The head of the Democratic National Committee took a swipe at House Republicans on Wednesday for airing a clip from a Ben Affleck film about bank robbers in order to rile up the troops in their fight over debt reduction.
On Tuesday, the Republican Conference showed a clip from the movie “The Town” at a closed-door meeting. In it, the criminal character played by Ben Affleck tells his accomplice buddy: “I need your help. I can’t tell you what it is. You can never ask me about it later and we’re gonna hurt some people.”
His pal, played by actor Jeremy Renner, responds “Whose car are we going to take?”
After the showing, Florida Rep. Allen West, evidently showing his support for House Speaker John Boehner, reportedly stood up and roared: “I’m ready to drive the car.”
In response, West’s arch-rival, Democratic National Committee Chairwoman Debbie Wasserman-Schultz said the movie choice is “a sad metaphor” for GOP policies.
“It tells you all you need to know,” said Wasserman-Schultz, D-Fla. “Their uncompromising position would hurt the American people.”
Affleck responds in the Huffington Post:
On Wednesday, Affleck — who wrote and directed “The Town” — said that he too found the whole scenario a touch bizarre. And in a statement his spokesperson provided to The Huffington Post, he suggested that Republicans use a different one of his movies next time they need to whip votes.
“I don’t know if this is a compliment or the ultimate repudiation,” said the actor, who is currently in Turkey directing and starring in “Argo,” an adaptation of the Tehran hostage crisis. “But if they’re going to be watching movies, I think “The Company Men” is more appropriate.”
We weren’t aware it was a slow nws day in DC.
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