Frank Capra described these folks to a tee:

[Empowerer]

Watching this debate and other forums in which the Republican candidates and their supporters demonstrate such hatred, anger and callousness calls to mind a scene from "It's A Wonderful Life" in which George Bailey and his father discuss the hateful Mr. Potter

George Bailey: Oh, what's eating that old money-grubbing buzzard anyway?

Peter Bailey: Oh, he's a sick man. Frustrated and sick. And his mind's sick in his soul, if he has one. He hates everybody that has anything that he can't have.

He hates us mostly, I guess.

Dead spot on.

[NRaleighLiberal]

1. Yup. I watch that movie and I always imagine Dick Cheney as Mr. Potter.

[hulka38]

11. Especially at Obama's inauguration.

[EffieBlack]

2. Wow - Capra nailed it, didn't he?

[ashling]

4. Capra did a move in the 30s which was a precursor to "Life"

called "American Madness" with Walter Huston as the head of a bank that was having trouble with his board of directors. They are leery of his willingness to loan money to people in need and they want him to step down so they can sell to NY Trust During the squabble, a bank officer was forced to allow the bank to be robbed by crooks who held his gambling note. He had the blame shifted to the head teller(Pat O'Brien) (who had been in prison, but given a second chance by Houston) the word gets out and there is a run on the bank. It looks like Houston is going to be fired, and the Bank sold until everybody finds out what trouble he is in and there is a run on the bank to deposit money!


Huston's character makes some very prescient statements about lending to keep the economy going and what will happen if bank's stop lending. I wish I could remember those lines

a great film!

[Rageneau]

3. Unfortunately, both Frank Capra and Jimmy Stewart were conservative Republicans.

So they probably hated us, too.

[ashling]

5. I didn't know that about Capra

Stewart, well... well ..yah.

[joshcryer]

6. Conservative Republicans in the 30-40s were left of Democrats today.

Capra is one of my favorite directors and many of his movies have socialist undertones.

[SwampG8r]

7. glad i am not the only person left on eart who

remembers when being a republican meant you supported some of the very things they hate so much now
a 30/40's republican is so far to the left of the democrats and republicans of today that neither would ever claim them
those governers standing in doorways and saying ugly things about children?......democrats almost to a man
there used to be 2 parties in this country who both wanted to help the average american and they had differences on how to achieve it
now....i wonder sometimes

[Cobalt-60]

8. he got closer in the "Why we Fight" series

These films were made for the army but made it out to the theaters too.
The Axis enemy they fought is identical in tactics, attitude, and philosophy to the Republican Party.

[Tarheel_Dem]

9. YES!

:applause:

[progressoid]

10. And today Henry Potter would be a White House economic advisor.