Film Review: Steal the Vote, Fahrenheit 911, Amazing Grace and Bulworth
Andrew Gumbell, the U.S. correspondent for the United Kingdom's Independent newspaper, and Michael Moore's film Fahrenheit 911 are similar in that they both discuss the role of fraud in American elections. The difference is that whereas in Fahrenheit 911, the fraud examined is that of the 2000 Presidential elections, with an argument that this is a new phenomena in American politics, Steal the Vote shows that fraud has historically been part of our election system.Gumbel traces the role of election fraud in American elections from the eighteenth century to the present. He focuses on the Hayes versus Tilden election of 1876, the vote buying that was prevalent in the Gilded Age, and the history of black disenfranchisement that has been rampant in post-Reconstruction South. The final part of the book highlights the 2000 and 2004 elections. According to Gumbel, the Florida election issue of 2000 and the resulting decision by Supreme Court Justice Scalia in Bush v. Gore is the epitome of the state of free elections and voting rights in the United States. According to the decision, "the Constitution does not per se guarantee a right of suffrage." Gumbel's point is that the confusion and cheating that occurred in Florida are n
Moore's central argument is that because of the disenfranchisement of African American votes, Bush was able to steal the 2000 election, thanks to the help of the Supreme Court, and implement its destructive policies. Jonathan Kozol's Amazing Grace shows the state of American society when its political system is bought out from under them. Franz Fanon would also not be surprised, yet still be angered, by this information, particularly the disenfranchisement of African American voters, seen as a form of imperialism or even colonialism. Fahrenheit 911, on the other hand, spends a majority of its time focusing on the corruption in the Bush administration, particularly as to the war in Iraq. Marx and Fanon too would be unsurprised yet disturbed, arguing that this is essentially the result of the class system, or colonization, that occurs at the hands of the ruling class (the corporations). On the other hand, DeTocqueville would not be very surprised by the corruption of American elections. Essentially, the corruption found in our elections is an outgrowth of our infatuation with wealth. The entire basis of the Federalist Papers is that democracy is based on the rule of the people, which is created through free elections. These are neighborhoods were the people have given up hope on America. In a neighborhood where the median income is $7,600 per year, Kozol highlights the resilience of children, such as fifteen year old Alicea. According to his writings, he commented on how he has never seen a democratic society so enthralled with wealth. At the heart of the democracy they created was a concept of equality for all, that all would have an opportunity at achieving the American Dream. The authors of the Federalist Papers would be disgusted by this information. The book is made up of telling the story of various people and families, with each narrative having its own unique flavor and style that allow the reader to gain a personal understanding of the crushing nature of poverty in America as told by those who are part of it. Particularly of interest are his comments on how corporations control the American political system and that therefore both Democrats and Republicans are equally as bad as each other.
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Acceptance Essays
