Brash and Burns
Some have noted the similarity between Don Brash and the Simpsons’ Monty Burns.
I’ve dug out a couple of clips from an episode when Mr Burns runs for Governor: basically, no matter what he’s asked, he talks about his determination to lower taxes.
The episode, called “Two Cars in Every Garage and Three Eyes on Every Fish”, is described as follows by Wikipedia:
Bart and Lisa go fishing downstream of the Springfield Nuclear Power Plant and Springfield Shopper reporter Dave Shutton pulls up just as Bart catches a three-eyed fish, Blinky. From the resulting publicity the governor, Mary Bailey, calls for an investigation of the power plant and its owner, Montgomery Burns. After an inspection, Mr. Burns is presented with a list of over 342 violations and is fined $56 million. Distraught, Mr. Burns talks to underperforming employee Homer Simpson who half-heartedly suggests Mr. Burns run for Governor. Mr. Burns pounces on the idea. Homer’s support for Burns divides the Simpson house because Marge and Lisa support Bailey.
Burns’s political advisors break the news to Burns that he is not well liked and force Burns to try being friendly and even smile. Burns also does a TV commercial, discussing Blinky with an actor portraying Charles Darwin, who claims Blinky is an evolutionary step. Combined with a smear campaign against Mary Bailey this eventually leads to Burns beating Bailey in the polls. On the night before the election, Smithers and his other advisors suggest that Burns have dinner at the Simpsons’ house as an opportunity to put Burns “over the top”. To everyone’s surprise, Marge serves Blinky, the three-eyed fish that Bart caught, for dinner. Mr. Burns tries to act as if it doesn’t bother him, but is not able to keep from spitting it out. The cameras flash as the bite flies through the air, but the press is gone and his gubernatorial campaign is over by the time the chunk hits the floor.
The clips I’ve extracted from this episode are contrived questions and answers between Homer and Lisa (who are given cards with questions on them by Mr Burns’ handlers) and Mr Burns. The exchanges are as follows:
Clip one
Homer: Now, Mr Burns. My family and I feel that taxes are too high. Where do you stand on this highly controversial issue?
Mr Burns: Goodness, I didn’t realise this casual dinner was going to turn into a charged political debate.
Homer: I was only reading what the card says.
Mr Burns: Homer, I agree with you, and if I am elected Governor, I will lower taxes whether those bureaucrats in the state capital like it or not!Clip two
Lisa: Mr Burns, your campaign seems to have the momentum of a run-away freight train. Why are you so popular?
Mr Burns: Oh, a tough question, but a fair one. Lisa, there’s no single answer. Some voters respond to my integrity. Others are more impressed by my incorruptibility. Still others like my determination to lower taxes and the bureaucrats in the state capital can put that in their pipes and smoke it!
The Homer clip is here (wmv, 0.23mins, 0.7MB). The Lisa clip is here (wmv, 0.23mins, 0.7MB).
Enjoy.
September 12th, 2005 at 5:27 pm
very ammusing. Still I think it is terrible (though very funny). What has happened to alot of the national billboards between palmy and wellington. I thought that the burns thing was a digital joke on the internet ontly . When I saw that someone has actually done it for real. I was shocked.
ps. while I loved the green bilboards up close. I really feel, that they loose their impact when zooming past on the open road.
September 12th, 2005 at 7:42 pm
Now I very confused, which one is the caricature of which?
September 12th, 2005 at 8:12 pm
don brash is monty burns..there is no confusion there..
phil(whoar.co.nz)
September 12th, 2005 at 8:30 pm
http://www.dorkinglabs.com/fim_popup.php?id=134&title=Spot+the+Differe nce is probably what you are looking for as well.
September 12th, 2005 at 8:54 pm
I actually think this stuff is funny, and doesn’t actually harm the Nats at all. So come on, keep it up.
September 12th, 2005 at 9:09 pm
it’ll have a similar impact as the taxathon ads if they reached the same people
September 12th, 2005 at 9:30 pm
it’s an image that should be circulated as widely as possible…good to get peopls laughing at brash….
and isn’t the similarity spooky…?
phil(whoar.co.nz)
September 12th, 2005 at 10:19 pm
er, isn’t that breaking Fox/TV3’s copyright?
September 12th, 2005 at 11:39 pm
‘it’ll have a similar impact as the taxathon ads if they reached the same people.’
Won’t do the Greens any good. The kinda people attracted by the Nat’s ad actually earn a livin’.
September 13th, 2005 at 12:28 am
But they’re not laughing at Brash. They’re laughing at Mr Burns, a much-loved cartoon character in a much-loved tv show.
September 13th, 2005 at 12:52 am
heh thats brilliant
September 13th, 2005 at 5:14 am
belch..you get this months award for most appropriate nome de guerre..
phil(whoar.co.nz)
September 13th, 2005 at 9:20 am
Anything that uses quotes from Simpsons is alright with me.
Now, this is the kind of clean campaign voters want to see. If we run the entire election using re-runs of various cartoons to push the points, voters get entertained and we acknowledge the positive role our American friends brings to politics. Even the Greens watch American TV.
You reckon JF is the broad in Seinfield? She used to sleep with Jerry, is still good friends, and gets into the most outrageous situations. Remember the episode where she shared a cab with an Exclusive Brethren? I think he ended up becoming a monk and moving to the Coromandel.
September 13th, 2005 at 10:00 am
Actually, Zen, in polite company (although I’m flattering some posters here) NZ’ers don’t use the word “broad”.
Although the females of the nation have had to tolerate “sheilas”, “chicks”, “tarts”(the english word meaning sweet-filled small pie, in its original manifestation), and sundry other vernacular peculiar to our shores.
JF is a loooong way from Elaine, the character I think you were referring to.
Is NY really so full of crackpot women? Every show we get here seems to reference a zone full of 30-something nutters trying to maximise their oestrogen before it’s all past the use-by date……
katie
September 13th, 2005 at 11:21 am
Well spotted Katie. It was merely a broadside aimed firmly at NY vernacular.
I’ve noticed the same thing about 30 something NY shows. And all of the adverts seem to depict the mere male as existing as a servant for women or ignorant, thick or plain dumb. I wonder why. On seconds thoughts, maybe don’t answer that.
September 13th, 2005 at 12:40 pm
Yo’ I’m from NY and the stereotypes don’t seem far from truth to me. You have to have a LOT of money to live like a “normal” person in NYC… the sense of impermanence is tangible, and it affects everything, including relationships - respectfully BJ
September 14th, 2005 at 10:32 pm
Transactional analysis: the broken record trick does a treat - one-policy horse or trojan horse?