Love Gov: From First Date to Mandate

 

LoveGovAndrew Breitbart famously said that “politics is downstream of culture.” Many of us on the center-right have enthusiastically spread this message without, you know, actually doing anything to change pop culture. Then when liberty-minded creatives produce “conservative” comedy, music or cinema, the same critics ridicule it as insufferably lame. (But let’s be honest: much of it is.)

A new series of videos created by the Oakland-based Independent Institute and Austin-based Emergent Order hits the sweet spot, delivering a solid message with great writing, acting and production. “Love Gov” turns the folly, cost, and intrusiveness of government into the character of Scott “Gov” Govinsky and his endless efforts to “help” the women in his life. Better still, it’s actually funny.

“Love Gov is a way to help anyone, especially Millennials, understand the federal government’s ever-expanding reach into personal lives,” says David J. Theroux, Founder and President of Independent Institute. “It’s a lighthearted approach to reach audiences on a personal level, and inspire them to learn more and take action.”

The YouTube series connects with a mobile app called MyGovCost, which enables users to estimate their lifetime federal tax liability and amounts that users would have earned had their federal taxes been instead privately invested and earned a modest six percent return. But viewers don’t have to punch numbers into an app. Laughing along with the videos will provide the limited government message they need to hear.

Here’s episode one; give it a spin.

Published in Culture, Entertainment
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  1. TG Thatcher
    TG
    @TG

    Thanks for pointing this out, Jon!

    • #1
  2. JimGoneWild Coolidge
    JimGoneWild
    @JimGoneWild

    Sweet! Good post. Very funny.

    • #2
  3. Fricosis Guy Listener
    Fricosis Guy
    @FricosisGuy

    @LoveGov was Bill Clinton’s original Twitter handle.

    • #3
  4. user_57140 Inactive
    user_57140
    @KarenHumiston

    We have four kids in higher education right now (yikes!).  Fortunately, they are on to the “free money” con, and are trying to avoid the temptation as much as possible.

    This episode is great, Jon!  I’m off to watch the others.

    • #4
  5. user_75648 Thatcher
    user_75648
    @JohnHendrix

    Excellent! Pitch perfect!

    • #5
  6. 10 cents Member
    10 cents
    @

    We need to out create them and quit complaining. Remy does a great job at Reason.

    • #6
  7. Daryl Kane Inactive
    Daryl Kane
    @DarylKane

    Oh that’s terrific!

    And I completely agree, most stuff we get is pretty lame but this hits the spot.

    • #7
  8. 10 cents Member
    10 cents
    @

    I have often thought it would be fun and a lot of hard work to make a 10 minute Conservative podcast skit/drama/sitcom. The key would be to have interesting characters and not be heavy handed with the politics. Also to leave each episode with a cliff hanger. How does one get the writing and the voices? Oh, and the coffee cups?

    • #8
  9. Big John Member
    Big John
    @AllanRutter

    Conservatives in Austin?  That’s as rare as shaved legs in Book People on 6th and Lamar.

    • #9
  10. The Reticulator Member
    The Reticulator
    @TheReticulator

    Very good. Thanks for letting us know. Mine is the 100th like on #2.

    • #10
  11. tbeck Inactive
    tbeck
    @Dorothea

    Jon Gabriel, Ed.:LoveGovAndrew Breitbart famously said that “politics is downstream of culture.” Many of us on the center-right have enthusiastically spread this message without, you know, actually doing anything to change pop culture. Then when liberty-minded creatives produce “conservative” comedy, music or cinema, the same critics ridicule it as insufferably lame. (But let’s be honest: much of it is.)

    A new series of videos created by the Oakland-based Independent Institute and Austin-based Emergent Order hits the sweet spot, delivering a solid message with great writing, acting and production. “Love Gov” turns the folly, cost, and intrusiveness of government into the character of Scott “Gov” Govinsky and his endless efforts to “help” the women in his life. Better still, it’s actually funny.

    “Love Gov is a way to help anyone, especially Millennials, understand the federal government’s ever-expanding reach into personal lives,” says David J. Theroux, Founder and President of Independent Institute. “It’s a lighthearted approach to reach audiences on a personal level, and inspire them to learn more and take action.”

    The YouTube series connects with a mobile app called MyGovCost, which enables users to estimate their lifetime federal tax liability and amounts that users would have earned had their federal taxes been instead privately invested and earned a modest six percent return. But viewers don’t have to punch numbers into an app. Laughing along with the videos will provide the limited government message they need to hear.

    Here’s episode one; give it a spin.

    Great job.

    • #11
  12. The Reticulator Member
    The Reticulator
    @TheReticulator

    I’d be done watching them already, except in #5 there is this exchange:

    “I’m just scanning them — for keywords.”

    “What keywords?”

    “Well, here’s a list of them.”

    OK, maybe I’m done laughing now and can finish.

    • #12
  13. Henry Castaigne Member
    Henry Castaigne
    @HenryCastaigne

    I just watched the first episode; unbelievably good. It’s like the very best Saturday night live skits only tethered to reality.

    • #13
  14. Songwriter Inactive
    Songwriter
    @user_19450

    Henry Castaigne: DIRECT

    One reason SNL is no longer funny is that it refused to poke fun of one of the great sources of absurdist humor in this world: liberalism. Everything is fodder for the liberal humor machine except liberalism.

    • #14
  15. The Reticulator Member
    The Reticulator
    @TheReticulator

    BTW, those clips are awfully white.  That’s OK if you’re trying to appeal to the people of Vermont, I suppose.

    • #15
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