In 1993, D.A. Pennebaker and Chris Hegedus came out with The War Room, a
cinema vérité behind-the-scenes examination of how James Carville and
George Stephanopolous helped Bill Clinton get elected president. Last year
Rachel Boyntons Our Brand is Crisis came out as a virtual sequel. Using
the same basic technique as Pennebaker-Hegedus, Boynton followed around
Carville consultants as they helped to elect Gonzalo Sánchez de Lozada
(Goni) president of Bolivia in 2005. Seeing the two films in tandem, as I
did last night, highlights the flaws in the Pennebaker-Hegedus fly on the
wall approach as well as demonstrating the bankruptcy of horse race style
politicking, especially when applied to a predominantly poor and class
conscious society like Bolivias.
It is extremely difficult to figure out what point The War Room is trying
to make. Although the film makers are obviously sympathetic to Clinton and
his two consultants, they studiously avoid any temptation to allow them to
speak directly to the camera about what motivates them. As someone who has
heard James Carville speak eloquently (but without much depth) about the
problems of American society on the Don Imus show, this dimension is
utterly lacking in the film. Instead it is entirely taken up with the messy
technical details of how to cultivate Clintons image in such a way as to
boost his poll numbers, exploit weaknesses in George Bush 41s campaign,
etc. It is the stuff of Sunday morning television talk shows during an
election year and something I have about as much interest in as buying
jewelry on the Home Shopping Network.
http://louisproyect.wordpress.com/2006/10/03/politicians-consultants-and-the-class-struggle/
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