One of director Robert Altman's most ambitious projects was an elaborate television mini series called Tanner '88 about a fictional candidate for president (played by Altman regular Michael Murphy) competing in the 1988 Democratic primary.
The film tossed Murphy into actual locations alongside real candidates, and even inserted him into footage of debates. What he wound up with was part documentary -- capturing a hard fought nomination fight that came down (improbably) to Michael Dukakis and Rev. Jesse Jackson. -- part satire of how increasingly commodified politics had become.
Of course, on some level that's quaint. Campaigns have only gotten longer and more sickeningly corrupted by money. The parties have also dramatically evolved. Republicans have gotten more conservative, and although some would argue to the contrary, Democrats have gotten more liberal.
For instance, in '88 Jackson's campaign was considered radical because he supported issues like a national health care program and gay rights -- now this is an established part of Democratic orthodoxy.
It also came out at a time when television advertising had arguably never been more powerful. To this day, experts on both sides of the aisle believe a racist ad blaming Dukakis for the crimes of a furloughed black convict (named Willie Horton) played a significant role in swinging the election to George H.W. Bush and the Republicans.
Today, Democrats have outspent Republicans in the last two elections and they narrowly lost won and not so narrowly won another -- and few people think TV ads made the difference.
The Tanner character is a former '60s activist turned center left Democrat -- think a less sleazy Bill Clinton -- but that generation and style of politics has eroded. Barring some bizarre comeback in 2024, Joe Biden will almost certainly be the last person from his generation to ascend to the White House. Finally, there will be no more debates about who did and didn't serve in Vietnam.
But of course, there are things that have never changed. The circus like atmosphere around these campaigns overwhelms voters -- the actual motivations and policy positions of the candidates of often get completely buried.
I am always stunned every four years how many people say they "don't know" where either major party candidate stands on the issues. It's historically a popularity contest and one could even argue that after 2020, it's become an amateur punditry contest.
For all his strong points, Joe Biden was not chosen because he was the best person or the best candidate. He was chosen because Democratic voters (perhaps rightly) determined that he had the right elements to defeat Donald Trump, and his actual positions.
And the party loyalty has become so tribal, that it's almost as if it doesn't matter since so many people have culturally aligned themselves with one side of the other. Millions of people voted for Donald Trump not because the liked him (his approval never hit 50% once his entire time in office) but because he had an R next to his name.
In real life and in the world of Tanner '88 there was a sense that that campaign and eventually the general election represented a low point in American politics -- but we have only sunk lower in the decades since.
Misinformation has been a dramatic, toxic force in our politics. Thanks to the Supreme Court's Citizens United decision, money in politics has gotten even more obscene. And we are literally in the midst of an attempted coup -- where the losing candidate is refusing to concede, claiming the 'media' has decided the race (even when they were declared president-elect in the exact same fashion) and actively trying to convince state legislatures to ignore the will of the people.
It's frightening, it's a new low. and would have been inconceivable to Robert Altman and co. over 30 years ago.
It might be impossible to replicate what Altman did -- primary politics are so massive and unwieldy now, I doubt any director would get the access he did. So for now I will periodically revisit this amazing piece of work as the wonderful time capsule it is.
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