LORELAI: So, I think I’m in touch with the other side …
RORY: With Republicans?
The Republican Party in the US, founded in 1854 by anti-slavery activists, with an elephant as its symbol, for reasons nobody seems sure about. It shifted towards the right in the early twentieth century and is now a socially conservative party, tending to favour free market economics. It supports lower taxes, gun rights, restrictions on immigration, restrictions on abortion, restrictions on unions, and increased military spending. Since the 1850s it has been the main political rival to the Democratic Party, so when Lorelai says she is in touch with “the other side” (meaning the supernatural realm), Rory asks whether she means the other side of politics. Lorelai and Rory are Democrat supporters.
DARREN: Patience . . . became Prime Minister of his country?
JACK: Paderewski.
Frédéric Chopin, born Fryderyk Chopin (1810-1849), Polish composer and virtuoso pianist of the Romantic period, who wrote primarily for solo piano. He was one of the earliest musical celebrities, and he has maintained his reputation as a poetic genius and one of the great musicians of his generation.
Ignacy Jan Padarewski (1860-1941) [pictured], Polish pianist and composer who became a spokesman for Polish independence. He was appointed prime minister in January 1919, and signed the Treaty of Versailles, which ended World War I. He resigned in November 1919, and continued his musical career, rarely visiting Poland again.
Jennifer says that the Springsteens love the Kennedys, indicating that they are Democrat voters – Connecticut is a Democrat state, and Westport is the most Democrat city of the state. Lorelai is quick to let them know that she is a Democrat voter as well.
PARIS: Personal anecdote – when I was twelve and I was writing the first of my trial essays in practice for the day I’d write my real essay, I chose Hillary Clinton. Then I realized every brain-dead bint in a skirt would be writing about Hillary, but it was good to clear the pipes.
Bint: British slang, derogatory term for a girl or woman. It dates to the late 19th century, and is borrowed from the Arabic بِنْت (bint, “girl, daughter”). It was adopted by British soldiers to refer to their girlfriends, as the Arabic word is reminiscent of English words for women such as bit, bird, and bitch.
Paris has not only been practising college application essays since she was twelve years old, but has also been a fan of Hillary Clinton since at least the same age. Paris would have been aged twelve in 1996/1997 – at this time, Hillary Clinton had been First Lady of the US since 1993. She took an important role from the very beginning, and was the first First Lady to receive her own office in the West Wing of the White House. She was considered the most openly empowered First Lady since Eleanor Roosevelt.
RORY: It’s not due for weeks, and I already have my essay topic picked out … Hillary Clinton … She’s so smart and tough and nobody thought she could win New York but she did and she’s doing amazing, and have you heard her speak?
DEAN: Only when you’ve played me the thousands of hours of C-SPAN footage you taped.
RORY: She’s a great speaker, strong and persuasive, with a wonderful presence, and even those suits of hers are getting better.
Hillary Clinton, previously discussed. We now discover Rory is a complete fangirl of hers.
C-SPAN, Cable-Satellite Public Affairs Network. Cable and satellite television network created in 1979 by the cable television industry as a nonprofit public service. It televises many proceedings of the US federal government, as well as other public affairs programs.
Note that Dean has to watch hours of C-SPAN footage taped by Rory, but she wouldn’t watch BattleBots with him until he went to her debutante ball as her escort. Maybe she also pays him back in some way (or she considers just going out with Dean enough of a big favour?).
PARIS: You want the first stand I make against the faculty to involve a fashion choice? It would be my ‘gays in the military.’
Paris refers to the “Don’t ask, don’t tell” policy in regard to allowing gay people to serve in the US military. Bill Clinton had campaigned in 1992 on the promise of allowing all citizens to serve in the military, regardless of sexual orientation. However, on being elected to the presidency, he had to settle with a compromise solution, called the “Don’t Ask, Don’t Tell, Don’t Pursue” policy, popularly known by its first four words.
Essentially the policy allowed gay people to serve in the military, provided they remained in the closet, while openly gay military personnel could be dishonourably discharged if they “told” anyone they were gay. It was an offence to ask anyone about their sexual orientation, or to pursue an investigation into anyone who didn’t “tell” (remained closeted). Later they added a “Don’t Harass” to the title, to mean the military would not allow harassment or violence against anyone. The policy was repealed in 2010 under the Obama administration, allowing openly gay personnel to serve in the US military. Former president Clinton welcomed the repeal.
Paris is saying that if the first thing she brings in as president is shorter hemlines, it would look like she was starting out by giving in to Francine straight away, like Clinton gave in to Congress.
FRANCIE: This is politics. If you’ve got a problem, tell it to Noam Chomsky. I live in the real world, now blow.
Avram Noam Chomsky (born 1928), linguist, philosopher, cognitive scientist, historical essayist, social critic, and political activist. Sometimes called “the father of modern linguistics”, Chomsky is also a major figure in analytic philosophy. He is a Laureate Professor of Linguistics at the University of Arizona and an Institute Professor Emeritus at MIT, and is the author of more than 150 books on topics such as linguistics, war, politics, and mass media. Chomsky’s latest book at that time was Understanding Power, a collection of transcripts about political activism from lectures and seminars given by Chomsky, published in February 2002.
Francie is thinking of Chomsky’s political views, which are broadly anarchy-syndicalist and libertarian socialist. Many of his books and lectures have been critical of the US government, its foreign policies, and its method of democracy – in particular, the way that political power at presidential level is controlled by the privately wealthy and by the public relations industry. In Francie’s view, his ideas are impractical and theoretical, not “the real world”.
FRANCIE: She’s gonna support the hemline issue, and any other issue that I bring up for the rest of the year. Otherwise I’ll make her so ineffectual, she’ll make Jimmy Carter look like Martin Sheen – do you get me?
James “Jimmy” Carter Jr (born 1924), 39th president of the US from 1977 to 1981 for the Democratic Party. He is generally seen as an ineffectual president, the end of his presidency marked by emergencies such as the Iran hostage crisis, the energy crisis, the Three Mile Island nuclear accident, and the Nicaraguan Revolution. His post-presidential activities are rated higher – he has worked with Habitat for Humanity, and set up a centre for improving human rights, earning him the Nobel Peace Prize in 2002 (after the events of this episode, but announced around the time of its broadcast). Jimmy Carter is the longest-lived American president, the oldest living president, the one with the longest post-presidency period, and the longest-married president, as he and his wife Rosalynn have been married for 76 years.
Martin Sheen, previously discussed, the actor who played President Josiah “Jed” Bartlett on political drama series The West Wing (1999-2006), created by Aaron Sorkin (at one point, there was a rumour going around that Gilmore Girls was actually written by Aaron Sorkin, using Amy Sherman-Palladino as a pseudonym!). Jed Bartlett was an amalgam of John F. Kennedy, Jimmy Carter, and Bill Clinton – Clinton was a friend of Sheen, who often visited the White House.
Jed Bartlett was an outstanding president in the series – brilliantly intellectual, quick-witted, compassionate, stoic, and driven by integrity. He is regarded as one of the greatest fictional American presidents of all time, and Sheen won a Golden Globe and two SAG Awards for the role.
Francie is saying that unless she gets her way on everything, she’ll shut Paris down until she becomes so ineffectual that in comparison, the low-rated Jimmy Carter will seem as brilliant as fictional president Bartlett.
Liza Weil, who plays Paris Geller, was in an episode of The West Wing in January 2000, the same year Gilmore Girls began airing. Dakin Matthews, who plays Headmaster Charleston, was in the same episode.
FRANCIE: I want you to go back to Margaret Thatcher and tell her to play ball.
Margaret Thatcher, Baroness Thatcher, born Margaret Roberts (1925-1913), Prime Minister of the UK from 1979 to 1990, and leader of the Conservative Party from 1975 to 1990. The longest-serving British prime minister of the 20th century, she was the first woman to hold that office. As prime minister, she implemented controversial conservative policies that became known as Thatcherism. A Soviet journalist dubbed her the “Iron Lady”, a nickname that became associated with her uncompromising politics and leadership style.
Francie is suggesting that Paris is likewise a tough and uncompromising female leader.
LORELAI: Honey, you have power, brains, now all you need is a dimwitted, drunken or drug-addicted relative to constantly humiliate you while you serve in office.
Lorelai is probably referring to Bill Clinton’s younger half-brother, Roger Clinton Jr. He was given the codename “Headache” by the Secret Service, due to his controversial behaviour, which included accepting bribes from mobsters, and dangerous drink driving offences. He received a presidential pardon from his brother for a 1985 conviction for cocaine trafficking, meaning that although he had served a prison sentence, the crime was removed from his criminal record.
The Annotated Gilmore Girls 