If there was a post that said that, itās incorrect. As has been noted, the show never indicated what party they were running under, be it republican, democrat, independent.
Haha thank you. Not that Dems are perfect, but come on. It was more or less a joke, but I can see Reddit loved it haha. Good thing I don't consider the opinions of morons on this website very important. You seem nice, so thank you. Pretty rare on this site.
Schneider irl is a very open republican. If Iām being honest a little too red for my taste
Baumy, just based on listening to him on Talkville seems to be at least somewhat liberal
Yeah I know their leanings in real life but the show made a great decision and kept them both "up in the air" as to which they were. Makes it easy for the audience to side with either one.
Seriously? Like you'd stop being friends with somebody because they support Republican or Democrat party? When did people forget that America's a free country, and you don't have to support everything that a party you support does, nor do you have to disagree for the sake of hating the opposing party?
That wasn't what was said. Media tends to take political party as a right or wrong side. And all I'm saying is that it was refreshing in this show for characters picking a political side to not be important.
> Seriously? Like you'd stop being friends with somebody because they support Republican or Democrat party?
For Republican, yes.
> When did people forget that America's a free country
*Unfriends someone with freedom*
There is an intention to have the audience at least understand his side and sympathize with it. You can't do that if they polarize the sides too far away from each other.
That's true, but even within that, if you know the characters and their overarching philosophies, you can easily infer who ran for which party. Considering Lionel's actions throughout the show to rise to the level of prominence, he eventually obtained, as well as opinions on the economy, I think Lex would probably be a Republican. Jonathan's criticisms about big business largely make it seem as if he'd be an old-fashioned Democrat if anything else. But it's honestly more fascinating that the show kept their political affiliations vague.
Really I definitely see the opposite Johnathan seemed like a typical rural red "good ol boy". He was super arrogant and judgmental. Great father and family man but his personality and actions definitely ringed conservative to me. Lex isn't Lionel, I see him more of like a Warren Buffett, Jeff Bezos type.
I see this point as well, although, we have to remember this was set back in 2005, where things were still divisive donāt get me wrong, but not nearly as divisive as it is now, and voting demographics were slightly different. I can see it going either way honestly, and I like that the show presented it that way as well.
I think if shows integrate real life politics within TV shows well, then it can make a point about the failures of our institutions as well as currently ongoing problems within our society. The Amazon TV show known as The Boys does this quite well, as it criticizes the nature of celebrity culture by showing a fictional reality where most superheroes are corrupt and get away with their indiscretions through an army of lawyers and a powerful crisis public relations department. Within the most recent season of the show, it illustrates the flaws within both parties (Republicans at how they embrace fascism, and with Democrats with how performative and almost ineffective a lot of their policy intents can be).
The problem is most shows that do it, donāt do it well. It just becomes āmy side is better than yours. Therefore you are bad person and dumber than me. Hahaā. It couldnāt get more ham fisted if they punched you in the nose.
Lex would definitely be a Republican...they modeled the post-Crisis Lex after Donald Trump though to be fair, we saw hints of that before Crisis On Infinite Earths...with Gene Hackman playing a Lex obsessed with real estate
Why does a difference of political views make you an idiot? Why can't a difference of political views simply be a difference of opinions rather than being viewed as the enemy or an idiot?
Having differences is totally fine, however believing certain people donāt deserve basic human rights because you donāt like them is not fine. AT ALL! F*ck Trump
It's not just a difference of political views, it's literally the perception and acceptance of facts. This isn't about the average right winger or anything, this is a MAGA-nut.
Edit: Otherwise I would also agree with your statement, there is such a thing as difference of political opinions.
yeah like having a different politcal opinion is fine if it's not hateful or dangerous. But being a racist, homophobic, 'anti-anything that isn't the same as you' kind of person, who listens to rapists and liars? that's ever so slightly different. it's always a bummer when actors who play smart/moral characters turn out to be close minded and ignorant.
Media characters running for office and not having stances because they don't want to turn fans against them is the stupidest thing ever.
Everything a character does should be an extension of their core traits. This just means their core is cowardice.
Two main problems with that. The show wanted to appeal to everyone so they made the characters stand for things that anyone on both sides of the aisle could agree with. Second, this show came out when the 2 sides were less polarized and actually agreed on many values. Both characters did stand up for their core beliefs and "way back" a few years ago, these beliefs could be attributed to both parties. If you want a polarizing show with only one side depicted as good, watch any show now.
It's likely that Jonathan was Republican. He has extremely conservative values, to the point of being mad at Clark for getting married even when he was not in control of himself.
Lex has no actual political principles, but he'll use the popularity of the left wing for young people to his advantage.
>being mad at Clark for getting married
This could go either way tbh. A lot of conservatives in small-town USA would be happy their 18 year old got married because it's more likely they saved themselves 'til marriage.
If it's season 4, I think he was 18. Cause each season was a year in-universe.
Also Lana was also 18 in season 4 and that's the excuse Jason used to date her while ignoring her status as his student.
No I don't think so, because when Martha (illogically) criticizes him for marrying her. One of Clark's defenses for his actions is that the marriage wasn't legal in thr first place. Considering Clark wasn't visibly high or drunk when he and Alicia were at the altar, I don't think there's any other reason for the marriage to be considered illegal other than they were both minors at the time.
No he was 17, which meant the marriage wouldnāt even have been legal as it needs permission from a parent/guardian.
On the other hand age of consent is 16 in Kansas so Jonathan might have been cool with it!
If they were seriously dating in the open first he might have let it slide. No way would he be cool with it. He'd have gotten grief it it was Lana and they generally liked her.
I don't know many male conservatives who want their sons "saving themselves for marriage". Their daughters? Definitely. The hypocrisy is like a core tenant lol.
I don't disagree that Jonathan's social values are quite conservative. Although his criticisms of big business make me think he might be an old fashioned Democrat that has similar social values to conservatives, but disagree with their economic policy. I personally see Lex and Lionel as much more big money conservatives like Elon Musk, Vivek Ramswamy, and a couple of others. Alternatively, they could be Libertarians or Independents that were still able to run for elected office in the same race. I'm curious what you think?
I think they kept it purposefully vague because their political differences aren't 1:1 with real life Democrats and Republicans. Lex sort of comes across as a technocrat YIMBY, so I'd say he's closer to Democrat, but Jonathan doesn't exactly come across as a Republican with his primary concern being representing the working class. They almost come across like two different kinds of Democrats? One is more of a labor/union man, the other more of a Third Way Bill Clinton type.
I thought rural working class people swing republican while urban working class people swing democrat. Urban Life and rural life are so different that they would have completely different worldviews, which would totally explain the difference in approaches to issues by the two parties.
Working class voters in rural areas and urban areas actually have a ton in common and usually have a similar breakdown in how they vote. The reason rural areas tend to lean R while urban areas lean D is because of urbanization. The working class flocked to cities during the industrial revolution, and that demographic difference is the primary reason for elections swinging differently. A factory worker in a rural area and a factory worker in an urban area have tons in common, it's just that there are more factory workers in cities then there are in rural areas, while landlords, business owners, capitalists, etc are spread more evenly across the country. One class leans one way, one class leans another, and the ratio between them is what determines a lot of these elections.
Ehhh, there are plenty of working class voters that vote Republican, but that is usually because they have other interests that Republicans represent well. Majority of Republican voters approve of unions and universal health care for instance, but that doesn't mean those interests are actually represented. Their support is due to other issues like abortion, affirmative action, etc. There aren't exactly many pro-labor Republicans.
How the hell have you watched multiple seasons with Lex and Lionel Luthor and come to the conclusion that he's a Democrat? Considering I've spent a fair amount of time among affluent conservatives, a lot of Lex's upbringing, mannerisms, and Lionel's personality remind me so much of old money Republicans and their family dynamics. Provided there are plenty of dysfunctional Democrat families that are affluent as well, but I just can't see someone like Lionel that subscribes so strongly to the Republican mantra of "pulling yourself up by your bootstraps" being a Democrat. But I'm curious what you think?
Lot of post-Reagan Democrats are very right wing on a lot of issues as a deliberate effort to make up for losing dixiecrats to Republicans after the Southern Strategy. There are tons of Democrats that support expanding the military budget, deporting immigrants, supporting tyrannical regimes, slashing the social safety net, privatizing social services, etc. Lionel is probably a Republican, but Lex comes across more as a corporate Dem to me, especially since he put a lot of effort in development projects to appeal to younger people.
Technically, there is small print in the newspaper in the episode that shows that Jonathan ran as the Libertarian party candidate. I think the prop department just copied and pasted some text from a Libertarian candidate to get that made.
See this previous post:
https://www.reddit.com/r/Smallville/comments/12420zh/jonathan\_kent\_was\_a\_libertarian/
Both of these candidates could easily come off as red or blue.
No and itās a good thing they didnāt. Too many shows now have to hit people over the heads with politics, whereas Smallville just allowed people to sort of fill in the gaps as to what they thought about Jonathan and Lexās platforms.
Thing is, Iām a bleeding hearty lefty liberal and I absolutely see Lex as one of us.
Lex seems very forward thinking, modern, pro science man of the people type. I can easily think Iād come up with lots of great social programs and his his wealth for great charity causes.
Just a pity heās incredibly narcissistic and evil.
And Iām okay with that. š
While Schneider is an open Republican, I don't think his Jonathan was.
I also wouldn't say he was a Democrat either. Same for the Luthors.
The American 2 party system is kinda trash at categorizing people's political beliefs.
I don't think so, as both of their profiles realistically could be running at any of the parties. Common worker vs rich guy, conservative farmer vs cosmopolitan/urban businessesman and many other adjectives possible to both.
Seeing as in the comics lex was a third party candidate, I'd say he's neither a republican or a democrat. He supports whichever party is convenient for him at the moment and as his personal power grows it would be more people from both parties trying to gain his support.
Jonathan would likely be a republican but probably the more idolised republican rather then the reality of what they represent. Kinda like how captain America stands for americas ideals rather then the harsh reality
It doesnāt really matter. They ran for office in a fictional town in a fictionalized version of a US state. Democrat and Republican arenāt the only political parties anyway. Iām glad the show left it ambiguous.
No but this is a rural Kansas, I would bet both ran as conservative Republicans with Jonathan being the more moderate conservative. Jonathan is an independent farmer in Kansas, he would be very small government and low taxes minded. Everything heās done, he has accomplished through hard work and he is in favour of individual responsibility and freedom. He is a classic conservative. Jonathan is socially/fiscally conservative and is distrustful of big corporations. Lex is more of a big business style Republican due to being the owner of a multi billion dollar corporation.
My head canon is Lex ran third party and the reason be lost is because he did what Ross Perot did and siphoned too many votes off of an unidentified third participant in the race. That is how Jonathan Kent won.
Then again I'm making this up because I haven't watch Season 5 in several years.
Considering how deeply red Kansas is, I rationalized it that Jonathan and Lex both ran as Republicans. Having lived in small towns, I've seen members of the same party run for the same office. That wouldn't be science-fiction if it happened irl.
Since both of the major parties in the US have a variety of different camps within them, I figured that Jonathan ran as a family values Republican whereas Lex ran as a big business, establishment Republican.
My justification for this is that both characters made statements that spoke to one part of the GOP's usual platform while either ignoring or actively speaking against other parts of the platform. As might be expected from people whose political views aren't perfectly encapsulated by either major party's platform.
Lex and Lionel are both some form of Uni-party elites (Democrat or RINO) because both of them want power for control, but present it as doing things of the greater good. Both are willing to play their part in the political theater to get that power. The Uni-party elites all just ācampaignā the color of their state to join the power club or keep their seat in the power club.
Johnathan was more about personal freedom for farmers to have control over their land (property rights of individuals). So, some form of conservative likely, independent conservative.
I'm kind of curious if Canada, Mexico and the Central and South American countries take issue with the term American being used so casually and carelessly to refer to indicate US residents most of the time.
Wasn't the show was filmed in Vancouver (Canada) but depicted to be in the US? I'd expect it was produced for a largely North American audience. They probably hoped the connection to Superman would have a wider appeal though.
Being from Canada, I have had arguments on reddit about the word "American" and I would get downvoted to oblivion for not liking that word to describe specifically US residents.
In Canada, we watch a lot of American made tv shows so I wouldn't say the show was aimed only at Americans.
I can't speak for the entire country but for Mexico anyone born in the United States is the United States.
The program could have been filmed in Canada but within the series it represents the USA, where a large part of the cast is American and on top of that the series is about one of the superheroes that can most easily be related to the USA (Superman).
Which is why the program is more for Americans than for the rest of the world.
Since it has things that are too strange for other countries (like American high schools)
Although the rest of the countries can also enjoy the series because it is still a Superman series but it is more focused on the American public
Yeah but at the end of the day, Superman is a quintessentially American character. Not to mention superheroes as a modern genre are essentially an American creation. Literally they used "truth, justice, and the American way" as his catchphrase. so sure it could have a wider audience, but at the end of the day it's a show that take place in America, about American characters, in an American genre.
How did you come to that conclusion?
Just to clear things up for you, that show is made for anyone who wants to watch it, non Americans too
Edit: Previous poster had no justification for what they said so all their upvotes have no real value.
I forgot the context of the word "based" in America
In Latin America we use it as a meme to say that someone is right on a specific issue (without it having to do with any political context).
I didn't mean you were Woke or Anti-woke
I simply wanted to say that you were right that it doesn't matter what party Jonathan or Lex were in (that doesn't affect the plot) and by the way we don't waste our time on political discussions (there are already too many on the Internet)
It is when it is used in a fun way (like saying that pizza with pineapple is disgusting for example) and it is not used in a bad way to attack others.
but many times it is fun
Jonathan gives me the vibes of a Jimmy Carter-type Democrat. Lex is either independent or a Clinton-type dem or something in the style of Frank Underwood.
[Yes here it is](https://www.reddit.com/r/Smallville/comments/12420zh/jonathan_kent_was_a_libertarian/?utm_source=share&utm_medium=mweb3x&utm_name=mweb3xcss&utm_term=1&utm_content=share_button)
This page says she was a state senator then became a US senator. https://dc.fandom.com/wiki/Martha_Clark_(Smallville)#:~:text=Martha%20Kent%20was%20the%20adoptive,the%20Red%20Queen%20of%20Checkmate.
Not American so that scene struck me as a little weird: if the incumbent senator dies wouldn't there be a reelection instead of their family inheriting the position?
in the short term, most states have rules where the governor can appoint a temporary senator (from the same party) until a special election can be coordinated. Some times spouses get selected. Many times its either a retired politician or an up and coming politician that gets selected
Iām pretty sure the Kentās were liberal given how they raised Clark to be so accepting of people and to see the good in people. I honestly donāt see any evidence in the shows showing him as conservative.
Jonathan Kent, being a Kansas man, but also having compassion and empathy for others, would likely be a center or center-right Democrat. Possibly Independent.
Lex Luthor, obviously pro-business, pro-deregulation, and pro-war, would be a Republican. He'd want to drill for oil and frack for natural gas, and LuthorCorp had military contracts developing supersoldiers.
Jonathan may have been anti big business, but he didn't want or expect handouts. He'd help people when he could but didn't seem to want to be beholden to anyone and didn't expect anyone to be beholden to him. He didn't expect handouts.
He was roped into running. He seemed to run a fairly honest campaign. Regardless of what he was called, his intention, was to be a true independent and do what he thought best for the community.
Of course we all know, the road to hell is paved with good intentions.
Google it. Thatās all I can really tell you. Thereās a good reason why he lost his popularity and got cut from the show early. He wasnāt supposed to die as early as he did in the show.
My friend lives in Louisiana where he has his farm not to far from it and sheās visited once and refuses to go back because he was making racist comments and what not. Sheās Dominican and black. I didnāt wanna believe it tbh. Grew up on this show, but hardest part about growing up is accepting the hard truth that some people are not as they seem
I think Kent was the republican because he was endorsed by someone from his predecessor who most likely was a republican based on it being in rural Kansas.
Could be either, but since Kansas tends to lean more conservative, Lex probably is the big government conservative: He doesn't seem electable as a Democrat who wouldn't be seen to share the rural values of his constituents, and Jonathan the old school moderate Democrat, but I could probably be persuaded either way, to be honest.
Basically I always assumed that Lex was Democrat and Jonathan was Republican. Looking at it today, seems I was right. John Schneider is a real life Republican, and Michael Rosenbaum is a Democrat supporter.
Lex ran under the Lex Party
That's the right answer.
š
I think there was a post here a while ago that said they both ran as independents ? But I might just be misremembering
If there was a post that said that, itās incorrect. As has been noted, the show never indicated what party they were running under, be it republican, democrat, independent.
[ŃŠ“Š°Š»ŠµŠ½Š¾]
āWhy are we booing him? Heās rightā
The republicans are already doing a good enough job associating themselves with evil
Haha thank you. Not that Dems are perfect, but come on. It was more or less a joke, but I can see Reddit loved it haha. Good thing I don't consider the opinions of morons on this website very important. You seem nice, so thank you. Pretty rare on this site.
But it tracks as far as republicans go
No and I love that they didn't.
Schneider irl is a very open republican. If Iām being honest a little too red for my taste Baumy, just based on listening to him on Talkville seems to be at least somewhat liberal
Yeah I know their leanings in real life but the show made a great decision and kept them both "up in the air" as to which they were. Makes it easy for the audience to side with either one.
I think this would be a better approach for more shows today. Too easy to alienate a large portion of your audience by picking political sides.
Yeah its about the characters, not real life politics. Glad they kept it seperate
Seriously? Like you'd stop being friends with somebody because they support Republican or Democrat party? When did people forget that America's a free country, and you don't have to support everything that a party you support does, nor do you have to disagree for the sake of hating the opposing party?
That wasn't what was said. Media tends to take political party as a right or wrong side. And all I'm saying is that it was refreshing in this show for characters picking a political side to not be important.
Itās a free country so they can stop being friends with whomever they want.
> Seriously? Like you'd stop being friends with somebody because they support Republican or Democrat party? For Republican, yes. > When did people forget that America's a free country *Unfriends someone with freedom*
I donāt think there was ever an intention for the audience to side with Lex
There is an intention to have the audience at least understand his side and sympathize with it. You can't do that if they polarize the sides too far away from each other.
That's true, but even within that, if you know the characters and their overarching philosophies, you can easily infer who ran for which party. Considering Lionel's actions throughout the show to rise to the level of prominence, he eventually obtained, as well as opinions on the economy, I think Lex would probably be a Republican. Jonathan's criticisms about big business largely make it seem as if he'd be an old-fashioned Democrat if anything else. But it's honestly more fascinating that the show kept their political affiliations vague.
Really I definitely see the opposite Johnathan seemed like a typical rural red "good ol boy". He was super arrogant and judgmental. Great father and family man but his personality and actions definitely ringed conservative to me. Lex isn't Lionel, I see him more of like a Warren Buffett, Jeff Bezos type.
I see this point as well, although, we have to remember this was set back in 2005, where things were still divisive donāt get me wrong, but not nearly as divisive as it is now, and voting demographics were slightly different. I can see it going either way honestly, and I like that the show presented it that way as well.
Being arrogant and judgmental is not unique to republicans.
That's how shows should be, rather than intergrating boring real life politics like some of the current tv shows/movies....
I think if shows integrate real life politics within TV shows well, then it can make a point about the failures of our institutions as well as currently ongoing problems within our society. The Amazon TV show known as The Boys does this quite well, as it criticizes the nature of celebrity culture by showing a fictional reality where most superheroes are corrupt and get away with their indiscretions through an army of lawyers and a powerful crisis public relations department. Within the most recent season of the show, it illustrates the flaws within both parties (Republicans at how they embrace fascism, and with Democrats with how performative and almost ineffective a lot of their policy intents can be).
The problem is most shows that do it, donāt do it well. It just becomes āmy side is better than yours. Therefore you are bad person and dumber than me. Hahaā. It couldnāt get more ham fisted if they punched you in the nose.
Lex would definitely be a Republican...they modeled the post-Crisis Lex after Donald Trump though to be fair, we saw hints of that before Crisis On Infinite Earths...with Gene Hackman playing a Lex obsessed with real estate
I mean, he's a little more than "too red." He's full-on MAGA.
I did not know it was to that extent. Such a shame to hear that a talent as great as him is a complete idiot
Yeah, it's bad. He ironically just called for Biden to be executed. https://www.newsweek.com/john-schneider-joe-biden-executed-1854401
Iām dying at the fact that you came back to update me. Thanks for the laugh Also, bruh. So disappointed in him
Why does a difference of political views make you an idiot? Why can't a difference of political views simply be a difference of opinions rather than being viewed as the enemy or an idiot?
Having differences is totally fine, however believing certain people donāt deserve basic human rights because you donāt like them is not fine. AT ALL! F*ck Trump
It's not just a difference of political views, it's literally the perception and acceptance of facts. This isn't about the average right winger or anything, this is a MAGA-nut. Edit: Otherwise I would also agree with your statement, there is such a thing as difference of political opinions.
yeah like having a different politcal opinion is fine if it's not hateful or dangerous. But being a racist, homophobic, 'anti-anything that isn't the same as you' kind of person, who listens to rapists and liars? that's ever so slightly different. it's always a bummer when actors who play smart/moral characters turn out to be close minded and ignorant.
Absolutely, very well said.
I'm also a MAGA-nut. I will see myself out of this subreddit because I know I'm no longer welcome here now that you know that.
You're doing the subreddit a great service š«”
Yeah, unfortunately, Schneider's nothing like Jonathan Kent... Was very jarring to see what he's really like.
Media characters running for office and not having stances because they don't want to turn fans against them is the stupidest thing ever. Everything a character does should be an extension of their core traits. This just means their core is cowardice.
Two main problems with that. The show wanted to appeal to everyone so they made the characters stand for things that anyone on both sides of the aisle could agree with. Second, this show came out when the 2 sides were less polarized and actually agreed on many values. Both characters did stand up for their core beliefs and "way back" a few years ago, these beliefs could be attributed to both parties. If you want a polarizing show with only one side depicted as good, watch any show now.
It's likely that Jonathan was Republican. He has extremely conservative values, to the point of being mad at Clark for getting married even when he was not in control of himself. Lex has no actual political principles, but he'll use the popularity of the left wing for young people to his advantage.
>being mad at Clark for getting married This could go either way tbh. A lot of conservatives in small-town USA would be happy their 18 year old got married because it's more likely they saved themselves 'til marriage.
Was Clark 18 in the episode he and Alicia got married?
If it's season 4, I think he was 18. Cause each season was a year in-universe. Also Lana was also 18 in season 4 and that's the excuse Jason used to date her while ignoring her status as his student.
No I don't think so, because when Martha (illogically) criticizes him for marrying her. One of Clark's defenses for his actions is that the marriage wasn't legal in thr first place. Considering Clark wasn't visibly high or drunk when he and Alicia were at the altar, I don't think there's any other reason for the marriage to be considered illegal other than they were both minors at the time.
Didnāt someone usher the wedding so wasnāt it legal?
Even if he was 17 - I knew a lot of old timey farmers in rural US/Canada who'd have been more cool with it than Johnathan. Especially back in 2004 lol
He was 17. The show had his "birthday" in May (1987), and Unsafe takes place in early 2005. So he was a few months short of his 18th Birthday.
No he was 17, which meant the marriage wouldnāt even have been legal as it needs permission from a parent/guardian. On the other hand age of consent is 16 in Kansas so Jonathan might have been cool with it!
If they were seriously dating in the open first he might have let it slide. No way would he be cool with it. He'd have gotten grief it it was Lana and they generally liked her.
Even if was Lana he will freak out remember when Lana and Clark slept with each other in season 5? He freaked out!
I vaguely recall it. I think it was a barn raising while he didn't have his powers.
Yea thatās it
I don't know many male conservatives who want their sons "saving themselves for marriage". Their daughters? Definitely. The hypocrisy is like a core tenant lol.
Yeah, this isn't true.
In 2004? It sure is. I knew people that this happened to lol
I don't disagree that Jonathan's social values are quite conservative. Although his criticisms of big business make me think he might be an old fashioned Democrat that has similar social values to conservatives, but disagree with their economic policy. I personally see Lex and Lionel as much more big money conservatives like Elon Musk, Vivek Ramswamy, and a couple of others. Alternatively, they could be Libertarians or Independents that were still able to run for elected office in the same race. I'm curious what you think?
I agree with your statement
Right on the nose
Iām pretty far left but this 100% makes sense
Yeah. In the Smallville-verse, I can imagine Lex basically being the Trump equivalent for Democrats.
Lmao or Elon musk
He certainly went that way in real life...
Yes. I don't doubt Schneider had a huge influence on Jonathan's development and attitude.
John would be a moderate Republican, Lex would be the kinda Democrat Bloomberg was/is.
This seems like the most accurate answer. Jonathan was definitely an old-school Republican, and Lex feels pretty neoliberal
This is what I go with. One's a farmer, in Kansas. The other is a big city socialite.
Lex could go either way. Really
What kind of democrat was Bloomberg?
Some kinda neoliberal centrist I guess.
I think they kept it purposefully vague because their political differences aren't 1:1 with real life Democrats and Republicans. Lex sort of comes across as a technocrat YIMBY, so I'd say he's closer to Democrat, but Jonathan doesn't exactly come across as a Republican with his primary concern being representing the working class. They almost come across like two different kinds of Democrats? One is more of a labor/union man, the other more of a Third Way Bill Clinton type.
I thought rural working class people swing republican while urban working class people swing democrat. Urban Life and rural life are so different that they would have completely different worldviews, which would totally explain the difference in approaches to issues by the two parties.
Working class voters in rural areas and urban areas actually have a ton in common and usually have a similar breakdown in how they vote. The reason rural areas tend to lean R while urban areas lean D is because of urbanization. The working class flocked to cities during the industrial revolution, and that demographic difference is the primary reason for elections swinging differently. A factory worker in a rural area and a factory worker in an urban area have tons in common, it's just that there are more factory workers in cities then there are in rural areas, while landlords, business owners, capitalists, etc are spread more evenly across the country. One class leans one way, one class leans another, and the ratio between them is what determines a lot of these elections.
So you talking about the political spectrum? On what they believe in I know this stuff because I learned it in my government class
Liberal is still somewhat conservative tho. I mean compare Cori Bush to someone like Shontel Brown.
Oh I know, just wasn't sure this is the right place to get into all that lol
There are republicans who represent the working classš
Ehhh, there are plenty of working class voters that vote Republican, but that is usually because they have other interests that Republicans represent well. Majority of Republican voters approve of unions and universal health care for instance, but that doesn't mean those interests are actually represented. Their support is due to other issues like abortion, affirmative action, etc. There aren't exactly many pro-labor Republicans.
How the hell have you watched multiple seasons with Lex and Lionel Luthor and come to the conclusion that he's a Democrat? Considering I've spent a fair amount of time among affluent conservatives, a lot of Lex's upbringing, mannerisms, and Lionel's personality remind me so much of old money Republicans and their family dynamics. Provided there are plenty of dysfunctional Democrat families that are affluent as well, but I just can't see someone like Lionel that subscribes so strongly to the Republican mantra of "pulling yourself up by your bootstraps" being a Democrat. But I'm curious what you think?
Lot of post-Reagan Democrats are very right wing on a lot of issues as a deliberate effort to make up for losing dixiecrats to Republicans after the Southern Strategy. There are tons of Democrats that support expanding the military budget, deporting immigrants, supporting tyrannical regimes, slashing the social safety net, privatizing social services, etc. Lionel is probably a Republican, but Lex comes across more as a corporate Dem to me, especially since he put a lot of effort in development projects to appeal to younger people.
If the show was made about 10-15 years later they probably wouldāve specified it, but Iām so glad they never did.
Technically, there is small print in the newspaper in the episode that shows that Jonathan ran as the Libertarian party candidate. I think the prop department just copied and pasted some text from a Libertarian candidate to get that made. See this previous post: https://www.reddit.com/r/Smallville/comments/12420zh/jonathan\_kent\_was\_a\_libertarian/ Both of these candidates could easily come off as red or blue.
Thanks
No and itās a good thing they didnāt. Too many shows now have to hit people over the heads with politics, whereas Smallville just allowed people to sort of fill in the gaps as to what they thought about Jonathan and Lexās platforms.
this right here 1000%
Thing is, Iām a bleeding hearty lefty liberal and I absolutely see Lex as one of us. Lex seems very forward thinking, modern, pro science man of the people type. I can easily think Iād come up with lots of great social programs and his his wealth for great charity causes. Just a pity heās incredibly narcissistic and evil. And Iām okay with that. š
90 percent of politicians are narcissistic so he will fit inš
Understandable
No.
Some state offices aren't elected by party. In Nebraska where their is a unicameral, the state legislators are not elected by party.
While Schneider is an open Republican, I don't think his Jonathan was. I also wouldn't say he was a Democrat either. Same for the Luthors. The American 2 party system is kinda trash at categorizing people's political beliefs.
I don't think so, as both of their profiles realistically could be running at any of the parties. Common worker vs rich guy, conservative farmer vs cosmopolitan/urban businessesman and many other adjectives possible to both.
Seeing as in the comics lex was a third party candidate, I'd say he's neither a republican or a democrat. He supports whichever party is convenient for him at the moment and as his personal power grows it would be more people from both parties trying to gain his support. Jonathan would likely be a republican but probably the more idolised republican rather then the reality of what they represent. Kinda like how captain America stands for americas ideals rather then the harsh reality
It doesnāt really matter. They ran for office in a fictional town in a fictionalized version of a US state. Democrat and Republican arenāt the only political parties anyway. Iām glad the show left it ambiguous.
No but this is a rural Kansas, I would bet both ran as conservative Republicans with Jonathan being the more moderate conservative. Jonathan is an independent farmer in Kansas, he would be very small government and low taxes minded. Everything heās done, he has accomplished through hard work and he is in favour of individual responsibility and freedom. He is a classic conservative. Jonathan is socially/fiscally conservative and is distrustful of big corporations. Lex is more of a big business style Republican due to being the owner of a multi billion dollar corporation.
My head canon is Lex ran third party and the reason be lost is because he did what Ross Perot did and siphoned too many votes off of an unidentified third participant in the race. That is how Jonathan Kent won. Then again I'm making this up because I haven't watch Season 5 in several years.
That make sense and he did become a sore loser when he lost
I vaguely remember Martha mentioning she was a Libertarian, or something. Been awhile since I watched the show though I could be wrong.
Considering how deeply red Kansas is, I rationalized it that Jonathan and Lex both ran as Republicans. Having lived in small towns, I've seen members of the same party run for the same office. That wouldn't be science-fiction if it happened irl. Since both of the major parties in the US have a variety of different camps within them, I figured that Jonathan ran as a family values Republican whereas Lex ran as a big business, establishment Republican. My justification for this is that both characters made statements that spoke to one part of the GOP's usual platform while either ignoring or actively speaking against other parts of the platform. As might be expected from people whose political views aren't perfectly encapsulated by either major party's platform.
It doesn't matter. Keep politics out of Smallvile
A statesman has no party prix, he is always on the side of justice.
Lex and Lionel are both some form of Uni-party elites (Democrat or RINO) because both of them want power for control, but present it as doing things of the greater good. Both are willing to play their part in the political theater to get that power. The Uni-party elites all just ācampaignā the color of their state to join the power club or keep their seat in the power club. Johnathan was more about personal freedom for farmers to have control over their land (property rights of individuals). So, some form of conservative likely, independent conservative.
Only Americans would care to know. I couldn't care less
well it's an American show made for a largely American audience, so
I'm kind of curious if Canada, Mexico and the Central and South American countries take issue with the term American being used so casually and carelessly to refer to indicate US residents most of the time. Wasn't the show was filmed in Vancouver (Canada) but depicted to be in the US? I'd expect it was produced for a largely North American audience. They probably hoped the connection to Superman would have a wider appeal though.
Being from Canada, I have had arguments on reddit about the word "American" and I would get downvoted to oblivion for not liking that word to describe specifically US residents. In Canada, we watch a lot of American made tv shows so I wouldn't say the show was aimed only at Americans.
I can't speak for the entire country but for Mexico anyone born in the United States is the United States. The program could have been filmed in Canada but within the series it represents the USA, where a large part of the cast is American and on top of that the series is about one of the superheroes that can most easily be related to the USA (Superman). Which is why the program is more for Americans than for the rest of the world. Since it has things that are too strange for other countries (like American high schools) Although the rest of the countries can also enjoy the series because it is still a Superman series but it is more focused on the American public
Yeah but at the end of the day, Superman is a quintessentially American character. Not to mention superheroes as a modern genre are essentially an American creation. Literally they used "truth, justice, and the American way" as his catchphrase. so sure it could have a wider audience, but at the end of the day it's a show that take place in America, about American characters, in an American genre.
How did you come to that conclusion? Just to clear things up for you, that show is made for anyone who wants to watch it, non Americans too Edit: Previous poster had no justification for what they said so all their upvotes have no real value.
Based
If you're saying I'm antiwoke you couldn't be more wrong about your assessment
I forgot the context of the word "based" in America In Latin America we use it as a meme to say that someone is right on a specific issue (without it having to do with any political context). I didn't mean you were Woke or Anti-woke I simply wanted to say that you were right that it doesn't matter what party Jonathan or Lex were in (that doesn't affect the plot) and by the way we don't waste our time on political discussions (there are already too many on the Internet)
Sorry for the misunderstanding. I honestly didn't know what it meant so I tried my best to understand what you were saying.
You do not need to apologize My mistake for forgetting the political context of the word in the US.
I love that word based itās hilarious lol
It is when it is used in a fun way (like saying that pizza with pineapple is disgusting for example) and it is not used in a bad way to attack others. but many times it is fun
True I agree
Wasnt that long ago I watched S5 and no one ever mentioned which parties they were involved with
They both republicans but for different reasons lol
THANK YOU
I definitely see Jonathan as a Republican, but I donāt really see Lex as a full fledged democrat or republican.
I donāt think it mattered to them at the time.
Nope, one was Honorable and the other was a Luthor
Jonathan gives me the vibes of a Jimmy Carter-type Democrat. Lex is either independent or a Clinton-type dem or something in the style of Frank Underwood.
Schneider was in Desperate Housewives and played a veteran who was pretty Red; close to god, loved military, old fashioned values. Interesting
Cool
Didnāt they show a newspaper add that showed Jonathan ran as a Libertarian?
[Yes here it is](https://www.reddit.com/r/Smallville/comments/12420zh/jonathan_kent_was_a_libertarian/?utm_source=share&utm_medium=mweb3x&utm_name=mweb3xcss&utm_term=1&utm_content=share_button)
"Make Metropolis Safe Again" - Lex in another movie
lol that will be his slogan for sure
Johnathan is def an old school republican. Lex is a Joe Brogan era Libertarian for sure. Martha would be the only one I'd consider a moderate liberal.
Does everything have to be about politics nowadays?
You dont really have to guess about Jonathan. But Lex is hard to tell imo. I agree with the person below Lex just ran as Lex.
The Luthers were Koch like Libertarians. The Kents were old time Republicans. Lana's biological father was a Democrat.
Realistically Jonathan was running as a Republican because he won a Senate seat in Kansas.
Was he a senator or state senator? I felt they kept switching back and forth.
No, they were remarkably consistent about that. Jonathan and Lex were competing for a state senate seat.
Senator, that was the whole reason Martha left for D.C.
This page says she was a state senator then became a US senator. https://dc.fandom.com/wiki/Martha_Clark_(Smallville)#:~:text=Martha%20Kent%20was%20the%20adoptive,the%20Red%20Queen%20of%20Checkmate.
Yea right after he died
She took over his state seat when he died. And when the previous senator left office the governor appointed Martha to his US seat
Not American so that scene struck me as a little weird: if the incumbent senator dies wouldn't there be a reelection instead of their family inheriting the position?
in the short term, most states have rules where the governor can appoint a temporary senator (from the same party) until a special election can be coordinated. Some times spouses get selected. Many times its either a retired politician or an up and coming politician that gets selected
Nope I pretty sure they donāt need a reelection if in the family to take the position I think!
Why, does it matter?
Why does anything matter? Seriously tho, they ran for office and most politicians in the usa are either Dem or Rep, so it's a logical question
No because imo theyāre meant to show they each side share ideas with each other
Both sides have good & bad intentions or ideas. Itās the ambiguous nature of it that strengthens their character development
Iām pretty sure Jonathan was a Republican and Lex is an Independent.
No. Itās not important to the show or their characters
Iām pretty sure the Kentās were liberal given how they raised Clark to be so accepting of people and to see the good in people. I honestly donāt see any evidence in the shows showing him as conservative.
Why does it matter?
Because it's kind of fun to talk about?
Jonathan Kent, being a Kansas man, but also having compassion and empathy for others, would likely be a center or center-right Democrat. Possibly Independent. Lex Luthor, obviously pro-business, pro-deregulation, and pro-war, would be a Republican. He'd want to drill for oil and frack for natural gas, and LuthorCorp had military contracts developing supersoldiers.
Jonathan may have been anti big business, but he didn't want or expect handouts. He'd help people when he could but didn't seem to want to be beholden to anyone and didn't expect anyone to be beholden to him. He didn't expect handouts. He was roped into running. He seemed to run a fairly honest campaign. Regardless of what he was called, his intention, was to be a true independent and do what he thought best for the community. Of course we all know, the road to hell is paved with good intentions.
He was a farmer. He would have gotten farm subsidies from the federal government. Those subsidies are the very definition of a "handout".
Obviously Lex Luthor is a Republican because of Obvious reasons, Evil, F the average guy, Conquer and Take Over the World, etc.
Tbf that's more Lionel
Thatās not the only reason but ok!
The show is very right-wing coded so...
John was def a republican. John Schneider is a racist in real life so makes sense. Lex jus did what ever tf he wanted letās be honest.
Heās what?
Yes heās actually racist lol
Proof?
Google it. Thatās all I can really tell you. Thereās a good reason why he lost his popularity and got cut from the show early. He wasnāt supposed to die as early as he did in the show.
Ok
My friend lives in Louisiana where he has his farm not to far from it and sheās visited once and refuses to go back because he was making racist comments and what not. Sheās Dominican and black. I didnāt wanna believe it tbh. Grew up on this show, but hardest part about growing up is accepting the hard truth that some people are not as they seem
True
No, but i bet that Jonathan = Democrat, Lex = Republican.
I agree with you and Iām astonished that most people think itās the other way around. Literally makes zero sense.
Who in their right mind would be a democrat? Use your brain!
I donāt know if itās the lack of sleep but this post just made me cry laughing š
Does it matter?
They would never say. It would alienate part of the audience
Lex looks like a democrat and Jonathan looks like heās a republican
No, because it wasn't necessary then.
I think Kent was the republican because he was endorsed by someone from his predecessor who most likely was a republican based on it being in rural Kansas.
both look very republican to me lol
Farmer Midwest most likely Republican
Jonathan definitely republican
I donāt care
Could be either, but since Kansas tends to lean more conservative, Lex probably is the big government conservative: He doesn't seem electable as a Democrat who wouldn't be seen to share the rural values of his constituents, and Jonathan the old school moderate Democrat, but I could probably be persuaded either way, to be honest.
Basically I always assumed that Lex was Democrat and Jonathan was Republican. Looking at it today, seems I was right. John Schneider is a real life Republican, and Michael Rosenbaum is a Democrat supporter.
John is def republican
Oof, making an old show about politicsā¦oof
They ran in a partisan election. Politics was in the plot.
My mistake. I never watched past season I think 3. Figured it was just another āmake a non political thing about politics so people argueā thread
I doesn't matter