Mar 10 2008

Advising without Consent Governor Spitzer

Poking my head up briefly from planning our next movie, “Advise and Consent” in GoLeft’s Progressive Movie night series – Hollywood’s Take on Politics – seeing the news of NY Governor Eliot Spitzer’s fall from grace seems a sad, twisted update to the 1962 film. In the movie the personal gets in the way of the political when Don Murray’s character, Utah Senator Brigham Anderson is blackmailed because of a previous homosexual relationship (very daring for 1962!).

The movie offers us a chance to see how work in politics is rarely moved on logic let alone justice. What is also telling in the film is that Sen. Anderson’s character’s victimization is shown not only as a personal career stopper but moves beyond the personal to affect the political process – in this case stopping the placement of a qualified candidate who can “bring peace to a country at war.” In both the movie, and it seems Mr. Spitzer’s real-life drama, character’s arrogance and sense of their own personal power takes precedence over moving larger needs of the country, state or political party. The fact that Democrats who were poised to winning the state Senate in NY for the first time in forty years are at jeopardy speaks volumes to not caring about the bigger picture.

What “Advise and Consent” does not show us is a populace that is involved and active in pushing for an agenda. As people who care about making a more just world we have to move beyond where the movie leads us. Both the movie and real life event bring up the following questions for us:

How do we attract people to ideas vs. individual leaders?
How do we hold our “friends” in office accountable?
Are we beyond fighting cynicism in politics?

If you’re going to be in NYC on March 21 click here to find out more about movie night.

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