It’s a “House Of Cards” World and We’re Just Living in It
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Netflix(WASHINGTON) — House of Cards star Kevin Spacey says Netflix’s twisted political thriller and real-life Washington are eerily similar.
“We can get done shooting on a day and I’ll come home and turn on the news, and I’ll think, you know, our storylines are not that crazy,” Spacey said in a recent interview on ABC News’ This Week.
It turns out he may be right — and he’s not the only one who thinks so.
Using a second season storyline as a vehicle for her message, Rep. Jackie Speier, D-Calif., urged lawmakers on Wednesday to pass her sexual assault bill.
“Fiction meets reality @HouseofCards on issue of military sexual assault. Reforming this unjust system is a must. Pass the #STOPact #MST,” the congresswoman tweeted.
Like the bill that Claire Underwood proposes in Season Two, Speier’s bill aims to create an independent entity to investigate and prosecute military sexual assault cases.
Other members of Congress may be taking some lines of dialogue a little too seriously.
Rep. Tim Bishop, D-N.Y., took issue with one character’s jab at Long Island wine. In a letter to The Suffolk Times, Bishop, who represents portions of eastern Long Island, responded to fictional Rep. Jackie Sharp’s claim that wine from the region “tastes like piss.”
“On behalf of East End vitners [sic], growers, their employees and customers, I take exception to anyone criticizing Long Island wines,” Bishop wrote. “I invite the individuals involved in the show to visit New York’s First Congressional district to join me at some of our vineyards.”
Without giving two much away, let’s just say that America’s relationship with China also figures prominently into the newest episodes — a fact that was not lost on CNN’s Beijing Producer Steven Jiang, who wrote a column on Wednesday about how the storyline hit close to home.
“I couldn’t help but notice the major role China plays this season as one riveting plot unfolds after another. If you have been reading news headlines out of China, you would find any of the China angles familiar and believable: suspected cyber espionage, a trade war with Washington, a territorial dispute with Japan — complete with an utterly corrupt Communist Party insider who boasts direct access to the decision-making Standing Committee,” he wrote. “All this ‘realness’ makes it a little surreal that my binge-viewing of the U.S. TV series happened in China.”
The second season also includes a number of familiar faces — from the real world of journalism. Those making cameos include Yahoo News’ Matt Bai, MSNBC’s Rachel Maddow and Chris Matthews, and CNN’s Ashleigh Banfield, among others.
And the blurred lines go both ways. Spacey, channeling his alter-ego, had some advice for a real-life potential presidential candidate earlier this week.
“Oh, run,” Spacey advised for Hillary Clinton during an interview with ABC’s George Stephanopolous on ABC’s Good Morning America.
“Run baby run,” said Spacey, tapping into the southern accent of his character Frank Underwood.
Cards characters and pols aren’t the only ones scheming — Netflix has also engaged in a bit of political maneuvering.
According to a report from the Center for Public Integrity, the video streaming company spent $1.2 million on lobbying in 2013, mostly to support “net neutrality” — a push to ensure that Internet service providers treat all data the same.
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