1.
In the 1998 book adaptation Primary Colors, a thinly fictionalized account of the 1992 Clinton presidential campaign is portrayed through the character of Senator Jack Stanton (John Travolta). The character of Henry Burton, a stand-in for George Stephanopoulos, is an African-American campaign manager who deals with the increasingly-complex picture of his candidate as the campaign continues. As the film goes on, the campaign staff of Stanton's presidency have to deal with a number of issues, including infidelities and power plays by other candidates. The difference between the real Stanton and the idealist he portrays to the American people is shown through the dishonesty he demonstrates to Burton and his staff - it is revealed that Stanton is someone who has good political ideals, but significant character flaws and the willingness to compromise his ideals to get into office.
2.
I believe that the film, all in all, shows a very accurate picture of American politics, if for no other reason than the fact it was a satirized account of real American presidential campaigns. The cult of personality, and the compromise of methods for the sake of chasing glory, that are found in presidential campaigns are brought up very well here, as Stanton is far from the humble, charismatic leader that the campaign portrays him to be. The affair with Cashmere, the hairdresser of Stanton's wife, closely mirrors the kinds of scandals political officials often encounter - in fact, that particular incident was a mirror of the Gennifer Flowers 1992 sex scandal between her and Bill Clinton (Stout, 1998). Personal lives are always part and parcel of a presidential campaign (and even a presidency), and Primary Colors showed how the man shown in the media is often a far cry from who they really are.
3.
The film Primary Colors demonstrates the cult of personality that a sufficiently charismatic politician can have, and the power they wield over the people. People want to believe that candidates are honest, humble, beyond reproach, and willing to solve problems. Stanton wants to portray himself as this figure, even going so far as to say, "I'm gonna do something really dangerous - tell the truth." This unites the crowd, and garners support for the candidate. However, in a private meeting with Burton, he reveals that he is far from honest, and he knows that even the best candidates lie and cheat to get what they want. "You know as well as I do - there are plenty of people playing this game that don't think that way. They are willing to sell their souls, crawl through sewers, lie to people, divide them, and prey on their worst fears for nothing. Just for the prize."
4.
In order to deal with this problem of candidate dishonesty, there needs to be a change in the factors that contribute to it. The overall thesis of Primary Colors is that, without the influence of the media, politics, and the need for competing interests to support you in order to get ahead, Stanton could have been just as honest. Of course, his own character flaws (his philandery, etc.) are all part of the game, and compromise him just as equally. However, a sufficient antidote to that would be to not allow politicians' personal lives to distract from their politics or the way in which they are going to preside over their constituents. If the media and the public focused more on how the leader led, they would not need to focus their energies on such damage control. Furthermore, presidents would not need to put on airs of dishonesty in order to woo voters; today, not only do presidents need to show they stand for their values, but they need to be someone you'd 'like to get a beer with.' In essence, personal politics need to be removed from governmental politics.
5.
There are several conclusions I would like to draw from the film Primary Colors. First of all, the Bill Clinton presidential campaign, like many others, was a cutthroat political race that left many sides scrambling to maintain some semblance of control in the face of uncontrollable candidates and threats from the outside. Noting just how difficult presidential campaigns can be, I can conclude that even the most virtuous candidates have skeletons in their closet, and that there are always two sides to every story. The film taught me to be a bit more cautious when buying into a media-fueled persona of a political figure, as it may not always be what it seems. Jack Stanton's own lecherous personality is a far cry from the sweet, affable man he seems to be in front of the cameras, and that could (and does) happen to nearly everyone who runs for political office.
References
Nichols, M. Dir. (1998). Primary Colors. Perf. John Travolta, Emma Thompson, Billy Bob
Thornton. Universal Studios.
Stout, David (1998-03-21). "TESTING OF A PRESIDENT: THE OTHER WOMAN; Flowers
Acknowledges Earning $500,000 From Scandal". The New York Times.
