With less than a month to go until the midterm elections, the polls appear to be tightening in several key races across the country, and Democrats will likely lose unified control of the government.
It seems the energy around the Supreme Court’s decision to overturn Roe v. Wade may be fading. Meanwhile, gas prices a rising, the stock market is tanking, and inflation is hovering near a 40-year-high.
So Democrats may be excited to hear that HBO is expected to release what — based on the trailer — can only be described as a gushing documentary about President Joe Biden’s first year in office. It is titled, “Year One: A Political Odyssey” and is slated to be released on Oct. 19.
“Think about the challenge that Biden faces,” The New York Times’ David Sanger is heard saying at the beginning, “He’s in adversarial relationships from the start.”
Secretary of State Antony Blinken says of the inauguration and beginning of Biden’s term, “Even in that moment of joy and renewal, people were extremely conscious of the inheritance we had.
Meanwhile, former White House Press Secretary Jen Psaki says, “We were playing catch up from the moment the president took office. It was incredibly challenging around here.” The trailer then features a clip of Psaki instructing someone not to tell Dr. Anthony Fauci “how many pieces of gum I’ve swallowed.”
Sanger claims, “Things were really falling apart.”
Watch the trailer below:
Behind the scenes in unprecedented times.#YearOne: A Political Odyssey, an @HBO original documentary that follows President Biden’s inner circle through his first year in office during one of the most tumultuous periods in half a century, premieres October 19 on @HBOMax. pic.twitter.com/KUYXvIQ6fA
— HBO Documentaries (@HBODocs) October 7, 2022
In an apparent effort to depict Biden as a geopolitical wizard, Sanger says, “Biden knew the moment would come when you would need old alliances. That moment came with Ukraine.”
“The Biden administration learned from the mistakes made in Afghanistan. They responded by getting out ahead of events instead of being behind them,” he adds.
The trailer concludes with some epic trailer music and Biden talking about the struggle between democracy and autocracy.
Not seen in the trailer is anything about inflation, rising crime, high gas prices, the suicide bombing in Kabul that killed 13 U.S. servicemembers, the baby formula shortage, immigration, or supply chain snarls.
Instead, it seems to convey a message of: Look. We know things are hard for you. But you can’t take it out on Biden. He’s had a hard year, but he stopped the country from falling apart. C’mon man! He’s doing … okay. And yeah, he asks where a dead Congresswoman is, but doesn’t he sound cool and presidential with epic trailer music behind him?
There really shouldn’t be any mystery about how this documentary will shake out in the end.
There is no way HBO would drop some anti-Biden film weeks before the midterms.
And aside from Rep. Jim Jordan (R-Ohio), it is not clear if there are any other critics of Biden featured in the film. The trailer does not show any. And Dateline reports Jordan was interviewed. But the rest of the people mentioned are either Democrats and current or former administration officials.
Obviously, this is not going to win over conservatives — few would watch even if they have an HBO subscription. But perhaps it will help shore up some Democratic support in some pockets of the country.
