Remember Andy Griffith as Lonesome Rhodes? It's happening again, folks.

[gauguin57]

I remember thinking of Lonesome Rhodes -- as portrayed by Andy Griffith in the 1957 movie "A Face in the Crowd" -- when George W. Bush was first running for president. Rhodes is a cornpone singer who is propelled to fame as a populist folk hero and political operative. But he's a cunning bastard, and mocks the common people who adore him. Patricia Neal, a member of his posse, realizes she has to take him down, and leaves a camera running when Rhodes doesn't realize he's on ... he openly mocks the common folk of America, and loses his "base."

John McCain and Sarah Palin are Lonesome Rhodes. McCain is a former semi-maverick who's still pretending to be one (while actually just being a mean little Washington insider who sucks up to the original Lonesome Rhodes, GWB.) Sarah Palin is the exact opposite of the reformer she portrays herself as.

51 years on, that movie couldn't be more current.

[liberalpress]

1. So how do we "leave their camera on?"

[gauguin57]

2. I am waiting for Sarah Fundie Palin to have a "Macaca Moment"

Someone, somewhere with a cellphone to actually RECORD her saying "sambo beat the bitch," or whatever. Something Fundie-racist-cynical-scary -- something to wipe that lipstick off her smug pitbull sneer.

Of course, with the way McCain blows up, calls people horrible names, etc., HE could have a Macaca moment just as easily.

[BeyondGeography]

3. Rick Davis saying, "this is not about the issues" should have been enough

But, you're right, Americans will require evidence of statements of outright scorn for them, even if Davis has already betrayed such scorn.

[John Q. Citizen]

9. The Powers that Be have realized that when you have 40 million cameras all

showing conflicting audio/visual data the political effect is the same as having no camera at all.

The movie assumes that the "base" sees and hears what the camera has recored. What if only ten percent of the base saw it, and the other 90% were to busy and too involved with other things? And then they went and voted for the guy anyway?

It would be an entirely different movie.

We need an organizational means to deliver and drive and run news stories into the national consciousness with reliable and ubiquitous results.

So far, we are kind of hit and miss, especially on the ubiquitous part. The Repos are far better at it.

[watrwefitinfor]

4. Spot on!

And what a fine movie it is. I watched it recently for the first time. What a magnificent job Griffith & Pat Oneal did. Anyone who hasn't seen it owes it to themself to do so.

Wat

[EffieBlack]

5. Brilliant!

[LunaSea]

6. recommended!

Mandatory viewing!

[uberblonde]

7. Yeah, it really is a great movie.

And painfully close to real life.

[1776Forever]

8. Griffith was amazing in this movie! He should have won an Oscar for it if he didn't!

Thanks for the reminder! It was right on and if anyone hasn't seen this they should go to their library and see if they have a copy for them to watch.

:headbang:

[Love Bug]

10. He won an Oscar for "No Time for Sargents" but

should have won one for this instead. This was absolutely his best work and proof he could do drama. Lonesome Rhodes was like Andy Taylor's evil twin.