'The Town' Unlikely Movie of Choice to Inspire GOP

The Town is a movie set in Massachusetts, which is hardly a Republican-friendly area. But the GOP is trying so badly to stay united on the debt ceiling battle, it will draw inspiration from any movie set anywhere. However, The Town wouldn't strike many people as an inspirational film, unless it inspires bank robbers to rob armored trucks or Fenway Park. Yet the Republicans used a short excerpt to fire up its members, although it made everyone else laugh.

According to the Washington Post, instead of using a rousing, emotional speech from another film, House Majority Whip Kevin McCarthy played a moment in which Ben Affleck's master bank robber tells trigger-happy partner Jeremy Renner to help him hurt people, no questions asked. Renner's character merely asks "Whose car are we gonna take?" which is the kind of unquestioning, brutal loyalty that McCarthy, John Boehner and the GOP need at a time like this.

But with under 48 hours to go before the debt ceiling deadline, that kind of commitment and refusal to compromise could result in disaster for the country. And since the Republicans are now using movie thieves and criminals to draw their inspiration from, that is giving the left all-new fodder to attack the GOP.

Jon Stewart, Bill Maher and Lawrence O'Donnell have already ridiculed their choice of film on their TV shows. What's more, it may not have really helped the GOP bring the Tea Party into line- since in their context, the clip seems to compare the Tea Party to Renner's psychopath. But although he got into line to help his partner, the Tea Party is still not warming to Boehner/Affleck and his demands for them to get in line.

All the demonstration may have done is drum up publicity for The Town, which is almost fitting since the clip played days before the movie's premiere on HBO. Yet if the Republicans really wanted to draw a comparison with the film, they probably would have done better using Affleck himself.

Affleck was a major star in the early part of the 00's, like the Republicans were under President George W. Bush. Yet in the middle of the decade, both brands took a massive hit and were tarnished by scandal, bad choices and overexposure. But Affleck got back to respectability near the end of the decade, when he chose better projects and got into directing. In fact, The Town brought him to another level last fall, just weeks before the GOP's big midterm victory.

But Affleck is a committed Democrat and member of the hated Hollywood liberal elite, so perhaps the right-wing may be more reluctant to compare itself with him. Yet it has no problem using his movie for inspiration- even though it probably gave more inspiration to the opposition.

Sources

Washington Post- "The GOP's debt ceiling movie night- The Town? Really?"

Huffington Post- "Lawrence O'Donnell Roasts GOP For Playing The Town At Debt Ceiling Meeting"