The Smartest Guys in the Room

I think the two biggest things that national Democrats ignored at their peril in 2004 were Abu Ghraib and Enron. Now (belatedly) the movie Enron: The Smartest Guys in the Room has been released in LA, and I went on opening day. I was disappointed that the filmmakers never connected Enron to the other numerous accounting scandals that occurred at the same time (Adelphia, Tyco, Global Crossing, HealthSouth, the list goes on and on), and how corporate deregulation and unrestrained capitalism is the catalyst for all of these dirty deeds.

Still, the movie delivers the goods. It entertains, and invites you into the characters of Skilling and Lay, giving you a real sense of their motivations, which are, of course, money, power, and money. It uncovers how the "win at all costs" mentality took root at Enron, and the consequences of an ethics-free zone for real people and real families. The movie does a great job of explaining very complex accounting practices in ways everyone could understand, something Democrats probably let stop them from discussing Enron at all. As a Californian, however, there is nothing complex about the lights getting shut off. I remember very well the rolling blackouts in my office during work hours in San Francisco in 2001. This movie, with its skillful use of audio tapes from actual Enron traders (laughing about bilking the state for millions, telling power plants to shut down their turbines at the height of the crisis, screaming "Burn baby burn!" during wildfires that affected the power grid), has the ability to start a riot in many cities in the Golden State. By linking the issue to the Gray Davis recall (he responds to a question asking if the energy crisis led to the recall by saying "Hello!") and the eventual ascension of Ahnold, this movie (and Enron in general) can still be a campaign issue in 2006.

And the story of Lou Pai is one of the funniest things I've ever seen in a movie.

I heard that the filmmakers held the movie back until after the election because they didn't want to seem overly critical of either party. That fact alone shows you how much Democrats dropped the ball by not forcing the issue into the center of the debate.

Go see this movie. It will piss you off to no end, but it should be required viewing. The Lay and Skilling trials are scheduled for early 2006. This can still be a campaign issue.