of the documentary persuasion

Why am I the only one writing about this?

Has no one else noticed that “documentaries” are the new tool in politics?

No, I’m not talking about Fahrenheit 9/11 or Control Room or Outfoxed, though they are both a precursor and a continuing phenomenon. I’m not talking about Baghdad ER.

I’m talking about documentaries that target or elevate a given political candidate—not convention-hall hagiography like The Man from Hope but “non-fiction” films that track real people and real events and come with a point of view and an agenda. In other words: the kind of partisan or agenda-laden material that you can’t air on TV news (because it has a bias) but which you can throw out into the markeplace as entertainment.

I’m talking about films that you can air on (maybe) HBO or (definitely) PBS, or that you can run in movie theaters—films that get their message out into the marketplace of ideas via the seductive medium of film.

I’m talking about Street Fight (the 2002 documentary that may have helped bring down Newark mayor Sharpe James—a subject I’ve been meaning to follow up on…but there’s never enough time!).

I’m talking about Giuliani Time (which its creator hopes will remind people of the “Little Mussolini” side of former New York mayor Rudy Giuliani and which was the subject of a very thoughtful and interesting review by A.O. Scott in Friday’s New York Times. Maybe I’ll get around to writing about that one day, too.).

I’m talking about American Blackout, “starring” the creepy laugh-riot Rep. Cynthia McKinney.

I’m talking about An Inconvenient Truth, which was supposed to relaunch Al Gore onto the political stage, an idea I made fun of here. And which, a mere two weeks after its appearance, has sunk without a trace… I’m just sayin’.

I’m sure there are more in the works—I haven’t been following this trend, and I’m too busy to look any further into it. It just became obvious from reading the papers.

Now, Mr. James appears to realize the impact of the cameras he so vigorously shoved aside during the filming of “Street Fight.” His State of the City address last month included a 10-minute documentary tracing the city’s history from the riots of 1967 through the present, and a video of his visit to a new Home Depot on Springfield Avenue. Both films are now prominently displayed on the city’s Web site, www.ci.newark.nj.us.

Rahaman Muhammad, president of the local service employees union, said that “Street Fight” had awakened city officials to the power of the moving image, beyond just 30-second commercials. He said he might even make videos of his own if he sees any campaign tearing down signs or limiting access to public events.

Boldly, I predict this new political tool will become very popular. And did I mention that it’s infotainment?