Liberty Valance terrorized Shinbone. He was a lawless bully boy who though the could get away with anything.
The classic western film to which I am referring is ‘The Man Who Shot Liberty Valance’ starring John Wayne, Jimmy Stewart, Lee Marvin and a supporting cast of Hollywood’s most famous character actors.
The metaphor I’d like to present, respectfully, and purely for the sake of metaphor and comparison, is to this film. I don’t want the Secret Service showing up at my front door, so I by no means am suggesting a western-style shootout, but I do think the comparison of this classic western to the current administration’s hold on America regarding President Trump and his behavior, his administration, Congress, the Mueller investigation, law enforcement, the news media, roguish characters and colorful personalities, a twisted plot, the “Wall”, and the famous quote from the film ...is noteworthy.
Also noteworthy is the backstory in this film. Ironically, it’s about a “wall”, specifically a “fence” being contested between the stockmen who want open range immigration for their cattle and the newly immigrating farmers who want to use fences to protect their crops from the invasive cattle.
But here’s the main plot of this classic film. Lee Marvin is Liberty Valance. He’s the local bad guy of whom everyone in the frontier town of Shinbone is afraid and shaking in their boots. A real loud mouth creep and bully. He runs with two sidekicks that are just as ghastly as he. Jimmy Stewart is the new guy in town, a young lawyer named Ransom Stoddard headed west who has just been robbed and beaten in a stage coach hold up by Valance and his thugs. Stoddard is taken in by a couple who run the local restaurant in Shinbone where he meets Hallie, a waitress, and his future wife. However, Hallie is the girlfriend of John Wayne’s character, Tom Doniphon, the local ‘good guy’ and the toughest man “south of the picket wire”. They were to be married. Doniphon is the typical John Wayne character and refers to Stewart’s character as “pilgrim‘ ...that’s where that classic John Wayne impression comes from. Doniphon becomes a protector and mentor to “pilgrim” Stoddard. Meanwhile, Liberty Valance continues to harass and humiliate Stoddard who he calls “dude” and works to quash the young lawyer’s lofty goal to bring law and order to Shinbone and the old west.
This black and white 1962 John Ford film is full of grit and western frontier atmosphere brimming with memorable characters. https://www.imdb.com/title/tt0056217/ The song ‘The Man Who Shot Liberty Valance‘ by Gene Pitney was a top 40’s ‘Billboard’ hit that same year.
Well, one thing leads to another in Shinbone and they all become good friends, except with Liberty Valance who continues to run his luck and ends up getting shot by ...and that’s the plot twist which leads to the metaphor comparison that I am at this point desperately trying to save. Bear with me ...
Here‘s the plot twist. This whole story is a flashback, being told 25 years later by Stewart’s character Ransom Stoddard now a U.S. Senator back in Washington DC. He has come to Shinbone with now wife Hallie to bury his dear friend, John Wayne’s character Tom Doniphon who probably died of old age and a broken heart from losing Halllie 25 years prior. Stewart (Stoddard) is telling his story to the local newspaper editor who has asked why a U.S. senator has come to Shinbone. He tells the whole story in detail and about the kerfuffle with Liberty Valance and the truth about the man who shot him who everyone thinks was Stewart’s character, Ransom Stoddard, but was in fact John Wayne’s character, Tom Doniphon. A secret kept for 25 years. Here’ what happened ...Valance, drunk, called Stoddard out into the street for a gun fight. Doniphon knew Stoddard would be killed in a draw against Valance. Doniphon hid in the shadows on a side street that night and shot Valance as they all drew their guns. It had appeared that Stoddard won the gunfight killing Valance, but it was Doniphon’s shot and bullet that killed him.
When Stoddard finished his story he told the newspaper editor that he should now print the truth about the man who shot Liberty Valance ...and that’s where the famous quote comes from. The editor refused to print the true story as told by Stoddard saying, “This is the west, sir. When the legend becomes fact, print the legend.”
And so it goes today with our modern day news media, and with history generally.
Now you don’t have to see the movie.
Here’s my Trump comparison. Donald Trump is the Lee Marvin character Liberty Valance, the neighborhood bully, braggart, scoundrel, bad guy. I see his henchmen as Kellyanne Conway, Don Jr. etc., family and hanger-on loyalist people like that with whom he’s surrounded himself, take your pick. Robert Mueller could be the John Wayne character if he’d get off his butt and produce. Congress and Trump’s administration are hobbled, sidelined, scared and confused by Trump’s erratic, immature rhetoric and actions rendering them ineffective, and law enforcement just does what he says. All the personalities and cast of characters are exaggerated and memorable although short lived, and the plot continues to twist and turn every single day captivating the news media and general public 24/7 ...apparently there is no other news. It’s like the film, engaging and entertaining ...and who will bring down Donald Trump?
Jimmy Stewart’s character, idealistic lawyer Ransom Stoddard, is us ...we the American people.
I’m not suggesting Trump is an ‘evil‘ man like Liberty Valance in the film, he’s simply an as**ole, plain and simple. He’s even giving as**oles a bad name. But he’s our as**ole so he’s due a certain amount of slack as president. I’m sorry to have to use that word but it’s the best fit. I mean, you almost have to admire his persistence and his willingness to humiliate himself. I agree with some of Trump’s ideas, but his entitled ‘Richie Rich’ attitude and villainous ‘Goldfinger‘ disposition grate on me as much as it does anyone.
For someone who is exalted as a marketing and branding genius, why is he branding himself an as**ole and probably the worst president in U.S. history? Well, the most controversial president in U.S. history anyway and not in any good way ...and controversy always draws the TV cameras and spotlights and that’s what he craves most of all. It’s just who he is. Trump is not a marketing or branding genius, he’s just a crybaby ...but I guess you’d call a real crying baby an advertising genius, so take that for whatever it’s worth.
The successful functioning of the president of the United States depends on communicating confidence, strength and dignity as well as sound policy. A sketchy ‘enfant terrible‘ in our White House puts us all in jeopardy should be unacceptable to everyone.
Will Robert Mueller be the man who ‘shot‘ Donald Trump? I’m losing confidence. My money is on Nancy Pelosi.
John Kushma is a communication consultant and lives in Logan, Utah.
https://www.linkedin.com/in/john-george-kushma-379a5762
http://newsbout.com/a/John+Kushma
