Omphfullas Zamboni
10-10-2012, 05:27 PM
A journey into the places, people, and decisive moments that made the men who are competing for the presidency.
PBS Frontline: The Choice 2012
http://www.pbs.org/wgbh/pages/frontline/choice-2012/#a
Did anybody else watch this documentary?
I think it was supposed to make the candidates more empathetic but, to me, it made both guys seem sort of hollow. First, the documentary sets of the early years of Obama and Romney. Romney has this glowing image of his father that he tries to live up to. Obama struggles to find himself as a person of mixed race with a troubled childhood. Later, both individuals develop their charisma. Obama is good at uniting people of different backgrounds. Romney uses an efficiency based CEO management style to solve problems. Romney sees himself as a White Knight, someone uniquely talented to swoop in and fix things that no one else can. Obama is portrayed as an idealist; someone uniquely talented at communication, persuasion, and mediation between opposing views. He wants to change things for the better. Both men develop careers in politics…
In the end, Obama is portrayed as someone who was beaten by the unchangeable realities of Washington and gives up on his ideals, (ObamaCare is used as an example. Pres. Obama originally wanted bipartisan cooperation to pass the bill but ended up forcing the vote with a Democratic majority.) Similarly, Romney is portrayed as somebody who has rebranded himself so many times that the public cannot discern his principles. (RomneyCare is used as an example. Once his crowning achievement, Romney distances himself from Massachusetts healthcare reform because it is not politically expedient.)
After the documentary, I came away feeling that these two people have deeply unfulfilled emotional characteristics that being President does not fix. Am I reading into this too much?
PBS Frontline: The Choice 2012
http://www.pbs.org/wgbh/pages/frontline/choice-2012/#a
Did anybody else watch this documentary?
I think it was supposed to make the candidates more empathetic but, to me, it made both guys seem sort of hollow. First, the documentary sets of the early years of Obama and Romney. Romney has this glowing image of his father that he tries to live up to. Obama struggles to find himself as a person of mixed race with a troubled childhood. Later, both individuals develop their charisma. Obama is good at uniting people of different backgrounds. Romney uses an efficiency based CEO management style to solve problems. Romney sees himself as a White Knight, someone uniquely talented to swoop in and fix things that no one else can. Obama is portrayed as an idealist; someone uniquely talented at communication, persuasion, and mediation between opposing views. He wants to change things for the better. Both men develop careers in politics…
In the end, Obama is portrayed as someone who was beaten by the unchangeable realities of Washington and gives up on his ideals, (ObamaCare is used as an example. Pres. Obama originally wanted bipartisan cooperation to pass the bill but ended up forcing the vote with a Democratic majority.) Similarly, Romney is portrayed as somebody who has rebranded himself so many times that the public cannot discern his principles. (RomneyCare is used as an example. Once his crowning achievement, Romney distances himself from Massachusetts healthcare reform because it is not politically expedient.)
After the documentary, I came away feeling that these two people have deeply unfulfilled emotional characteristics that being President does not fix. Am I reading into this too much?