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THREAD: This would have to be hardcore-my-favourite political campaigning story of all time.
(And I get to tell it in #PrincessBride memes, even better!)
(And I get to tell it in #PrincessBride memes, even better!)
It involves:
-the most beloved movie of my childhood, William Goldman’s The #PrincessBride
-Trump toady @TedCruz of the GOP, and...
-a Democratic-Party-of-Wisconsin election fundraiser...
-the most beloved movie of my childhood, William Goldman’s The #PrincessBride
-Trump toady @TedCruz of the GOP, and...
-a Democratic-Party-of-Wisconsin election fundraiser...
Now, it’s hard to imagine that anyone HASN’T seen The #PrincessBride; the 1987 movie is a cult classic. It’s about true love, dashing pirates and a bold attempt to rescue a beautiful girl from a terrible marriage. But it’s a movie that also has a powerful, progressive message...
The heroes of the story are peasants (Westley & Buttercup), workers (Inigo & Fezzik), intellectuals (Miracle Max & Valerie) & small business people (Inigo’s dad) - who are consistently wronged & exploited by selfish, rich, powerful people (Humperdinck & Rugen).
But when our heroes become friends and unite forces, they beat the bad guys!
You can imagine such a story attracts to its telling actors & other creatives who are right-on in fighting for good. So after 33 years (!), the original cast is reuniting to do an online reading of the script as a fundraiser for the @wisdems in Wisconsin: https://secure.actblue.com/donate/princess-bride-reunion
(In case you need proof these are lovely people, just watch these four sublimely wholesome minutes of Mandy Patinkin [Inigo] reacting to the news that the man interviewing him is about to become a father!)
Now, the upcoming US election, Wisconsin is a battleground state - a must-win to gain the presidency.
Trump won it in 2016 - by Only a razor-thin 0.77% of the vote.
If only a few thousand votes change hands, #BidenHarris2020 can boot Trump from the White House.
Trump won it in 2016 - by Only a razor-thin 0.77% of the vote.
If only a few thousand votes change hands, #BidenHarris2020 can boot Trump from the White House.
The @wisdems have been eagerly promoting the fundraiser online ... & this drew the scorn of Republican Trump-ally, Texas Senator Ted Cruz.
As it turns out, Cruz (who once wanted to be an actor) is - its message about corrupt, powerful people, notwithstanding - SOMEHOW a fan of the movie. He regularly acts out scenes from the script.
(Cruz is a former Trump critic whose father and wife were both insulted by @realdonaldtrump but who mysteriously now supports him, it is intensely creepy) https://www.washingtonpost.com/news/the-fix/wp/2016/09/23/9-truly-awful-things-that-were-said-between-ted-cruz-and-the-man-hell-now-support-donald-trump/
Cruz got very upset that this movie he loves so much is probably not the thing he’s been telling himself it is. And he went on twitter - quoting the movie to complain about it. https://twitter.com/tedcruz/status/1302274634176495618?s=21
At which point @caryelwes - who plays the hero, Westley - shot back with a reference Cruz was sure to understand: https://twitter.com/cary_elwes/status/1302314397948284928?s=21
And famous Hollywood scriptwriters who knew the great William Goldman also pointed out that the love @TedCruz may have had for Goldman’s work was... not reallly a mutual thing. https://twitter.com/ed_solomon/status/1302462441708834817?s=21
The Cruz social media blow up brought enormous amounts of attention to the fundraiser, and shared the publicity far and wide - with Americans across the country snapping up the tickets to see the stream. https://twitter.com/benwikler/status/1302414908051599368?s=21
True fans of the #PrincessBride have always known that there’s more than a little magic about that movie.
If Wisconsin flips to the Democrats in the upcoming election, I can’t help but think that Goldman’s glorious tale of true love, courage, friendship & unity will be part of it.
Here’s a news report of these events... https://twitter.com/benwikler/status/1302700250088591361?s=21
(And, to end; I am 
with this) https://twitter.com/taufmonster/status/1302986952535420928?s=21
with this) https://twitter.com/taufmonster/status/1302986952535420928?s=21
[goddamn it, i screwed up one of my links - much as I’d prefer to watch Mandy Patinkin be wholesome on an endless loop, here is Cruz re-enacting scenes from the #PrincessBride. He does it all the time. It confounds me.]
