Conservative/Republican characters in movies/shows...

[CTTT]

I always wonder why in shows and movies that the flagship President or Senator that you're supposed to root for is always a Democrat. In a show like Designated Survivor, Keifer Sutherland's character is a Democrat. In a show like The West Wing, Jed Bartlet is a Democrat. Now as a conservative viewer myself, I watch Designated Survivor and want to watch the West Wing. I'm not that stingy or close minded. They're good shows. But I feel like with a political show if you want to show proper balance I think the show runners should hire a writing staff with both conservatives and liberals. But when you have Aaron Sorkin, who's as left leaning as it gets write for conservative characters that are self serving, evil conniving characters, that's not really balanced. That shows a bias. DS also has a Republican Congresswoman who in the first episode is seen as being in solidarity with Tom Kirkman, but in the next episode is seen as self serving and backstabbing. But I guess it's easier to have movies like The Post and All the President's Men where the newspapermen are seen as the underdogs getting their voice trampled on, and President Nixon is seen as evil. If Bob Woodward and Leonard Bernstein were written as conservatives, I doubt Robert Redford and Dustin Hoffman would have taken the parts. All I'm saying is they need to have balance with their liberal and conservative characters instead of writing the conservative characters as cartoon characters and their liberal characters as always in the right.

[Frobisher]

Maybe they would if the real ones stopped acting like cartoon villains.

[Powerboy]

You could create a fictional world (plenty to choose from in the CW DC multiverse) where the Republicans are more or less what they were in the Eisenhower era with a similar president or even the Bush, Sr. era. But, in an era where Republicans are dead set on racial gerrymandering, tax cuts for the wealthy and a president who is almost literally a cartoon character, it's kind of hard to see them as the heroes. Now, it would be fair to have a Bill Clinton style president who sexually harasses women and portray him as the villain. But the thing is, Woodward and Bernstein were the heroes and Nixon was a criminal regardless of what Redford and Hoffman might have done were it reversed and it was a Democrat.

But with democrats fighting for social security, the poor and minorities while Republicans want to build walls, play on ethnic bigotry for votes and defund SS, it's just absurd to say, "Well, in the interests of fairness, we must show both sides." Yeah, well, "both sides" just doesn't work. I'm sorry but the Reverse Flash, the Weather Wizard and Zoom are not the good guys and some "equal time " concept where everybody gets to be the good guys 50% of the time no matter what they actually do just doesn't work.

[The Cool Thatguy]

You could create a fictional world (plenty to choose from in the CW DC multiverse) where the Republicans are more or less what they were in the Eisenhower era with a similar president or even the Bush, Sr. era. But, in an era where Republicans are dead set on racial gerrymandering, tax cuts for the wealthy and a president who is almost literally a cartoon character, it's kind of hard to see them as the heroes. Now, it would be fair to have a Bill Clinton style president who sexually harasses women and portray him as the villain. But the thing is, Woodward and Bernstein were the heroes and Nixon was a criminal regardless of what Redford and Hoffman might have done were it reversed and it was a Democrat.

But with democrats fighting for social security, the poor and minorities while Republicans want to build walls, play on ethnic bigotry for votes and defund SS, it's just absurd to say, "Well, in the interests of fairness, we must show both sides." Yeah, well, "both sides" just doesn't work. I'm sorry but the Reverse Flash, the Weather Wizard and Zoom are not the good guys and some "equal time " concept where everybody gets to be the good guys 50% of the time no matter what they actually do just doesn't work.

Yeah, I could not agree more. Conservatives have pulled so far right, and complicit in a presidency worse than any that's come before, I just can't see them as heroes

[CTTT]

Ok, so basically I'm being told "shut up, conservatism is wrong, liberalism is the way to go". all because of where certain Republicans stand? Democrats have been accused of doing duplicitous things as well. But that's another issue. Just as every Democrat doesn't think alike, not all Republicans think alike as well. All, I'm saying is the show runners shouldn't pick a particular conservative politician that they see as racist, a bigot and only serves the wealthy and then write a character on a show based on that to portray that as the reality of what Republicans actually are. I'm just saying fair and balanced. I don't sew why if you support a certain conservative issue that makes you in the wrong, or why it shouldn't be portrayed fairly on a show.

[The Cool Thatguy]

Ok, so basically I'm being told "shut up, conservatism is wrong, liberalism is the way to go". all because of where certain Republicans stand? Democrats have been accused of doing duplicitous things as well. But that's another issue. Just as every Democrat doesn't think alike, not all Republicans think alike as well. All, I'm saying is the show runners shouldn't pick a particular conservative politician that they see as racist, a bigot and only serves the wealthy and then write a character on a show based on that to portray that as the reality of what Republicans actually are. I'm just saying fair and balanced. I don't sew why if you support a certain conservative issue that makes you in the wrong, or why it shouldn't be portrayed fairly on a show.

No one's saying that democrats are saints, but ya know what?

They're freakin' sane.

What modern conservative should they use, pray tell?

[Kirby101]

Ok, so basically I'm being told "shut up, conservatism is wrong, liberalism is the way to go". all because of where certain Republicans stand? Democrats have been accused of doing duplicitous things as well. But that's another issue. Just as every Democrat doesn't think alike, not all Republicans think alike as well. All, I'm saying is the show runners shouldn't pick a particular conservative politician that they see as racist, a bigot and only serves the wealthy and then write a character on a show based on that to portray that as the reality of what Republicans actually are. I'm just saying fair and balanced. I don't sew why if you support a certain conservative issue that makes you in the wrong, or why it shouldn't be portrayed fairly on a show.

The President is a racist bigot who only serves the wealthy, and every Republican supports him. Give an example of a good modern Republican please.

[jetengine]

In the 50s you would have had a chance. Now ? 90% of Republicans are awful or complicit in awful shit. Then theres the simple fact that Conservatism is falling apart on an ideological level because our society is moving faster and faster and they inherently want to slow us down. Plus the whole "Stay as privileged elite" shit.

[Username taken]

The President is a racist bigot who only serves the wealthy, and every Republican supports him. Give an example of a good modern Republican please.

Not to mention that a lot of them in the midst of a PANDEMIC are saying we should "sacrifice the old" for the economy.

[Starter Set]

I don't sew why if you support a certain conservative issue that makes you in the wrong, or why it shouldn't be portrayed fairly on a show.

Why do you need your political points of view to be validated by a freaking tv show anyway?

Conservatism, sadly, isn't going to disappear just cause it didn't get a shout out in the next reboot of "who's the boss". (with Tony Danza as Angela)

[Marvelgirl]

Bree Vanderkamp from Desperate Housewives

Common patterns of movies and tv is to mock conservative Republicans. Which is understandable to an extent, many of them can be hypocrites.Hollywood loves to portray liberals and democrats as the people who are in the long term right, which can sometimes be a delusional fantasy.

[numberthirty]

Ok, so basically I'm being told "shut up, conservatism is wrong, liberalism is the way to go". all because of where certain Republicans stand? Democrats have been accused of doing duplicitous things as well. But that's another issue. Just as every Democrat doesn't think alike, not all Republicans think alike as well. All, I'm saying is the show runners shouldn't pick a particular conservative politician that they see as racist, a bigot and only serves the wealthy and then write a character on a show based on that to portray that as the reality of what Republicans actually are. I'm just saying fair and balanced. I don't sew why if you support a certain conservative issue that makes you in the wrong, or why it shouldn't be portrayed fairly on a show.

Could you define "Fairly..."?

Like, exactly what that would look like in practice?

For instance, this Republican that "Doesn't Think Alike..."

What, exactly, does she/he look like? As for "The Reality Of What Republicans Actually Are...", where is the disconnect(in your opinion)? What is the scenario where supporting a conservative issue is actually in the right, and it's getting a bad rap(if I'm reading what you are saying correctly...)?

[CTTT]

Could you define "Fairly..."?

Like, exactly what that would look like in practice?

For instance, this Republican that "Doesn't Think Alike..."

What, exactly, does she/he look like? As for "The Reality Of What Republicans Actually Are...", where is the disconnect(in your opinion)? What is the scenario where supporting a conservative issue is actually in the right, and it's getting a bad rap(if I'm reading what you are saying correctly...)?

Well, an issue like gun control vs. the right to own firearms. I realize that a show like WW isn't like watching a real political debate, I just feel like the writers of the show should present the argument from both sides that makes good arguments for both and lets the viewer decide which character they lean towards. Instead of making the slant go obvious towards Jed Barlett because he's the liberal hero of the show because the writers are liberal over Arnold Vinick.

[Powerboy]

Ok, so basically I'm being told "shut up, conservatism is wrong, liberalism is the way to go". all because of where certain Republicans stand? Democrats have been accused of doing duplicitous things as well. But that's another issue. Just as every Democrat doesn't think alike, not all Republicans think alike as well. All, I'm saying is the show runners shouldn't pick a particular conservative politician that they see as racist, a bigot and only serves the wealthy and then write a character on a show based on that to portray that as the reality of what Republicans actually are. I'm just saying fair and balanced. I don't sew why if you support a certain conservative issue that makes you in the wrong, or why it shouldn't be portrayed fairly on a show.

Nobody has told you to shut up unless you think disagreeing with you is telling you to shut up.

I specifically gave examples of other presidents and other eras when being a conservative wasn't a bad thing. It was Eisenhower who said, “Should any political party attempt to abolish social security, unemployment insurance and eliminate labor laws and farm programs, you would not hear of that party again in our political history. There is a tiny splinter group, of course, that believes that you can do these things. Among them are a few Texas oil millionaires, and an occasional politician or businessman from other areas. Their number is negligible and they are stupid.”

“Every gun that is made, every warship launched, every rocket fired signifies in the final sense, a theft from those who hunger and are not fed, those who are cold and are not clothed. This world in arms is not spending money alone. It is spending the sweat of its laborers, the genius of its scientists, the hopes of its children. This is not a way of life at all in any true sense. Under the clouds of war, it is humanity hanging on a cross of iron.”

“Don't join the book burners. Don't think you're going to conceal faults by concealing evidence that they ever existed. Don't be afraid to go in your library and read every book...”

“The supreme quality for leadership is unquestionably integrity. Without it, no real success is possible, no matter whether it is on a section gang, a football field, in an army, or in an office.”

“As we peer into society's future, we -- you and I, and our government -- must avoid the impulse to live only for today, plundering for our own ease and convenience the precious resources of tomorrow. We cannot mortgage the material assets of our grandchildren without risking the loss also of their political and spiritual heritage. We want democracy to survive for all generations to come, not to become the insolvent phantom of tomorrow.”

“I hate war as only a soldier who has lived it can, only as one who has seen its brutality, its futility, its stupidity."

And those are just a few Eisenhower quotes. In my opinion, he was the last great Republican president and, possibly acknowledging Bush, Sr., the last one that was a decent president at all.

But the problem isn't just that the official leader of the Republican party today is a complete self-serving, incompetent fraud. It's that so many everyday Republicans have turned into ignorant fanatics in support of him that other Republicans have turned into ass kissing sychophants rather than risk their political positions with maybe one amazing surprise (Romney) who has possibly destroyed his own career by daring oppose this insanity.

So, no, I'm not thinking that every Republican is a Trump supporter. In fact, there are people who have left the Republican party rather than be part of what it currently is. But at the leadership level, it's a cross between genuinely supporting this madman or supporting him because they know the majority of the Republican party at the everyday citizen level thinks this self-serving lunatic is some kind of great president no matter what he actually says and does.

So the problem is that you do have a racist, bigot president who only serves the wealthy and you have almost all of the high level Republicans supporting him out of either agreement (because the serving only the wealthy part at least is what they want too) or they support him out of fear for their careers and inability to get votes if they oppose him. That, in turn, shows where the majority of the Republican voting public stands.

You show me a Republican president who says and does what Eisenhower said and did and a Republican party and Republican voters who support what Eisenhower said and did and I'll show you a Republican president who is a hero and the good guy. But don't show me a Republican party as corrupt and sad as the current one and tell me I have to give equal time as heroes no matter what they do.

[Malvolio]

I always wonder why in shows and movies that the flagship President or Senator that you're supposed to root for is always a Democrat. In a show like Designated Survivor, Keifer Sutherland's character is a Democrat. In a show like The West Wing, Jed Bartlet is a Democrat. Now as a conservative viewer myself, I watch Designated Survivor and want to watch the West Wing. I'm not that stingy or close minded. They're good shows. But I feel like with a political show if you want to show proper balance I think the show runners should hire a writing staff with both conservatives and liberals. But when you have Aaron Sorkin, who's as left leaning as it gets write for conservative characters that are self serving, evil conniving characters, that's not really balanced. That shows a bias. DS also has a Republican Congresswoman who in the first episode is seen as being in solidarity with Tom Kirkman, but in the next episode is seen as self serving and backstabbing. But I guess it's easier to have movies like The Post and All the President's Men where the newspapermen are seen as the underdogs getting their voice trampled on, and President Nixon is seen as evil. If Bob Woodward and Leonard Bernstein were written as conservatives, I doubt Robert Redford and Dustin Hoffman would have taken the parts. All I'm saying is they need to have balance with their liberal and conservative characters instead of writing the conservative characters as cartoon characters and their liberal characters as always in the right.

First of all, it was Carl Bernstein. Leonard Bernstein was a composer. Secondly, All of the President's Men was a true story. Did you want them to rewrite history just so you could see conservatives as heroes instead of villains? And finally, if you want to watch a movie with conservative heroes, go watch one of those Kirk Cameron produced "Left Behind" films. I'm sure you'll thoroughly enjoy it.