Patriocracy Political Gridlock on the Silver Screen
Tuesday, October 25, 2011 at 11:48AM
Just how divided is Congress? A political film débuting in November, Patriocracy, tackles that thorny subject. Featuring an expert cast of Senators, Representatives and journalists, Patriocracy outlines the extreme polarization plaguing America and preventing lawmakers from addressing some of our most critical issues.
This gridlock did not happen over night. “These last couple of years are the worst and the nastiest and the meanest that I can remember in the 41 years I’ve been in Washington,” says CBS News’ Bob Schieffer in the film.
Produced by Brian Malone and executive produced by Stephen Nemeth, Patriocracy identifies numerous causes for the discord. For example, is it really a blessing that 21st Century Americans have access to a multitude of news outlets? He film does an excellent job of studying how commentary disguised as news increases partisan behaviors.
Commentary disguised as news
The film analyzes the same news story covered by two different networks. Both networks display their political leanings, resulting in facts being misused, the film argues. It’s human nature to follow sources that share similar beliefs, the film stresses. The problem is conservatives are strictly getting news from conservative-leaning sources and liberals are sticking to liberal-leaning sources. If individuals fail to seek a well-rounded news palate, then confusion ensues, the filmmakers warn
Patriocracy also focuses on another root of the problem: The 535 Members of Congress mostly are strangers to each other. In the film, former Oklahoma Congressman Mickey Edwards explains, “What we have is a partisan problem.” People get elected thinking “how does this affect my political party.” Patriocracy traces how friendships across party lines have decreased compared to times in the past.