So Goes the Nation |  | Directors: Adam Del Deo, James D. Stern
Actors: George W. Bush, John Kerry, Ed Gillespie, William Bacon, James Baker III
Studio: Ifc
Category: DVD
List Price: $14.95
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Rating:  11 reviews
Sales Rank: 56246
Format: Closed-captioned, Color, DVD, Widescreen, NTSC
Languages: English (Original Language), Spanish (Subtitled)
Rating: NR (Not Rated)
Region: 1
Aspect Ratio: 1.66:1
Number Of Discs: 1
Running Time: 90 Minutes
Shipping Weight (lbs): 1
Dimensions (in): 7.1 x 5.4 x 0.6
MPN: GEPD79869D
UPC: 796019798693
EAN: 0796019798693
ASIN: B000K2V7EQ
Theatrical Release Date: 2006
Release Date: February 13, 2007
Availability: Usually ships in 1-2 business days
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Amazon.com
As John Kerry presidential campaign volunteer Miles Gerety puts it, "As goes Ohio, so goes the nation." Directors Adam Del Deo and James D. Stern, who were behind The Year of the Yao (about NBA superstar Yao Ming), attempt to get a handle on the 2004 presidential election by focusing on this swing state in the weeks before the big day. Senator Kerry and President George W. Bush staffers recount their experiences in trying to win the White House. Speakers include everyone from door-to-door campaigners to Democratic National Committee chairman Terry McAuliffe and RNC chairman Ed Gillespie. Even some of Kerry's most dedicated followers admit that there were times their man let them down, like his failure to take a more aggressive stance against the Swift Boat Veterans for Truth. On the other hand, at least one Bush staffer feels that her candidate made too big a deal about same-sex marriage. As longtime Republican Leslie Ghiz remarks about his campaign promises, "Notice there's [been] no marriage amendment." Del Deo and Stern also shadow local voters and out-of-town celebrities like Brendan Fraser, part of the organization Bring Ohio Back. (Other famous names to swing through the Buckeye State include Matt Dillon and Bruce Springsteen.) If ...So Goes the Nation presents more talking heads than revelations, it's still an evenhanded look at the series of events that led to such a seemingly surprising result. As a study in contrasts, Rachel Boynton's Our Brand is Crisis, also featuring strategist Tad Devine, proves that winning can sometimes be worse than losing. --Kathleen C. Fennessy
Product Description
Studio: Genius Products Inc Release Date: 05/08/2007 Run time: 90 minutes
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Showing reviews 1-5 of 11
Politics is a nasty line of work February 22, 2010
Rodney Wilson (Massachusetts USA)
Excellent documentary about the 2004 U.S. presidential election, focusing on the battleground state of Ohio. Definitely confirms three things for me: political parties are wickedly nasty machines; religion is used, misused, and abused by both parties; and most of our decisions are made from emotion instead of reason.
 Wonderful Video! January 14, 2009
Christine Del Deo (Phoenix)
Very interesting and entertaining documentary about the political process in 2004. Valuable for the future elections as it shows the dynamics of behind the scene action in the political arena. Enjoyed very much!
 Everything's as it was, except you are there November 4, 2008
J. L LaRegina (New Jersey)
SO GOES THE NATION takes us to Ohio for the final days leading up to the 2004 presidential election. Its most compelling moments feature volunteers for the campaigns of John Kerry and George W. Bush, soldiering on, political bullets flying overhead. Other perspectives come post-election day from interviews with Democratic and Republican Party officials.
What SO GOES THE NATION lacks is the filmmakers' perspective. For example, it only hints at the ugly truths that cost John Kerry the official vote count. When I saw this D.V.D. recently at the public library, I wondered why I had not heard of it. After seeing SO GOES THE NATION's timid take on Republican suppression of likely Kerry voters in the Buckeye State, I understood why most word of mouth was probably two syllables - "Skip it."
Nonetheless, credit SO GOES THE NATION for taking us into the hearts and souls of ordinary people working hard for the Kerry and Bush campaigns in which they believe. Watching those volunteers' spirits soar and dip (Kerry) and dip and soar (Bush) on Election Day 2004 I compare it to true-storytelling such as APOLLO THIRTEEN, where we already know what happens yet suspense builds anyway.
An excellent film for anyone interested in American politics April 14, 2008
Christopher Marlow (London, England)
An engrossing and well-structured film that succinctly explains Bush's victory in Ohio, and thus the United States in the presidential election of 2004. The film's use of three main characters to frame the narrative gives the film a personal quality, and prevents it from becoming a dry recitation of facts that poorer documentaries often become.
As a non-American, I heartily recommend this film to anybody with an interest in American politics, and how electioneering there differs from other English-speaking countries.
Another day, another documentary on the Iraq war.... December 3, 2007
Grigory's Girl (NYC)
2 out of 6 found this review helpful
After watching this on IFC, I have grown supersaturated by Iraq War documentaries and/or political documentaries. This one really doesn't cover anything a seasoned political junkie doesn't know, and honestly, unless your Michael Moore who has a big name and box office muscle, your documentary is only going to be seen by political junkies who just want their opinions confirmed by films like this.
Yes, Bush lied about the Iraq War, and he used patriotism and other wedge issues to drive the American people apart. His favorite was the usually reliable gay marriage, even though it may surprise people that there is a federal law already on the books banning it. It was called the Defense of Marriage Act, and it was signed by none other than Bill Clinton. For the record, John Kerry was one of 12 Senators to vote against it. Yes, Karl Rove used this to his advantage, and yes, most of the American people fell for it. I've heard this all before on Air America Radio, progressive blogs, etc., etc.. This film really offers nothing new except dragging out the old culprits (like Terry McCauliffe, the horrid DNC chair who presided over many losing election for nearly 10 years until the Dems decided it might be time for a change after the 2004 debacle. McCauliffe was voted out, but not without a struggle).
The main point of this documentary is that what the GOP was morally reprehenisble and wrong. However, in a political season, you have to fight hard, and yes, you have to get dirty (real politics isn't like The West Wing TV show). The Dems didn't. Kerry ran one of the most incompetent, horrendous campaigns in modern history. He was not a very good candidate (I'm sorry, he is stiff and rather boring), and he simply thought that by not being George W. Bush, he would win. He rarely went after Bush (Bush's name was hardly mentioned during the Dem convention in 2004). Kerry voted for the war, then voted against an appropriations bill (there is footage here of Kerry in front of a veterans' crowd where he uttered the infamous line "I voted for the 87 billion before I voted against it"). They cut to GOP operatives after this, and they all basically say "thank you, John Kerry, for giving us this line.".
Karl Rove and his GOP minions used this line ad nauesum in their ad attacks. Many hate Rove, and think he's an evil genius. He's pretty damn evil, but most political operatives are generally not very nice. And he isn't a genius. He's an opportunist, and he took advantage of a rotten Kerry campaign. Kerry did himself no favours by voting for the Iraq War resolution (everyone knew that Bush wanted a war, the resolution was purely political theater), and by allowing the Swiftboaters to trash his military record and not say anything. And when it came time to contest Ohio, Kerry buckled. He didn't do a damn thing. I do think there were some shenanigans about, but when you say "I'm going to make sure every vote is counted", and then concede when some votes obviously weren't counted, you're not exactly instilling confidence. Rove took advantage of all these, and the Dems and Kerry should have known that Rove would do this. He's done it his whole life. This isn't news. It's common sense.
This documentary is no different than any other documentary that has been made about the run up to the war. Everyone and their grandmother seems to have one, and they really don't change people's minds, and just preach to the choir. If you're a political junkie that wants to hear for the umpteenth time that Bush is bad and the Iraq War is bad, rent/buy this.
I am really no longer outraged by docs such as this. Perhaps it's deep cynicism on my part, or maybe I don't think these things really do any good.
Showing reviews 1-5 of 11
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