Elections and Campaigns What's Best

Elections and Campaigns What's Best for the Voters? Are Political Campaigns Fair and Representative? In 1996, President Bill Clinton ran for a second term in office against Republican Bob Dole and the Reform party's candidate Ross Perot. Bill Clinton won by a large margin of the popular vote and the Electoral College vote. The Democrats had won another four years in office and the Republican Party had control of both the House of Representatives and the Senate.

It was under these political circumstances, that three movies focused on the election process were released: Wag the Dog (1997), Bulworth (1998) and Election (1999) - all three comedies, all three raising important issues. Each movie questions if the electoral process is fair and representative.

By examining different aspects of the process - Wag the Dog looks at the media's influence on elections, Bulworth looks at the influence of campaign financing and Election looks at the apathy voters have towards the electoral process and the candidates -- movie viewers are asked to determine for themselves if their vote actual counts. Wag the Dog questions how the media influences the electoral process; it asks the question of who has more power Hollywood or Washington, DC.

A political advisor and a Hollywood producer play a cat and mouse game with the President's opponent by creating fictional news. The movie's central plot is how to distract voters from allegations against the President for inappropriate behavior with a young girl touring the White House just before the next presidential election. The President's team engages a political marketer and a Hollywood producer to create a fake war.

This story line was similar with the then current news of Bill Clinton's extramarital affair Monica Lewinski and the start of the military action in Kosovo, Yugoslavia. Bulworth is a Greek tragedy, set in 1996 prior to the elections. It is the story of an incumbent Senator who is disenchanted with political gamesmanship and has put a hit out on himself. By anticipating his death, Jay Bulworth is free to tell the people the truth about how politics function.

As Bulworth becomes more honest about the political process, people without power become more interested in him, while people in power feel threaten by him. The main issue at the heart of Bulworth is campaign financing: all candidates will act in the best interests of their campaign contributors rather than in the interests and needs of their constituents. Election is a humorous farce disguised as a high school student council election. It explores the motivations of and influences on a candidate.

Tracy Flick, a preppy overachiever, is running unopposed for student council president. Mr. M, the faculty advisor, distains Tracy and has decided she needs an opponent. Mr. M talks Paul, the injured quarterback, into running - to go for the glory of leadership instead of the momentary glow of sports. Tammy, Paul's sister, decides to run for president after her girlfriend leaves her for Paul. Throughout the movie each character takes actions, fair or unfair, for personal gain. Mr.

M throws the election to Paul as revenge against Tracy for having had an affair with his friend and fellow teacher who is fired. Tracy tears down the election posters out of frustration and blames someone else. Tammy falsely claims responsibility for ruining the posters so that she will be expelled and able to transfer to an all girl's school. Paul is the only candidates who wants whatever the outcome will be, praying to God for each person to do well regardless of who wins.

All three movies use humor to exaggerates the issue each is asking the movie viewer to consider: Wag the Dog uses movie production and media tricks to ask the question of what is real and what is fake; Bulworth takes a straight-laced Senator and turns him into a rapper to show the realities of campaign funding; and Election elevates a student council election to a matter of life or death. While these issues are presented as humor, each situation can be transferred to the realities of American politics.

The movies each.