Even by Idiocracy standards, You people gotta recognize something. President Camacho.
Former pro wrestler turned porn star turned president. He dresses in American flag pants, he addresses the nation by dancing, singing, and firing a gun into the air and rallying them with his aggressively patriotic (if completely empty) rhetoric. He’s energetic, likable, and absolutely captivating.
It’s not just flash, by the way. Sure, he may drive a monster truck, and sure, he wears a giant medal around his neck.
But President Camacho’s bombastic patriotism is not only inspirational and exciting and explosive, it’s also an incredibly useful quality for a leader to have, especially for his situation. America was struggling through a time of unprecedented poverty and loss, but it had a leader who still thought America was the best place in the world.
It’s not just President Camacho’s patriotism that makes him a great leader. Eventually, in the movie, Joe is brought to the attention of President Camacho.
This weird-talking time traveler with his fancy ideas made it all the way to the White House, because an IQ test claimed he was the smartest man alive.
And when that happened, President Camacho did a remarkable thing. He recognized that Joe was smarter, and he bowed to his wisdom.
Everyone ,everyone, in the world of Idiocracy resented Joe, because he talked differently and because his ideas, to them, sounded crazy. They turned against him out of their fear, their pride, and their inability to understand him.
Everyone else, when faced with Joe’s unconventional ideas, immediately went on the defensive and resented Joe. He didn’t fit in with their weird hive mind of delusion and idiocy.
Yet for all of his pomposity and ridiculousness, Camacho had the clarity of mind to look beyond all that. What he saw was a man who was smarter than himself, and he had no problem humbling himself and saying “Let’s trust the smart guy.”
I want President Dwayne Elizondo Mountain Dew Herbert Camacho.
Of All the debates ever of all time, this has certainly been one