Posted on 06/07/2005 1:18:59 PM PDT by hnorris
Political Lessons Learned from "Revenge of the Sith"
Emperor Palpatine: The Shadow of Modern American Liberalism
by Frank Williams -- June 8, 2005
When "Star Wars Episode III: Revenge of the Sith" premiered several weeks ago, liberals were crowing that President George W. Bush had much in common with Darth Vader, one of the chief villians in the Star Wars series. As a die-hard Star Wars fan who has already seen Episode III more than once, I must take exception with their analysis. I believe the strongest parallel between Star Wars and modern American politics is found in Palpatine, the Sith Lord who became the evil emperor by the end of the movie. If anything, the fall of the Galactic Republic and the corresponding rise of Palpatine's empire are emblematic of the rise of liberalism in modern America.
Episode III offers a number of practical lessons that conservatives would be wise to heed, lest we eventually suffer the same fate as the Jedi Order in the Star Wars world. For you Star Wars novices, the Jedi Knights are the good guys. As Jedi Knight Obi Wan Kenobi so eloquently reminisced in the original Star Wars (Episode IV), "For a thousand years the Jedi Knights were the guardians of peace and justice in the old Republic." By the end of Episode III, Palpatine had virtually wiped out the Jedi Knights.
Lesson #1: Beware the Enemy Within. Beginning in Episode I (The Phantom Menace), Palpatine took over the Galactic Republic from the inside out. Palpatine was able to conceal the fact that he was a Dark Lord of the Sith as he rose to power and expanded the size and scope of his government. (For the novices, the Sith Lords are the bad guys. While the Jedi use their power to help others, the Sith are only concerned with increasing their own power.) The Jedi Knights and the others who were trying to save the Republic were frantically searching the galaxy for a Sith Lord known as Darth Sidious. All the while, he was right under their nose; the Jedi failed to realize that Palpatine and Sidious were one and the same -- until it was too late to stop his quest for power. Additionally, Palpatine recruited his last two Sith apprentices (Count Dooku and Darth Vader) from within the Jedi Order. Today, there are many who live within our borders and enjoy our freedom, yet seem bent on rewriting our history and erasing the values and principles which made America great. Further, there are many within the ranks of the Republican Party who seem equally bent on compromising virtually every principle for which our party stands. We ignore the enemy within at our own peril.
Lesson #2: Liberals Attack Incrementally. Modern American liberals are shrewd. They don't try to seize power in one shot. Instead, they gradually chip away at things, hoping we won't notice until it's too late. In Star Wars, Palpatine gradually increased his government's power, until one day their free society had disappeared and a new Empire had risen in its place. Modern American liberals are equally skilled at this subtle tactic. They mask taxes by calling them "fees" and hope we won't notice. They gradually chip away at our Second Amendment rights, hoping we won't notice. They gradually remove God from the public square, hoping we won't notice. As conservatives, we would be wise to head off liberals' seemingly insignificant attacks on our Republic -- before it is too late.
Lesson #3: Public Opinion Matters. As conservatives, we must accept the reality that public opinion has a tremendous impact on our ability to win elections and govern once in office. Further, we must be prepared to deal with the fact that the liberals have a tremendous Public Relations machine, and that many of them will say and do anything to further their agenda. In Star Wars, Palpatine was a master at influencing public opinion, and he systematically turned public opinion against the Jedi. Near the end of Episode III, when the Jedi discovered that Palpatine was actually a Dark Lord of the Sith, they attempted to arrest him. Palpatine skillfully manipulated public opinion, characterizing the attempted arrest as a "rebellion." In the end, he convinced the Galactic Senate that the Jedi were the traitors, and that they had attempted to overthrow the Republic. His efforts at persuasion were so effective that the Senators actually cheered when Palpatine announced that the remaining Jedi were being hunted down and killed. This is quite a marked shift in public opinion from Episode I, when the Jedi were clearly accepted as being the "good guys." As conservatives, it is absolutely imperative that we take the bull by the horns and be proactive when it comes to Public Relations. If we don't tell our story, on our terms, the liberals will tell it on theirs.
Lesson #4: Liberals Seek to Undermine Longstanding Institutions. At the beginning of Episode I, the Jedi Knights were accepted as the guardians of peace and justice in the galaxy. By the end of Episode III, Palpatine had successfully manipulated public opinion by convincing a majority of the Galactic Senate that the Jedi were the bad guys, and that they were intent on overthrowing the Republic. The Galactic Senate had been sold a lie. Modern American liberals have taken a similar approach in their no-holds-barred campaign to eradicate any mention of God from public life in America. Our nation was founded on Biblical principles, by people seeking freedom of religion. Modern liberals are attempting to rewrite history by brainwashing our young people into believing that Biblical principles played no role in our founding, and that people of faith have no place in politics. Unfortunately, far too many Americans have bought this lie. Liberals have also worked to undermine other institutions that attempt to stand for something. When the Boy Scouts attempt to enforce the idea that a Scout should be "morally straight," liberals tar and feather them as insensitive, discriminatory bigots. The most obvious example of liberals' efforts to undermine longstanding, long-respected institutions is the ongoing assault on traditional marriage. As conservatives, we must do more than rise up and defend these longstanding institutions; we must be proactive in communicating their importance and value to the American people.
Lesson #5: Liberals Seek to Blur the Lines between Good and Evil. The primary theme of Episode III was Anakin Skywalker's fall to the dark side of the Force. Anakin Skywalker was a powerful Jedi Knight, and Palpatine was determined to seduce him and recruit him to the dark side. During one of their conversations in the movie Anakin told Palpatine, "The Jedi use their powers for good." Palpatine replied, "Good is a point of view." In the book Palpatine went further, saying that the difference between good and evil, between Jedi and Sith, was simply a philosophical difference. Does this sound familiar? It should. Liberals in America have used this approach for years. When conservatives make an effort to state that there is absolute Truth in the universe, that there is a difference between right and wrong, liberals accuse us of being narrow-minded and say it's simply a "difference in philosophy." Everything is relative, and everything must be "tolerated" -- except, of course, anything that has its roots in Christianity or conservatism. Those things are offensive and should never be repeated! There is no clearer example of this approach than the current debate over the definition of marriage.
Lesson #6: Don't Underestimate the Power of Connection. It has been said that people don't care how much you know until they know that you care. Palpatine's seduction of Anakin Skywalker -- which eventually led to Anakin's fall -- was due in large part to the fact that he established a personal connection with the young Jedi Knight. Palpatine took an interest in Anakin as early as Episode I -- when he was barely 10 years old. In Episode II they were clearly friends. Palpatine had successfully established a bond. He had established trust. In Episode III, when Anakin shared his struggles and concerns Palpatine said, in effect, "I feel your pain." He sympathized with Anakin, and he won the young Jedi's trust. He also worked to create an environment of mistrust between Anakin and the Jedi Council. When push came to shove, when Anakin realized that Palpatine was a Dark Lord of the Sith, their personal connection trumped this fact. In the end, Anakin abandoned the Jedi Order and became Palpatine's new Sith apprentice, Darth Vader. As conservatives, we would be wise to heed this lesson. We must do more than simply communicate with the American people. We must connect with them. We must show them that we are genuinely concerned for their well being. We must be real, we must practice what we preach, and we must be worthy of the people's trust.
Lesson #7: Emotional Appeals Rule the Day. Once Palpatine had secured Anakin's trust, he used an emotional appeal to evoke the reaction he wanted. In essence, he told Anakin that the only way to keep his wife from dying was to abandon the Jedi Order, join the dark side, and kill all of the Jedi Knights. In the movie Anakin clearly struggled with this decision. His brain said one thing, and his heart said something else. In the end, the emotional appeal won the day, and Anakin became Darth Vader. As Republicans, we often fall into the trap of making logical appeals while the liberals are making emotional appeals. Sadly, the emotion they most often seek to evoke is fear. It is imperative that conservatives learn to craft our messages in a way that evokes an emotional response.
Lesson #8: Choose Your Battles Wisely. In Episode III the Jedi Knights were spread far too thin. They were engaged in so many battles throughout the galaxy that the Jedi Order was unable to survive Palpatine's efforts to wipe them out. At the end of the movie, only two Jedi remained alive. As Republicans, we would be wise to heed this lesson. We must choose our battles wisely, and we must invest our resources where they can have the greatest impact. Further, we must set priorities and not allow meaningless distractions to shift our focus.
Lesson #9: Invest in Your Team. As we recruit new volunteers and leaders into our party, we must invest in them. We must provide them with the training and resources they need to be effective. Further, we must take the time to get to know them and connect with them. If the members of the Jedi Council (other than Obi Wan Kenobi) had taken the time build trust with Anakin Skywalker, Palpatine's ability to sow seeds of mistrust would have been greatly diminished.
Lesson #10: Be the Aggressor. Failure to prepare is preparing to fail; this is a cardinal rule of business. If you're defending, you're losing; this is a cardinal rule of politics. Unfortunately, conservatives often seem to be on the defensive. The issue of protecting traditional marriage offers a prime example: the public debate is now about "banning gay marriage." In essence, the public debate is about banning something that has never existed in the first place. If pro-family conservatives were the aggressor, if we were dictating the tempo, the debate should be about "protecting traditional marriage." Unfortunately, the liberals all too often control the tempo of the debate. While we're fighting legislative battles in the legislature, they're legislating from the bench, indoctrinating children and college students, and working to maintain control of the mainstream media. By the end of Episode III, the Jedi Knights were on the defensive. They were responding to Palpatine's move. He controlled the tempo, and he won. As conservatives, we would be wise to heed this lesson and understand that the best defense is a good offense.
In Episode III, the stakes were high. The fate of the Galactic Republic hinged on the outcome of the battles fought in the movie. In our America, the stakes are equally high. What will our nation look like in ten years? Will we honor our heritage by protecting our constitution, or will we sit idly by and allow liberals to systematically chip away at our form of government? Will we honor our heritage by protecting traditional marriage, or will we be too busy to fight the battles necessary to prevent the liberals from destroying this all-important institution? Will we remain true to our founding principles, or will we sit quietly as liberals systematically remove God from the public square?
Near the end of Episode III, after the Jedi had been wiped out, Palpatine announced to the Galactic Senate that the Republic was being reorganized into an Empire. One of the Senators said, "So this is how liberty dies -- to thunderous applause." If we sit on our hands and allow liberals to remain the aggressor and influence public opinion, we may one day say the same. There are many political lessons to be learned from "Revenge of the Sith." As conservatives -- and as Americans -- we would be wise to heed those lessons.
About Frank Williams: Frank Williams is Editor-in-Chief of NCRepublicans.com.
From NCRepublicans.com - http://www.ncrepublicans.com
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When I saw the movie, I had to chuckle over how much Emperor Palpitain looks like Sheets Byrd.
Of course the emperor looks like a younger Sheets. If someone wanted to look like the senile bigot now, they'd have to be dead for at least 3 weeks.
Well, yes.
In fact that is exactly what happened when Bob Barr tired to bring the Bent One to justice. The MSM portrayed the good guys as bad guys and and the bad guy as a victim.
I would like to point out that there is also a strong parallel between Hillary and practically any wookie.
Yup. See the infamous government shutdown. The government was shut down because Clinton refused to sign the budget. The media blamed the Republicans.
Who is this Frank Williams hack?
A couple weeks ago, a thread was started about how anti-Bush the new movie was. I'm not dismissing the claim that there may be subtleties in the movie, but the main claim was a quote "If youre not with us, then youre against us", that President Bush has used. I argued that that quote could not be used as evidence, as many leaders throughout history have used it: Bush is by far NOT the first.
But FReepers still claimed it was a swipe at Bush.
So yesterday, my younger sister was watching Beauty and the Beast, and Gaston said "If you're not with us then you're against us!"
I had to laugh.
Don't worry. Lucas is not clever enough to make himself clear.
I knew this without even seeing the movie. Liberal lies and deception. Im getting sick of it
Why the wookie dis?
Besides, comparing the Queen Beeotch to anything that does not slither is not accurate.
Let's play fair, now.
LVM
Don't take your values from Muppets.
A great post. Thank you.
Seriously- it's a work of FICTION, and not a very good one.
Don't even speculate "What a Jedi would do..." It's stupid.
Does this mean that John McCain's Darth Vader?
Well, you must admit that ol' Cankles does look like something out of the Mos Eisley Cantina.
#8 was given to me years ago when dealing with a growing rebellious son.
"If anything, the fall of the Galactic Republic and the corresponding rise of Palpatine's empire are emblematic of the rise of liberalism in modern America."
I saw the movie and thought the same thing. Somethings were obvious shots at Bush, however I was stunned at how the big baddie; sounded like a modern liberal in terms of "there is no right or wrong", and other gems of moral relativism
BTTT
Well said.
I believe the phrase was most notably used by my Lord and Savior, Jesus Christ. To wit, Matthew 12:30 "He who is not with me is against me, and he who does not gather with me scatters."
Oh yes. That's one of the (many) references we noted in our argument that day. The most powerful, needless to say! =)
The Senate kleagle is said to return home every Halloween to pumpkin. Palpitain may be a distant relative, perhaps a first cousin...
It's a movie people. Can't the liberals and conservatives just watch a movie to enjoy it and not pick it apart to help their point of view.
Personally, I think Palpatine was more like Abe Lincoln than anyone else.
Well of course it's a work of fiction. It's just an interesting discussion in that with the really "popular" stories (I refrain from using the word "good" since that is a matter of individual opinion) that seem to catch on with the American public there are certain truths that liberal Hollywood can't mess up. I am speaking about movies like Lord of the Rings, and Star Wars.
Evil is not defeated unless good men (or elves, or whatever as the case may be) recognize it and stand up to it. Hollywood can try to inject their own messages like "war is bad, nature is good...yadda yadda yadda", but in the end there is a greater truth that shines through and makes certain movies like these so successful.
I would add that when Hollywood interjects its liberal bias too much...even a classic story is ruined and it's a flop.
See: Troy, Alexander...
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When I saw it I found myself enjoying the destruction of the Jedi. When Skywalker had pinned Count Dooku and Paletine said kill him we was to believe that this action was bad even though they was in an enemy ship and without reenforcements and Dooku might be able to escape.
On the other hand when Mace Windu had Palpatine pinned in the capital city and Skywalker was wanting to arrest Palpatine then Mace wanted to kill him even though there was little immediate threat of escape (Windu could of called for reenforcements). The Jedi had become too tied up to the establised order of the Senate which all agreed was corrupt.
Obviously the People must not of been too happy with the corrupt Senate when much of the Republic joined the Separatists. High taxes and anticapitalist policies of the Republic plus the corruption and status quo of the government made it unpopular. Did the holier than thou Jedi even try to clean up the Republic's government?
When the betrayal of the Jedi happened we saw soldiers who fought among side and lead by the Jedi turn on their leaders. The fact that not one of these soldiers warned the Jedi about the plot makes me think the Jedi was not well liked by their men.
After the Republic dies and the Jedi is gone then how evil is Palpatine? We see he had started the Death Star in Episode III but he must not of put much money into it because they was still finishing it up 20 years later.Under pressure of War they almost built a new replacement in a couple of years so there just wasn't much need to hurry on the first one. The uniforms, weapons, etc of the military doesn't change either so we see that he doesn't spend much on R&D or new weapons.
The Senate is kept around for the next 20 or so years as well, it might be more of a rubberstamp than before but since the rebellion against the Empire don't happen until the Senate is dismissed then most of the Population must not of had a problem with their leader. Obviously Palpatine doesn't abuse his power for fun and understands how to keep the People happy. Chances are his Empire is a good place to live and do business unlike the Republic. As I see it the Rebellion that Luke Skywalker was part of was made up of old elitist Senatorial families angry that their parasitic ways was to end with the disbanding of the Imperial Senate.
Now the first three movies you couldn't help but root for the heros like Princess Leia and Luke Skywalker even though after Luke became a full Jedi he was full of himself imo. But other than Obi-Wan Kenobi and Qui-Gon Jinn the other Jedi seemed like elitest snots. I kinda enjoy the idea that high and mighty Yoda has to spend much of his time alone and living in a jungle eating bugs until Luke Skywalker comes to him.
I bet that the beloved Republic and it's esteemed Senate resembled our Senate with self important blowhards talking about the institution while living like Kings. Wouldn't be surprised if the court system was like ours where Judges created laws with no consitutional authority. Not saying Palpatine wasn't flawed and could be a conniving powerhungry individual but he might of been better for the People than the Republic and Jedi.
Obi-Wan walked away from his best friend in his time of greatest need, letting him burn alive. Then he made the bizarre choice of delivering Leia to royalty and ignoring her potential as a Force wielder while placing Luke on a barren desert planet in the midst of the very enemies who tortured and killed his grandmother. When the boy came of age, he lied to him repeatedly and tried to initiate him into the very same monastic order that undid his father.
Only Luke showed the true potential of a Jedi Knight, using the Force for knowledge and defense, and using that knowledge to save a wretch whom the Jedi believed was unsaveable. A comparison to Lord of the Rings may not be unwarrented here; both Frodo and Luke chose mercy and life where others advocated conflict and death. In both cases, the end justified the means. While the mechanism in LotR is fairly well understood (Providence, the workings of Eru on Earth), it is not understood in SW. What agency is working through the Force? From whence came the Prophecy that Anakin would bring balance to the Force, wiping out all but two of the corrput Jedi Order and placing the two Sith in charge? Did this agency know that this precarious balance would lead to a renaissance of the Galactic Republic and the Jedi Order? Maybe.
ROFLMAO.
Seriously, I think you really have to reexamine the Sith connection.
The old ones were Muppets. These new ones were cartoons.
As did the overwhelming majority of people who watched the movie. :)
After hearing the overheated Liberal bloviating on this movie's "swipe" at Dubya (fueled by George Lucas himself), I did some observations of my own.
1) Does anyone believe that a "Fundamentalist Christian" President would use clones as soldiers?
2) If Anakin/ Vader and Palpatine are the "Bushies," are the Clone troops supposed to represent the U.S. military? Wouldn't this be an insult?
3) When I saw the film the second time, it occurred to me that Padme Amidala is a Good Liberal. She wanted to "negotiate" with the Separatists--the same guys who invaded her planet and threw her people into concentration camps in Episode I. Yes, just brilliant.
Frankly, George Lucas is lucky that people are more interested in being entertained than paying attention to the crap he spewed at Cannes.
-Lysandru
from lesson 10
"Failure to prepare is preparing to fail; this is a cardinal rule of business"
Interesting thought. Did McCain start out as a conservative, then seduced by the dark side of wanting to have the media write nice things about him, did he flip ?
The whole thing has much more in common with the U.S. Civil War and the rise of Nazi Germany than with anything going on today.
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