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D’Souza, ’2016′ Receives Standing Ovation In Chicago (Video)
D’Souza, ’2016′ Receives Standing Ovation In Chicago
CHICAGO, September 24, 2012 — This isn’t Texas or conservative Mississippi. This is the progressive enclave of Chicago, Illinois, birthplace of the “Chicago Way” and the adopted hometown of President Barack Obama.
And it is this Chicago – now only a month or so out before the critical 2012 presidential election – that received filmmaker Dinesh D’Souza with a spontaneous standing ovation Saturday after seeing the film, “2016: Obama’s America.”
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This weekend, “2016” hit the $32 million mark, earning it a coveted distinction: top grossing documentary of the year and the second biggest political documentary of all time.
Fans and foes alike agree that it is D’Souza that is to blame for the film’s success.
It is an artistically compelling – if controversial – approach that weaves D’Souza’s personal experiences growing up in Mumbai, India with a disturbing psychoanalysis of Obama’s words from the memoir, “Dreams from My Father.”
D’Souza’s conclusion: Obama’s dream is to fulfill the anti-colonialist mission of his father. A mission that seems contrary, even hostile, to American self-interest and preservation.
D’Souza was in Chicago this weekend for a special public screening of his film and Q&A with Chicagoans at the Gene Siskel Film Center. The event was hosted by Chicago-based FreeCapitalismNow.com.
Ironically, it was just a few blocks away from here that then candidate Barack Obama declared his presidential victory to thousands of adoring, screaming fans in Grant Park.
But Chicagoans were not cheering for Obama this weekend, they were cheering for D’Souza.
Some came out of curiosity; others because they were disillusioned.
Still others came because they wanted to see D’Souza unfiltered by the media and critical denunciations of ‘2016.’
Chicago, like many other U.S. cities, is not a monolith: Many are disappointed with what they perceive to be the failure of the Obama Presidency.
A recent Chicago poll reveals that Obama retains a 60-29 lead over Romney. But Romney leads 45-38 in Chicago’s voter-rich suburban areas.
“Where are the jobs he promised?” said one audience member, who asked that her name be witheld.
Another was more emphatic after seeing the film, “Why is the President giving billions to Latin America to drill but stopping drilling here? No one is saying this.”
Still other Chicagoans wondered why President Obama’s family still lives in a hut in Kenya and sells coal on the street.
“He wants to redistribute our wealth, so why doesn’t he share some of his with his half-brother [George],” reacted John Poshepny, an eastern Illinois resident.
“You’d think being President would mean he would help his poor family,” said another filmgoer.
“Obama also has an aunt who – as we speak – is selling coal out of a sack in a small village in Kenya. Her teeth are all broken. She wants to get dentures – no help from Obama,” D’Souza explained to the crowd.
Coupled with D’Souza’s matter-of-fact delivery, Obama’s own voice chilled the Gene Siskel Center auditorium with the anti-colonialist worldview that was foreign, even an anathema to many in the capacity crowd of 200 that came out for the early morning event.
Come November, Chicago may still be Obama’s town but far fewer are offering their applause this election cycle.
William J. Kelly is the Chairman of FreeCapitalismNow.com. He is an Emmy award-winning TV producer and conservative columnist and native from Chicago’s Southside.
