DNC Chairwoman Rep. Debbie Wasserman Schultz (D-FL) strongly chided the GOP today for using a movie clip from the film “The Town,” in which two criminals agree to a revenge attack, in order to rally lawmaker support for Speaker Boehner’s new debt bill currently being rewritten in the House.
The playing of the clip, organized by members of House Majority Whip Kevin McCarthy’s (R-CA) staff, happened in a closed-door caucus meeting on Tuesday. It features Ben Affleck’s character asking for a friend’s aid in order to “hurt some people.”
“Who are they planning to hurt?” demanded Wasserman Schultz, adding: “Unfortunately that short clip from ‘The Town’ tells you everything you need to know about their approach to the negotiations over the debt ceiling,” she said, after showing the clip to the attending media.
Washington wouldn’t be Washington without a little Hollywood thrown in. And what better way to decide the future of our economy than by dressing up the debate with and eyebrow-raising movie clip to drive your point home. But with tensions running high and less than a week to go before a looming Aug. 2 deadline to raise the debt ceiling, it seems lawmakers are eager to utilize any means by which to out-elbow the other side.
Wasserman Schultz, meanwhile, criticized the clip as a “sad metaphor” that derided decorum, and instead called Republican bills such as Cut, Cap, and Balance as that which would truly hurt people.
“With such legislation Republicans certainly would hurt some people,” she said. “In fact they would hurt quite a lot of people. The craziest part is that they expect us to get into that car and go with them. We want no part of it.”
Earlier Wednesday, Ben Affleck reacted to the GOP using his movie with some surprise, suggesting that another of his films would have perhaps been more suitable.
Igor Bobic
Igor Bobic is the assistant editor of Talking Points Memo, helping oversee the site's coverage of politics and policy in Washington. While originally from Bosnia and Herzegovina, Igor feels best at home on the beaches of Southern California. He can be reached at igor@talkingpointsmemo.com.
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