The Distinguished Gentleman, directed by Jonathan Lynn is fiction, but it is based on the reality that democracy is not always for the people by the people, but for and by the people who previously voted for my father or family name.
Name recognition is the reason for political families. Canada has the Trudeau family, which is synonymous with the Liberal Party of Canada.
Justin Pierre James Trudeau, its current leader is the eldest son of Pierre Elliot Trudeau, who was the Prime Minister of Canada for 15 years. His eyes are on the prize, his father‘s former office in the Langenvin Block facing Parliament Hill in Ottawa.
Long before them was the Macdonald family. John A. Macdonald was the first Prime Minister in 1867. His son John Macdonald later became the premier of Manitoba, one of the provinces. Name recognition definitely had a hand in that.
The Mercier-Gouin, Meighen, McLeod, McGuinty, MacKenzie King, Lewis, Copps and Ghiz are some of the surnames associated with Canadian politics. Political advertising is definitely important in elections, but word of mouth is more potent.
Children listen to parents and grandparents reminisce about their voting patterns, which is invariably tied to a political family. They remember these sentiments when they are grown up and it is time to cast their ballots.
They might take voting seriously and do their homework or might be lazy voters who don ’t vote based on hot issues of the day. Some don ’t really care where the country is going.
Name Recognition in Politics
The movie The Distinguished Gentleman does not deal with political families specifically. We are using it as a trampoline for this discussion because of name recognition, and American voters certainly recognize names such as Roosevelt, Daley, Kennedy, Bush or Clinton.
That is why the United States had a president called George Herbert Walker Bush from 1989-1993 and another one without the Herbert from 2001-2009, just George W. Bush.
More recently, Debbie Dingell, announced that she will run for the Michigan seat her husband, Republican John Dingell held on Capitol Hill for 58 years. She is running on the Democratic Party ticket.
Paul Kane and Sean Sullivan reported in The Washington Post on February 25, 2014, ‘‘John Dingell’s father held his seat before he followed in his footsteps. If Debbie Dingell wins and spends nine terms in office, a Dingell will have held the seat for 100 years‘‘.
Voting a tedious process
Basically, name recognition kicks in when voters do not have time to study the merits and demerits of a candidate‘s stand on immigration; making Canada and the United States one country; banning North Sea oil exploration; making killing a rhino a death penalty offence; legalizing marijuana or instituting free university education.
They just vote for names they know, a phrase Eddie Murphy‘s character uses constantly in the movie. There‘s an interesting scene where a couple doesn ’t know who to vote for. Who did we vote for last time honey? The man asks his wife.
Movie Plot
Thomas Jefferson Johnson (Eddie Murphy) is a con man. He learns from his aunt how people voted for a dead man because they were used to voting for him. His con mind goes into overdrive and decides that politics is the greatest con on earth and he wants a piece of the cheese.
An opportunity comes up when Jeff Johnson from Florida dies in the arms of his political assistant. Thomas lives in Florida with his aunt and cousin Loretta. He explains the con to Loretta and his con friends. They buy it after much reluctance.
Thomas has a modus operandi. His real name is Thomas Jefferson Johnson. He drops the first name and prunes the second one to Jeff and he becomes Jeff Johnson, the name you know.
He has no money let alone an advertising budget. He needs promotional material to tell the world that he is running for the Florida seat in Congress.
A funny scene is when he visits the dead man‘s widow and pretends to be a historian interested in preserving his memory. He asks for campaign posters, booklets, banners everything.
She is still bitter about his death because she had known about his mistress for a long time. ‘Take them‘, she says, checking out his fit body. Thomas and his volunteers replace the dead man‘s photograph with his.
Thomas runs and wins, based on the campaign slogan, Jeff Johnson the Name You Know.
Media and Name Recognition
Reporters were called newshounds before they were upstaged by Twitter, the new platform for breaking news. They want to give the public as much information as they want. Some people like it that Debbie Dingell wants to maintain family tradition.
Canadians of the Liberal Party persuasion are pleased as punch that Justin Trudeau is following in his father‘s footsteps. New immigrants voting for the first time might use this information when casting their votes.
Some might not like the idea of a political dynasty especially if they come from countries ruled by self-appointed dictators. Whichever way, the media inadvertently contributes to name recognition
How Political Dynasties Are Formed
It is upbringing or exposure. Children who are used to playing with mummy‘s stethoscope are most likely to be doctors. Yes, there are those who might hate it and denounce mummy as a capitalist bourgeois on the Dr. Phil TV show but they are not in the majority.
Little Justin Trudeau, together with his mother Margaret Sinclair Trudeau, and his brothers Alexandre and Michel, lived in 24 Sussex Drive in Ottawa because his father Pierre Trudeau was the Prime Minister of Canada. It is quite understandable that he would like to live in that house again.
Children of politicians grow up in the limelight. They see the adoration when voters look at their parents. They love waving at the camera. They love the campaign trail. They might doze on in the campaign bus but that is fine. The media will think it is too cute.
They enjoy the perks of office. They end up knowing the country better than Geography majors. They also see foreign countries, dine with kings and presidents.
Hollywood likes movies where Sean is a cop because his father was a cop. Name recognition makes it possible for children of prime ministers and presidents to be prime ministers and presidents.
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