By Colin Greten
The presidential election is almost upon us. After all the debates and commercials, it is finally time for America to make its decision. We, of course, live in a society with a two party system, where one's vote will likely be either for Barack Obama or Mitt Romney. But where's the fun in that? Instead of limiting it to these two candidates, here are three movie presidents that would receive my vote on November 6th.
President Thomas J. Whitmore - Bill Pullman ("Independence Day")
Pros:
-President Whitmore (Pullman) was able to get America and the rest of the world through a seemingly impossible-to-overcome alien invasion.
-Already a war-hero, Whitmore risked his life to lead the undermanned and under qualified group of pilots to a victory over the ruthless aliens
-His hair is extremely presidential (an underrated quality)
-Whitmore's speech towards the end of the film puts any Obama speech to shame in sheer goosebump-inducing power
Cons:
-He waited too long to evacuate the cities, leading to millions of American causalities
-He's too reckless: lets off an ill-advised nuclear bomb in Houston, leads battle with the aliens himself, does not leave the soon-to-be-blown-up White House until the very last minute.
President Tom Beck - Morgan Freeman ("Deep Impact")
Pros:
-Broke through the racial barrier long before Obama
-Kept the countries spirits up in the face of a 7 mile wide comet headed directly for Earth.
-His speech after the crisis has been for the most part averted rivals the Gettysburg address as he urges the nation to commit to the long process of recovery
-He's Morgan Freeman. If he says anything, people listen.
Cons:
-Nearly all of his plans to destroy the comet fail, as a suicide mission saves the day
-The underground shelters built to help save Americans only hold one million people, not nearly enough.
President James Marshall - Harrison Ford ("Air Force One")
Pros:
-Refused to leave Air Force One in an escape pod without his family even after terrorists hijack the plane
-Did not need the help of Secret Service. He can protect himself as he takes back control of the plane.
-As a retired pilot and war-hero, he can fly Air Force One in any crisis situation
-Refused to negotiate with terrorists, something that presidents always refuse to do
Cons:
-Did not give a memorable speech, did tell Gary Oldman exactly what he wants him to do:
-Han Solo has too many prior offenses to be president
Each of these candidates stayed strong in the face of imminent death and made it through, saving not only themselves but America in the process. Unfortunately, we cannot see a debate, but I'm sure Freeman's President Beck would knock Ford's President Marshall weak foreign policy. The choice on November 6th is between Barack Obama and Mitt Romney, but there's always the write in, right?
