Review of Patriocracy (2011) by Jill S — 12 Mar 2012

If you're not moved by the sheer honesty of 'Patriocracy,' you're either blissfully ignorant or clinging to a hyper-partisan agenda.

Patriocracy opens with a question that needs answering: "The American political system was created to work through argument and compromise. When there's neither, how is the system supposed to work?" The next hour is spent illustrating how a combination of polarized media and hyper-partisan political party elites have slowly pushed the country into the gutters on the far right and far left. The middle is non-existent, despite the fact that most Americans fall somewhere in the political center. And Washington's moderates are leaving in droves because they cannot adhere to the ideological extremes demanded by the squeakiest wheels.

This documentary also sheds much-needed light on money's role in further dividing us. When Congress spends more time fundraising than legislating, there's a structural breakdown. But when Congress fights to the end to protect the monied interests that fund their campaigns, there's corruption. That's where America is now. Broken, corrupt, and in dire need of political overhaul.

Patriocracy doesn't attempt to answer how we fix the problems, but it does an excellent job at starting the conversation.