Favorite fictional president vs your candidate

[PatSeg]

Who is your favorite fictional president and how does he/she match up to your choice(s) in the primaries?

On the fictional side, it is a tossup between David Palmer and Jed Bartlet for me. In the real world I see the strength and decisiveness of Palmer and the intellect of Bartlet in Joe Biden. This, of course, is NOT how I made my decision, but I love political movies and tend to compare characters to real life politicians.

My favorite fictional presidential speech was Andrew Shepherd in The American President, maybe because that is how many of us wish our president would speak.

[slackmaster]

1. Merkin Muffley

[PatSeg]

4. Oh my god, I forgot that one!

:rofl:

[jillan]

2. OMG - I cannot believe you said that!

I just watched American President the other nite - it was on tv. I love that movie.

When I watched it, I was thinking that Andrew Shepard made me think of what Biden would be like in the WH, with the exception of having an affair with a lobbyist

[PatSeg]

5. My daughter and her husband just borrowed my copy

of the movie. I can't count how many times I've seen it and that speech gets me every damn time!

Oh, you know, Jeff Bridges was pretty good in The Contender with Joan Allen.

[jillan]

7. I didn't see that one.

I'm thinking of renting the Candidate sometime this month.
Seems appropriate :)

I had American President on my dvr...but someone erased it.

[PatSeg]

8. I have to watch The Candidate every four years

Kind of a tradition, like A Christmas Story every Christmas.

Joan Allen was nominated for an Oscar for The Contender. It was a very powerful movie.

Hmmmm, someone erased it? Sounds very suspicious to me!

[jillan]

9. My Christmas obsessions are White Christmas and The Family Man.

(not to hijack your thread or anything!)

I will have to rent The Contender.;)

[PatSeg]

18. It was really good

Joan Allen is a potential VP candidate for Jeff Bridges and the right-wingers try to bring her down with a sex scandal. Just like real life!

[jillan]

27. I really got a kick out of the RW in American President.

I was laughing my arse off at what they were saying because it is exactly what they are saying now.
Flag-burning, ACLU card carrying liberals :P Edit to add the religious right in that movie. It really was hysterical.

[PatSeg]

29. And prophetic too

We never get tired of his speech at the end, especially the last line! Who do you think Senator Rumson would be in real life? I'm thinking Tom Delay.

For the last couple of months, Senator Rumson has suggested that being president of this country was, to a certain extent, about character, and although I have not been willing to engage in his attacks on me, I've been here three years and three days, and I can tell you without hesitation: Being President of this country is entirely about character. For the record: yes, I am a card-carrying member of the ACLU. But the more important question is why aren't you, Bob? Now, this is an organization whose sole purpose is to defend the Bill of Rights, so it naturally begs the question: Why would a senator, his party's most powerful spokesman and a candidate for President, choose to reject upholding the Constitution? If you can answer that question, folks, then you're smarter than I am, because I didn't understand it until a few hours ago. America isn't easy. America is advanced citizenship. You gotta want it bad, 'cause it's gonna put up a fight. It's gonna say "You want free speech? Let's see you acknowledge a man whose words make your blood boil, who's standing center stage and advocating at the top of his lungs that which you would spend a lifetime opposing at the top of yours. You want to claim this land as the land of the free? Then the symbol of your country can't just be a flag; the symbol also has to be one of its citizens exercising his right to burn that flag in protest. Show me that, defend that, celebrate that in your classrooms. Then, you can stand up and sing about the "land of the free". I've known Bob Rumson for years, and I've been operating under the assumption that the reason Bob devotes so much time and energy to shouting at the rain was that he simply didn't get it. Well, I was wrong. Bob's problem isn't that he doesn't get it. Bob's problem is that he can't sell it! We have serious problems to solve, and we need serious people to solve them. And whatever your particular problem is, I promise you, Bob Rumson is not the least bit interested in solving it. He is interested in two things and two things only: making you afraid of it and telling you who's to blame for it. That, ladies and gentlemen, is how you win elections. You gather a group of middle-aged, middle-class, middle-income voters who remember with longing an easier time, and you talk to them about family and American values and character. And wave an old photo of the President's girlfriend and you scream about patriotism and you tell them, she's to blame for their lot in life, and you go on television and you call her a whore. Sydney Ellen Wade has done nothing to you, Bob. She has done nothing but put herself through school, represent the interests of public school teachers, and lobby for the safety of our natural resources. You want a character debate, Bob? You better stick with me, 'cause Sydney Ellen Wade is way out of your league.


I've loved two women in my life. I lost one to cancer, and I lost the other 'cause I was so busy keeping my job I forgot to do my job. Well, that ends right now. Tomorrow morning, the White House is sending a bill to Congress for its consideration. It's White House Resolution 455, an energy bill requiring a 20 percent reduction of the emission of fossil fuels over the next ten years. It is by far the most aggressive stride ever taken in the fight to reverse the effects of global warming. The other piece of legislation is the crime bill. As of today, it no longer exists. I'm throwing it out. I'm throwing it out writing a law that makes sense. You cannot address crime prevention without getting rid of assault weapons and handguns. I consider them a threat to national security, and I will go door to door if I have to, but I'm gonna convince Americans that I'm right, and I'm gonna get the guns. We've got serious problems, and we need serious people, and if you want to talk about character, Bob, you'd better come at me with more than a burning flag and a membership card. If you want to talk about character and American values, fine. Just tell me where and when, and I'll show up. This is a time for serious people, Bob, and your fifteen minutes are up. My name is Andrew Shepherd, and I *am* the President.

[jillan]

37. ooooh - you are making me wish I could watch it again!

Great movie - if only we could elect Andrew Shepherd! and have Michael J Fox as Press Sec'y :)

[PatSeg]

38. Oh I think Biden would fit the bill quite nicely

Now who should be his press secretary?

[derby378]

43. I have yet to see that movie...

...but I heard that Shepherd started getting booed in some theaters as soon as he mentioned confiscating guns.

[PatSeg]

44. I wonder if they knew he was a fictional president!

How funny. Glad I watched it on DVD.

[gateley]

3. K&R!

[PatSeg]

6. Come on Gateley............

You gotta have a favorite movie prez!

[gateley]

10. I swear to God, I'd be hard pressed to name even one.

I just can't think of any who made enough of an impression on me to remember (obviously). :blush:

[PatSeg]

17. Well there's always Fred Thompson!!!

:rofl:

[gateley]

35. See? I don't get it. I've never laid eyes on Fred Thompson before he announced

his candidacy. Trust me, I don't have anything to offer on this subject. :)

[PatSeg]

36. Okay, you get a pass this time!

Gotta watch The American President though!

[Hardrada]

11. Does Reagan count?

I prefer all the Dems to that fictional character.

[PatSeg]

23. Well he was a better actor than Fred Thompson

who can't even ACT like a presidential nominee.

[Didereaux]

12. Gyro Gearloose - Dennis Kucinich

[Didereaux]

13. Rudy Giuliani - Lex Luthor

[Didereaux]

14. Little Lord Fontleroy - John Edwards

[Didereaux]

15. Hagrids brother Grawp - Fred Thompson

[Didereaux]

16. Jean Lafitte - Joe Biden (smart likable pirate) ;)

[Didereaux]

19. Dragon Lady - Hillary Clinton (from Terry & the Pirates)

[Didereaux]

21. Ebeneezer Scrooge - Ron Paul

[Blue_In_AK]

20. Kevin Kline in "Dave"

[PatSeg]

28. Yeah

He's on my short list.

[asdjrocky]

22. Jed Bartlet,

I still watch reruns of West Wing, just to dream.

My candidate?

Why, it's Mr John Edwards

[PatSeg]

30. We're doing a weekly West Wing marathon at my house

My daughter had never seen the show and she's hooked. I learn something every time I watch it.

[asdjrocky]

31. Awesome,

I've got the box set. Pull them out and watch whenever I'm feeling down.


Edwards 08!

[PatSeg]

33. Me too!

I have the first six seasons on DVD and the seventh season on TIVO. It is probably the best show I've ever watched on TV.

[Didereaux]

24. the Three Musketeers - Mitt Romney (multiple personality disorder)

[Didereaux]

25. OH CRAP I should learn to read the damn subject line closer - fiction PRESIDENT not character!

[PatSeg]

26. That's okay

It was very entertaining! You were on a roll there! :rofl:

[Didereaux]

32. Thank you, I truly am sorry

[PatSeg]

34. I enjoyed your posts immensely

This was meant to be a "light" thread to offset some of the heavier ones.

[saltpoint]

39. This is a fun post.

Am I on the right track if I name Hal Holbrook?

I think he's played a president really well.

In fact, I'd rather have Holbrook than the entire Republican field combined.

[PatSeg]

40. I did some searching

and he was President Maxwell Monroe in Under Siege (TV movie) and he also played Abraham Lincoln and John Adams.

My favorite, of course, was Deep Throat.

He certainly played a better president than Fred Thompson!

[saltpoint]

41. Hi, Pat. Yes. As Deep Throat, emerging from the deep shadows of that

parking garage, Hal Holbrook scared the blazes out of me.

That was one of those visceral performances that the Academy foolishing failed to nominate.

[PatSeg]

42. Hi OC

It was a riveting performance in an outstanding movie that gets better every time I watch it (can't count how many times that is).