Politics in The Simpsons - Criticism of Values

Criticism of Values

On January 27, 1992 President George H. W. Bush made a speech during his re-election campaign that ignited the feud between the Simpsons and the Bushes. At that point family values were the cornerstone of Bush's campaign platform. So he gave the following speech at the National Religious Broadcaster's convention in Washington. "The next value I speak of must be forever cast in stone. I speak of decency, the moral courage to say what is right and condemn what's wrong, and we need a nation closer to the Waltons than the Simpsons. An America that rejects the incivility, the tide of incivility and the tide of intolerance".

The next broadcast of the Simpsons was a rerun of the third-season premiere, "Stark Raving Dad" (1991), on January 30, 1992. In that broadcast there was hastily included a new opening, which was a response to Bush's speech. The scene begins in the Simpsons living room. Homer, Patty, and Selma sit on the couch. Maggie is in her high chair next to the couch. Bart and Lisa are sprawled on the carpet. They all stare at the TV and watch Bush's speech. When Bush says, "We need a nation closer to the Waltons than the Simpsons," Bart replies "Hey, we're just like the Waltons. We're praying for an end to the Depression, too."

The producers of the show developed their response further by making the episode "Two Bad Neighbors" (season 7, 1996), which had Bush move into the same neighborhood as the Simpsons. Josh Weinstein said that the episode is often misunderstood. Many audiences expected a political satire, while the writers made special effort to keep the parody apolitical. Bill Oakley stresses that "it's not a political attack, it's a personal attack!", and instead of criticizing Bush for his policies, the episode instead pokes fun at his "crotchetiness".

While Bush Senior has been a particular target for The Simpsons, other presidents have also been teased, usually in episodes that corresponds with the president's term. One example showed Bill Clinton playing his well-known saxophone then having Moe yell "Get back to work, Clinton!", a likely remark that during Clinton's first term he gave the image that it was a jolly time to be in office and was seen more doing recreational activities and not officious duties.