Politics

The Politician Recap: Geronimo – Vulture

Published

4 years ago

June 20, 2020

Harry Miller

The Politician

Cancel Culture

Season 2

Episode 3

Editor’s Rating

1 stars

Photo: Courtesy of Netflix/NICOLE RIVELLI/NETFLIX

A 6-year-old kid wears a Halloween costume. He’s dressed like Apache leader Geronimo. The kid is white. It’s not cool. “Cancel Culture,” the frustrating-at-best third episode of The Politician’s second season, takes this idea and builds an entire episode around it. For 41 long, silly minutes, The Politician attempts to argue for nuance while being reductive and then ends with a twist. Take a shot every time someone says “canceled” and you’ll have a good time, assuming you’re willing to have a hangover tomorrow.

The most frustrating thing about “Cancel Culture” is that, despite what the title might suggest, there are actually interesting ideas here. There’s probably an effective way to do this — to make these stories both righteous and ridiculous at once — but it happens, at most, in flashes, and those are rarely glimpsed between all the fists being shaken at clouds. In this episode, chewing gum carries more weight than offering up dates with a woman as currency without her knowledge or consent, and the surest way to get into your opponent’s head is a selfie with a Speedo and a headdress.

Actually, scratch that — the most frustrating thing is that Ben Platt throws himself into every scene so entirely and the episode itself simply can’t measure up. For all its flaws, this is perhaps the funniest outing of the series so far for Platt; his meltdown about a six-second cold shower is unspeakably weird and perfect. But try to pin down what “Cancel Culture” has to say about anything at all at your peril. Thanks to Platt, Payton at least has an emotional throughline, and his obvious fear, disappointment, anger, and frustration bubble over in nearly every scene.

It starts for Payton with an early morning phone call in his dorm. (This episode helpfully confirms that yes, Payton at least is still living, frolicking, and watching Gilmore Girls in his dorm; do any of them actually attend classes?) His horrid twin brothers find a photo of him in a yearbook; he’s 6 and dressed as Geronimo. They send it to Hadassah, who thinks it’s a gift. When Payton gets that phone call, it’s to tell him there’s a photo of his 6-year-old self on the front page of the Post being a very white cultural appropriator. Alice tells Skye she should stand beside Payton as he issues a mea culpa; Skye reluctantly accepts, citing her own pragmatism, but tells Payton that he crossed a line and that he has to go out with her to register young voters of color. (Are we meant to believe that Payton’s campaign wasn’t doing that already? Really?)

While there are certainly hiccups after this scene, it’s also the high watermark for cognitive dissonance in this episode. On the one hand, there are lines like Andrew asking why Payton hates Native Americans or Alice saying, “He doesn’t see black or white or rich or poor, he just sees [sigh] voters.” On the other, Skye’s let-me-educate-you-about-why-appropriation-is-bad speech, which plays as totally sincere. In his speech, Payton says that the fact that he was 6 doesn’t excuse anything, also played sincerely; then talks about it as a personal failing without bringing in any nuance, and things only get more pandering from there.

The speech stabilizes his polling numbers, but the writing is on the wall, and not even another inspirational climate-centered campaign event with Infinity can change that. Zoey Deutch also makes a meal of this episode, anchoring the subplot in the joy Infinity takes in shutting down anything toxic in her life, literally or metaphorically. Andrew gets his extremely creepy “date” with her and she shuts him down hard; she encounters Beijing’s smog and decides to cancel pollution and waste; she references the abusive and toxic relationships of her past, which she seems to have wholly left behind; and when she sees Payton and Skye not quite walking the climate change walk (at least from her perspective), she sees an opportunity to take advantage of the power she has and demand a change from them both. It’s also, she points out, a move away from hypocrisy. She’s right to tell them both that they need to practice what they preach.

But then the episode pivots again, and suddenly it’s ridiculous. One moment the viewers are admiring Infinity’s zero-waste lifestyle; the next, everyone’s drinking “booty coffee” from recycled shower water. Pick a lane, show — and if you can’t or don’t want to, then embrace the complexity, rather than reducing arguments only to the extremes.

Ultimately, the episode sees Payton using outrage to his advantage, turning that first photo into an opportunity to embed McAfee in the Standish campaign. The mechanics of this storyline are a little foggy, and perhaps the next episode will offer some clarity. Still, let’s try to reason this out now. First, the terrible twins send the Geronimo photo to Hadassah, who leaks it to the Post. Payton gives the speech, admits he’s losing, and thanks all his friends. Then he takes a photo of himself in a Speedo and headdress and sends it to the Standish campaign himself; Dede calls him in, tells him she won’t do anything with it, and tells him he ran a good campaign. Here’s where things get complicated. Andrew tells Payton that the photo could only have been taken by someone with access to his phone and Payton pretends to be surprised and outraged, holding a big meeting where he asks his inner circle about the leak. Alice takes partial responsibility, citing her jealousy of Astrid, who she thinks is getting more romantic attention from Payton than Alice herself. She sent the photo to James, who sent it to everyone else, and they all had a meeting about it. Then McAfee says she leaked it to the Standish campaign, and Payton “fires” her. She gets a job from Hadassah, outs Andrew as the mole, and then meets up with Payton to discuss next steps now that she’s the mole.

So, is McAfee the only one in on the ruse? If so, why? Payton himself was the leak, so they’re not smoking anyone out. Did Alice really just see the photo by accident? Why not just pretend that Payton figured out that McAfee was the leak? It doesn’t make any sense. Yet that’s a minor complaint compared to the larger tonal issues of this episode. At least Payton will always have a handkerchief handy now — a lucky thing, as he seems to be crying more and more as the series goes on and defeat seems more and more certain.

Talking points

Wouldn’t that photo of Payton as a child be a much, much bigger problem for his mother, who is currently running for Governor in California?

More echoes of season one: Alice once again pretending not to have hurt feelings in a way that bodes very ill for their relationship.

I cannot get over the idea that they’ve been having sex in that tiny twin bed in that dorm room shared by three people, on the regular. What the hell.

Hadassah on McAfee: “She looks like a sherbert Diane Keaton, which I love.”

Costume of the episode: Infinity’s let’s-tell-off-Andrew coat.

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Politics

‘Disgraceful:’ N.S. Tory leader slams school’s request that military remove uniform

Published

1 day ago

November 8, 2024

Anne Joseph

HALIFAX – Nova Scotia Premier Tim Houston says it’s “disgraceful and demeaning” that a Halifax-area school would request that service members not wear military uniforms to its Remembrance Day ceremony.

Houston’s comments were part of a chorus of criticism levelled at the school — Sackville Heights Elementary — whose administration decided to back away from the plan after the outcry.

A November newsletter from the school in Middle Sackville, N.S., invited Armed Forces members to attend its ceremony but asked that all attendees arrive in civilian attire to “maintain a welcoming environment for all.”

Houston, who is currently running for re-election, accused the school’s leaders of “disgracing themselves while demeaning the people who protect our country” in a post on the social media platform X Thursday night.

“If the people behind this decision had a shred of the courage that our veterans have, this cowardly and insulting idea would have been rejected immediately,” Houston’s post read. There were also several calls for resignations within the school’s administration attached to Houston’s post.

In an email to families Thursday night, the school’s principal, Rachael Webster, apologized and welcomed military family members to attend “in the attire that makes them most comfortable.”

“I recognize this request has caused harm and I am deeply sorry,” Webster’s email read, adding later that the school has the “utmost respect for what the uniform represents.”

Webster said the initial request was out of concern for some students who come from countries experiencing conflict and who she said expressed discomfort with images of war, including military uniforms.

Her email said any students who have concerns about seeing Armed Forces members in uniform can be accommodated in a way that makes them feel safe, but she provided no further details in the message.

Webster did not immediately respond to a request for comment.

At a news conference Friday, Houston said he’s glad the initial request was reversed but said he is still concerned.

“I can’t actually fathom how a decision like that was made,” Houston told reporters Friday, adding that he grew up moving between military bases around the country while his father was in the Armed Forces.

“My story of growing up in a military family is not unique in our province. The tradition of service is something so many of us share,” he said.

“Saying ‘lest we forget’ is a solemn promise to the fallen. It’s our commitment to those that continue to serve and our commitment that we will pass on our respects to the next generation.”

Liberal Leader Zach Churchill also said he’s happy with the school’s decision to allow uniformed Armed Forces members to attend the ceremony, but he said he didn’t think it was fair to question the intentions of those behind the original decision.

“We need to have them (uniforms) on display at Remembrance Day,” he said. “Not only are we celebrating (veterans) … we’re also commemorating our dead who gave the greatest sacrifice for our country and for the freedoms we have.”

NDP Leader Claudia Chender said that while Remembrance Day is an important occasion to honour veterans and current service members’ sacrifices, she said she hopes Houston wasn’t taking advantage of the decision to “play politics with this solemn occasion for his own political gain.”

“I hope Tim Houston reached out to the principal of the school before making a public statement,” she said in a statement.

This report by The Canadian Press was first published Nov. 8, 2024.

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Politics

Saskatchewan NDP’s Beck holds first caucus meeting after election, outlines plans

Published

1 day ago

November 8, 2024

Anne Joseph

REGINA – Saskatchewan Opposition NDP Leader Carla Beck says she wants to prove to residents her party is the government in waiting as she heads into the incoming legislative session.

Beck held her first caucus meeting with 27 members, nearly double than what she had before the Oct. 28 election but short of the 31 required to form a majority in the 61-seat legislature.

She says her priorities will be health care and cost-of-living issues.

Beck says people need affordability help right now and will press Premier Scott Moe’s Saskatchewan Party government to cut the gas tax and the provincial sales tax on children’s clothing and some grocery items.

Beck’s NDP is Saskatchewan’s largest Opposition in nearly two decades after sweeping Regina and winning all but one seat in Saskatoon.

The Saskatchewan Party won 34 seats, retaining its hold on all of the rural ridings and smaller cities.

This report by The Canadian Press was first published Nov. 8, 2024.

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Politics

Nova Scotia election: Liberals say province’s immigration levels are too high

Published

2 days ago

November 7, 2024

Anne Joseph

HALIFAX – Nova Scotia‘s growing population was the subject of debate on Day 12 of the provincial election campaign, with Liberal Leader Zach Churchill arguing immigration levels must be reduced until the province can provide enough housing and health-care services.

Churchill said Thursday a plan by the incumbent Progressive Conservatives to double the province’s population to two million people by the year 2060 is unrealistic and unsustainable.

“That’s a big leap and it’s making life harder for people who live here, (including ) young people looking for a place to live and seniors looking to downsize,” he told a news conference at his campaign headquarters in Halifax.

Anticipating that his call for less immigration might provoke protests from the immigrant community, Churchill was careful to note that he is among the third generation of a family that moved to Nova Scotia from Lebanon.

“I know the value of immigration, the importance of it to our province. We have been built on the backs of an immigrant population. But we just need to do it in a responsible way.”

The Liberal leader said Tim Houston’s Tories, who are seeking a second term in office, have made a mistake by exceeding immigration targets set by the province’s Department of Labour and Immigration. Churchill said a Liberal government would abide by the department’s targets.

In the most recent fiscal year, the government welcomed almost 12,000 immigrants through its nominee program, exceeding the department’s limit by more than 4,000, he said. The numbers aren’t huge, but the increase won’t help ease the province’s shortages in housing and doctors, and the increased strain on its infrastructure, including roads, schools and cellphone networks, Churchill said.

“(The Immigration Department) has done the hard work on this,” he said. “They know where the labour gaps are, and they know what growth is sustainable.”

In response, Houston said his commitment to double the population was a “stretch goal.” And he said the province had long struggled with a declining population before that trend was recently reversed.

“The only immigration that can come into this province at this time is if they are a skilled trade worker or a health-care worker,” Houston said. “The population has grown by two per cent a year, actually quite similar growth to what we experienced under the Liberal government before us.”

Still, Houston said he’s heard Nova Scotians’ concerns about population growth, and he then pivoted to criticize Prime Minister Justin Trudeau for trying to send 6,000 asylum seekers to Nova Scotia, an assertion the federal government has denied.

Churchill said Houston’s claim about asylum seekers was shameful.

“It’s smoke and mirrors,” the Liberal leader said. “He is overshooting his own department’s numbers for sustainable population growth and yet he is trying to blame this on asylum seekers … who aren’t even here.”

In September, federal Immigration Minister Marc Miller said there is no plan to send any asylum seekers to the province without compensation or the consent of the premier. He said the 6,000 number was an “aspirational” figure based on models that reflect each province’s population.

In Halifax, NDP Leader Claudia Chender said it’s clear Nova Scotia needs more doctors, nurses and skilled trades people.

“Immigration has been and always will be a part of the Nova Scotia story, but we need to build as we grow,” Chender said. “This is why we have been pushing the Houston government to build more affordable housing.”

Chender was in a Halifax cafe on Thursday when she promised her party would remove the province’s portion of the harmonized sales tax from all grocery, cellphone and internet bills if elected to govern on Nov. 26. The tax would also be removed from the sale and installation of heat pumps.

“Our focus is on helping people to afford their lives,” Chender told reporters. “We know there are certain things that you can’t live without: food, internet and a phone …. So we know this will have the single biggest impact.”

The party estimates the measure would save the average Nova Scotia family about $1,300 a year.

“That’s a lot more than a one or two per cent HST cut,” Chender said, referring to the Progressive Conservative pledge to reduce the tax by one percentage point and the Liberal promise to trim it by two percentage points.

Elsewhere on the campaign trail, Houston announced that a Progressive Conservative government would make parking free at all Nova Scotia hospitals and health-care centres. The promise was also made by the Liberals in their election platform released Monday.

“Free parking may not seem like a big deal to some, but … the parking, especially for people working at the facilities, can add up to hundreds of dollars,” the premier told a news conference at his campaign headquarters in Halifax.

This report by The Canadian Press was first published Nov. 7, 2024.

— With files from Keith Doucette in Halifax

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