Politics in The Simpsons
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Politics is a common theme in the animated television series The Simpsons, and this phenomenon has had some crossover with real American politics. U.S. conservatives have voiced opposition to the show.[citation needed] U.S. President George H. W. Bush has even said that the U.S. needs to be closer to The Waltons than to The Simpsons (although his son, George W. Bush is an admitted fan of the show).[citation needed] If the show has a liberal slant, this was joked about in the episode "The Simpsons 138th Episode Spectacular," in which reference was made to "hundreds of radical right-wing messages inserted into every show by creator Matt Groening." More recently, however, at least one conservative has adopted a derisive Simpsons term for the French, "cheese-eating surrender monkeys".[1]
In the DVD commentaries, creator Matt Groening and the majority of people who work on the show state several times that they are very liberal, but some, such as John Swartzwelder (the writer of the most episodes), are conservative.
Political affiliations of Simpsons characters have also been speculated on. [1] See political affiliations below.
Political topics addressed on The Simpsons include gay marriage (in the episode "There's Something About Marrying"), gun rights ("The Cartridge Family"), evolution vs. creationism ("The Monkey Suit"), and election campaigns ("Sideshow Bob Roberts," "Mr. Spritz Goes to Washington").
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[edit] Political affiliations
This is a list of characters on The Simpsons by their political affiliation.
[edit] Republicans
- Montgomery Burns — shown at a Republican Party meeting in "Sideshow Bob Roberts" and "Brawl in the Family". Runs for governor on a seemingly right wing platform in "Two Cars in Every Garage, Three Eyes on Every Fish."
- Rainier Wolfcastle (a.k.a. McBain) — at the same Republican Party meeting as Mr. Burns. A parody of Republican Arnold Schwarzenegger.
- Dr. Hibbert — at the same Republican Party meeting as Mr. Burns and McBain; likely due to Hibbert being a parody of Bill Cosby.
- The Rich Texan — also at the meeting.
- Count Dracula — also at the meeting, along with Frankenstein (who has been renamed "Franken-Reagan).
- Sideshow Bob — briefly served as Republican mayor of Springfield.
- Krusty the Clown — In "Mr. Spritz Goes to Washington" is elected to Congress as a Republican. Seen as a Republican party member in "Brawl in the Family". Also present at the meeting.
- Ned Flanders — Ned is a very conservative Christian who has sometimes expressed disdain for liberals. It has been stated that his voice is also reminiscent of former President George H.W. Bush, whom he befriended in one episode, "Two Bad Neighbors".
- Birch Barlow — conservative radio talk-show host, modeled after Rush Limbaugh.[citation needed]
- Waylon Smithers — Loyal assistant to Burns, was present at the Springfield Republican meeting. Because of Smithers' sexual orientation, he can be considered a Log Cabin Republican. However, in Sideshow Bob Roberts, he secretly helps Lisa get rid of Sideshow Bob, saying that his extreme right wing views went against his choice of lifestyle.
One of the Springfield Republicans' evil plots was to rename everything after Ronald Reagan, a reference to the Ronald Reagan Legacy Project which aims to attach Reagan's name to landmarks in every U.S. state and county.
The Springfield Republican Party headquarters is an isolated lair, usually a Transylvanian castle on a mountain, which is usually depicted amid flashes of lightning and ominously spooky mood music. At one Springfield Republican Party meeting, Bob Dole is depicted reading from the Necronomicon.
The early seasons of the show frequently made fun of Richard Nixon; in Treehouse of Horror IV, he is shown working for the devil.
In "Bart Gets an Elephant", the attendees of the Republican Convention use the slogans "We want what's worst for everyone" and "We're just plain evil".
[edit] Democrats
- Marge Simpson, in "Marge Gets a Job", is reported to have voted for Jimmy Carter twice. She is also a strong proponent of Burns's Democratic rival Mary Bailey for state governor in the episode, "Two Cars in Every Garage and Three Eyes on Every Fish". In "There's Something About Marrying", Marge is a leading advocate of gay marriage.
- Mayor Quimby, whose character and family are based on the Democratic Kennedy family,[citation needed] is challenged by Republican Sideshow Bob for the mayoralty in "Sideshow Bob Roberts".
- Lisa Simpson supports feminism and environmentalism and criticises materialism. Thus, she may be said to be leftist-oriented. In "Mr. Spritz Goes to Washington", when Krusty the Clown runs for Congress, Lisa says "I usually don't give advice to Republicans...." In the video game The Simpsons: Hit and Run, Lisa greets some characters with "Hello, vote Democrat," and when you crash she sometimes yells out "More Liberal guilt!" She is also a subscriber to The New Republic for Kids magazine. In any case, Lisa is still a child (and always will be in the Simpsons universe) and hence ineligible to vote. In Bart to the Future, an adult Lisa Simpson was shown as the President of the United States (also see below), but there was no reference concerning her political affiliation throughout that episode.
- Mary Bailey was the former Democratic mayor of Springfield, although she was never seen in this role during the show. Currently, she is the state governor, a position that Mr. Burns had tried to win from her in an election.
A statue of the 39th President, Jimmy Carter, was built in Springfield with the sign "Malaise Forever!" and was referred to as "History's greatest monster!".
The show has also poked fun at former Vice President Walter Mondale on three separate occasions.
In "Bart Gets an Elephant," the attendees of the Democratic Convention use the slogans "We hate life and ourselves" and "We can't govern".
[edit] Communists
- Abraham Simpson is shown to be a card-carrying member of the Communist Party in "Homer the Great". However, at the same time, he is shown to be an Elk, a Freemason, and the president of the Gay and Lesbian Alliance "for some reason."
[edit] Homer's political views
The political views of Homer Simpson are in dispute. Homer has many Republican characteristics, such as his contempt for the United Nations in Guess Who's Coming to Criticize Dinner?. In part two of Who Shot Mr. Burns, Homer was seen wearing a "Haig in '88" shirt. However, in Regarding Margie Homer goes through a scrapbook with two pictures of himself punching George H. W. Bush and George W. Bush. Homer Simpson also had a well-known brouhaha with George H. W. Bush in Two Bad Neighbors, and told him to "apologize for the tax hike!" It should be noted, though, that Homer seemed to have a good friendship with former President Gerald Ford, who was Republican. Homer's possible liberal slant is shown when he calls President Bush "Commander Coo-Coo Bananas" in "The Father, The Son, and The Holy Guest Star" when he threatens to send Bart into the army.
[edit] Election campaigns and corruption
Several episodes seemingly critique how election campaigns are run. For example, in his campaign for governor, Mr. Burns blatantly lies about a three-eyed fish, portraying a mutation resulting from poor safety standards at the Springfield Nuclear Power Plant as a natural phenomenon. In "Sideshow Bob Roberts", Sideshow Bob runs a negative campaign against Mayor Quimby, and eventually Bob rigs the election. The episode "Mr. Spritz Goes to Washington" also sees the Republican Krusty winning an election partly through conservative bias in FOX broadcasting, specifically Fox News Channel, with the presenter referring to the Democratic candidate as 'our red friend', with devil horns while anti-Democratic slurs scroll along the news ticker such as "Do Democrats cause cancer?", "Dan Quayle: Awesome" and "Hillary Clinton embarrasses self, nation".
In the episode "Mr. Lisa Goes to Washington," Lisa Simpson witnesses her representative, Congressman Bob Arnold, receive a bribe, and subsequently her patriotism is severely damaged. However, the show goes on to depict his downfall with his removal from Congress, and Lisa's confidence in the system is restored.
In Bart's Comet, the city of Springfield is under threat of destruction from a comet and the only bridge out of town has been destroyed. Kent Brockman on the Channel 6 news shows footage of congress trying to help out and the following exchange takes place:
- House Speaker: Then it is unanimous. We are going to approve the bill to evacuate the town of Springfield in the great state of....
- Congressman: Wait a second, I want to tack on a rider to that bill. Thirty million dollars of taxpayer money to support the perverted arts.
- House Speaker: All in favour of the amended Springfield/pervert bill? (members of congress boo) Bill defeated.
- Kent Brockman: (on TV) I've said it before and I'll say it again—democracy simply doesn't work.
In "See Homer Run", Mayor Quimby faces corruption charges and accidentally quotes the town charter, which allows for recall elections. Over two hundred people run (in an obvious parody of the 2003 California Recall), including Rainer Wolfcastle (also spoofing Arnold Schwarzenegger, who won the recall election) and even Homer. Homer is initially a sure-win candidate, but at a debate his Safety Salamander costume, which is the reason for his popularity, tears apart. In the end, no one receives the five percent needed to unseat Quimby, leaving him as mayor of Springfield.
[edit] Independents and minor political parties
None of the characters in the Simpsons animated series have been labeled as being an independent or affiliating with a minor political party. However, third political parties do exist in the fictional universe, albeit they are often not shown as a viable choice.
- When Ned Flanders first openeded up the "Leftorium" ("When Flanders Failed"), it almost went under and Ned made a comment to Homer that the Springfield Libertarian Party would be using the space occupied by the store.
- When Maggie is sent to day care, she is sent to one that operated under the principles of Ayn Rand, who is sometimes seen as a major influence on American Libertarianism.
- Frequent Green Party presidential candidate Ralph Nader is seen in the Simpsons episode Brawl in the Family as secret member of the Springfield Republican Party, no doubt a joke based upon the belief that Nader cost Al Gore the 2000 presidential election.
- In the Treehouse of Horror VII segment Citizen Kang, aliens Kang and Kodos abduct current US presidential candidates Bill Clinton and Bob Dole and impersonate them. Several political jokes are made throughout the segment including a joke where Kang and Kodos, after being unmasked by Homer, state that they could either vote for one of them or "throw [their] vote away" on a third party candidate (to which Reform Party candidate Ross Perot is shown in the crowd.) Kang ends up winning and enslaving humanity.
[edit] Government power
Occasionally, complaints about overtaxation can be seen in The Simpsons, such as in "The Trouble with Trillions," in which Mr. Burns, Homer, and Smithers actually leave the US, claiming it was due to its taxes-- however, Burns was also wanted by the FBI for grand grand grand grand larceny, and this was likely the real reason for their flight. In "Bart to the Future," the public reacts unfavorably to a proposed tax raise by Lisa (by then President).
Contemporary concerns about judicial power are reflected by the judge giving Principal Skinner a false identity in "The Principal and the Pauper" and limiting free speech by ruling that anyone who speaks of this should be tortured, although Lisa made a short reference to Skinner's true identity in I, D'oh-Bot.
An interesting debate on government funding versus government taxation can be seen in "The PTA Disbands". Edna Krabappel claims that the demands of the teachers are reasonable, asking simply for better supplies and a modest cost of living wage increase. Principal Seymour Skinner replies that the school is on a very tight budget as it is, pointing out that there's no more money in the school's budget even after the cutbacks he has made, since the school's funding has been cut yet again. Mrs. Krabappel is urging parents to support the teachers in their strike to better their children's futures, while Principal Skinner claims that to pay what the teachers are asking, they would be forced to raise taxes. Both the audience at the PTA meeting and the TV audience viewing at home are left debating over whether the education system is worth greater investment through taxation.
The episode "Homer vs. The Eighteenth Amendment" can be seen as a statement against Prohibition, as a Prohibition scheme fails in the episode, and an officer charged with enforcing the law is catapulted out of town. While "The Cartridge Family" clearly mocks irresponsibility with firearms hiding behind the Second Amendment, Krusty is seen making a speech about how guns are valuable if handled responsibly.
[edit] Trade unions
A satire on collective bargaining is presented in the episode "Last Exit to Springfield". The episode makes reference to union corruption, when Homer is told corruption is the only way he can be financially rewarded as union leader. In fact, the previous, now-deceased union leader who promised to clean up its corruption is not missed by anyone, found buried in a football field, even as union member Carl Carlson knowingly jokes about his disappearance, hoping that he'll "turn up alive and well". Furthermore, Homer considers union ties to organized crime a job perk. However, the episode also depicts the union as effectively saving the company dental plan through strike action. Nevertheless, in "The PTA Disbands," Homer later speaks out against striking and instead advocates sloth in the workplace.
[edit] Sugar Lobby
The episode, "Sweets and Sour Marge" features Marge filing against a sugar company, Motherloving Sugar Co., which can in many ways be seen as a reference to the "Big Sugar". In the episode, Springfield gets in to the Duff Book of Records as the "Fat City USA". This makes Marge question the obesity in town and discover that all goods in Kwik-E-Mart are overloaded with sugar. The episode also features an arrogant sugar boss, Garth Motherloving (who claims his actual last name was "Hitler", although this could be sarcastic.), who was voiced by Ben Stiller and his company making sugar out of dump.
[edit] Immigration
The Simpsons has also covered immigration controversies in the episode "Much Apu About Nothing."
[edit] Iraq War
The end of "The Day the Earth Looked Stupid" in Treehouse of Horror XVII has Kang and Kodos invading earth after the infamous fake invasion told on the radio by Orson Wells in 1938. The segment ends with Kang and Kodos overlooking the occupation of Springfield and getting into an argument over the merits of the occupation; they weren't greeted as liberators as they rid Earth's weapons of mass disintegration during "Operation Enduring Occupation". This is clearly a satire on the Iraq War.
