Barack Obama- Fred Armisen
Michell Obama- Michelle Rudolph
George Bush Jr.- Will Ferrell
George Bush Sr.- Dana Carvey
Bill Clinton- Darrell Hammond
Jimmy Carter- Dan Aykroyd
Gerald Ford- Chevy Chase
Ronald Reagan- Jim Carrey
This star studded cast brings forth vast credibility to this video. Although the conversation between the presidents is where the true persuasion resides. The dialogue between the presidents is not only hilarious, but still some-what in line with what we'd expect these presidents to say on the matter.
Despite how most comments are said to be funny, there is a serious message behind this video.
Lets walk through the dialogue:
The video starts with Obama saying "i'm tired of getting my butt kicked by both sides of this", this statement refers to the attacks on the president coming from both parties. Note, this video was made in 2010 so i few things have changed, like the presidents approval rating. Next the president identifies the whole point of this video a discussion on creating a consumer protection agency. As the president starts to drift off to sleep, George Bush Jr and Bill Clinton bust in his room. There are a few remarks made poking fun at Bush Jr's intellegence and Clinton's sexuality. Then Bush Sr. joins the bunch to make a few witty remarks and advocate the consumer protection program. "I know a thing or two about doin whats right and being on time" says Jimmy Carter entering the room. Carter continues, "Mr. president you have to establish the consumer fine protection agency. The people are tired of being ripped off by credit card companies and banks". Reagan cuts in "I went up agains Tip O'niel...but I just pushed through the competition and clabbered everybody and took down that wall". Gerald Ford is the last to arrive for some more personal remarks in a jovial manner. The video comes to a closure when Barak Obama says, "what you're saying is I should clean up the mess that you've all created". Reagan responds, "It's a bitch, but as George Washington once said to John Adams, tag you're it". These last two remarks are the icing on the cake. They illustrate how not one man created all these problems and not one man can solve them but through dialogue we can at least come closer to problem solving.
There are some ideological ideals present in the artifact. One ideology being that it doesn't matter whether you lean toward the right or the left in politics we shouldn't let it divide us, we should all be on team, America. Whether a president was republican or democratic in the end of the day has no relevance it's what they contributed to America as a person, not a party. Furthermore that its the collection of persons that have got us to where we are today.This ideology is illustrated by the actors, an interview of the videos director in entertainment weekly reveals, "The thing was, you had to get everyone (the star filled cast), or it wouldn't work. And you know, without naming names, some of these guys are Republicans. But the cause helped. Everyone felt it was so ridiculous to hesitate on financial reform. Democrat or Republican. It's common sense". This statement embodies the ideology that regardless your political stance there is only one side to be on, the one that benefits our country. But the value of being American is not the only ideology present in the video. As reported in the Chicago Tribune, this video was made in part by the Americans for Financial Reform, a group to support greater financial regulation. This group is a partner to Americans for Fairness in Lending, they push for new regulatory measures for financial fairness. Thus there is a political agenda derived from the ideology of fairness applied to finance.
Whether you view this video as pure entertainment, or a skit that pokes fun at politics, There is a relevance to our current political system, and an firm call to action illustrated by ideological appeals.
Reference:
Manker, Rob. (March 3, 2010). Funny or Die 'Presidential Reunion'. Chicago Tribune.
Svetkey, Benjamin. (March 3, 2010), 'Presidential Reunion': How'd they do that? Entertainment Weekly.
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