Two different political documentaries
It’s been a lazy Sunday afternoon in my household and I had the opportunity to enjoy two, very different, yet fascianting political documentaries. The first, from the right, Waco: The Rules of Engagement, which as the name suggests focuses on the Federal governments involvement in the raid on the Branch Davidian compound outside of Waco.
The second documentary, slightly less dark, is from a far Left perspective. It is Philip Seymour Hoffman’s documentary, The Party’s Over, where Hoffman attempts to pull a Michael Moore and takes his camera and crew on the 2000 Presidential election circuit, from the training ground of street protesters through the Democrat and Republican conventions and all of the drama surronding Florida. Though a typical Hollywood Leftist lackey, Hoffman does a good job of getting opinions from people of diverse political backgrounds.
I might draft thorough reviews of both documentaries, after I’ve had more time to digest their content, but for now, I’m left with two main observations.
1.) I found it ironic watching Waco: The Rules of Engagement, that two of the politicians most vocal in supporting the Federal governments actions in Waco were Vice-President Joe Biden (D-DE) and Senator Chuck Schumer (D-NY). Their basic response to the entire ordeal was that David Koresh and his followers presented a danger to the American people; therefore, the actions of the Federal government were justified. However, these same two politicians, bitch and moan about detention facilities for terrorists, such as the one in Guatonomo Bay, Cuba, and the “enhanced interrogation” tactics employed by agents of our government.
On one hand, these Democrat politicians support harsh treatment of alleged religious warriors (i.e. Waco), but in the other instance they decry the use of more human tactics (i.e. waterboarding at Guatonomo). How can justify this hypocrisy?
2.) Throughout the movie The Party’s Over, Hoffman attempts to show that there is no difference between the Democrat and Republican Parties, both are run by corporate interests and greed. He continually asks the question, “what is the difference between the two parties?” Mr. Hoffman, as someone who has worked actively on campaigns in both parties, I can tell you the main difference, from a philosophical perspective, is the proper role of the Federal goverment.
