Yes, Obama Should 'Go Bulworth'

Joan Walsh: He would do well to imitate Warren Beatty's character
By John Johnson,  Newser Staff
Posted May 16, 2013 4:38 PM CDT

The political catchphrase of the day: "Going Bulworth." It was tucked in a New York Times piece on President Obama's latest troubles, with Peter Baker writing this of the president:

  • "In private, he has talked longingly of 'going Bulworth,' a reference to a little-remembered 1998 Warren Beatty movie about a senator who risked it all to say what he really thought. While Mr. Beatty’s character had neither the power nor the platform of a president, the metaphor highlights Mr. Obama’s desire to be liberated from what he sees as the hindrances on him."

At Salon, Joan Walsh actually re-watched the movie today after hearing the reference. She hates the ending (yeah, it's from 1998, but we won't give it away just in case) but finds much in the rest that Obama could emulate. "With his administration paralyzed by Republican intransigence, and now by media-abetted scandal, I can see why a movie about a politician busting out of his constraints and telling us the truth would be a comfort. He should try to do more of it." Click for Walsh's full post. (More President Obama stories.)

Get the news faster.
Tap to install our app.
X
Install the Newser News app
in two easy steps:
1. Tap in your navigation bar.
2. Tap to Add to Home Screen.

X