The new movie, Casino Jack, is out. It's based on the life and lobbying activities of Jack Abramoff.
If you want to understand how and why government interference in the economy expands and expands, see this movie. Abramoff was a bit over the top as a lobbyist, but what he did in Washington D.C., before he ended up in the slammer, is being done everyday by much lower profile K Street lobbyists.
The movie, though, fun and mostly informative, does get a bit sketchy on some details. But, overall it is one helluva movie.
Yeah, but is it true? I happen to know a lot about this case and its background, and the idea that Hollywood could deal with this particular subject and this particular person truthfully is very, very questionable.
ReplyDeleteThe real story here -- and one that neither Hollywood nor the media will tell -- is the conduct of the federal prosecutors, who were able to reinterpret ordinary acts of exchange as crimes. By the way, did the movie point out that after John McCain orchestrated a lot of the outright hatred shown against Abramoff and his family, that the lobbyists who were attached to McCain got Abramoff's clients?
No, I suspect that this "one helluva movie" left out that part. Too bad, as it was more significant than most people want to believe.
Couldn't help but notice the movie trailer features Andrea Mitchell, Alan Greenspan's current wife since 1997. It appears this move DOES include examples of highly influential - if not lower profile - crooks.
ReplyDelete@Bill Anderson
ReplyDeleteActually, the movie does make clear that McCain is his enemy.
I really didn't look at the movie as the personal tale of Abramoff, but as a lesson on how Washington D.C. operates. In that sense anyone seeing the movie is not going to find it hard to believe that Abarmoff was railroaded, or that the lobbyists close to McCain got the clients.
I really hope you see the movie, since it sounds like you know the details of the Abramoff story in much more detail than I do.
But as far as helping understand D.C., I think it is an important movie.