of some of the most trenchant commentary on the politicians and intrigue they create.
West Wing: Let’s get it out of the way. Political folk like it, reporters like it. They like the view that comes from gauze being thrown over the lens, portraying everybody with great sympathy. Some great acting and really brought the walk and talk into political culture.
But to me the British nail this the best.
The Thick of It: One of the most sides-splittingly shows ever. Peter Capaldi delivers one of the most entertaining and oddly endearing performances of a political aide. Largely thought to be based on Alastair Campbell, Capaldi’s Malcolm Tucker is brilliant, profane and makes a dazzling transfer to film – In The Loop – by always using his inside voice as loudly as possible. (Also think he’s great as The Doctor)
State of Play: Never see the American version with Ben Affleck. Just don’t. But the six-part original British version is outstanding. John Simm, Bill Nighy, Kelly MacDonald and David Morrisey are an ensemble cast that play off each. The politician in trouble, reaching out to his journalist friend for help, the crusading newspaper editor, the slugs on the edges of life – Paul Abbott brings it all to together with style and suspense. A great way to kill a weekend.
House of Cards: Admittedly, snobbery and past experience have conspired so I’ve never watched the American version of the show. People say it’s good. The three-part British version is a little dated, heavily tinged by its Thatcher-era politics and fascinating to those who work in the parliamentary system.
Veep: The first season was a disappointment. Expectations were high as Armando Iannucci was the creator, the same genius behind The Thick of It. It somehow fell flat but HBO’s faith in the show has been rewarded, each season it gains strength, benefitting from the British practice of short seasons. Julia Louis-Dreyfus inhabits the role of Selina and this from a guy who doesn’t like Seinfeld. As well, which political staffer hasn’t been called Gary.
Dreamland: Far more low-key in pace and volume, this Australian series gently pokes fun at the bureaucracy and the circuitous and unfathomable way decisions can sometimes be made. It is very much an equal opportunity show, poking politicians for jumping on ideas and the public servants for finding ways to thwart all progress. Rob Stitch as the head of the department, who finds meetings and studies a sad reality of the job that interferes with actually building anything, is pitch-perfect in his vexation of all that swirls around him.
Honourable Mention:
Yes, Minister: The standard for all that followed. ‘Nuff said.
Spitting Image: The puppets are rumoured to be making a comeback, with the focus on U.S. politics. But the devastation wrought by the original puppets is legendary – they confirmed in some cases and in others created the lasting image of the politicians they skewered. In particular, Margaret Thatcher and gray John Major.
Madame Secretary: A light addition, for sure, but the charm with which Tea Leoni plays the lead character holds it all together makes for a pleasant diversion. It also shows that sometimes things don’t work out, that good guys sometimes lose.
Not Honourable Mention:
Scandal: A plausible first-half of the first season soon descended into some weird form of fan fiction. Absolutely horrid.
BOOKS are often turned into movies, the good and the bad ones. The two offered up here as examples were never made it to the screen, large or small, but have remained two of the touchstone political tomes, despite being from the 1972 campaign.
People may not remember this, but once upon a time Rolling Stone was a magazine of influence. The two books, while wildly different in style, share a substance that stands the test of time after first finding life in the pages of the alt magazine.
Boys on the Bus: Timothy Crouse’s look behind the scenes at life on the road. This was a time before satellite trucks and cell phones and Facebook live. The pace was simultaneously faster and slower, with the pack all living on top of each other. Crouse captures the passions and proclivities of those covering the campaign, many of who went on to long and exceptional campaigns. He also clearly details the pitfalls of spending so much time together, the pack journalism that is unintentional but still very real.
Fear and Loathing on the Campaign Trail ’72: One of the characters in the above book is Hunter S. Thompson, the father of Gonzo Journalism and the reluctant step-father to a lot of bad imitators. Others may prefer Fear and Loathing in Las Vegas, but this is his my fave in the Thompson oeuvre. He clinically dissects Richard M. Nixon. At this point, no one understands Watergate or the pathology that drives Nixon. This is the election where the Republican romps to victory; Thomson with his wild flourishes is written off as a hippie who refuses to accept times have changed. Turns out he was right. The only credit he gives Nixon: knowing his NFL.
And speaking of fear and loathing, it is time for the #campaignbeard update. At Day 15, it’s starts to get shaggy, as is the hair – hence the cap. Also hitting the itchy stage. But must remain strong, superstition can’t be trifled with. #fearthebeard
On the Right Side 
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