Straight Line Relationships

Movie reivew: “State of the Union“, starring Spencer Tracy and Katherine Hepburn. 

An industrialist (Tracy) starts a run for the presidency.  He begins with fire and ideas, but twists to follow the professional politicos who promise to get him elected.

 (transcribed from the DVD, all credit goes to the real writers)

The politicos talking about their man, and a long-standing conundrum: “He’s beggining to wonder if there is any difference between the Democratic Party and the Republican Party.”  “.. There’s all the difference in the world: they’re in and we’re out.”

This speech, from Grant Matthews, the budding candidate: “You better not worry so much about tax reduction until we accomplish some of the things we have to accomplish.  I’m gonna tell ‘em that the weathiest nation in the world
is a failure unless it’s also the healthiest nation in the world.  That means the highest medical care for the lowest income groups, and that goes for housing too.  One thing this nation is not rich enough to afford is
not having a roof over our heads.  And I’m going to tell them that the American dream is not making money.
It is the well-being and the freedom of the individual throughout the world from Patagonia to Detroit.  We can’t be an island of plenty in a world of starvation, you know.  We need to send food, clothing, machinery, and money, to the bitter, impoverished people of the world.  Try to re-create their self-respect.  Give them the desire again for individual freedom.  And I’m gonna tell them that as long as dictatorships remain in the world,
we’ve got to remain well-armed.  Because the next time we’re not gonna get two years to get ready; they’re gonna jump us overnight.

“And I’m gonna tell them that there’s only one government which is capable of handling the atomic control, world disarmament, world employment, world peace, and that’s a world government.  The people of 13 states started the United States of America.  Well, I think the people of that many nations is now ready to start a United States of the World, … with or without Russia …  and I mean a -united- states of the world, with one bill of rights, one international law, one international currency, one international citizenship.

“And I’m gonna tell them that the brotherhood of man is not just an idealistic dream, but a practical necessity if man is going to survive.”

That bit was worthy of Aaron Sorkin.  It was written in a time that they feared the spread of Communism.  Communism is weakened; funny how much of the rest is still unachieved.

I love good writing.

To close, this line was fun, too, delivered by Kate Hepburn: “No woman could ever run for President — she’d have to admit she was over 35!”

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