Much has been made about how The Simpsons “predicted the future” by portraying a “President Donald Trump” in one of its episodes 16-years ago. But the writers of the cartoon series were prescient even before that, predicting the situation we find ourselves in right now back in 1996 with a parody of the Bob Dole-Bill Clinton election–where the candidates are kidnapped and replaced by the space aliens Kang and Kodos–who are seeking global domination:
I can’t help but think about all of the people who cried for years about how they wanted someone who “doesn’t talk like a politician”, who doesn’t need to conduct polls before taking a stand on policies, who “isn’t beholden to special interests and their campaign contributions” and who “doesn’t toe the political party line”. Well, let me introduce you to the candidate of your dreams then: Donald Trump (playing the role of Kang very well I might add).
And now that the complainers have what they wanted, they are running in sheer panic away from him. And who is there to greet them with open arms? None other than Hillary Clinton, the ultimate political insider–who is more than willing to change her position with the wind or public sentiment, who parses every word and phrase in her speeches and who hasn’t met a political donation she hasn’t liked and who wants government controlling every aspect of your life.
The only thing The Simpsons writers missed on 20-years ago is that we don’t need Homer to pull the masks off the monsters we have left in the race.
