Padding through mountains of relevant facts, studies, and opinions on social and political issues creates a daunting task for political strategists, leaving them to decide what information is relevant and essential for the voting public to know, in order to rally voters to support a certain candidate. However, these mountains of facts and opinions can discourage voters and scare away many potential supporters, forcing political strategists to also look at the emotional lives of the population: entering into the role of cultural narratives - stories of adventure, sacrifice, defeat and victory. capturing the emotional lives of the public, and as George Lakoff points out, “…politics is about the stories of our culture and circumstances that we make available to each of us to live by” (35). The key to liberal discourse is empathy; not just feeling empathy, but acting on that empathy. George W. Bush and his campaign team knew this and used it very successfully in the 2000 election with their slogan "the compassionate conservative." And while John Kerry and the Democratic Party may have forgotten this essential point of politics, Hollywood remembers the formula of the classic liberal narrative very well, which has led to the creation of many films that are the quintessence of the narrative liberal. The liberal narrative existed. at the height of the Hollywood silver screen, and there is no better example than John Ford's The Grapes of Wrath. Ford's classic tale, based on John Steinbeck's novel of the same title, immediately begins its liberal narrative. Early in the film, when Henry Fonda's character Tom Joad asks a truck driver to drive him, which is not allowed by the driver's boss, indicated by a sticker saying "no passengers are allowed." authorized/inst...... middle of paper.... ...at their feet. Liberal discourse is an essential element in achieving political victory; and if anyone wants to learn how to successfully create one, they need look no further than these films. They contain the heart and soul of the liberal campaign; and if liberals create more films of this breed and caliber, it's unclear how much their support will increase. Real. Sydney Lumet. Prod. Henry Fonda and Reginald Rose. By Reginald Rose and Kenyon Hopkins. Perf. Henri Fonda. United Artists Corp., 1956. Erin Brockovich. Real. Steven Soderbergh. By Susannah Grant. Perf. Julia Roberts. Jersey Films, 2000. The Grapes of Wrath. Real. John Ford. Perf. Henri Fonda. Twentieth Century-Fox, 1940. Lakoff, George. The political mind: why you can't understand 21st century politics with an 18th century brain. New York: Viking, 2008. Print.