"Game Change" is Everything Conservatives Feared it Would Be

Townhall.com ^ | March 12, 2012 | John Hanlon

[Kaslin]

In the run-up to the airing of the HBO movie “Game Change,” its detractors were told that the movie was fair and that the filmmakers tried to make it “as balanced as possible.” That it wasn’t just two hours of Sarah Palin-bashing. Now that the movie has aired, their defenses have been undermined by the truth.

“Game Change” is everything that conservatives feared it would be.

Starring Oscar nominee Julianne Moore in the lead role of Alaska Governor Sarah Palin, “Game Change” is a strange adaptation of the nonfiction book written by Mark Halperin and John Heilemann. The adaptation is odd because it took one of the book’s storylines and focused solely on that. The original book was entitled “Game Change: Obama and the Clintons, McCain and Palin, and the Race of a Lifetime.” And as the title suggests, Palin was a supporting player in it.

But in this new Jay Roach HBO drama, Palin is the star. Roach—it should be noted—previously brought us the forgettable 2008 political drama “Recount.” Like “Game Change,” “Recount” painted Republicans in a negative light and—surprise, surprise-- aired in the midst of a presidential campaign.

“Recount” also presented the female politician at its heart as a caricature, rather than as an actual person. Portrayed by Laura Dern, the character of Florida Secretary of State Katharine Harris was unfairly maligned in that film.

In “Game Change,” Palin is the one who is presented as a goofy and unfair caricature. She is depicted as an angry demanding diva who wants her way at all costs. She throws tantrums, yells and breaks her promises about supporting the McCain ticket. Her personality is extremely exaggerated and distorted in this film.

Multiple sources have already noted how many facts “Game Change” gets wrong. But in addition to such facts, it’s hard to argue that the movie’s format isn’t set up with the deck firmly stacked against the Republican ticket.

For instance, there are two ideologies presented in this film. There are conservatives and there are liberals. Even if you don’t follow politics, you can differentiate the two in this movie. The conservatives are portrayed by actors and the liberals are portrayed by themselves.

That means that Palin and McCain--along with their aides and allies-- are portrayed by people who likely don’t share their political ideology. In itself, that’s acceptable but on the other hand, their opponents are portrayed with real footage.

For instance, when we see then-Senator Obama, we are watching the real candidate. He is seen giving his campaign speech in Berlin and at the 2008 Democratic convention without any distortions. Of course, we also see Obama’s adoring fans, weeping and celebrating the Democratic candidate. Members of the media get the same treatment with real footage of them used in the piece.

It’s only the conservatives who don’t get a real showing here.

It should be noted that there is one sole exception, not of a liberal being portrayed by an actor but by a liberal being caricatured in the film. That is John Edwards, who is seen in this infamous but wildly entertaining YouTube video.

But overall, I was grossly disappointed in “Game Change.” From adapting only a section of the book-- the section that paints conservatives in a negative light-- and by creating caricatures instead of characters, the film presents a distorted look at the Republican presidential campaign of 2008.

Admittedly, I was and continue to be a fan of Julianne Moore and Ed Harris. I wish, though, that they-- and others associated with this project-- would have worked harder to present a more fair and accurate portrayal of Governor Palin and Senator McCain.

For Hollywood and HBO to do that, it would have been a change from what audiences usually expect. Now that would be a real game change.

[Kaslin]

I recorded and watched the true documentary The Undefeated on Reelz TV instead

[Diogenesis]

Much of the ENTIRE attack on Gov. Palin has been from
Willard "the backstabbing RINO" Romney and his vicious
Legion of saboteurs who go after women and children
without a second thought --- all for Mitt Romney.

FLASHBACK:

The McCain/Palin ticket was up ++4 to 10 pts
in some polls, days prior to Election 2008.
So rather than helping the GOP, Romney and
TeamROMNEY and the RNME (Republican National Media Establishment)
decided …to attack Gov. Palin to throw Election2008.

Romney, and the Van der Sloot RNME RINOs for Obama in 2008

Late in October, The American Spectator's The Prowler revealed:
"Former Mitt Romney presidential campaign staffers…
have been involved in spreading anti-Palin spin to reporters, seeking to diminish her standing after the election.
'Sarah Palin is a lightweight, she won't be the first, not even the third, person people will think of when it comes to 2012,'
says one former Romney aide…
'The only serious candidate ready to challenge to lead the Republican Party is Mitt Romney.
"Some former Romney aides were behind the recent leaks to media, including CNN, that Governor Sarah Palin was a 'diva' and was going off message intentionally."

---

The Palmetto Scoop reported: "One of the first stories to hit the national airwaves was
the claim of a major internal strife between close McCain aides and the folks handling his running mate Sarah Palin."
"I’m told by very good sources that this was indeed the case and that a rift had developed, but it was between Palin’s people and the staffers brought on from the failed presidential campaign of former Gov. Mitt Romney, not McCain aides."
"The sources said nearly 80 percent of Romney’s former staff was absorbed by McCain and these individuals were responsible for what amounts to a premeditated, last-minute sabotage of Palin."
… aides loyal to Romney inside the McCain campaign, said The Scoop, reportedly saw
that Palin would be a serious contender for the Republican nomination in 2012 or 2016, which made her a threat to another presidential quest by Romney.

---

"These staffers are now out trying to finish her off ….hoping it would ingratiate themselves with Mitt Romney."

---

"Who's the Palin Leaker from the McCain Campaign?
National Review Online The publication of a Vanity Fair profile of Sarah Palin
appears to have opened old wounds in the McCain campaign.
... the source of the “Diva” leak was Nicolle Wallace’s husband."

---

"Peeking Out From the McCain Wreckage: Mitt Romney"

"Someone's got to say it: IS MITT ROMNEY RESPONSIBLE FOR OBAMA'S VICTORY?"

"Vanity: Team Romney Sabotaged Palin and Continuing to Do So?"

"Romney Supporters Trashing Palin"

"Romney advisors sniping at Palin?"

---

[Travis McGee]

Leni would be proud!

Once again, National Socialism is raising its ugly head.

[DemforBush]

I’d never even heard of Julianne Moore before this came out. I checked the IMDB, and the only thing she’s been in that I’ve seen was Benny and Joon.

[Cincinatus]

I recorded both. Watched Game Change yesterday morning, but have not yet seen "Undefeated."

I thought Game Change was such an obvious, ham-handed piece of agitprop, it was actually funny. They made Sarah Palin out as a complete dope. Briefers showed her a map of Europe, explaining v-e-r-y s-l-o-w-l-y to her that Germany fought against us in WW I and II. This thing had about as much subtlety as Triumph of the Will. The only thing they left out were the shouts of "Sieg Heil!" during the political rally scenes.

Forget about it. It's old news. Nobody will ever see this POS again and those who want to believe it, will and those who don't, won't.

[DTogo]

“Game Change” is everything that conservatives feared it would be.

Conservatives were sitting around their living rooms "fearing" this HBO film??

[Le Chien Rouge]

Future political Hollywood movies we will NEVER see:

1) The ‘hypothetical’ assassination of Barrack Obama

2) ‘O’ a 2013 American film based on the life and presidency of Barrack Obama

3) ‘The Special Relationship’-movie about Obama and his ties to extremist Muslims.

4) ‘Miscount’ a movie about how Al Franken was elected with ballots ‘suddenly’ discovered in automobile trunks.

5) ‘Fatso’ a remake of the Dom Deluise movie staring Michelle Obama

[Scotswife]

my lib friends are super-high on Palinhate right now.
This movie is like crack to them.

[Travis McGee]

See #3: GMTA.

[Kaslin]

I don’t have HBO and if I had I would not have watched that crap anyway. The Undefeated was outstanding

[Travis McGee]

In so many ways, what we are seeing is a resurgence in National Socialism.

And we know that good little Nazis need scapegoats and enemies to focus their hate upon.

See #3.

[Scotswife]

you don’t see many people pausing and asking...”is this true?”

And you just KNOW if there were a similar movie about Obama (ha ha...I know...it’s never happen!)- they would be picking it apart piece by piece. They would propose legislation to criminalize slandering people in movies.

[Kaslin]

What they were fearing what it would be is a trash piece and their fear was I am sure justified

[central_va]

I watched this POS. The main theme towards the end was Palin wanted to actually fight O-bomb-us and to the contrary McLame and crew wanted to roll over. That part was probably true I would say.

[txrefugee]

Conservatives will get revenge on this slimy, two-faced liar on election day, who thinks he can fool us rubes into voting for him.

Willard Romney will never be president of the United States.

[Cringing Negativism Network]

I’m wondering if anyone is actually going to watch this propaganda movie?

Who are its intended customers?

The most logical three market segments I would imagine as possible film-goers who might be customers:

1) Palin tea party people. We already have our own accurate version of this: It’s called “The Undefeated”.

2) Palin deranged leftists. From what little I’ve heard so far, this movie is far too balanced for the idiot left. They’re not looking for truthful, they want blatant smears. I’m doubting this movie is anywhere near nasty enough for leftists.

3) Independents. They’re not going to watch a movie about a political figure - they’re just not that into politics.

This movie is about as significant as a program on OWN.

[sickoflibs]

RE :”I recorded and watched the true documentary The Undefeated on Reelz TV instead”

I get that channel too as part of a cable package but not HBO. HBO is way too liberal to pay for. “Game Change” ‘s relevance now is???

I watched bits and pieces of Undefeated last night. In it they played a older clip where she says in a speech :
“It is our duty to step up and run for office and not sit on the sidelines”
, it is pretty funny to watch now. I bet it got a few here really worked up when they saw the movie last year on PPV.

[Kaslin]

We haven’t had HBO since the early 1970 when I noticed that they show nothing but repeats after repeats, and I don’t see any reason to pay $10 extra just to watch that crabby channel

[jdsteel]

The title of the article is wrong. The movie was everything conservatives EXPECTED it would be. No fear involved.

[sickoflibs]

RE :”We haven’t had HBO since the early 1970 when I noticed that they show nothing but repeats after repeats, and I don’t see any reason to pay $10 extra just to watch that crabby channel”

My parents first got HBO in 1976 when cable TV came to our neighborhood. It signed off at 12 midnight each night and it took a few years before they made it 24-7 movies. The 8pm Saturday night premier feature was a big deal then , and it was the first time we could watch un-cut-up movies at home.

I got it again as part of a cable package 2003 to 2008 and it had a couple of historial drama series I liked, Deadwood and Rome. But there were so many liberal movies on it and they raised the price to almost $20 which no channel is worth. When I changed to Verizon FIOS they had much better movie package deals that excluded HBO. I get about 50 movie channels now.