''The Swamp'' is a 2020 American
documentary film about the
fundraising
Fundraising or fund-raising is the process of seeking and gathering voluntary financial contributions by engaging individuals, businesses, charitable foundations, or governmental agencies. Although fundraising typically refers to efforts to gathe ...
and political culture on
Capitol Hill
Capitol Hill, in addition to being a metonym for the United States Congress, is the largest historic residential neighborhood in Washington, D.C., stretching easterly in front of the United States Capitol along wide avenues. It is one of the ...
in
Washington, D.C. Released in August 2020 on
HBO
Home Box Office (HBO) is an American premium television network, which is the flagship property of namesake parent subsidiary Home Box Office, Inc., itself a unit owned by Warner Bros. Discovery. The overall Home Box Office business unit is ba ...
, it chronicles the activities of three
Republican congressmen.
Matt Gaetz of
Florida,
Thomas Massie of
Kentucky and
Ken Buck of
Colorado are portrayed as outsiders to the dominant
party patronage system. The film takes place largely in 2019 and chronicles their reactions to the biggest political stories of that year along with commentary on the political climate of Washington D.C.
Synopsis
The film details how heavily the
Republican and
Democratic
Democrat, Democrats, or Democratic may refer to:
Politics
*A proponent of democracy, or democratic government; a form of government involving rule by the people.
*A member of a Democratic Party:
**Democratic Party (United States) (D)
**Democratic ...
parties rely on
lobbyists for financial support. It describes a system where those members of
Congress who are most effective at fundraising for their party are rewarded with committee assignments.
The film uses interview clips and narration from
Lawrence Lessig of
Harvard Law School
Harvard Law School (Harvard Law or HLS) is the law school of Harvard University, a private research university in Cambridge, Massachusetts. Founded in 1817, it is the oldest continuously operating law school in the United States.
Each class ...
to provide background information. Lessig primarily faults former
Speaker of the House
The speaker of a deliberative assembly, especially a legislative body, is its presiding officer, or the chair. The title was first used in 1377 in England.
Usage
The title was first recorded in 1377 to describe the role of Thomas de Hunger ...
Newt Gingrich
Newton Leroy Gingrich (; né McPherson; born June 17, 1943) is an American politician and author who served as the 50th speaker of the United States House of Representatives from 1995 to 1999. A member of the Republican Party, he was the U ...
for the political climate of
Capitol Hill
Capitol Hill, in addition to being a metonym for the United States Congress, is the largest historic residential neighborhood in Washington, D.C., stretching easterly in front of the United States Capitol along wide avenues. It is one of the ...
, alleging he shifted Congress's priorities from legislating to fundraising in the 1990s and deprioritized
bipartisanship.
''The Swamp'' proves critical of the
Trump administration, despite the film's three main characters being staunch defenders of it, with the administration's ties to various lobbyists portrayed negatively.
Of the three congressmen profiled,
Matt Gaetz receives the most attention. His upbringing, unsuccessful attempt to amend the
National Defense Authorization Act with Democrat
Ro Khanna of
California and interactions with supporters and detractors are featured.
In ''The Swamp'', Gaetz is contrasted with the film's critiques of Gingrich and the Trump administration, with his refusal to accept
PAC Pac or PAC may refer to:
Military
* Rapid Deployment Force (Malaysia), an armed forces unit
* Patriot Advanced Capability, of the MIM-104 Patriot missile
* Civil Defense Patrols (''Patrullas de Autodefensa Civil''), Guatemalan militia and paramili ...
money and work with California Democrats Khanna and
Katie Hill, who had resigned from Congress due to a scandal which Gaetz defends her from, providing examples of bipartisanship and "
draining the swamp" of
Washington, D.C.
Reception
On
review aggregator Rotten Tomatoes, ''The Swamp'' holds an approval rating of 67% based on 15 reviews with an average rating of 6.4 out of 10. The site's critical consensus reads: "Interesting but unfocused, ''The Swamps multi-subject approach opens the floor for a lot of questions - and answers very few."
Hank Stuever of ''
The Washington Post'' was complimentary of the documentary for its willingness to utilize
Matt Gaetz's perspective, writing: "This candid glimpse into Gaetz’s world may come as something of an unctuous surprise to
HBO
Home Box Office (HBO) is an American premium television network, which is the flagship property of namesake parent subsidiary Home Box Office, Inc., itself a unit owned by Warner Bros. Discovery. The overall Home Box Office business unit is ba ...
’s typical documentary viewer, who is used to being served agreeable agenda items from the left side of the menu."
Bill Goodykoontz of ''
The Arizona Republic'' gave the film a 3.5 out of 5 stars, writing: "It turns out to be all talk for the most part, but it is an interesting conversation, and an intriguing, if sometimes flawed, film."
See also
*
Drain the swamp – metaphorical phrase expressing a wish to purge something or somewhere of corruption.
References
{{DEFAULTSORT:Swamp
2020 documentary films
HBO documentary films
Documentary films about American politics
2019 in American politics