From one documentary to the next, it seems. We watched The War Room last night. Though it felt topical with one presidential election recently finished, the documentary film was made in 1993 about the 1992 campaign of then Governor Bill Clinton. What little I knew about the film boiled down to the idea that there was a big sign saying “It’s the economy, stupid.” on the wall of the campaign office. Well, it was one of the three mantras scribbled on a white board, but hardly the unswerving theme of the film, at least.
With James Carville and George Stephanopoulos now firmly ensconced as TV personalities, I am left wondering if the 2008 campaign will see either return to the arena of their greatest triumph. Or can they both live off the 1992 campaign for the rest of their lives, as they are doing now? That may not be fair, especially to the younger man (Stephanopoulos). But I turned on a recent TiVoed Daily Show episode right after the film finished and both Carville and Stephanopoulos were in clips from that night’s section on AIDS (just shy of 4 minutes… not sure if they keep their links working over time, so enjoy it now). Stephanopoulos interviewed Senate Majority Leader Bill Frist about AIDS transmission, and Carville (a self-caricature) explained that he knew a lot about masturbation. Nice of him to share, on national (cable) TV. Overall, a reminder that times change, and not everyone get to keep their chair when the music stops.