'The Swamp': 'Politics of Hate' Are Politicians' 'Biggest Fundraising Tool'

Daniel DiMauro and Morgan Pehme — the filmmakers behind the “The Swamp” — tell TheWrap ahead of the HBO Congress documentary’s premiere that the “politics of hate” function as both Democrats’ and Republicans’ “biggest fundraising tool.”

The self-described “liberal” duo — known for “Get Me Roger Stone” — spoke to TheWrap about gaining access to the House floor and three Republican representatives, as well as what they learned about the political process.

“In the film, we try to track the kind of modern evolution of our politics and we kind of hone in on 1993 and Newt Gingrich taking over as Speaker of the House. Changes he put into place really opened the floodgates of money into the system, but also paved the way of this kind of perpetual campaigning and perpetual mudslinging and the idea that you have to win above all else,” said DiMauro, adding that when politicians run for office, the goal is no longer just “beating your opponent,” but “painting them as evil,” too.

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The documentary follows Reps. Matt Gaetz, Thomas Massie and Ken Buck, who try to fundraise and stay in Congress while heeding President Donald Trump’s call to “drain the swamp.” The swamp, the filmmakers argue, is the money that’s poured into Congress by special interest groups.

The film covers Gaetz’s decision to stop taking money from political action committees, or PACs, but DiMauro and Pehme make it clear he still has to play by certain rules in the House. Gaetz even mentions in the film that when he does television news hits, he thinks about them in terms of inflammatory clips that will find new life online.

Pehme said Gaetz “does hundreds and hundreds of television appearances each year,” and he’s not alone. “We went through all of their appearances that we could get our hands on to try to find the clips that would best illustrate our story.”

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“The media itself has a role to play in why our dysfunctional government is so dysfunctional,” added DiMauro of how the “politics of hate” plays out on in television and social media clips. He went on, “Matt [Gaetz] soaks up the attention that they’re all too willing to give to him when he’s being inflammatory and that’s how he grows his power in a kind of structure that is outside the traditional leadership power structure in Washington.”

The idea that the “politics of hate” drives fundraising is echoed by a professor in “The Swamp” trailer, which you can watch above.

Pehme shared his thoughts on how to “break the cycle”: “It’s so easy for us to do get wrapped up in the politics of hate ourselves and to perpetuate it and we just need to be smarter consumers of information and understand why we’re being fed that information.”

“It’s incumbent on all of us to realize that the divided nation is the one that both parties want and that we need to focus on, ‘What is our common enemy?’ And the common enemy is the fact that we have a system that is not set up right now to work to address the fundamental needs of the American people. We have a system that’s rigged to help the money, the monied and special interest groups enrich themselves even greater,” argued DiMauro.

“The Swamp” premieres on HBO at 9 p.m. ET and will be available to stream on HBO Max.

Celebrities Who Have Died From the Coronavirus (Photos)

The world continues to be upended by the coronavirus pandemic, with more people contracting COVID-19 as the days pass. While many have recovered, some have died from complications of the illness. These are the names of some notable figures from Hollywood and the media that we have lost.
Terrence McNally, a four-time Tony Award-winning playwright, died on March 24 at the age of 81 of complications from the coronavirus. His works included "Master Class," "Love! Valour! Compassion!" and "Frankie and Johnny in the Clair de Lune," which later became a film with Michelle Pfeiffer and Al Pacino.
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Italian actress Lucia Bosè, who starred in such films as Michelangelo Antonioni’s "Story of a Love Affair" (1950) and Juan Antonio Bardem’s "Death of a Cyclist" (1955), died on March 23 of pneumonia after contracting COVID-19, according to the Guardian. She was 89.
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Chef Floyd Cardoz, winner of "Top Chef Masters" Season 3, died at the age of 59 of coronavirus complications on March 25.
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Mark Blum, who starred in "Desperately Seeking Susan," "Crocodile Dundee" and the Lifetime/Netflix series "You," died on March 26 of coronavirus complications. The veteran character actor and regular on New York City stages was 69.
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Maria Mercader, a CBS News veteran who worked for over 30 years as a reporter and talent director, died March 29 after testing positive for coronavirus. She was 54.
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Grammy-winning country music singer Joe Diffie died March 29 due to complications from the coronavirus. He announced his diagnosis just two days prior.
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American rock musician Alan Merrill, best known for co-writing and recording the original version of "I Love Rock 'n' Roll," died March 29 of complications from the coronavirus. He was 69.
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Popular Japanese comedian Ken Shimura, whose career spanned decades, died March 29 due to complications from the coronavirus. He was 70.
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Andrew Jack, a dialect coach who most recently was hired to work with Robert Pattinson on the new Batman movie, died March 31 of complications from coronavirus, TMZ reports. He also appeared in "Star Wars: Episode VII" as a member of Leia's resistance. Jack was 76.
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Adam Schlesinger, Fountains of Wayne singer and "Crazy Ex-Girlfriend" contribute, died at the age of 52 from coronavirus complications on April 1.
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Ellis Marsalis Jr., New Orleans jazz legend and father of Wynton and Branford Marsalis, died at 85 from COVID-19 complications, Branford said. "Ellis Marsalis was a legend. He was the prototype of what we mean when we talk about New Orleans jazz... He was a teacher, a father, and an icon — and words aren’t sufficient to describe the art, the joy and the wonder he showed the world," New Orleans Mayor LaToya Cantrell said also.
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Eddie Large, one-half of the comedy duo Little and Large, died April 2 after contracting coronavirus while hospitalized for heart failure. He was 78.
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Sergio Rossi, the Italian shoe designer, died at age 84 after being hospitalized with the virus, the brand confirmed in an Instagram post Friday.
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Patricia Bosworth, a stage and screen actress turned journalist who penned celebrity biographies, died April 2 from complications of the coronavirus. She was 86.
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Tom Dempsey, New Orleans Saints legendary kicker who was born without toes on his right foot and wore a flat shoe that he kicked with, died on April 4 from complications of COVID-19.
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John Prine, one of the most influential and revered folk and country songwriters of the last 50 years, died on April 6 at the age of 73 after being infected with the COVID-19 virus.
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Allen Garfield, who appeared in such films as “The Conversation,” “Nashville” and “Irreconcilable Differences,” died April 7 due to coronavirus complications, according to his sister. He was 80.
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Charles Gregory, an Emmy-nominated hairstylist who frequently collaborated with Tyler Perry on his films and TV shows, died of complications from COVID-19 on April 8.
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Hilary Heath, an actress and producer who starred opposite Vincent Price in horror movies in the late 1960s and early '70s, died in April of COVID-19 complications. She was 74.
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Rick May, a voice actor best known to gamers as the husky-throated Soldier in Team Fortress 2, died in Swedish nursing home on April 13 after contracting COVID-19. He was 79.
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Allen Daviau, a 5-time Oscar-nominated cinematographer, died April 15 at age 77. He frequently collaborated with Steven Spielberg, and worked on such films as "E.T. The Extra-Terrestrial" and "The Color Purple"
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Henry Grimes, celebrated jazz bassist, died on April 15 at age 84, according to WGBO. He worked with such legends as Thelonius Monk, Charles Mingus and Sonny Rollins.
"Knight Rider" and "Magnum P.I." producer Joel Rogosin died of coronavirus at the MPTF nursing home. He became the fifth person to die from COVID-19 complications at the facility.
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Rapper Fred the Godson died after contracting coronavirus, a representative confirmed to Complex. He wrote on social media of his diagnosis on April 6, but he did not recover.
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Art director Matteo De Cosmo, who worked on films including "Emergence," "The Punisher" and "Luke Cage," died of coronavirus complications. He was 52.
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Roy Horn, best known as half of the legendary Siegfried & Roy magic and animal act in Las Vegas, died on May 8 from complications due to coronavirus.
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Legendary Auburn football coach Pat Dye died on June 1 after combating COVID-19 and other medical conditions. He was 80.
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Chris Trousdale, a member of the boy band Dream Street, died of coronavirus complications on June 2. He was 34.
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Broadway star Nick Cordero passed away on July 5 due to complications from coronavirus. He was 41.
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Herman Cain, the former CEO of Godfather's Pizza who sought the Republican nomination for president in 2012, died July 30 from complications of the coronavirus. He was 74. He was hospitalized in Atlanta just days after attending a campaign rally for Donald Trump in Tulsa, Oklahoma, where he was seen without a mask.
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Trini Lopez, the singer of "If I Had a Hammer" and an actor in "The Dirty Dozen," died on Aug. 11 from COVID-19. He was 83.
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Tom Seaver, Hall of Fame baseball pitcher, died on Aug. 31 in his sleep of complications of Lewy body dementia and COVID-19.

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While many celebrities who contracted COVID-19 have recovered, some have died from complications of the illness

The world continues to be upended by the coronavirus pandemic, with more people contracting COVID-19 as the days pass. While many have recovered, some have died from complications of the illness. These are the names of some notable figures from Hollywood and the media that we have lost.

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