Elizabeth Warren Is the Latest Politician to Co-Opt Game of Thrones

Elizabeth Warren Is the Latest Politician to Co-Opt Game of Thrones

On Sunday evening, as droves of Game of Thrones fans prepared to watch the second episode of Season ..

On Sunday evening, as droves of Game of Thrones fans prepared to watch the second episode of Season 8, Massachusetts senator and presidential hopeful Elizabeth Warren published an essay in New York magazine titled “The World Needs Fewer Cersei Lannisters.” As her campaign has geared up, Warren has earned a lot of praise for her dedication to putting forward very specific ideas and policies. Now, however, it appears shes throwing in a new approach for good measure: courting pop-culture obsessives with one of the most popular TV juggernauts of our time.

And although her approach was a little more studied and substantive than Donald Trumps repeated, irksome use of Game of Thrones memes to tout his own messaging, it does inspire a similar question: Why?

Warrens Game of Thrones screed is, thankfully, less concerned with drawing parallels between the fictional world of Westeros and our own political landscape than it is with paying tribute to her favorite character: Daenerys Targaryen. Perhaps thats because the candidate does seem to see a few parallels between Khaleesi and herself: “A queen who declares that she doesnt serve the interests of the rich and powerful?” Warren gushes. “A ruler who doesnt want to control the political system but to break the system as it is known? Its no wonder that the people she meets in Westeros are skeptical. Skeptical, because theyve seen another kind of woman on the Iron Throne: the villain we love to hate, Queen Cersei of Casterly Rock.”

The question of how popular Daenerys is among fans these days may actually be debatable—but more importantly, its worth asking why Warren felt compelled to write this piece at all. Unlike other Democratic hopefuls, who have been criticized for their comparatively vague policy stances, Warren has a meticulously crafted platform—one filled with real substance rather than hot air. A Game of Thrones fan tribute feels at odds with that context—though at least Warren seems to understand the world of Thrones better than Hillary Clinton.

As some might recall, Clintons 2017 presidential campaign rehash, What Happened, made a curious Game of Thrones reference—one that bombed almost as hard as “Pokémon Go to the polls.” In the book, Clinton compared herself to Cersei Lannister—which, as critics noted and Warren clearly understands, is not the comparison most would make if the intent were to paint themselves in a sympathetic light. “Crowds at Trump rallies called for my imprisonment more times than I can count,” Clinton wrote. “They shouted, Guilty! Guilty! like the religious zealots in Game of Thrones chanting Shame! Shame! while Cersei Lannister walked back to the Red Keep.” Warrens essay, by contrast, aligns Cersei with the Establishment—the big banks and systemic inequality Warren herself has opposed throughout her career.

So at least Warren really gets Thrones. Some fans might find her essay charming. Still: any time a politician tries to engage with pop culture to further their message, they take a huge risk, opening themselves up to accusations of trying too hard. Basically, the act always seems to carry a whiff of Ted Cruz.

Cruz has long tried to use ham-handed pop-culture references to prove his relevance, as recently as last December at a Gridiron Club dinner—where he fired off a Game of Thrones riff of his own. There, Cruz awkwardly compared the last two years of American politics to the HBO drama: “Mueller is coming,” Cruz said. “Ned Stark Sessions was beheaded. And Trump finally builds a wall to keep the Wildlings out . . . and the White Walkers actually pay for it. Khaleesi Pelosi assumes her throne after wandering in the wilderness for eight years, and unleashes dragon fire on the Trumpian Dothraki. And Cocaine Mitch is the Lannister we have been waiting for.”

Yes, for Cruz, this kind of thirst for coolness is pretty run of the mill. But it seems the popularity of Game of Thrones is breeding more Ted Cruzes by the day—a terrifying reality to imagine. Its certainly true that our politicians have a long history of engaging with pop culture; just ask our current reality star in chief, Bill Clinton, whoRead More – Source

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