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Something from the movies By Michael C. Guilmette Jr. Originally published on Jan. 28, 2010, in the Connersville News-Examiner. As a science fiction buff, I enjoy all manner of sci-fi entertainment — stories, television shows and series, and especially movies.
Take as an example the 1996 blockbuster, “Independence Day.” This film featured 15-mile wide alien ships that appeared over the world’s cities as the vanguard of an invasion. The film included a whole host of A-list and B-list talent, such as the wisecracking Will Smith and the stoic Jeff Goldblum — the heroes of the tale. Also appearing significantly in the film was Bill Pullman, playing President Thomas J. Whitmore. As the film gets under way, we learn that President Whitmore has problems. His approval rating is falling, his jobs bill has failed in Congress and he is being roundly criticized by real pundits, including Mort Kondracke, Eleanor Clift and John McLaughlin to name a few. In their criticism, one of them remarks the American people thought they were electing a warrior, but instead “elected a wimp.” President Whitmore narrowly escapes Washington as the alien ships obliterate the White House in one of the film’s most iconic scenes. He eventually rallies the cast of characters in a desperate plan to defeat the alien invasion, even firing the first missile at the alien ship in the film’s climatic battle scene. Despite the fact that millions are dead and the cities of the world lay in ruins, President Whitmore manages to unite the world against the alien attack, becoming one of the heroes of the day. Yes, the movie does make it challenging to suspend disbelief at times, but it was still enjoyable to watch, especially in the mid 1990s. The special effects were great, even if the film didn’t fully meet the definition of ‘true science fiction.’ Who knew that, 14 years later, some of the movie would actually come true? Of course, I don’t mean to say enormous city-busting spacecraft have appeared over our cities, but President Whitmore’s character is reminiscent of a real American president — President Barack Obama. After a painful repudiation of his agenda last Tuesday — if the form of Scott Brown’s momentous upset in the Massachusetts Senate seat election — pundits are stepping back from their messianic adulation and are actually beginning to criticize Obama — albeit softly. “[Obama] and his advisers were still reeling from the Republican victory in Massachusetts that cost them the filibuster-proof majority they had used to advance his priorities,” New York Times reporter Peter Baker wrote last Wednesday. “Inside the White House, a debate ensued about what lessons to draw: Did the president try to enact too much change or not enough? Was he too liberal or too close to financial institutions? Should he tack to the center or more aggressively push a progressive agenda?” The caring criticism did not stop at our shorelines. Major European publications chimed in as well. “This week ... — a week when Obama should have been celebrating the first anniversary of his inauguration — may have been the president’s worst yet,” said Der Spiegel, Germany’s weekly news magazine. “The defeat in a heavily Democratic state not only highlights Obama’s massive loss of popular support during his first year in office, but it also could spell doom for his signature effort to reform the U.S. health care system.” OK, neither of these news outlets called Obama a “wimp” in their analysis of Scott Brown’s election, but one or two others weren’t so kind. “I am a registered Independent. I voted for Barack Obama. And for that, I am sorry,” columnist Jill Dorson wrote on Sunday in Real Clear Politics. “I am ashamed to say that I was blinded by charisma. Obama was so convincing that I stopped caring about what he knew and started getting caught up in the euphoria. ... It pains me to admit I got caught up in the hoopla.” As Obama’s presidency drags on, more people are beginning to realize the president is not the transformational figure he appeared to be a year ago. Even rock ‘n’ roll radio stations are taking to mocking Obama’s “disappearing” approval rating. The president is not simply taking the abuse, but is instead countering with a populist tone, especially during last night’s State of the Union address. “We face big and difficult challenges. And what the American people hope —what they deserve — is for all of us, Democrats and Republicans, to work through our differences; to overcome the numbing weight of our politics,” Obama said in his address. “For while the people who sent us here have different backgrounds and different stories and different beliefs, the anxieties they face are the same. The aspirations they hold are shared. A job that pays the bill. A chance to get ahead. Most of all, the ability to give their children a better life.” Obama spoke to many issues, but in many cases just retread old issues — lobbyists, special interests, deficit spending and partisanship, not to mention his signature issue, the gasping-for-breath health care reform proposal. The president is now scrambling to recapture the magic that swept him into office, but reality may be setting in. “I’d rather be a really good one-term president than a mediocre two-term president,” he told Diane Sawyer on Monday. In “Independence Day,” President Whitmore’s image was saved by alien ships raining destruction on the world. It’s highly unlikely Obama will be saved by something similar, but we better start watching the skies, just in case. • Guilmette is managing editor of the News-Examiner. He may be contacted at mguilmette@newsexaminer.com. |
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Copyright © 2010, Michael C. Guilmette Jr. |
I got sucked into the genre watching Star Wars when I was 7 years old, amazed by the flashy special effects and fantasy visions of the world of tomorrow. As I grew older, I came to realize that oftentimes, science fiction stories served as social commentary — thank you Gene Roddenberry — whether the writers intended it or not.
