stuff i think

Nerd Movie

I just finished watching The War Room (1993), a documentary of the '92 Clinton campaign. As whacked as the policies were, it's impossible to deny that the Clinton Machine - especially the early years - was an amazing force.

James Carville, the ragin' cajun, reveals that he's never on for the cameras....he's simply always on. He munches popcorn from his coffee-filter-turned-popcorn-bowl while ranting on and on, whether anyone is listening or not. He absolutely goes into spasms when the team coins the phrase "I believe in a place called Hope....", declaring "That is the best political speech opener in the history of American politics!" It's endearing in a strange sort of way. He is definetly a guy you'd want to invite to your poker game, even if he would eat all the popcorn.

George Stephanopoulos, who later parlayed his photogenetics into a real job with a network, appears to be twelve years old. I kept expecting to hear his mother yell "George! Quit messing with those focus groups and mow the yard!". With boyish energy, he bounces from phone call to phone call on a brick sized cell phone (it was, after all, early in the digital revolution).

Never before in politics - and arguably, not since - has such a group of wild cards been assembled into a winning hand, particularly in support of a joker.