Character Party Affliations - Sitcoms Online Message Boards

Petrie Malone · 10-02-2004, 02:07 PM

I was thinking about this the other day and wondering/trying to guess what party(Republican, Democrat, Independant) each DVDS character would be. This is thread is just for fun; let's not turn this into a political bloodbath!

Here's my thoughts:

Rob: Democrat or Independant

Laura: Whatever Rob is, she would be too

Buddy: Republican

Sally: Democrat

Millie: Democrat

Jerry: Republican

Alan: Republican

Mel: Republican... but only cuz Alan is one too!

What do you guys think?

Kurt

SawgrassSteve · 10-02-2004, 06:19 PM

Kurt,
First, let me applaud your courage in posing this question. I've pondered it, but with the venom that I've witnessed being spewed forth about dissagreements over something so simple (or complicated) as one's political philosophy, I didn't dare ask it. I am however, glad you did.

It's silly to me that we can't accept another person having a point of view unless it's identicle to our own.

To your question:
Living in Illinois as I do, about a couple of hours away from Stacey & Rob's small home town of Danville, I can tell you that the likelyhood is that they are Democrat. But once you get outside of Chicago's cook county you do run into pockets of Conservative/Republican communities here and there, especially the farther south you travel, so it's not an impossibility that they could be Republican. However, Laura's home town of Brooklyn is heavily Democratic, so I tend to think as you do, that they are both of the same affiliation, Democrat.
Actually, I think everyone else on your list would be Democratic or Independent, except for Jerry & Millie, simply because the overwhelming majority of the people in the entertainment industry tend to be philosophically Liberal. There are many Liberal Republicans though, we just never hear about them.
However, Jerry and Millie do both strike me as Republican, and I find it interesting that you separate their affliliations. Why

?

Steve

BWLuv · 10-02-2004, 09:18 PM

This is a good thread. However, are we talking Democrat/Republican circa 1960 or modern day? They are very different animals.

Petrie Malone · 10-02-2004, 10:07 PM

Steve,
I was a little nervous to post this thread because some people may have been against it, but I am glad that it has been met with approval. And it is sad we can be so unaccepting of other people's opinions... on some SO boards people want to kill you if you have a different opinion than theirs! (I like to call these boards cults!

)

As for why I chose different affliations for Millie and Jerry... they argue a lot! They seem to have different opinions on almost everything. (I am by no means saying that all Republicans and Democrats is argue with each other!) IMO, Millie seems like a Democrat, and now that I give it some more thought, Jerry could be a conservate Democrat.
I didn't know Rob and Laura's hometowns were mainly democratic, but it seemed 'in character' for them to be Democrats. Laura is fairly dependant of Rob, so I could see her being affliated with the same party as Rob.
Sally is a single, working girl living in New York City, so its likely to think she's a democrat. Buddy is fairly liberal, but he has that "Every guy for himself" attitude typical of Republicans. (If we have Republican posters on this board, PLEASE don't take offense to that statement! It wasn't meant mean way!) But like you said, since he's in show business, Buddy could also very well be a Democrat. He could go either way.
Mel is afraid of Alan, so would most likely be the same party affliation as Alan. Yeah, Alan is in show business, but he seems sort of conservative, so that's why I said Republican. But he too could go either way.

Hope I didn't offend anyone of either political affliation with this post!

Kurt

EDIT: Wrong smiley

JudgeGarth · 10-02-2004, 11:15 PM

I'd say the Danville area is fairly Republican. They've had both Republican and Democrat congressmen through the years. Circa 1965 and still to this day, the Republican strongholds were in the suburbs and downstate communities. It was a tossup as to whether there were enough votes to overcome the overwhelming strength of the Democrats in Cook County and the area around East St. Louis.

SawgrassSteve · 10-03-2004, 09:08 PM

Quote:

Originally posted by Petrie Malone
... on some SO boards people want to kill you if you have a different opinion than theirs! (I like to call these boards cults!)

Kurt,
That reminds me of how initially nervous I was to use the terms "Loyal Worshipper," and "The Cult Of Laura," as signature lines on this board. They obviously have religious cannotations, but they are also secular. Think of the old term "Hero Worship," and "Cult Classic" movies and minor stars who were said to have a "Cult" following. I think of her as away from the beaten path of Halle, Britney, and even Marilyn. Not to take anything away from them. They deserve their fans, but so does Mary and her character, Laura Petrie, although they be fewer in number.
Oh, and I kinda hadda tough time placing Buddy too! But I went with the greater likelyhood of "Democrat" because most Jewish voters tend to vote that way, plus the "showbiz" factor.
BWLuv,
I'm sure you're right about them being different animals. I used today's standards since I don't know a whit about 1960's political demogaphics. So...
JudgeGarth,
Thanks for the enlightenment!

Steve

Petrie Malone · 10-03-2004, 09:37 PM

Quote:

Originally posted by SawgrassSteve
...They deserve their fans, but so does Mary and her character, Laura Petrie, although they be fewer in number.
Oh, and I kinda hadda tough time placing Buddy too! But I went with the greater likelyhood of "Democrat" because most Jewish voters tend to vote that way, plus the "showbiz" factor.

I forgot all about the Jewish factor! So yeah, he probably was a Democrat!

And you're right, Laura Petrie deserves a fan club! We can be co-presidents... and we can call it "The Cult of Laura!"

SawgrassSteve · 10-08-2004, 05:22 PM

Kurt,
It appears that your post was quite timely.
On Wed, Oct 27, @ 7PM Eastern Time, "Inside TV Land" will premier "Primetime Politics." It will feature guest appearances by polititians, and political satire exerpts from classic TV shows. Maybe we'll see Councilman Robert Petrie?
Repeats 11/02/04 @ 10PM, & 11/03/04 @ 1AM.
For my money SNL is the all-time king of political satire. They give no one a break. But I'll watch to see what TVL does with it!

Steve

Samme · 10-08-2004, 07:15 PM

I think I agree with Kurt's
opinion of everyone. Millie's
might seem off at first but
remember how she switched to Rob
and Laura's side in "A Vigilante
Ripped My Sports Coat." I think
it was a smart that none of the
characters ever lined up either
way. (Although no sitcoms of that
era ever did either.) But the
most of the actors never did either.
I remember in my first few years
of really becoming addicted to the
show in maybe the late 60s I saw
Morey was gonna be on the Mike
Douglas show and I was very excited
because I don't think I'd seen
anyone from the show interviewed
at that point. I figured he'd talk
about the show and it'd be great.
Instead he got went off on an
extremely conservative rant of
what was wrong with the country
(he'd "been around and knew what
he was talkin' about", etc.) that
actually had the audience laughing
at him. It hurt me too see it. What
was it Rob said in one show "this
is one of those things that only
gets you in trouble. Like talking
about politics or religion." It is
very tricky stuff. And I think Carl
was very smart that way in never
alienating any of the audience.

SawgrassSteve · 10-08-2004, 08:38 PM

I agree with you, Samme
One thing I think we can all agree on is that it wouldn't matter to any of us weather the Petries and their friends were Democrat, Republican, Green, or Independent. We've come to know them and like them for themselves.
It's a lot like real people in that way. I have Conservative, Moderate, and Liberal friends, to any of whom I'd give the shirt off my back, and I know they'd do the same for me.
Carl was clever to give us that in these characters.

Steve

Petrie Malone · 10-10-2004, 09:38 PM

Steve,
Thanks for informing us about the Inside TV Land special. I'm looking forward to it!

Samme,
You brought up some good points. Thanks for sharing!

Kurt

Lolac · 10-10-2004, 11:12 PM

Quote:

Originally posted by SawgrassSteve
Kurt,
It appears that your post was quite timely.
On Wed, Oct 27, @ 7PM Eastern Time, "Inside TV Land" will premier "Primetime Politics." It will feature guest appearances by polititians, and political satire exerpts from classic TV shows. Maybe we'll see Councilman Robert Petrie?
Repeats 11/02/04 @ 10PM, & 11/03/04 @ 1AM.
For my money SNL is the all-time king of political satire. They give no one a break. But I'll watch to see what TVL does with it!

Steve

I'm having an election night party. Maybe we'll watch this special instead of the returns!

Lolac

Petrie Malone · 10-11-2004, 11:31 AM

Quote:

Originally posted by Lolac
I'm having an election night party. Maybe we'll watch this special instead of the returns!

Lolac

What does one do at an election night party? Do you have some type of a pool going for who wins the election? lol

Kurt

Lolac · 10-11-2004, 05:38 PM

Quote:

Originally posted by Petrie Malone
What does one do at an election night party? Do you have some type of a pool going for who wins the election? lol

Kurt

Oh, you know, we have a bunch of friends in, and we eat and talk and watch election returns. We try to have an equal number of Democrats and Republicans, just to make it interesting! We live in the Washington, DC area and my husband is involved in politics, so it can be a very lively event! But, like I said, maybe we'll watch the TV Land Special instead!

Lolac

SawgrassSteve · 10-27-2004, 12:22 PM

Quote:

Originally posted by SawgrassSteve
Kurt,
It appears that your post was quite timely.
On Wed, Oct 27, @ 7PM Eastern Time, "Inside TV Land" will premier "Primetime Politics." It will feature guest appearances by polititians, and political satire exerpts from classic TV shows. Maybe we'll see Councilman Robert Petrie?
Repeats 11/02/04 @ 10PM, & 11/03/04 @ 1AM.
For my money SNL is the all-time king of political satire. They give no one a break. But I'll watch to see what TVL does with it!

Steve

For those who would like to tape or watch this tonight, there appears to have been a time change. I'm getting 8PM Eastern on Yahoo TV Listings now, but check your local listings.

Steve

10-02-2004, 02:07 PM	#1
Petrie Malone Former Member Forum Regular Join Date: Dec 20, 2003 Location: PIB Posts: 510	Character Party Affliations I was thinking about this the other day and wondering/trying to guess what party(Republican, Democrat, Independant) each DVDS character would be. This is thread is just for fun; let's not turn this into a political bloodbath! Here's my thoughts: Rob: Democrat or Independant Laura: Whatever Rob is, she would be too Buddy: Republican Sally: Democrat Millie: Democrat Jerry: Republican Alan: Republican Mel: Republican... but only cuz Alan is one too! What do you guys think? Kurt
	__________________ Proud member (not a lurker) of PIB message boards!

10-02-2004, 06:19 PM	#2
SawgrassSteve Loyal Worshipper Senior Member Join Date: Mar 04, 2002 Location: Chicago, IL Posts: 1,423	Kurt, First, let me applaud your courage in posing this question. I've pondered it, but with the venom that I've witnessed being spewed forth about dissagreements over something so simple (or complicated) as one's political philosophy, I didn't dare ask it. I am however, glad you did. It's silly to me that we can't accept another person having a point of view unless it's identicle to our own. To your question: Living in Illinois as I do, about a couple of hours away from Stacey & Rob's small home town of Danville, I can tell you that the likelyhood is that they are Democrat. But once you get outside of Chicago's cook county you do run into pockets of Conservative/Republican communities here and there, especially the farther south you travel, so it's not an impossibility that they could be Republican. However, Laura's home town of Brooklyn is heavily Democratic, so I tend to think as you do, that they are both of the same affiliation, Democrat. Actually, I think everyone else on your list would be Democratic or Independent, except for Jerry & Millie, simply because the overwhelming majority of the people in the entertainment industry tend to be philosophically Liberal. There are many Liberal Republicans though, we just never hear about them. However, Jerry and Millie do both strike me as Republican, and I find it interesting that you separate their affliliations. Why ? Steve
	__________________ The Cult Of Laura

10-02-2004, 10:07 PM	#4
Petrie Malone Former Member Forum Regular Join Date: Dec 20, 2003 Location: PIB Posts: 510	Steve, I was a little nervous to post this thread because some people may have been against it, but I am glad that it has been met with approval. And it is sad we can be so unaccepting of other people's opinions... on some SO boards people want to kill you if you have a different opinion than theirs! (I like to call these boards cults! ) As for why I chose different affliations for Millie and Jerry... they argue a lot! They seem to have different opinions on almost everything. (I am by no means saying that all Republicans and Democrats is argue with each other!) IMO, Millie seems like a Democrat, and now that I give it some more thought, Jerry could be a conservate Democrat. I didn't know Rob and Laura's hometowns were mainly democratic, but it seemed 'in character' for them to be Democrats. Laura is fairly dependant of Rob, so I could see her being affliated with the same party as Rob. Sally is a single, working girl living in New York City, so its likely to think she's a democrat. Buddy is fairly liberal, but he has that "Every guy for himself" attitude typical of Republicans. (If we have Republican posters on this board, PLEASE don't take offense to that statement! It wasn't meant mean way!) But like you said, since he's in show business, Buddy could also very well be a Democrat. He could go either way. Mel is afraid of Alan, so would most likely be the same party affliation as Alan. Yeah, Alan is in show business, but he seems sort of conservative, so that's why I said Republican. But he too could go either way. Hope I didn't offend anyone of either political affliation with this post! Kurt EDIT: Wrong smiley
	Last edited by Petrie Malone; 10-03-2004 at 09:37 PM.

10-02-2004, 09:18 PM	#3
BWLuv Member Frequent Poster Join Date: Aug 21, 2004 Posts: 203	This is a good thread. However, are we talking Democrat/Republican circa 1960 or modern day? They are very different animals.

10-02-2004, 11:15 PM	#5
JudgeGarth Member Frequent Poster Join Date: Apr 07, 2004 Location: Wheaton, IL Posts: 443	I'd say the Danville area is fairly Republican. They've had both Republican and Democrat congressmen through the years. Circa 1965 and still to this day, the Republican strongholds were in the suburbs and downstate communities. It was a tossup as to whether there were enough votes to overcome the overwhelming strength of the Democrats in Cook County and the area around East St. Louis.

10-08-2004, 05:22 PM	#8
SawgrassSteve Loyal Worshipper Senior Member Join Date: Mar 04, 2002 Location: Chicago, IL Posts: 1,423	Kurt, It appears that your post was quite timely. On Wed, Oct 27, @ 7PM Eastern Time, "Inside TV Land" will premier "Primetime Politics." It will feature guest appearances by polititians, and political satire exerpts from classic TV shows. Maybe we'll see Councilman Robert Petrie? Repeats 11/02/04 @ 10PM, & 11/03/04 @ 1AM. For my money SNL is the all-time king of political satire. They give no one a break. But I'll watch to see what TVL does with it! Steve

10-08-2004, 07:15 PM	#9
Samme Member Forum Regular Join Date: Dec 01, 2001 Posts: 679	I think I agree with Kurt's opinion of everyone. Millie's might seem off at first but remember how she switched to Rob and Laura's side in "A Vigilante Ripped My Sports Coat." I think it was a smart that none of the characters ever lined up either way. (Although no sitcoms of that era ever did either.) But the most of the actors never did either. I remember in my first few years of really becoming addicted to the show in maybe the late 60s I saw Morey was gonna be on the Mike Douglas show and I was very excited because I don't think I'd seen anyone from the show interviewed at that point. I figured he'd talk about the show and it'd be great. Instead he got went off on an extremely conservative rant of what was wrong with the country (he'd "been around and knew what he was talkin' about", etc.) that actually had the audience laughing at him. It hurt me too see it. What was it Rob said in one show "this is one of those things that only gets you in trouble. Like talking about politics or religion." It is very tricky stuff. And I think Carl was very smart that way in never alienating any of the audience.

10-08-2004, 08:38 PM	#10
SawgrassSteve Loyal Worshipper Senior Member Join Date: Mar 04, 2002 Location: Chicago, IL Posts: 1,423	I agree with you, Samme One thing I think we can all agree on is that it wouldn't matter to any of us weather the Petries and their friends were Democrat, Republican, Green, or Independent. We've come to know them and like them for themselves. It's a lot like real people in that way. I have Conservative, Moderate, and Liberal friends, to any of whom I'd give the shirt off my back, and I know they'd do the same for me. Carl was clever to give us that in these characters. Steve

10-10-2004, 09:38 PM	#11
Petrie Malone Former Member Forum Regular Join Date: Dec 20, 2003 Location: PIB Posts: 510	Steve, Thanks for informing us about the Inside TV Land special. I'm looking forward to it! Samme, You brought up some good points. Thanks for sharing! Kurt