CBS‘s ’The Good Wife’ Features Quirky Judge Praising Occupy Wall Street: ‘I Salute Them’
- Posted on February 20, 2012 at 8:58am by
Jonathon M. Seidl
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The CBS hit show “The Good Wife” waded into political waters on Sunday when it included a character giving a “salute”* to Occupy Wall Street.
The character, the odd and opinionated Judge Charles Abernathy played by Denis O’Hare, delivered a mini monologue praising the movement.
“Before we begin,” he said during the episode, which takes place in a Chicago court, “I want to take a few minutes to talk about something that is happening a mere one hundred yards from this courthouse: Occupy Wall Street! Yes, these amazing young men and women are braving 36-degree weather, with the grit in their eyes of a shared cause, and all to challenge the system. And I, for one, I salute them.”
Newsbusters has the clip:
Later, the judge also admits to joining the protesters and was seen sniffling because of, as he said, the use of pepper spray.
The episode, called “Live from Damascus,” centers on a lawsuit against a tech company that sold software to Syria that allowed the government to identify, root out, and “get rid of” American protesters there.
O‘Hare’s character seems intentionally quirky, given the facial reaction by main character Julianna Margulies and the way in which the lines were delivered. Still, even regular fans of the show felt the issue was forced. One reviewer explains:**
Sometimes, The Good Wife focuses more on being relevant than being engaging – and this felt like one of those times. The Syrian revolution and the role a tech company played in it felt like too obvious of an attempt to mirror real life events from last year and how Facebook shaped them in countries such as Egypt.
This was especially [true] when it came to Judge Abernathy and his Occupy Wall Street references. Those were all just really odd and really forced. We all love the use of big names behind the gavel – and who has ever not loved Denis O’Hare in anything?!? – but it can be distracting and simply unrealistic when these judges dominate a trial due to odd personality quirks.
But this isn’t the first time “The Good Wife” has gone political. Last year, the show featured a controversial representation of the Tea Party, as Newsbusters notes:
Almost exactly a year ago (February 22, 2011), the show gave prime time legitimacy to the presumption the Tea Party is racist as a lawyer in a courtroom tried to discredit an expert witness (Gary Cole as Sarah Palin supporter “Kurt McVeigh”) who testified against a since-exonerated black defendant, by demanding he admit he’s “a member of the Tea Party.” The lawyer asserts “it is our contention that my client’s prosecution was racist,” citing McVeigh’s “membership in a racist organization,” namely the Tea Party.
To see that clip, head over to Newsbusters.
*Author’s note: Yeah, I noticed the odd “salute” move, too.
**As some have noted, the judge in the episode is portrayed as a sort of nutty character. That’s reflected in our initial characterization of the judge as “quirky” and Margulies’s eye-raising reaction. Still, it should be noted that Judge Charles Abernathy is a reoccurring character on the show. So while he is quirky, he still has a place. And according to the reviewer, the reference felt forced. There‘s also the old adage that’s worth asking here: Is there truth in jest?
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Comments (126)
THX-1138
Posted on February 20, 2012 at 10:00amSeig Heil!
Nazi moron…
Report Post »turkey13
Posted on February 20, 2012 at 10:14amG. S. gave a speech and said “In the 20th century the world saw the loss of about 225 million people due to war, genocide, and disaster. The only way mankind can survive the twenty-first century is if the world population is cut by at least five billion.” This is scary stuff.
Report Post »Detroit paperboy
Posted on February 20, 2012 at 10:47amCanceled my cable 2 years ago… Best decision i ever made !
Report Post »pavepaws
Posted on February 20, 2012 at 10:49amFortunately, the character portrayed as the judge in question is one of being a “whack job” who has eccentric beliefs and actions. So, consider the source.
Report Post »Ruler4You
Posted on February 20, 2012 at 10:53amAnd CBS wonders “why” its ratings are foundation material for a home for whales.
Report Post »JayCee
Posted on February 20, 2012 at 11:14am“And CBS wonders “why” its ratings are foundation material for a home for whales.”
Why?
Report Post »I watched the show and the judge was portrayed as a whimpering liberal crybaby.
The lawyers on both sides of the case were rolling their eyes at the crackpot judge.
It was a very good show.
cessna152
Posted on February 20, 2012 at 11:36amSo… Marxism and Nazism are the “hip” things these days? Good! That means the 14-20-somethings will go against it.
BTW, I guess this dope does not realize the hundreds of millions killed by Socialist/Marxist/Nazi (big government) regimes in the past 100 years.
Report Post »Duddio
Posted on February 20, 2012 at 12:14pmI laughed out loud when this came on last night…. especially the pepper spray tears!!! It was a funny reference to current events, and all the liberal lawyers on both sides looked at the judge like he was crazy.
Its a good show, even though its written by hollywood. I don’t watch it for political commentary, I watch it for entertainment. It’s entertaining…. even the quirky OWS judge.
Report Post »Jaycen
Posted on February 20, 2012 at 12:38pmSaluting the Brown Shirts in the streets just like Germans were forced to salute by their own Brown Shirts? Nothing awry here.
Report Post »Wolf
Posted on February 20, 2012 at 12:46pmNot to mention but in reality, any lawyer in that court room should have called a mistrial or aswked the judge recuse himself due to his obviously biased opinion, regardless his reaction to upholding the opponent’s objection to the line of questioning.
Report Post »This show has two things going for it. Now if I could just think of what they are, we’d be set. :\
BOUGHT YOUR SILO YET?
Posted on February 20, 2012 at 4:06pmOne would have to be completely disengaged to say that this show, “the Good Wife,” only occasionally references the social and political arguments of the day- EVERY show drips with propaganda and utter distain for conservative views-of-thought. I watched the first season and enjoyed the application of the various litigations- BUT, hated the push for leftist agendas and propaganda. With the second season, CBS stepped it up a notch and not only pushed these liberal views but the show, albeit on a small scale, resembled that of lesbian porn. I stopped watching it after that. In fact, I don’t watch TV very much anymore because of the constant push and bombardment to influence opinion. For me- that is not what entertainment is supposed to be. When art mimics life too much it’s not entertainment, its work. It’s everything you are trying to escape for a couple of hours.
Report Post »paleoconservatarian
Posted on February 20, 2012 at 10:31pmOk. Here’s a different interpretation.
Not a show I watch, but some here describe the character as a bit of a leftist crank, that the dialogue wasn’t congruous to the plot and seems to have been wedged into the script as last minute political messaging dropped in after pre-production (some television scripts take up to a year to go through development). If true, it might be that direction for the character’s nazi salute was wedged in there as well, perhaps not even by the same folks doing the re-write.
The subliminal message of this being, if this be the correct interpretation,… that the Occupy movement, which on the surface is being lauded, are in truth being referenced (by someone along the television show’s production staff, perhaps snuck past others on the same staff – or higher on the food chain, at the executive level) as today’s modern equivalent of the Brownshirts, fully deserving of a Roman Salute (the Roman Salute is that which the Nazi’s imitated – they didn’t invent it).
Report Post »LauraPZ
Posted on February 21, 2012 at 12:27amOMG, it’s the Communist Broadcasting Network- WHAT would you expect?
Report Post »I rarely watch broadcast TV, because of the “subliminal programming”- even though I am more immune, than most. Plus- it sucks, mostly.
Oh- the main reason? I READ. No hollywood director or actor, can match my imagination. Plus- I have reasons to believe, watching a lot of TV, causes brain-cell death. It certainly doesn’t help a healthy brain.
jtm45
Posted on February 20, 2012 at 10:00amO n W rong S ide On Wrong Side On WrongSide On Wrong Side OnWrongSide O n W rong S ide
OWS OWS OWS OWS OWS OWS OWS,OWS OWS OWS OWS OWS OWS OWS OWS OWS OWS
Report Post »Cavallo
Posted on February 20, 2012 at 9:58amWhat did you expect from Pravda CBS? They’re not worth watching, and their advertisers should probably know it.
Report Post »JayCee
Posted on February 20, 2012 at 11:22amThey were making fun of the OWS supporters.
Remember the crying judge on the Anna Nicole Smith case?
He reminded me of this guy:
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=lknVuCKX9SI
Report Post »Changazi
Posted on February 20, 2012 at 9:54amI have never seen that salute used in the U.S. military, but it is oddly familiar. Was it Roman, or… Good think he was not a fan of the Tea Party. What were they thinking?
Report Post »sawbuck
Posted on February 20, 2012 at 9:54amI am sick of seeing hidden agendas / propaganda pushing shows.
I cant hardly turn on the TV without seeing it.
It’s getting hard to have a discussion with family and friends too.
I love my one brother and I have tried to remain quite . I usually let him talk and every once in a while I would throw into the conversation …
“what about this” … “What about that” …To no avail
I finally had it out with him constantly rambling his liberal point of view (old union democrat mentality) .
I called him on it a while back… We haven’t talked since.
Sometimes it sucks “NOT” being a part of the Normal-Bias-Public, that doesn’t have a clue.
Report Post »I guess sometimes…..Ignorance is bliss.
lillymckim
Posted on February 20, 2012 at 9:59amThe “Hidden Agenda”?
The phony 1%er actors are not hiding anymore these bigots are everywhere on TV and indoctrinating your children.
Turn it off.
Report Post »USPATRIOT101
Posted on February 20, 2012 at 10:03amI saw an episode of “A Thousnad Ways To Die” and they charactorized The Minute Men as some militant rogue militia. I think the American people have been so successfully dumbed down that they have no idea what actual liberty or the persuit of happiness means anymore.
Report Post »JayCee
Posted on February 20, 2012 at 11:29amWhat hidden agenda was this?
Report Post »It was a good laugh.
It was poking fun at OWSers.
Too bad the video above didn’t show it in the full context.
The judge was portrayed as a liberal loon throughout the case.
BOUGHT YOUR SILO YET?
Posted on February 20, 2012 at 4:30pm@SAWBUCK-
Saw your comment and had to remark. I am in the same situation with my family: my brother, my sister, and my mother. I have just come to realize how socialistic they all are. They would shout me down denying it if I said so face-to-face, but they to some extent, do not see the problem with government entitlements. And, of course, they think I am the one who is on the wrong path and that because I am a prepper, I am all doom and gloom. Hang in there- I know it is hard, but you have to stick to what YOU believe.
JAYCEE-
I didn’t like your comment (I usually don’t) but to some aspect you are correct. The left ARE NOT hiding their agenda anymore. It is in-your-face propaganda all the time. And I too, am sick of it. It’s not about raising awareness for their demoralizing views anymore, it’s about trying to force people to believe-in and embrace something that they feel is wrong and reprehensible. It totally falls in line with the Fabian-Socialist agenda of achieving utopia. If there is no one left to oppose your line of thought, and instead, all accept and celebrate it, then there is no guilt or shame when such behavior is displayed. One can be at peace with others, but more importantly, one can be peace with him/her self-effectively obliterating ones conscience.
Report Post »bree001
Posted on February 20, 2012 at 9:48amThis is exactly why we need to get rid of these judges. Judicial Tyranny is a good read. http://www.brendasblog7.com/home-page
Report Post »M13
Posted on February 20, 2012 at 10:28amIt’s a television show you dope.
Report Post »BigSky
Posted on February 20, 2012 at 4:43pmA TV show emulating what’s going on in the real world.
Report Post »Truthmonster
Posted on February 20, 2012 at 9:47amCBS once a powerhouse now a shill for liberals and their ratings prove it. Communist Broadcasting System.
Report Post »lillymckim
Posted on February 20, 2012 at 9:53amI started watching this show and quickly realized it was just another slanted left arm proganda show inserting their slanted view of politics in every chance they got..
I no longer watch it
Another show on my “o Not Watch List” …and growing everyday
Report Post »lillymckim
Posted on February 20, 2012 at 9:56amIndoctrination CBS ?
On My Do Not Watch List
Report Post »JayCee
Posted on February 20, 2012 at 11:34am@lillymckim
You missed a very good show and a good laugh at the OWSers.
Report Post »The judge was portrayed as a buffoon.
This was not praise for OWS in any way.
rosegrower
Posted on February 20, 2012 at 11:57amYou’re right, and they have been for a long time. I have to wonder where they get their writing staff – every program they have come up with for the past 30 years is a rehash of one of two themes 1) all conservatives / religious people are (pick one: racist, woman-haters, gay-bashers, closet homosexuals, rapists), or 2) foreign-born terrorists have good reason to hate America, but home-grown terrorists are just (pick one or more: racist, woman-hating, gay-bashing closet homosexuals who are rapists).
Report Post »BigSky
Posted on February 20, 2012 at 4:42pm@LILYMCKIM: All shows these days are “slanted left arm proganda show(s)” to one degree or another. Reality shows, not so much, but scripted comedies and dramas originate from the minds of the left in Hollywood.
Report Post »Swamp_Hunter
Posted on February 20, 2012 at 9:41amWe conservatives are completely missing the boat when it comes to this “income equality” nonsense. The Occutards don’t even realize what income equality actually IS.
By definition, it means no one makes more, and no one makes less. In other words, the AVERAGE.
Well, according to the Boston Globe, the average worldwide wage from the richest of the rich to the poorest of the poor is about $7,000, a year, which is about $19.18 per day. That is also several TIMES below the poverty level in the US. In other words “income equality” will not BENEFIT the Occutards, or anyone else in the United States.
Report Post »BlackCrow
Posted on February 20, 2012 at 9:39amAnd ABC, NBC, CBS wonder why their audience share keeps going down, down, down.
Report Post »IMPEACHBHO
Posted on February 20, 2012 at 9:37amCBS and the others. Propaganda through “entertainment”
Report Post »thebirth
Posted on February 20, 2012 at 9:35amHey guys I need every one to understand who the 1% are to the Occupiers. They are not the people that work hard and get wealth. Its the ones who work hard and use their wealth to pit peoples lives against each other for their on agenda. Lets talk about sweat shops. I have family in those sweat shops. We are standing up to that not someone who excels at what they do.
For instance one day the government might try and take one of your rights away eventually. Well if you do research you will be surprised of how fast your being stripped of the Constitution. If noe one stands up then what. If you guys have it figured out please tell us how to fix this. Once you start really talking about it you will find out you also do not have all the answers. You will need numbers to be active and fail a lot in order to figure out together how to make this Country a better place for my Children.
Report Post »littlefish
Posted on February 20, 2012 at 9:34amI don’t watch this clap trap but Is this character a “crazy” like in wearing a tutu under his robes
Report Post »or bathing in Chicken fat . . . .?
If not what next . . .a Salute to Hitler or Stalin ???
cookcountypatriot
Posted on February 20, 2012 at 9:33ami just cant support an astro-turf movement..they rape,,they do drugs..and they are stinky dirty progressives…oh no, i just cant get excited about a BOWEL MOVEMENT!
Report Post »thebirth
Posted on February 20, 2012 at 9:48amPlease understand that the media only finds some idiot that comes around and does something wrong. I have a question for you…If they were all bad and the numbers are very massive then dont you think there would already be riots in the streets. We are always trying to weed out the bad seeds, and they try to come often. Question Why are Occupy camps pooping up all over the world. Please I beg anyone, even if you hate me for standing up or you disagree with me or you want to spit in my face, well after you do that and get it out of your system please look up Nafta, Acta, ESM, SOPA, NDAA, Then it will start to lead you down a wormhole of research. I just landed in the Netherlands and this is what i recorded. The people of the world are risen up. http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=BIXu5UwVSas&feature=related Cheers Enjoy
Report Post »Ken2
Posted on February 20, 2012 at 3:49pmTheBirth, there HAVE been riots in the streets. Many of them. And compared to the Tea Party, OWS is tiny and gets fantastic media coverage. Maybe YOU should consider joining THEM.
Report Post »BTW, in your response to CookCountyPartriot’s description of OWS as a bowel movement, you said Occupy camps are “pooping up” everywhere. lmfao…you just can’t make this stuff up.
crosbycat
Posted on February 20, 2012 at 9:32amWe usually watch “The Good Wife” but opted out in favor of “The Walking Dead” last night (best show on TV IMHO) but have noticed the lefty politics and anti-Christian bias over the years. The 14 year old daughter gets interested in reading the Bible and becoming a Christian, and the Marguliies character (Alicia) disapproves and is unsupportive. The grandmother is concerned also, and the cheating husband gets himself a pastor to rehab his image, although his interest in faith seems genuine. The girl even had to sneak off to get baptized. Every lefty cliche is in this show – the gay brother, the bi-sexual friend, everyone sleeps around – but the anti-Christian stuff is unusual.
Report Post »littlefish
Posted on February 20, 2012 at 9:55amI thought the “Walking Dead” was ABOUT the Occupy Zombies . . . .what did I miss . . .?
Report Post »Dr. Joel Fleischman
Posted on February 20, 2012 at 10:51amCROSBYCAT
Report Post »I saw that episode by misfortune, I wanted to bitchslap the mom thru the TV screen.
Hickory
Posted on February 20, 2012 at 9:32amCBS ………………………. Communist Broadcasting System.
Report Post »neocon1
Posted on February 20, 2012 at 9:30amradical communists, dopers, homosexuals, anarchists….yup real good people.
Report Post »I salute the end of your lousy show SOON
MDKing
Posted on February 20, 2012 at 9:44amMy wife watches it, couldn’t pay me to set through one episode. Hollywood is now more of Com munist wh ore than ever in the history of America. Why would anyone with half a brain, (my wife had a stroke a year ago Thanksgiving lost most of her left brain) would watch and support this trash is beyond me. Elections have results, lets not forget to vote this Nov and make another result happen.
Report Post »honor007
Posted on February 20, 2012 at 9:29amI’m not suprised by anything anymore?
Report Post »thebirth
Posted on February 20, 2012 at 9:28amHey guys I need every one to understand who the 1% are to the Occupiers. They are not the people that work hard and get wealth. Its the ones who work hard and use their wealth to pit peoples lives against each other for their on agenda. Lets talk about sweat shops. I have family in those sweat shops. We are standing up to that not someone who excels at what they do.
And The occupy Movement is neither left or right its just about finding out whats wrong with the political system. If you guys have things that are affecting you we will gladly protest this for you,
Report Post »neocon1
Posted on February 20, 2012 at 9:32amdabirf
BS
Report Post »thebirth
Posted on February 20, 2012 at 9:38amYou say ********* then if you are so smart give us the answers you have to fix this situation in our country. I travel around the world I have owned very succesful companies…Lets talk about money i can prove my history that I have been very successful (real Estate) And Now everything is gone. So just like idiots start riots over Soccer Games, well that is what makes them mad, I get mad At what these Governments are doing to us.
Report Post »Ken2
Posted on February 20, 2012 at 3:30pmIf you have been a successful business owner, why do you let your relatives work in sweat shops? That doesn’t make sense.
Report Post »The_Jerk
Posted on February 20, 2012 at 9:22amThe ‘left’ is not some inanimate collection of objects. The ‘left’ propagating change in our culture are real live people with an agenda. They operate in the shadows as an inanimate collection, but they are, in fact, a very homogeneous group.
Report Post »In their words they are: http://www.latimes.com/news/opinion/commentary/la-oe-stein19-2008dec19,0,4676183.column
dadsrootbeer
Posted on February 20, 2012 at 9:20amThanks to the 1%’ers from Hollywood praising radicals that are occupying against 1%’ers. Hypocracy of progressives knows no bounds.
Report Post »progressiveslayer
Posted on February 20, 2012 at 9:27amThat speaks to their level of intelligence,promoting people who want to eat them.
Report Post »JayCee
Posted on February 20, 2012 at 12:25pmExcept in this case they were ridiculing, not praising.
Report Post »It is a shame that this article is doing exactly what happens so often to Glenn and not showing the full context.
rkard
Posted on February 20, 2012 at 9:16amlibturds are so transparently alive with lamebrain disorder
Report Post »PATRIOTMAMA
Posted on February 20, 2012 at 9:15amDon’t even need to read this article. Is anyone here surprised that the left puts forth their propaganda on network tv and main stream media?!!! Really what a shocker!!! (sarcasm) I don’t watch network TV and have nearly left my favorite show (NCIS) because even they seem to be leaning left a little too much these days. USA Network (which I believe is owned by NBC is also getting close to loosing me too and I LOVE the shows on that network. TV is bad for you anyway right? Well, the scales are beginning to tip toward me leaving it all behind and that‘s hard cuz I’m a TV junkie. Can’t stand their agenda showing up EVERYWHERE.
Report Post »charles1540
Posted on February 20, 2012 at 9:12amAnother television show more interested in making an a complete and total ass of themselves interjection what some left wing writer’s views are. You want to maintain views quite trying to make clever little comments and placing them into a script.
Report Post »LouC57
Posted on February 20, 2012 at 9:11amSaw this show last night–for the first time. The judge’s character was definitely meant to be clownish, and the actor did pretty well with that.
Report Post »CatB
Posted on February 20, 2012 at 9:38amI was in the other room .. listening to the show … when I heard this “clown”– I went in and changed changed the channel .. I have watched this show in the past .. will never again .. btw I start being a Neilson family this week … wrong time to tick off this TEA Party member.
Report Post »CatB
Posted on February 20, 2012 at 9:48amAlso .. this show already took on the TEA Party once .. and I gave them a pass on that .. ONE PASS … I am done!
Report Post »Gonzo
Posted on February 20, 2012 at 9:01amNetwork TV pushes liberal agenda? Nothing to see here folks, move along.
Report Post »Harry Assenback
Posted on February 20, 2012 at 9:08amYawn
Report Post »progressiveslayer
Posted on February 20, 2012 at 9:25amIndeed,big surprise Hollyweird promoting communism and anarchy.
Report Post »Rayblue
Posted on February 20, 2012 at 9:30amLooked more like he was “sieg heiling” them.
Report Post »deano24
Posted on February 20, 2012 at 12:36pmCBS did the same thing to the Tea Party in an episode of CSI. When they had Justin Beiber on the episode trying to bomb police officers.
Report Post »