# Is Michael Bay a political right winger? (Obama bashing in Transformers 2) (open spoilers) **URL:** \ **Category:** Cafe Society\ **Created:** [July 12, 2009, 6:54am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/is-michael-bay-a-political-right-winger-obama-bashing-in-transformers-2-open-spoilers/502744 "2009-07-12T06:54:32Z")\ **Posts on this page:** 20\ **Page:** 2
**Author:** ![Red\_Barchetta](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/r/da6949/32.png) [@Red\_Barchetta](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Red_Barchetta)\ **Post date:** [July 12, 2009, 6:30pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/is-michael-bay-a-political-right-winger-obama-bashing-in-transformers-2-open-spoilers/502744/21 "2009-07-12T18:30:19Z")
> [@Martin\_Hyde](#): > > Video clip of Bay answering this very question([link](http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=NfT7ZF_AUk8&eurl=http%3A%2F%2Fwww.wilshireandwashington.com%2F2009%2F06%2Ftransformers-a-swipe-at-obama.html&feature=player_embedded)). So it’s settled: this thread is silly. Good find, Martin. ---
**Author:** ![aldiboronti](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/a/9fc348/32.png) [@aldiboronti](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/aldiboronti)\ **Post date:** [July 12, 2009, 6:44pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/is-michael-bay-a-political-right-winger-obama-bashing-in-transformers-2-open-spoilers/502744/22 "2009-07-12T18:44:58Z")
> [@Red\_Barchetta](#): > > So it’s settled: this thread is silly. Was there ever any question of that? ---
**Author:** ![Red\_Barchetta](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/r/da6949/32.png) [@Red\_Barchetta](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Red_Barchetta)\ **Post date:** [July 12, 2009, 6:48pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/is-michael-bay-a-political-right-winger-obama-bashing-in-transformers-2-open-spoilers/502744/23 "2009-07-12T18:48:18Z")
> [@aldiboronti](#): > > Was there ever any question of that? No, but now it’s demonstrably so. ---
**Author:** ![Shodan](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/s/9f8e36/32.png) [@Shodan](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Shodan)\ **Post date:** [July 12, 2009, 7:22pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/is-michael-bay-a-political-right-winger-obama-bashing-in-transformers-2-open-spoilers/502744/24 "2009-07-12T19:22:05Z")
> [@Diogenes\_the\_Cynic](#): > > What was with all the Obama bashing in T2? Obama is never on screen but it is clearly specified that he is the President (and that he’s running to hide in a bunker) , and the movie has some cartoon douche of a liberal stereotype acting directly under the authority of the President, calling off the heroic Special Forces guys from the fight, saying they want to leave “diplomatic options on the table,” with the decepticons. There’s all this garbage about how the smart, noble military types are being undermined by the stupid President (who, again, is specifically named as Obama) wanting to stop the military from fighting, negotiate with evil robots, etc, The whole movie is filled with this fascistic, pro-military, anti-government, “Obama is a coward who hates the troops and wants to surrender to the terrorists” theme. Is Michael Bay a right winger or something? > > I wanted those smug, Special Forces assholes, or whatever they were supposed to be, who threw the civilian, White House guy out of the plane to get court martialled and DD’d. > > Megan Fox’s ass works really well in this movie, though. Someone is making fun of the Blessed One? Boo fucking hoo. Regards, Shodan ---
**Author:** ![Captain\_Carrot](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/c/f0a364/32.png) [@Captain\_Carrot](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Captain_Carrot)\ **Post date:** [July 12, 2009, 7:25pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/is-michael-bay-a-political-right-winger-obama-bashing-in-transformers-2-open-spoilers/502744/25 "2009-07-12T19:25:39Z")
> [@Shodan](#): > > Someone is making fun of the Blessed One? Shodan, I didn’t realize you liked Obama so much. ---
**Author:** ![Der\_Trihs](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/der_trihs/32/233_2.png) [@Der\_Trihs](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Der_Trihs)\ **Post date:** [July 12, 2009, 7:32pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/is-michael-bay-a-political-right-winger-obama-bashing-in-transformers-2-open-spoilers/502744/26 "2009-07-12T19:32:52Z")
> [@Shodan](#): > > Someone is making fun of the Blessed One? You right wingers really buy into your own propaganda that the Left sees Obama as some sort of messiah, don’t you ? ---
**Author:** ![athelas](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/a/5e9695/32.png) [@athelas](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/athelas)\ **Post date:** [July 12, 2009, 8:17pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/is-michael-bay-a-political-right-winger-obama-bashing-in-transformers-2-open-spoilers/502744/27 "2009-07-12T20:17:44Z")
Left wing moments in movies are unbiased; right wing moments in movies are objectionable politicization. ---
**Author:** ![Martin\_Hyde](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/m/47e85d/32.png) [@Martin\_Hyde](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Martin_Hyde)\ **Post date:** [July 12, 2009, 8:51pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/is-michael-bay-a-political-right-winger-obama-bashing-in-transformers-2-open-spoilers/502744/28 "2009-07-12T20:51:09Z")
I’ll also note that as a guy who has seen many action movies (especially in the 1980s when they were far more over the top–it was the decade that gave us the excesses of the second and third Rambo movies as well as _Commando_) political types are always portrayed as being sniveling cowards when they exist as characters alongside macho-military men. ---
**Author:** ![Lochdale](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/l/edb3f5/32.png) [@Lochdale](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Lochdale)\ **Post date:** [July 12, 2009, 8:58pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/is-michael-bay-a-political-right-winger-obama-bashing-in-transformers-2-open-spoilers/502744/29 "2009-07-12T20:58:26Z")
Even if he is, so what? Obama needs to be abused from time to time. Right wingers are bashed in nearly every movie made. That said, not sure Bay has ever actually been subtle. ---
**Author:** ![Diogenes\_the\_Cynic](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/d/e99b99/32.png) [@Diogenes\_the\_Cynic](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Diogenes_the_Cynic)\ **Post date:** [July 12, 2009, 10:25pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/is-michael-bay-a-political-right-winger-obama-bashing-in-transformers-2-open-spoilers/502744/30 "2009-07-12T22:25:08Z")
I don’t object to a little bashing, but it should be based on some kind of truth. “Liberals are a-skeered to fight the turrists” is not based on any kind of truth. It’s also kind of bizarre to inject partisan politics into a children’s movie. And the assertion that “Right wingers are bashed in nearly every movie made” is patent nonsense. Here is a list of the [Top 30 movies](http://www.boxofficemojo.com/weekend/chart/) at the box office right now. How many of them bash right wingers or have any political stance at all? Hollywood is usually completely gutless about taking any kind of politcal stands, especially in summer popcorn movies. 1 Bruno 2 Ice Age: 3 Transformers: Revenge of the Fallen 4 Public Enemies 5 The Proposal 6 The Hangover 7 I Love You Beth Cooper 8 Up 9 My Sister’s Keeper 10 The Taking of Pelham 11 Night at the Museum: Battle of the Smithsonian 12 Star Trek 13 Year One 14 Away We Go 15 Whatever Works 16 Moon 17 The Hurt Locker 18 Land of the Lost 19 Cheri 20 Monsters Vs. Aliens 21 Food, Inc. 22 Drag Me to Hell 23 Imagine That - Dance Flick - Blood: The Last Vampire - Easy Virtue - The Stoning of Soraya M. - The Brothers Bloom Sum. - Every Little Step - Humpday Magn. - Soul Power SPC - Unmistaken Child ---
**Author:** ![Red\_Barchetta](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/r/da6949/32.png) [@Red\_Barchetta](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Red_Barchetta)\ **Post date:** [July 12, 2009, 10:31pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/is-michael-bay-a-political-right-winger-obama-bashing-in-transformers-2-open-spoilers/502744/31 "2009-07-12T22:31:24Z")
> [@Diogenes\_the\_Cynic](#): > > I don’t object to a little bashing, but it should be based on some kind of truth. “Liberals are a-skeered to fight the turrists” is not based on any kind of truth. It’s also kind of bizarre to inject partisan politics into a children’s movie. What partisan politics? I thought we just covered this :rolleyes: Also, Transformers is PG-13. Hardly your typical “children’s movie.” ---
**Author:** ![Lochdale](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/l/edb3f5/32.png) [@Lochdale](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Lochdale)\ **Post date:** [July 12, 2009, 10:32pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/is-michael-bay-a-political-right-winger-obama-bashing-in-transformers-2-open-spoilers/502744/32 "2009-07-12T22:32:11Z")
Er…Bruno takes on mostly right-wing views of homosexuality in nearly every scene whereas most movies are either over the top PC or the bad guy is the white, republican male. ---
**Author:** ![Diogenes\_the\_Cynic](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/d/e99b99/32.png) [@Diogenes\_the\_Cynic](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Diogenes_the_Cynic)\ **Post date:** [July 12, 2009, 10:34pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/is-michael-bay-a-political-right-winger-obama-bashing-in-transformers-2-open-spoilers/502744/33 "2009-07-12T22:34:06Z")
It’s a movie based on toys. How is it not a kid’s movie? And the movie explicitly portrays"President Obama" as being unwilling to fight evil robots. I’m not just reading things into it. That is an overt plot point of the movie. ---
**Author:** ![Red\_Barchetta](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/r/da6949/32.png) [@Red\_Barchetta](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Red_Barchetta)\ **Post date:** [July 12, 2009, 10:35pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/is-michael-bay-a-political-right-winger-obama-bashing-in-transformers-2-open-spoilers/502744/34 "2009-07-12T22:35:18Z")
> [@Diogenes\_the\_Cynic](#): > > And the movie explicitly portrays"President Obama" as being unwilling to fight evil robots. I’m not just reading things into it. That is an overt plot point of the movie. You’re joking, right? Or did you just ignore the several posts above that addressed and debunked this issue? It’s not an attack on Obama, let alone anything more than a plot point to enable the subsequent scenes. Would you be taking issue with the movie has they left Obama nameless (which they might as well have, given what we know of its inclusion). ---
**Author:** ![Diogenes\_the\_Cynic](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/d/e99b99/32.png) [@Diogenes\_the\_Cynic](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Diogenes_the_Cynic)\ **Post date:** [July 12, 2009, 10:40pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/is-michael-bay-a-political-right-winger-obama-bashing-in-transformers-2-open-spoilers/502744/35 "2009-07-12T22:40:25Z")
> [@Lochdale](#): > > Er…Bruno takes on mostly right-wing views of homosexuality in nearly every scene Not true. Have you seen it? There is one scene which involves any kind of political person (Ron Paul), the rest of it is more generally geared at random groups, with a couple of exceptions like a cure-the-gay preacher. Do you think the all black audience in the Richard Bey scene was a bunch of right wingers? In any case, you’ve identified one movie that has anything close to a politically liberal stance. That hardly amounts to “nearly every movie ever made.” > [@](#): > > whereas most movies are either over the top PC or the bad guy is the white, republican male. What does “over the top PC” mean, and how are right wingers demeaned or insulted by it? The bad guys are always white Republican males? Are you kidding me? Can you fimnd a single movie on that list which fits that description? ---
**Author:** ![Lochdale](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/l/edb3f5/32.png) [@Lochdale](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Lochdale)\ **Post date:** [July 12, 2009, 10:41pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/is-michael-bay-a-political-right-winger-obama-bashing-in-transformers-2-open-spoilers/502744/36 "2009-07-12T22:41:05Z")
> [@Diogenes\_the\_Cynic](#): > > It’s a movie based on toys. How is it not a kid’s movie? > > And the movie explicitly portrays"President Obama" as being unwilling to fight evil robots. I’m not just reading things into it. That is an overt plot point of the movie. Yet you’re not upset and them showing Bush, and it was clearly Bush, as a coward :rolleyes: ---
**Author:** ![Lochdale](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/l/edb3f5/32.png) [@Lochdale](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Lochdale)\ **Post date:** [July 12, 2009, 10:43pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/is-michael-bay-a-political-right-winger-obama-bashing-in-transformers-2-open-spoilers/502744/37 "2009-07-12T22:43:50Z")
> [@Diogenes\_the\_Cynic](#): > > The bad guys are always white Republican males? Are you kidding me? Can you fimnd a single movie on that list which fits that description? Night at the museam 2 is very PC. Public Enemies doesn’t disguise it’s dislike of Hoover. Ummm you’re having a conniption of one scene that references Obama standing down but Bruno giving Paul a strip tease is pefectly ok and just shows how stuffy Paul is? ---
**Author:** ![Diogenes\_the\_Cynic](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/d/e99b99/32.png) [@Diogenes\_the\_Cynic](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Diogenes_the_Cynic)\ **Post date:** [July 12, 2009, 10:48pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/is-michael-bay-a-political-right-winger-obama-bashing-in-transformers-2-open-spoilers/502744/38 "2009-07-12T22:48:17Z")
> [@Red\_Barchetta](#): > > You’re joking, right? Or did you just ignore the several posts above that addressed and debunked this issue? It’s not an attack on Obama, let alone anything more than a plot point to enable the subsequent scenes. The issue has NOT been debunked. The movie says what it says. Which of these two statements is not true? 1. The movie clearly identifies Barack Obama as the President of the United States 2. The movie (through a surrogate claiming to be working his behalf) ) portrays the POTUS as being at odds with the military, and unwilling to fight the evil robots. If you agree that both of those statements as true, then the movie portrays “President Obama” as being at odds with the military, and unwilling to let them defend the country. I will say once again, that is not subtext, that is text. I don’t see how you think you’ve made it go away. > [@](#): > > Would you be taking issue with the movie has they left Obama nameless? No. If they had left him nameless or given him a fictional name, I would not have taken any issue. ---
**Author:** ![Red\_Barchetta](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/r/da6949/32.png) [@Red\_Barchetta](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Red_Barchetta)\ **Post date:** [July 12, 2009, 10:55pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/is-michael-bay-a-political-right-winger-obama-bashing-in-transformers-2-open-spoilers/502744/39 "2009-07-12T22:55:00Z")
Just to be clear, the fact that the scenes in question were filmed before the Presidential election doesn’t impact your stance on this at all? Nor the interview with Bay, posted above, which pretty clearly demonstrates the complete lack of any political motivation? ---
**Author:** ![Diogenes\_the\_Cynic](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/d/e99b99/32.png) [@Diogenes\_the\_Cynic](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Diogenes_the_Cynic)\ **Post date:** [July 12, 2009, 10:57pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/is-michael-bay-a-political-right-winger-obama-bashing-in-transformers-2-open-spoilers/502744/40 "2009-07-12T22:57:58Z")
> [@Lochdale](#): > > Night at the museam 2 is very PC. Public Enemies doesn’t disguise it’s dislike of Hoover. What does “PC” mean? Tell me specifically how _Night at the Museum 2_ insults conservatives. I think you’re really grasping at straws here. Are you fucking kidding me about Hoover? That’s the best you can do? > [@](#): > > Ummm you’re having a conniption of one scene that references Obama standing down but Bruno giving Paul a strip tease is pefectly ok and just shows how stuffy Paul is? I haven’t said how I felt about the Ron Paul scene\*, but one major difference is that _Bruno_ doesn’t make any _fictional_ claims about Ron Paul. I didn’t think it worked, nor do I think the goal was to "show how stuffy " Paul is, but Ron Paul has made some very anti-gay statements, so there was nothing wrong with taking the piss out of him a little bit like that? Paul was not harmed or injured in any way, and obviously there was no suggestion in the movie that he was wrong to be put off by Bruno’s attentions, but he didn’t do himself any favor by repeatedly calling SBH a “queer.” [Previous page](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/is-michael-bay-a-political-right-winger-obama-bashing-in-transformers-2-open-spoilers/502744.md?page=1) [Next page](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/is-michael-bay-a-political-right-winger-obama-bashing-in-transformers-2-open-spoilers/502744.md?page=3)