Who Knew Veep Was a Prophecy?
Veep. Image courtesy of HBO.
Veep was created by Armando Iannucci, a Scottish interloper on these fine American shores. And yet, he was able to diagnose and parody the malady that ailed American politics back in 2012, several years before his satire became our nightmare and reality. But I guess everyone always knew what was wrong with politics, American or otherwise - fools and narcissists drowning in their own depraved ambition are the ones most likely to seek office. They will then do anything to stay in power or in proximity to the whiff of power, often with little or no understanding of their civic duty or how to discharge it.
Sometimes you get someone who, in spite of their own ego and other personal failings, is actually capable - like Bill Clinton. Occasionally you get someone who is both smart and a decent human, like Barack Obama. More often you get easily manipulated but righteous imbeciles, like George W. Bush. And now we know it’s also possible to elect someone who is a world historical dolt without even a faked veneer of moral grounding - an empty vessel filled with pathological stupidity and an allergy to the truth like Donald Trump. I guess the American electorate didn’t know that in 2012. But Veep did.
Veep is a satire of American politics. But these days, satire and reality are nearly indistinguishable. Headlines that ran in The Onion a few years ago are actually coming true, and we have started to become numb to it. In its first few seasons, Veep tells the story of a depraved opportunist, Selina Meyer - played by national treasure Julia Louis-Dreyfus. She ran for president but then settled for vice president as a consolation prize. It is very clear that she doesn’t care much about her policy platform, or what her proposed policies will actually do. She only cares about what people will think about her, and how her policies play in the public. Everything she does in in service of creating a better situation and image for herself, personally, in order to consolidate and maintain power. Because she is so charming, despite being quite a terrible person, and because we know this is a conscious mockery of American politics, we are happy to go along for the ride.
She is surrounded by a coterie of sycophants and ladder-climbers. It is very funny. There are great characters and great writing. But it’s supposed to be satire. In 2012 we could watch this show and think it was a funny send-up of the worst impulses of the political class, but convince ourselves that there were still “adults in the room” who were in charge. That was, perhaps, always a naive bit of fantasy. But at least, in some sense, it was plausible. Now reality has truly swallowed satire. It’s not so funny any more (but still pretty funny).
I remember a scene in Veep where Amy and Jonah (and speaking of dark timelines, the entire US government is basically now filled with Jonahs) are jostling with one another because each one wants to physically stand closest to Selina. It’s a funny little bit. But it has now been widely reported that Trump’s aides actually do this. Whoever is closest to this walnut-brained lizard has the most sway on him at any given time, since his mind is basically a wet egg-roll incapable of processing information. Whoever he speaks to last often ends up having the most influence on his thinking, and so aides have been known to do anything just to be physically near him. What was a funny little bit of physical comedy in a satire about the loathsome stupidity and craven nature of politics has become a full-blown living nightmare.
All of Veep’s insights into the nature of politics ring true - that politicians are shallow, that the people in Washington are all clinging on for dear life so they can suck just the tiniest drop of power and influence from the meth pipe of government. But nowadays, looking back on the first season or two, Veep has the ring of a dark prophecy, a warning called out into the void. “It’s all fun and games now America” whispers a voice disguised as HBO. “But pretty soon you won’t be laughing.”
If only we had listened.
