Which Election Day here at last, we can finally set aside some time from the day to actually vote. When it's all said and done, go back home and reflect with some of the better politically-themed films and cartoons.
The Simpsons "Bart's Comet" - When Springfield faces imminent destruction at the hands of a comet, Congress springs into action with a bill that would evacuate the town. Eventually the bill is defeated when a free rider adds an amendment that would provide 30 million dollars for the perverted arts. All Kent Brockman can say afterward? “I've said it before and I’ll say it again: Democracy simply doesn't work.”
Election - A tightly contested election between two very different high school candidates is decided by a few ballets being tossed in the garbage by the teacher trusted with overseeing it all. That Alexander Payne's predicted the eventual Bush v. Gore outcome a year before it occurred speaks either to his cognitive powers, or the predictable behavior of the system-at-large.
Dr. Strangelove - During a showdown between the U.S. and the Soviet Union, one crazed general could very well decide the fate of the entire planet. Granted, this was much more popular during the Cold War, but Stanley Kubrick's classic has held up much longer than other political satires of that era. Peter Sellers pulling triple-duty is also a must watch experience for the uninitiated.
Bulworth - Jay Billington Bulworth has reached his limits as a career politician, he wants to cash in on his life-insurance policy, but suicide won't allow his family to receive the benefits. What better way to turn the public against you than saying whatever you want, right? I could recommend this film alone for Warren Beatty rapping. Let me repeat that: Warren Beatty raps.
O Brother, Where Art Thou? - Three brothers escaped from prison unwittingly become social pawns in a gubernatorial race in Mississippi. The real lesson behind this film is: if you are an unpopular candidate, stand behind someone with public sentiment on their side and win the election. It's that easy.
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