The GOP and the un-Magificent Seven film franchise: a lot in common.

I'm a film fan.

I like great films. If your'e not a regular to the blog, you may find it an odd and quirky combination of film comments, political review and a dash or two of good 'ol Bible commentary. I know, I know, it's really an odd mix, but such is life.

 

One of my all time favorite films is the 1960 masterpiece, "The Magnificent Seven". Yul Brynner, as "Chris" led the Seven...all the way to box office gold!

In a way, it's a lot like the National GOP....the 1980 tsunami election of Ronald Reagan brought out some of the most magnificent elected and appointed officials. The "theater run" was a box office bonanza!!

Then came "The Return of the Seven" Hmmm...same plot, only one same actor: Yul Brynner ("Chris", again). All the rest were B rated TV actors. A lot like Reagan's second term. Stars were fading, new guys were soap opera "stars", if that.

Then came "The Guns of the Magnificent Seven". Out goes Yul Brynner, in comes George Kennedy. Even the TV actors were small C-rated people...But the main character's name was still named "Chris". Do I hear Contract with America somewhere in here? Newt "Chris" Gingrich didn't quite look like Yul Brynner Reagan, did he?

 

Then came  the long-awaited big-budget sequel to the sequel to the sequel: "The Magnificent Seven Ride" with Lee Van Cleef as "Chris". Having just tried to kill EVERYONE in "The Good the Bad and the Ugly", the new Chris looked ever so menacing, even as he tried to help poor people....Sounds like the National GOP of 2000? Nobody ever believed new-Speaker Denny Hastert was leading us anywhere (as even a bad sequel to a sequel to a sequel of old-Speaker Gingrich).

"Tell me when the bad man goes away, Daddy!"

Sorry son, not yet.....then"The Magificent Seven" TV series popped up and wiped out. (It's not worth even a photo credit) Oh, my God...horrible hardly describes it. It's like watching a whole GOP convention dancing and  wearing Ronald Reagan masks, long after he died. This has been the GOP Congress for the last 8 years....masks and empty lines memorized by many empty suits. ...ready to be ignored at the polls.

And THAT is what we witnessed on Election Day Tuesday. The Magnificent Seven was sooo long gone, that even the MANY poser-films and TV shows had no clue. No one "got it" except the audience...er I mean the voters....

It's time for a new adventure...a new film...a new vision, isn't it?

Den

Comments

[Larry Rampenthal]

Den, you nailed it.... where did the republicans go? for 8 years they spent spent spent... then wondered what happened.... yes, the voters know what happened, they were empty suits trying to look like conservatives.... the Reagan mask was transparent. We didn't see Reagan, we saw self indulgence.

Then you see the McCain campaign lose the election and the McCain insiders casting blame on Sarah Palin…Where is the leadership there? Ugly ! It is no wonder they lost the election. A divided house will fall…and they did.

Maybe this is a good thing …to get the fake conservatives out of office so the republican party can get back to the way it was …conservative.

[Dennis]

Thanks, Larry. Your points are well taken.

Maybe it's NOT just me; I thought the comparison of the un-Magnificent Seven film franchise to the GOP is a real parable of how a person can wear a cowboy hat and not be a cowboy...AND that a photocopy of a photocopy of a photocopy is the worst of all images.

Den

[Ron Bengtson]

Good analogy Dennis.

I would like to hear your opinion of Cal Thomas' recent column, titled: RELIGIOUS RIGHT R.I.P.
http://www.calthomas.com/index.php?news=2419

I often wonder how many people have been turned-off to Jesus because Christian conservatives confused political goals with Christ's Ministry.

I recently heard a Pastor say he would not mix politics and his faith again... he said, "When you mix religion and politics, you always end up with politics."