Sunday, October 7, 2012

'The Hope And The Change' A Game Changer


The new Citizens United documentary ‘The Hope and the Change’ employed former Carter pollster Pat Caddell to make sure that filmmaker Stephen K. Bannon was talking to Democrats and Independents who had voted for Barack Obama in 2008 and could ask them questions in terms that would reach them. Producer Dave Bossie also wanted Caddell to ensure that the questions posed to these Democrats and Independents that voted for Barack Obama in 2008 were asked in a way that didn’t speak to conservatives, didn’t speak to Republicans, but instead, that was trying to get to the heart of why they voted for Barack Obama in 2008 and what the turning points were that made them lose the hope that Barack Obama would deliver on the change he had promised.

The goal of the film was to give those Democratic and Independent voters that may now have “buyers remorse” permission to not vote for Obama again. To let them know it’s okay, you’re not alone, you’re not the only one that feels this way. You’re not a racist if you don’t vote for Barack Obama for a second term. You don’t even have to vote for Mitt Romney, it’s okay to just stay home.



While the 40 people highlighted in this movie are initially “euphoric” about electing the first black president and describe Obama with words like: “savior”, “charismatic”, “wondrous”, “a glow about him” and “idealic”, soon after he is elected and things like the auto bailout and the $787 billion “stimulus” are unveiled and the new president is presented with the Nobel Peace Prize, for achieving nothing, they immediately start to question their decision to vote for him, while still giving him the benefit of the doubt.

One of the most powerful sections in the movie is when these average, hardworking Americans express their profound anger at President Obama for taking so many lavish vacations to places like Aspen, Martha’s Vineyard and Hawaii – all on the taxpayer’s dime – when they haven’t had a vacation themselves in 6 years and are trying to figure out how they’re going to put gas in their car so they can get to work, if they’re fortunate enough to have a job, so they can pay their rent and put food on the table for their families. This is all crystallized when one woman says she doesn’t ever want to hear “that godforsaken slogan Hope and Change” ever again.

These folks are not conservatives, they’re not Republicans, they’re not Tea Party people. But what they are is fiscal conservatives, whether they know it or not, because they do understand that while they have to live within their means and can’t print money, the government is not living within it’s means and that out of control deficit spending is hurting them now and will cripple their children’s futures.

For conservatives viewing ‘The Hope and the Change’ it will be an eye-opening look into why so many people fell for what Barack Obama was selling in 2008. For “Reagan” Democrats and Independents suffering from buyers remorse, it will be the permission slip they’ve been seeking to make it okay to vote against Obama, or just stay home on November 6th. Either way, it’s a must see.

To hear my exclusive interview with Stephen K. Bannon click here.