"Wire" star will play the god Heimdall in Marvel pic.
Obama Is Potter, Biden Is Ron Weasley ...
Maybe it was the “Voldemort Votes Republican” bumper sticker I saw a few months ago. But as I watched the familiar cavalcade of wizards, Muggles and otherworldly beings in the enjoyably gothic and cloak-and-daggerish “Harry Potter and the Half-Blood Prince,” I couldn’t help noticing an amusing political allegory.
After all, what’s the difference between modern politics and the dark arts that consume the aspiring magicians in “Harry Potter”?
It’s only form. Politicians may not have wands, magic power or cloaks. But that doesn’t stop them jockeying for power by any means necessary. Forging unholy compromises in the interests of passing a bill at any cost is no less distasteful to many of them than mixing a cauldron full of snake livers, bat wings and dried toads to make a spell.
And the rhetorical disingenuousness we’ve been hearing at Sonia Sotomayor’s confirmation hearings is no different from various deceptive tricks in wizardry.
When Sen. Jeff Sessions suggested Sotomayor is an activist for asserting that people are -- are you sitting down for this? -- informed by their life experiences, what was his real purpose? Protecting the Constitution from the wrong kind of Supreme Court Justice or political sleight of hand -- as fundamental as pulling a rabbit out of a hat, or giving a pig tail to an unwanted Muggle?
As the movie progressed, it became fun to connect each character in the movie with a contemporary counterpart in American politics.
President Obama would be Harry Potter, natch. He, too, finds himself involuntarily necklaced with the title of Chosen One. The expectations of an impatient, ever darkening world sit on his slender shoulders, too.
And as he contends with an intimidating swirl of problems from the recession to the need for health-care reform, he’s well aware his enemies are watching every move, praying for a misstep. Praying that the wand in his hand is just, well, another stick.
As for Hermione, Harry’s fiercely protective and highly verbal friend, that would be -- hands down -- Rahm Emanuel, the president’s Chief of Staff who relishes a good fight and has made salty language and combative tactics his stock and trade.
Ron Weasley, Harry Potter’s goofy, sometimes bumbling sidekick? Surely that would be Vice President Joe Biden whose impulsive pronouncements on everything from the administration’s misjudgment of the economic downturn to avoiding public transportation in the wake of swine flu have set the White House on permanent nervous alert.
My favorite “Harry Potter” character is Severus Snape. As played brilliantly by Alan Rickman, he’s a black-attired enigma whose allegiance to the good or dark side remains a constant question. A few real life characters suggest themselves for this special category. How about Joe Lieberman, the former vice presidential candidate for the Democratic party who suddenly ran to the other side? He would have been John McCain’s running mate if he had nicer legs. Or Sen. Arlen Spector who defected to the Democrats rather than lose power?
One could even make a case for Hillary Clinton, who campaigned bitterly against Obama until the last possible political second -- and then some -- before she swore allegiance to him. For that she got the State Department. Nice work.
I’m obviously not the first one to equate Lord Voldemort with Vice President Cheney, whose latest brouhaha is that he urged the CIA to, uh, not mention a secret plan to assassinate or capture top leaders of al Qaeda. His enthusiasm for secrecy, his lengthy stays in that secure hidden bunker, and his apparent seriousness when he suggested voting for Obama amounted to aiding and abetting terrorism is the kind of cynical sorcery that would make any prince of darkness proud.
And how about that Bellatrix Lestrange, one of Voldemort's principal Death Eaters? As played by Helena Bonham Carter, she’s a beautiful woman given to sudden treacherous moves.
Hmmm, couldn’t she be Sarah Palin, who recently quit her governorship amid a swirl of vague, rambling reasons, one of which was to take her “fight for what's right -- for Alaska -- in a new direction”?
Yes, you can reverse the Democrat versus Republican allusions. Although who’d be Harry Potter in a Republican perspective? Bobby Jindal? And would Newt (suddenly that’s a meaningful first name) Gingrich be Albus Dumbledore, the force of conservative good?
One interesting point: In both cases, Lieberman works nicely as the morally ambiguous Snape. At any rate, this exercise made for a delicious daydream over my popcorn.
And it put a little extra zing into a summer movie, knowing that art and real life are never too far apart.
Comments
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Joe G Says
Woof! The vitriol from the right wing loonies! I can't really draw a connection between Harry Potter and Obama (I think if you wanted to make that kind of allusion Harry would be America revolting against the right wing loonies who hijacked this country eight years ago) but I'm comforted by the fact that Obama's read all the books and taken the lessons to heart.
For the record, all you people trying to assert Ms. Rowling's anti-establishment sympathies, hatred of communism, and endorsements of the Bush administration (although I feel like you're all reaching really hard to pull these sentiments out of your butts), I think Rowling makes it clear it isn't necessarily government she hates--it's government that does nothing, that sits on its hands when there is hard work to be done and great evil to defeat. It's tyrants and authoritarians who think they know what's right, who claim a monopoly on values. Of particular interest is the fellow who sees no apparent irony in complaining that Obama is putting the interests of minorities and people with vaginas ahead of the white male hegemony, which, last I looked, was what the entire series was about... the defeat of a fascist puritanical dictator by a young ideologue and his mentor who dreamed of a more equal world.
Maybe Whisky is an embittered Voldemort? Well, I hope to see all those embittered Voldemorts out there done in by their own rebounding killing curses themselves.
Oh, and last thing, if you're still not convinced that Ms. Rowling is a liberal true and true (aside from the clear swipe at Bush 2 in the first chapter of the 6th book, the "wretched man"), here's a freakin' quote:
"I want a Democrat in the White House. And it seems a shame to me that Clinton and Obama are rivals because they are both extraordinary people."
Locke Says
This is why i hate politics. Obama has some good ideas and some bad ideas. same thing for every body else. Rowling didn't write the series as a political satire, she wrote it as a showcase of how complicated human beings are, that there really is no good or evil, only the intent of our actions and their consequences. The democrats and republicans need to get their heads out of their @sses and realize that instead of doing all this arguing, they should actually do something for once. Cheney, however, is Voldemort. He went too far to protect the US, and now look where we are as a result of it. Absoutely screwed.
Rachel Says
JK Rowling may be liberal on issues such as welfare, but she is obviously opposed to big gov't. That being said, here is my list of characters that really and truly resemble politicians:
lord voldemort=barack obama
nagini=joe biden
peeves=bill o'reilly
luna lovegood=ann coulter
dolores umbridge=hillary clinton
bellatrix lestrange=nancy pelosi
harry potter=piper palin
tonks=sarah palin
cornelius fudge=jimmy carter
dumbledore=ronald reagan
hagrid=arnold swarchenegger
sirius black=ron paul
fred weasley=dubya's daughter barbara
george weasley=dubya's daughter jenna
DD Says
It probably helps that Obama and Harry Potter are both Leos.
Diana Says
It would work well to have Hillary Clinton be Dolores Umbridge. Umbridge was staunchly against Potter almost until the very end when she is whisked of by angry centaurs and pleads Harry for help. Obama and Clinton reconcile whereas in Potterverse... she's left for dead, sorta.
Maselaw Says
"When Sen. Jeff Sessions suggested Sotomayor is an activist for asserting that people are -- are you sitting down for this? -- informed by their life experiences ..."
A not-so-clever attempt to water down the meaning of her words by slightly misquoting her, a la Senator Leahy. She did not simply assert that people are informed by their life experiences. No, she asserted the "richness" of the "wise Latina" life experience makes her better equiped to interpret the law than a white male. Reconfigure your argument.
"President Obama would be Harry Potter, natch. He, too, finds himself involuntarily necklaced with the title of Chosen One. The expectations of an impatient, ever darkening world sit on his slender shoulders, too."
Revise, using the following critiques: (1) lose the "natch"; (2) one two many "toos"; and (3) INVOLUNTARILY necklaced? The man presented himself as the Messiah; unfortunately, you have to actually have some substance to raise the dead.
Make these changes for now. More red line to follow.
malclave Says
Just couldn't resist multiple digs at Palin, eh?
And Obama didn't want the "Chosen One" label? Then why did the Obama campaign start the messianic talk so early in the Democratic primary?
You are clearly hateful, intolerant, and willfully ignorant of facts... just the kind of voter Democrats like.
Nicole Says
Obviously all has been said about this ludicrous and not to mention very deprived vision of yours..so I shall not say anymore other than have your I.Q. retested and try to actually learn something from the fellow people whom have commented.
Whiskey Says
Clearly Obama has positioned himself as the "redeeming" "Half-Blood Prince" which is in and of itself noxious and anti-American. Americans rejected Royalty during the Revolution, and there is a sizeable (mostly male) group who hate the idea of royalty.
Women, of course, love princes, princesses, royalty, hierarchy, and nobility of all kinds. You can see that in their non-stop consumption of vampire, magic, and other fantasy tales complete with brooding prince types. Single Women voted Obama 70-29, he's Potter, First Rockstar, and that guy from "Twilight" combined.
As for Sotomayor, she's on the record as saying that Latinas make better decisions than White Males. Of course this guy, Thomson, who is non-White, believes that non-Whites have magical superiority over White Males.
Which sets up the storyline for Barack Obama, Half-Blood prince. Will he be victorious over White Males, and push them into second class status in their own country, even as they are the majority, or will the female-centric fantasy of First Rockstar / Twilight Tween Idol come a cropper over men's complete rejection of his course?
Now that government and the Half-Blood Prince run everything, Sotomayor's/Obama's view that White Men have to get to the back of the bus is sure to create conflict. Already his stimulus has been jiggered so that the money goes to female-centric employment (social workers, teachers, health care) and not to male-centric (bridges, roads, construction).
I know as a White Male I'll be LAST for health care, for employment, for hiring, for promotions, for raises, for pretty much everything, in the Half-Blood Prince's reign. So no matter how dreamy women (and non-Whites) find him, he is my absolute enemy. So I wish him nothing but the worst.
Wasteland Man Says
And the rhetorical disingenuousness we’ve been hearing at Linda Sotomayor’s confirmation hearings is no different from various deceptive tricks in wizardry.
Um Dumb@ss its Sonya Sotomayor.....
I couldnt read any further that, it was already a bad article.
-Wasteland Man.
Brad Says
You really, REALLY need to get a life and get out more. This is pathetic...LOL
Disgusted Says
Obama is Harry Potter? Obama is Dolores Umbridge from the previous movie you fool! Hostile take-over of American lives, sweeping changes (for the worse, not the better), rampant unemployment... this has to be the worst article I've read in a while.
And, uh, for the record, "natch" is not a word, and is not found in the dictionary. Clearly, someone was asleep the day they taught journalism in school.
GRITS Says
Are you serious?!?! Dude, get off the crack and back on your meds.
Thomas Says
Your analogy could just as easily be twisted around the other way too.
The traditional American values of free market economics and keeping the money you work for (Harry Potter) is fighting the dark lord of Communism that seems to be more powerful and the easy way but is actually the worst choice (Obama).
Brandon Says
Puhleeeeeeaasse. Obama is Cornellius Fudge. He refuses to acknowledge our enemies and instead lashes out at those who say the wolves are at the door. He believes the solution to all problems are simply expanding the government and that no aspect of our lives should be free of oversight. As for Rahm he is clearly Dolores Umbridge. The trouble is we have no Harry Potter but I would say Sarah Palin is Sirius Black, tormented and wants to be helpful but the wise thing for her to do is stay out of the way. The Dementors are the press. Our forefathers would be Dumbledore, wise and powerful but people are reluctant to follow them even though we know they're right.
The whole Harry Potter series is a political allegory but it is clearly a stab at expanding government. Nearly every book in the series rips on government interference and their expanding powers. JK is from Great Britain and wrote the series pre-mesiah so I doubt she had him in mind. You on the other hand appear to simply be a delusional groupy who will compare Obama to anything good rather it be Spock or now Harry Potter.
julu Says
Absolutely not. The Harry Potter series is nothing if not a accurate depiction of the absurdity of big government. The Ministry is intrusive, self-serving, and totalitarian. In the series it is private citizens who take matter into their own hands that solve the biggest problem facing the wizarding world. The Ministry often; demonizes the wrong people- Dumbledore, Potter, Black- refuses to listen to the private citizens and their concerns for the future- Fudge refusing to listen to Dumbledore in OOTP- creates a series of laws and red tape that ties the hands of the "good guys", and uses character assassinations to silence dissent, the list goes on and on. Potter and the rest of the good guys more often than not fight AGAINST the ministry to overcome the evil of the Dark Lord.
Sorry, I understand that Obama is your wet dream in true form and that you'll compare him to everyone from Abe Lincoln to Luke Skywalker to Harry Potter- but you're wrong. I know as a journalist it is a handicap of yours to actually do research, use correct metaphors or attempt any type of objective reporting so I'll have to forgive your obvious inabilities to use a higher brain function. I know that hero worship is about all your frontal cortex can master.
JStizzle Says
I'm not a Repub', but I still can't grasp the idea of Pres. Obama being compared to Harry Potter. I'm with Rich-Obama has pretty much engineered his "Chosen One" status, beginning by eschewing political involvement (even though an elected official) in favor of writing two books about himself. Most of the moves he's made since have seemed to follow along that same track.
Rahm Emmanuel as H. G.? Granted, he's gifted politically, but that's more or less the same as saying that he's gifted in the dark arts. Beyond that, nothing. Hermione talks a lot because she's equipped with actual facts, or at least some pretty reasonable speculation. Emmanuel? You said it-salty language. Volume over substance.
Not going to nitpick the rest of the comparisons-it's too late. But man, it's tragic when political ideology leaks over (read: is forced upon) into areas that the rest of us would rather remain untainted.
ladykrystyna Says
Well, it's nice to come upon this link from Big Hollywood and read that already the posters are pointing out the absurdity of this article. Obama is Harry Potter? Spit it out, dude. Spit it out.
Cheney is Voldemort?
Did you actually read the books? JK Rowling may be a liberal, but nothing in those books even suggests that Bush or Cheney or any Republican is anything like Voldemort or the Death Eaters.
I would say the Democrats quite resemble Fudge, the Minister of Magic with his head up his a$$ instead of fighting against the bad guys, refusing to believe that Voldemort has returned.
I won't bore non-fans with the details. Suffice it to say that you all tried that with Star Wars and quite frankly, Obama resembles the Emperor way more than Bush or Cheney ever would.
Give it up.
JENNY, nice to hear a Dem admit to the mistake. You can still help it get rectified. I wouldn't even ask you to vote Republican. Just support your Blue Dog Democrats, the ones that actually believe in fiscal responsibility, the Constitution and the rule of law.
KB, I disagree with your assessment of Harry. In the end, Harry was a reluctant hero and the reason why perhaps he didn't always do things himself was because he was greatly protected, especially by Dumbledore, plus Dumbledore was the only one who really knew all the facts and was setting Harry up for when he was ready to do what he needed to do.
Without getting into details, Harry did some things on his own and he was a hero because he took on the unwanted mantle because he knew he had to do it, but then only became an Auror (a magical FBI guy basically) and led a quiet life.
Can the same really be said of Obama? I doubt it.
Jackie Says
I always thought Harry Potter was whiny (book 5, anyone?) and usually gets through his problems ONLY with the help of others who are more skilled (Hermione, Dumbledore, Lupin, etc. in books 1, 2, 3, 4, oh wait...all of the books...)
So why would anyone want to be compared to a person who whines a lot and gets credited with deeds performed in sum by many other people? Is that a compliment? Or in this case, is it accuracy? Maybe the writer was on to something, but a very different something than he thought...
Jenny Says
Obama is Voldemort, a liar, who relies on deception to gain power and control. Is so cowardly, he hides behind others, and when his advocacy is shown to be corrupt, he blames them instead of being accountable for his behavior. He's spent his life soaking in self pity, and self aggrandizement, despite having no substantive accomplishments. He has mythologized his father, a failed, drunken monster, and ultimately, Obama has become a bigger version of a failed, drunken monster. He seeks to destroy anything and everything to gain ultimate control, and sets his fascistic toadies upon those who dare to stand up and speak the truth.
Ultimately, like his father before him, Obama will destroy himself. He will go down in the history books as a prime example of a craven, despicable despot, and his name will be listed with others like him, Hitler, Stalin, Lenin, Mao, Mussolini. He won't be considered a great leader, but a hated, reviled despot. He's not anything to be proud of, and black Americans should remember, that it was Africans like Obama's ancestors that sold their fellow Africans into slavery.
BTW, I'm a dem, I voted for him and regret it. I trusted him, but I never will again.
KB Says
The final paragraph of my review:
Then again, maybe Harry Potter is the perfect hero for the Obama Age. Living in a bubble of magical reality, Harry has no accomplishments to his name, but all he hears is that he’s the Chosen One. He has no grand talent beyond the ability to absorb misplaced adulation. In a time when people have soured on bailouts, Americans will flock this weekend to cheer on the ultimate bailout expert, a boy who has mastered the art of waiting for authority figures to step in and save him. I weep for any generation that has this twerp forced upon them as a hero.
Jay Says
A couple of weeks ago, Obama was Spock. Now Obama is Harry Potter. And another summer blockbuster is ruined for me.
Rich Says
Desson, you've got to be kidding! Obama is Harry Potter?
Obama "finds himself involuntarily necklaced with the title of Chosen One"? Right. He embraced it! You'd think he had been forced into the Presidency as both an unwilling and unready candidate - oops, well, the latter is certainly true, at any rate.
I've watched the Harry Potter movies and read the books. These characters believe in wrong and right, good and evil. They fight real evil and risk their lives doing so; not like Al Gore who says fighting global warming is like fighting the Nazis! Yeah, I'm sure all of us have lost loved ones in the war against MMGW, it's just that none spring to mind, for some reason!
I don't think Harry would surround himself with tax cheats and break pretty much every campaign promise he ever made either. You see, unlike Obama, Harry isn't concerned about being loved or being popular. He doesn't suck up to the likes of Chavez, Putin, Ahmadinejad or the Castro brothers.
Must we politicize everything? It's a movie. Why don't you just let us escape the spectacle of Obama driving the economy into the ground for a while and enjoy it rather than comparing your "Dream Team" to fictional characters? And if you have to do it, please use true heroes instead of slimy politicians.
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