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| 3 | %% This page has been alphabetized. Please add new examples in the correct order. Thanks! |
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| 6 | %% Image kept on page per Image Pickin' thread: https://tvtropes.org/pmwiki/posts.php?discussion=1594645166081643400 |
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| 9 | [[quoteright:299:[[Series/HouseOfCardsUS https://static.tvtropes.org/pmwiki/pub/images/14187_002.png]]]] |
| 10 | [[caption-width-right:299:[[WildlifeCommentarySpoof Here we see the vilest of creatures in his natural habitat]], ''[[BinomiumRidiculus Sleazicus politicus]],'' [[TitleDrop the corrupt politician]].]] |
| 11 | %% |
| 12 | ->'''Nick:''' You know, there's lots worse things than movies. There's politicians and wars and forest fires, and famine and plague... uh, sickness, pain, warts, politicians...\ |
| 13 | '''Jack Slater:''' You already mentioned them.\ |
| 14 | '''Nick:''' I know I did. They're twice as bad as anything else. |
| 15 | -->-- ''Film/LastActionHero'' |
| 16 | |
| 17 | Some politicians want to make the world a better place. They run for office and when they get elected stay up late trying to help their constituents and build a stronger community. [[WellThisIsNotThatTrope This is not their trope.]] |
| 18 | |
| 19 | This politician sees the world through JadeColoredGlasses. He thinks it's a CrapsackWorld, with BlackAndGrayMorality. He's gotten unqualified family members appointed to high-responsibility positions and his friends' companies get the juicy government contracts he doesn't keep to dole out to lovers and lobbyists. A constituent who comes to him for help had better be ready to hand over a juicy "campaign donation" in a BriefcaseFullOfMoney (or an offer to "[[DeadlyEuphemism make a problem go away]]"). |
| 20 | |
| 21 | Some corrupt politicians just abuse and twist the system for their own ends. {{Nepotism}} may or may not be illegal, and steering contracts to your friends ''may'' just be the result of a small pool of available contractors, and of course a member of the committee for Big Oil is going to be acquainted with Big Oil leaders. On the other hand, some are fully criminal and allied with TheMafia or some other criminal organization. They use their insider status to steer police investigations away from their crimes and they have an AmoralAttorney to exploit or create loopholes or simply get rid of any legal process directed at them. In the worst-case scenario, a particularly powerful, competent, and ruthless Corrupt Politician will be a fully-fledged DiabolicalMastermind. |
| 22 | |
| 23 | A Corrupt Politician can be as minor as the [[MayorPain mayor]] of a [[SmallTownTyrant small town]] who runs everything for his own benefit. Or perhaps the EvilChancellor, who would like nothing better than to usurp his boss. Or he could be PresidentEvil, a full-blown super villain in charge of an entire nation. Taken to the extreme, he's an EvilOverlord. |
| 24 | |
| 25 | When you walk into a ChezRestaurant, you can expect to find the Corrupt Politician eating a [[ConspicuousConsumption costly dinner]] with his AmoralAttorney, a CorruptCorporateExecutive, his [[DirtyCop dirty Police Commissioner]] and TheDon. He's probably on good terms with some [[AristocratsAreEvil evil aristocrats]], [[EvilPrince princes]], [[GodSaveUsFromTheQueen queens]] and even the [[RightWingMilitiaFanatic right-wing]] [[ANaziByAnyOtherName organizations]], as well. Unlike the rest of them, the Corrupt Politician had to go through an election. [[VoteEarlyVoteOften Or at least the appearance of an election]]. The Corrupt Politician will assure them all that the CorruptBureaucrat, whom he appointed and controls, will do what they want. |
| 26 | |
| 27 | Might hide his corrupt activities from the public, in which case he is both a VillainWithGoodPublicity and possibly a DevilInPlainSight. If such a foe is presented as an enemy of the heroes in a storyline, a hero may have trusted him in the past and even ''voted'' for him in one or more elections, much to his regret later. |
| 28 | |
| 29 | Related to the Corrupt Politician is the SleazyPolitician, who isn't necessarily criminal, but still oozes distastefully low morals. See also the AmoralAttorney--in an American context, at least, these will frequently overlap, since many politicians are also lawyers by trade. Contrast ActionPolitician. |
| 30 | |
| 31 | [[noreallife]] |
| 32 | |
| 33 | '''Administrivia/NoRealLifeExamplesPlease''' - There are too many to bother trying to list even if this wasn’t a contentious topic. |
| 34 | ---- |
| 35 | !!Go ahead, tell the world. It won't make a difference. |
| 36 | [[foldercontrol]] |
| 37 | |
| 38 | [[folder:Anime & Manga]] |
| 39 | * A large proportion of the higher-level villains in ''Anime/GhostInTheShellStandAloneComplex'', particularly the second season (the villains of the first were mainly {{Corrupt Corporate Executive}}s, with political connections). These included the BigBad and a couple of one-shot antagonists. |
| 40 | * Numerous examples show up in the ''Franchise/{{Gundam}}'' franchise. |
| 41 | ** The Earth Federation of the Universal Century timeline have caused many of the conflicts due to their actions. They exploited the Spacenoids, leading to Zeon Zum Daikun's desire to independence, which in turn got hijacked by the Zabis, leading to the One Year War of ''Anime/MobileSuitGundam''. The creation of the Anti-Earth Union Group was caused by these same people turning away from the atrocities caused by the Titans in ''Anime/MobileSuitZetaGundam'' and they willingly allowed Dublin, Ireland be destroyed by ColonyDrop in ''Anime/MobileSuitGundamZZ''. |
| 42 | ** ''Anime/MobileSuitGundamIronBloodedOrphans'': The Seven Stars of Gjallarhorn are effectively both politicians and military leaders, and several of them are unapologetically corrupt. Most notable is Rustal Elion, commander of Gjallarhorn's largest fleet, who firmly opposes any reforms to the corruption in the organization and has gone so far as attempting to assassinate world leaders and starting proxy wars in order to undermine his political rivals. Before him is Iznario Fareed, who went so far as misappropriating Gjallarhorn forces and having them barricade a city in order to ensure a Prime Minister election went in favor of his preferred candidate. |
| 43 | * Illinois Senator Edward Haints was the BigBad of the ''Manga/GunsmithCats'' OVA. He ran for mayor of Chicago on a strict gun control platform when in reality he was the [[StrawHypocrite kingpin of a gun smuggling operation]] and planned to use more restrictive laws to raise prices, while having the [[DirtyCop Director of the ATF help him cover the whole thing up]] and using TheDragon PsychoForHire to kill anyone who got too close to the truth. |
| 44 | * ''Anime/PokemonTheSeries'': Ash and his friends encountered the Mayor of Trovitopolis, who was dealing with a mysterious creature wandering around in his sewer. Rather than find a humane solution to it, he was willing to kill it for political gain, and decides to close the manholes up. When told Ash and his friends have gone down there, he is willing to free them... in a week, ''after'' the election. Then it turns out the creature was a Bulbasaur he abandoned as a child, and rather than make peace with it, he sends his goons to kill it. |
| 45 | * In ''Manga/PrivateActress'', one of Shiho Kobayakawa's jobs includes getting close to a guy like this. [[spoiler:The man was the former lover of Shiho's CoolBigSis and ParentalSubstitute, Makiko Mori, who even bore him an illegitimate child named Hiromi (who lives in the country with Makiko's family). To punish the guy for mistreating [[TheMistress his former mistress]], Shiho makes herself pass for Hiromi when the guy wants to "clean up" his image as a part of his latest campaign and, being a mix of {{All Loving Hero}}ine and {{Guile Hero}}ine, manages to make him pull a HeelFaceTurn. (As a bonus, Hiromi turns out to be a ''teenage boy'', though to be fair one with a GenderBlenderName.)]] |
| 46 | * Mr. Heartland, the mayor of Heartland City in ''Anime/YuGiOhZexal'' and TheDragon to Dr. Faker. He would also become a lacky of the Seven Barian Emperors and becomes a Barian himself in season II. |
| 47 | [[/folder]] |
| 48 | |
| 49 | [[folder:Blogs]] |
| 50 | * Being the satirical political blog that it is, ''Blog/ElChiguireBipolar'' features loads and loads of these, but for an example that stands out, the article [[http://www.elchiguirebipolar.net/05-06-2013/caldera-demuestra-con-grabacion-que-todos-son-igual-de-corruptos/ Caldera demonstrates with recording that everybody is just as corrupt]]. |
| 51 | [[/folder]] |
| 52 | |
| 53 | [[folder:Comic Books]] |
| 54 | * ''ComicBook/{{Asterix}} [[Recap/AsterixInSwitzerland in Switzerland]]'' has the Roman governor of Condatum who took ridiculously large amounts of tax money in his province for his own purposes while only giving a meager four or five gold pieces to Rome. The plot itself starts when an inspector from Rome came to his province to investigate this and he is poisoned by said governor, which ends up bringing Asterix and co. into the picture. |
| 55 | * ''ComicBook/{{Batman}}'': Every single politician in Gotham with the exception of [[FaceHeelTurn District Attorney Harvey Dent]] and [[TheCommissionerGordon Police Commissioner Gordon]]. Justified because Gotham is a WretchedHive: Marion Grange was not corrupt and tried to help Gotham, but she was underfunded and was assassinated before her term ended. |
| 56 | ** One of the more notable examples is councilman Rupert Thorne, who was such a major antagonist in the late 1970s comics that he was invited to an AuctionOfEvil reserved for the most prominent Batman rogues. |
| 57 | ** A common scenario in adaptations or {{Elseworld}} stories is for either Penguin or Two-Face to run for Mayor. In nearly all such stories, they fit the trope pretty well. |
| 58 | ** In ComicBook/{{Nightwing}}'s city Blüdhaven, after the official swearing-in ceremony, the Mayor has a second ceremony where they meet with the heads of the city's organised crime families and the Police Commissioner hands them a symbolic suitcase full of money. |
| 59 | ** In ''ComicBook/BatmanGordonOfGotham'', Harcourt Greene wins a political election by rigging voting machines and having his own mother killed to get sympathy votes. Twenty years later, he tries to do something similar while running for President. |
| 60 | * ''ComicBook/ButtonMan'': The Voices, the people who pay for and organize the duels to the death between the Button Men, includes several politicians. |
| 61 | * ''ComicBook/{{Crimson}}'' features Victor Van Fleet, an US senator who is secretly a very powerful [[VampireMonarch vampire lord]] with aspirations for [[PresidentEvil presidency]]. He is also in league with [[Myth/{{Lilith}} Lisseth]] to bring forth the apocalypse. |
| 62 | * ''ComicBook/{{Pack}}'' has Sally Huffman, the Brooklyn Boroughs President who has dreams of moving up to being state senator. |
| 63 | * ''ComicBook/{{Raptors}}'': Senator Paxton is an American senator and member of a CouncilOfVampires. |
| 64 | * In the CrapsackWorld of ''ComicBook/SinCity'', being honest is contraindicated. Any politician who commits an act of honesty is committing an act of suicide. |
| 65 | * In one three-part ''ComicBook/SpiderMan'' story, there's Senator Bradley Miles. Somewhat penny-ante as far as this trope goes (the greater evils here are Doctor Octopus and a MegaCorp named Biotechnix, which Miles is accepting bribes from), but one ''very'' memorable part of the story is when Spidey confronts him and threatens to leak the story to the press: |
| 66 | -->'''Miles:''' What makes you think they'll believe you over me?\ |
| 67 | '''Spidey:''' Because I'm not a politician! |
| 68 | * Famed ''ComicBook/{{Superman}}'' arch-enemy Lex Luthor spent some time as President of the United States. It did little to cut down on his supervillainy. |
| 69 | * ''Franchise/{{Transformers}}'': |
| 70 | ** ''ComicBook/TheTransformersMarvel'', specifically the ''Headmasters'' miniseries, features Lord Zarak of the Nebulan Council of Peers. Whereas his political rival, Galen, seeks to open talks with the newly-arrived Autobot colonists looking to escape their ForeverWar, Zarak seeks to undermine Galen's position on the Council by manipulating events to paint the Autobots as the invaders he perceives them to be. When he can't turn public opinion fast enough, even after [[AstroTurf hiring anti-Autobot protestors]], he turns to [[GodzillaThreshold inviting the Decepticons to Nebulos]] just to get rid of the Autobots. Zarak even goes so far as to become Scorponok's Headmaster partner just to counter Galen's bonding with Fortress Maximus. To say it doesn't go well is an {{Understatement}}. When [[MyGodWhatHaveIDone he finally realizes what he's done]], Zarak convinces Galen to take the Autobots to Earth, while Zarak will take the Decepticons to pursue. This effectively exiles them from their homeworld for the rest of their lives, but ensures that Nebulos will have the chance to recover. |
| 71 | ** ''ComicBook/TheTransformersIDW'' comics feature a diverse corrupt Senate. With the Decepticons rising, Proteus issues some pretty harsh plans, hoping to stop the lower classes from rebelling by having them lobotomized, and killing anyone in his way (and even before the uprising, disfiguring and reprogramming any enemy of the corruption). Ratbat seeks to profit from the whole uprising. Decimus isn't as corrupt, simply set in the ways of the rich profiting over the poor. [[spoiler:Shockwave]] may be the only non-corrupt senator, as he tries to stop the deaths and killings. Ironically, we learn that Senator Momus was in league with the Decepticons because... He hung out with poor people, and invited them to parties. The Primes before Optimus recovered [[OnlyGoodPeopleMayPass the true Matrix]] were even worse: Nominus was a pawn of the Senate, Sentinel used his position to push for [[TheSocialDarwinist social Darwinist ideals]], and Zeta took about four seconds to go from "friendly and approachable guy" to "blinged-out robot Skeletor". |
| 72 | * ''ComicBook/{{Wanted}}'': In a world run by super villains, ''some'' of the politicians have to be on the take. |
| 73 | * ''ComicBook/{{Watchmen}}'' gives us President Nixon on his fourth term, and reporters dead. We can trust [[PsychoForHire the Comedian]] when he tells us that's a coincidence. |
| 74 | * ''ComicBook/WonderWoman1987'': Senator David Hale helps work to impose sanctions and a barricade around Themyscira at the behest of his villainous girlfriend Victoria Cale with the end goal being war with the Amazons in order to steal their technology and other resources. |
| 75 | * ''Lots'' of ''ComicBook/XMen'' villains, most of them [[FantasticRacism anti-mutant bigots]]: |
| 76 | ** Senator Robert Kelly, often seen as a dark satire of UsefulNotes/JosephMcCarthy, is likely the most well-known. He was originally the mastermind behind the Mutant Control Act and Project: Wideawake, government programs aimed at creating the updated Sentinels to hunt down and kill mutants. He was a main antagonist in ''ComicBook/DaysOfFuturePast'', ''ComicBook/XMenNoir'', and the AlternateUniverse setting ''ComicBook/HouseOfM''. (But in ''ComicBook/AgeOfApocalypse'', another AlternateUniverse, he was a good guy, if a little naive.) He was also a recurring villain in the film and animated adaptations, though he experienced a level of AdaptationalHeroism in the animated series from the 1990s. |
| 77 | ** Graydon Creed, leader of several anti-mutant hate groups, including the Friends of Humanity, Purifiers, and Upstarts, was a candidate for President during Operation: Zero Tolerance, running on an anti-mutant platform until he was assassinated. |
| 78 | [[/folder]] |
| 79 | |
| 80 | [[folder:Comic Strips]] |
| 81 | * ''ComicStrip/MadamAndEve'' is '''[[http://www.madamandeve.co.za/cartoons/me007582.jpg FULL]]''' [[http://www.madamandeve.co.za/cartoons/me004507.jpg of]] [[http://www.madamandeve.co.za/cartoons/me005671.jpg these,]] due to the RealLife corruption of the South African government, and it's arguably the biggest source of humor in the comic. Often accompanied by sarcastic commentary from the main characters. |
| 82 | [[/folder]] |
| 83 | |
| 84 | [[folder:Fan Works]] |
| 85 | * Discussed in Chapter 80 of ''Fanfic/BlazBlueAlternativeRemnant''. Robyn confesses to May that one of her biggest fears if she wins the council seat is that she'll become this, being familiar with the stories of how someone fighting for justice enters the political arena, only to become no different than the other corrupt politicians. May shoots the idea down, even bringing up her former family and how they'd do any underhanded action to get ahead, by telling Robyn that she's nothing like them even at her worst. Joanna further throws off the notion by telling Robyn that she has the Happy Huntresses by her side to keep her stable if council politics start getting to her, making it clear that they'll do everything they can to avert this trope. |
| 86 | * ''Fanfic/EarthsAlienHistory'': |
| 87 | ** The leading Asari Matriarchs are shown in a very negative light, repressing any sort of cultural or technological change that might threaten their stranglehold on power. This reaches the point where, during the Reaper War, they undermine Marshal T'Drak's war effort, since her more progressive tactics are winning her enough prestige to be a potential rival, regardless of the danger they're putting their own citizens in as a result. [[spoiler:After the war's end, T'Drak exposes all of this, then takes the public outcry as a mandate to stage a MilitaryCoup and remove them all from power.]] |
| 88 | ** Torg, the Klingon governor of the Vantar system, takes advantage of the chaos of the Reaper War to make money by selling weapon and resources to the pirates roosting in the system. When this is uncovered during the post-war reconstruction, Mala and Kauri are sent to eliminate him for it. |
| 89 | * In ''Fanfic/ErosTurannos'', Vader and Padme each acknowledge that there are various corrupt senators in both the Republic and the Empire, although Padme wants to believe at least some of them can be better where Vader has a very cynical view of the political process. |
| 90 | * ''Fanfic/HalloweenUnspectacular'': |
| 91 | ** The story "Countdown", from the first edition, has the Prosperity Party, led by [[WesternAnimation/DannyPhantom Vlad Masters]]. Using electoral fraud to gain a massive majority in the government, they then ram through legislation to allow for increased mining and processing of blue ectoplasm, despite how dangerous it is (both to mine and as a power source) simply because they can profit from it. And their reaction to the resulting public outcry is a military crackdown which triggers a civil war. |
| 92 | ** President Fulton, introduced in the seventh edition's StoryArc. At first, he's just another {{Trumplica}}, but at the climax, [[spoiler:he sells out to [[ThoseWackyNazis PURITY]], partially out of FantasticRacism but mostly just so he can increase his own power base]]. |
| 93 | * Mayor Andre is turned into one of these in ''Blog/MiraculousRewrite'', in contrast to the [[WesternAnimation/MiraculousLadybug canon show]], in which he's reasonable, if a little flawed. Case in point, rather than Chloe goading him into it, he chooses to sabotage Clara's video shoot on his own, with Chloe even trying to prevent it. It also later revealed that he [[spoiler:rigged the last election]]. |
| 94 | * In the ''Series/{{NCIS}}'' novel-length [[AlternateUniverseFic AU]] ''[[http://archiveofourown.org/works/686710 Shards To A Whole]]'' (NSFW), it's discovered that corruption in the US political system is so rife that [[spoiler:every election since 1932 was rigged]]. |
| 95 | * Most of the cast of ''Fanfic/ThoseWhoStandForNothingFallForAnything'' are either this or ''merely'' [[ItsAllAboutMe callously indifferent to the suffering of others]]. [[UnreliableNarrator Light]] claims that an aspiring politician needs to at least ''look'' a bit corrupt just to [[InWithTheInCrowd look "approachable"]] in order to succeed in politics. |
| 96 | [[/folder]] |
| 97 | |
| 98 | [[folder:Films -- Live-Action]] |
| 99 | * ''Film/TheBigLebowski'': The Dude's run in with the Malibu [[DaChief chief of police]] doesn't go well for him. He may not be on the take, but he's willing to beat up a man when a local rich man asks him to. |
| 100 | -->'''Chief:''' Jackie Treehorn draws a lot of water in this town. You don't draw shit, Lebowski. |
| 101 | * ''Film/BlazingSaddles'' has Hedley Lamarr, a corrupt attorney general who is driving honest settlers off their land for the benefit of the railroad company he has an interest in. |
| 102 | * Senator Chor from ''Film/CityWarriors'', a minister who secretly runs a human trafficking and prostitution ring and keeping their shady activities secret with his authority. He's eager to send his [[TheDragon Dragon]], Sai-kit, to silence anyone who knew his true identity to prevent anybody from testifying him, and later [[BlatantLies claims to the press that he is an honest political figure whose rivals are spreading false lies about him to tarnish his reputation]]. |
| 103 | * ''Film/DeadlyHarvest'': After exploring multiple unfeasible options such as building giant hydroponic gardens and switching to an all-seaweed diet, the [[NoNameGiven unnamed]] Minister of Agriculture decides that the best way to resolve the whole climate crisis is to claim a temporary supply distribution problem, cut food rations by 50 percent, institute martial law, and create a media blackout so that the ordinary citizens will effectively starve before realizing how serious the situation has become. |
| 104 | * ''Film/DeepCover'': Hector Guzman is a prominent Latin American diplomat who plays golf with George Bush Sr. and is also the kingpin of a [[TheCartel drug cartel]] with his nephew Gallegos as the front man. |
| 105 | * President Orlean in ''Film/DontLookUp'', a {{Trumplica}} who has stacked her administration with cronies and megadonors, appointed her incompetent son to be her Chief of Staff, and who tries to silence the early forecast of the world-ending comet until after the midterms. It's not until she needs a distraction from a sex scandal around her Supreme Court appointee that she does something about it. Even then, she cancels a solid plan from NASA on the instruction of one of her megadonors, who wants to let the comet approach perilously close so that he can use his company's resources to mine it before breaking it apart. [[spoiler:It fails, and the comet wipes out life on Earth as a result.]] |
| 106 | * Boss Tweed of ''Film/GangsOfNewYork''. While running a volunteer fire brigade, he spends so much time trying to sabotage rivals that he totally overlooks putting out fires. Then he tries to partner up with Bill the Butcher to get some muscle. He is in fact based on a real person of the same name, and the film did not much exaggerate the corruption. |
| 107 | * ''Film/GlassOnion'': While Claire's political career and current senate campaign is publicly backed by her billionaire friend Miles, under the table said funding is contingent on her signing off on energy deals that contradict her green image, which cause her no end of stress throughout the film. |
| 108 | * ''Film/HeadOffice'': Jack's father is an abrasive senator who is only loyal to people who bribe him. |
| 109 | * Dr. Kananga, the BigBad of ''Film/LiveAndLetDie'', is the prime minister of the fictional Caribbean nation of San Monique. When he's not running his country, he's pushing drugs in [[BigApplesauce Harlem]] under the name Mr. Big. |
| 110 | * ''Film/MrSmithGoesToWashington'' has Senator Joseph Harrison Paine (Claude Rains) and Taylor (Edward Arnold), the boss of the machine that controls him. |
| 111 | * ''Film/OnTheJob'': Senator Manrique, one of many influential government crooks who (indirectly of course) pay hitmen to assassinate their potential rivals -- but considering the [[UsefulNotes/{{Philippines}} setting of]] [[UsefulNotes/{{Manila}} the film]], [[CrapsackWorld this is hardly surprising]]. |
| 112 | * In ''Film/PhantomOfTheMallEricsRevenge'', after discovering Eric's plot to blow up the mall, Peter and Melody find Mayor Wilton, and tell her everything. The mayor pulls a pistol and marches them to Harv's office. There, the mayor confesses she is part owner of the mall and was in on the Matthews murders. |
| 113 | * ''Film/PoliceAcademy''; [[spoiler:In the sixth movie, the villain behind the crime wave is a shadowy mastermind, revealed at the end to be [[WalkingSpoiler the Mayor]], using criminals to devalue property so he can buy it cheap, a multi-million-dollar real estate scam.]] |
| 114 | * ''Film/TheRacket'' features an entire corrupt city government in what is clearly meant to be Chicago that always gets the local bootlegging kingpin out of jail whenever the honest cop arrests him. |
| 115 | * ''Film/ShootEmUp'' gives us a senator who sells out to the gun industry after said industry kills his shot at a miracle medical cure. Literally. |
| 116 | * In the ''Franchise/StarWars'' prequel trilogy, Senator Palpatine got elected, maybe even honestly. He's still [[TheChessmaster a Machiavellian, scheming bastard]] with no ethical values besides prolonging his own stay in power and strengthening his grip on the Republic. He's also incidentally running both sides of the civil war he started. |
| 117 | * ''Film/SweetGirl'': Diana Morgan at first seems like an honest politician fighting to get Americans affordable medications. However, it turns she's taken bribes by the same pharmaceutical company she starts out fighting, and even ordered the murder of a journalist looking into this. |
| 118 | * In ''Film/TheTripper'', Mayor Hal Burton is taking kickbacks from festival organiser Frank Baker to keep the festival open despite the murders. |
| 119 | * In ''Film/VForVendetta'', the Norsefire party into corrupt bastards who [[FalseFlagOperation used a bioweapon against their own people in order to fuel their rise to power]]. |
| 120 | * ''Film/XMenFilmSeries'': |
| 121 | ** ''Film/XMenFirstClass'': Hendry might not do Shaw's bidding immediately, but he's definitely rubbing shoulders with shady folks and does seem to be getting paid for it. |
| 122 | ** ''Film/TheWolverine'': Noburo Mori, Minister of Justice, is doing nothing to enforce justice. Instead, he's trying to bump off his fiancée and fooling around with prostitutes. |
| 123 | * ''Film/Zone39'': Commander-in-Chief Tito will do anything to protect his position as the leader of the Central Union, including murdering anyone who knows about the water contamination, and misappropriating water from working class towns. |
| 124 | [[/folder]] |
| 125 | |
| 126 | [[folder:Jokes]] |
| 127 | * A corrupt politician is out and about, traveling the world, when he meets a corrupt dictator. They start bragging about their exploits. The politician pulls out a picture and says, "See this bridge? I skimmed more than $5 million during its construction." The dictator pulls out a picture, "See this bridge?" "What bridge?" "Exactly." |
| 128 | * Q: What's the difference between a politician and a flying pig?\ |
| 129 | A: The letter F. |
| 130 | * A politician visited a village and asked what their needs were. "We have 2 basic needs, sir," replied the villager. "Firstly, we have a hospital, but there’s no doctor." On hearing this, the politician whipped out his cellphone, and after speaking for a while he reassured the village leader that the doctor would be there the next day. He then asked about the second problem. "Secondly, sir, there is no cellphone coverage anywhere in this village." |
| 131 | [[/folder]] |
| 132 | |
| 133 | [[folder:Literature]] |
| 134 | * The governments of the ''Literature/AllianceUnion'' universe are complex, to say the least, with government, economics, and the web of alliances all messily tied together, thanks to the vast distances involved in space travel and an FTL drive that isn't magical, and the fact that every space station and space ''ship'' is a separate nation. The Viking station is essentially a third world country, with the difficulties that implies, and the Esperance station is a border nation grown fat off of multiple, multiple smuggling operations. The government of Esperance is explicitly corrupt. |
| 135 | * Is there a single honest politician in ''Literature/AtlasShrugged''? No. In order to be a politician in that book, you have to want power over others, and that makes you a ''leech''. |
| 136 | * Politicians don't often show up in the ''Literature/AubreyMaturin'' 'verse. Perhaps the most notable exception is Aubrey's father, General Aubrey, MP. Aubrey, in all innocence, tells his father about a stock tip he got.[[note]]For saving a man's life. Aubrey asked his father to keep it a secret, just as the stranger did.[[/note]] The good General then tells ''everyone'' he knows. End result: Aubrey is convicted of the early nineteenth century version of insider trading, spends a day in the stocks, and loses his commission. [[SarcasmMode Nice job, dad]]. |
| 137 | * ''Literature/BenSaffordMysteries'': |
| 138 | ** In ''Epitaph for a Lobbyist'', a leaked memo from lobbyist Shirley Knapp reveals that she paid one of three congressmen a $50,000 bribe to vote against a bill regulating big business. Ben tries to figure out which of the three took the bribe (and probably killed Shirley to cover his tracks). It ultimately turns out that two of them took bribes (the $50,000 and several expensive vacations respectively). |
| 139 | ** In ''Unexpected Developments'', Congressman Mike Atamian has spent his entire career in the pocket of a corrupt defense contractor and bribes a member of a court-martial board to cover up the flaws of a new fighter jet. |
| 140 | --->''Congressman Michael Atamian (D., Calif), during his five terms in Congress, had sponsored no legislation, skipped most committee work, and missed too many roll calls. All his efforts were devoted to taking care of the interests of Dorland Aircraft.'' |
| 141 | * ''Literature/TheCatWhoSeries'': Gregory Blythe, the mayor of Pickax, mockingly referred to as "Hizzonor" for most of the series. He's eventually voted out as a result of the events of book #23 (''The Cat Who Smelled a Rat''), which sees him [[spoiler:arrested for his involvement in a {{Ponzi}} scheme]] and replaced with Amanda Goodwinter, the local JerkWithAHeartOfGold. |
| 142 | * Lucius Cassius from ''Literature/DarkShores'' uses favors, {{Blackmail}} and considerate fortune (acquired through shady means) to rise to the position of consul of Celendrial Empire. And everyone knows that he is not going to be a good leader of the country, as he is too hungry for power and conquest. |
| 143 | * ''Literature/{{Discworld}}'': |
| 144 | ** Subverted in ''Literature/SmallGods'': The ruler of Ephebe is one of the only elected rulers on the Disc and they call him "Tyrant". Generally, he's honest, if somewhat cynical. |
| 145 | ** In ''Literature/TheLastContinent'', we learn that the remote and little-known land of XXXX also has an elected ruler -- and a tradition of throwing each new ruler into jail as soon as he's elected, on the assumption that it will save time later. |
| 146 | * In ''Literature/TheDivineComedy'', such people put in the fifth Bolgia of Malebolge, the eighth [[CirclesOfHell circle of hell]]. Their punishment is to remain immersed in a lake of boiling pitch, lest demons called the Malebranche spear them with pitchforks and torture them. |
| 147 | * ''Literature/EndersGame'' ends with a war for control of Earth as the Chinese, Russians, and the US try to take control of the space fleet. Creator/OrsonScottCard's opinion, demonstrated in the ''Literature/EndersShadow'' series that succeeds it, of the elected Chinese and Russian governments is very poor. |
| 148 | * ''Literature/TheHitchhikersGuideToTheGalaxyTrilogy'' [[PlayedForLaughs plays this trope for laughs]]. The president of the galaxy is ''expected'' to be corrupt and is occasionally imprisoned upon election. |
| 149 | * Politics plays a major part in the ''Literature/HonorHarrington'' series, so of course this trope is in force. |
| 150 | ** Haven's Legislaturalists, Manticore's & Grayson's Opposition parties, and the Solarian League's bureacrats are almost exclusively split between [[SleazyPolitician the sleazy]] and the corrupt. |
| 151 | ** The series crowner is probably the Manticoran Progressive Party's leader Lady Elaine Descroix, who is so utterly ruthless and cynical that she makes her own corrupt Prime Minster blanch. We have to go to [[AllThereInTheManual series reference materials]] to get a solid idea of what (if any) principles her party actually has, since [[SillyRabbitIdealismIsForKids she vocally disdains politicians who are led by them]]. [[spoiler:She embezzles money and frames her sole semi-principled ally, she doctors diplomatic correspondence to hold on to domestic power and ends up provoking a war, and she turns out to be TheMole for a nation involved in slave trade.]] |
| 152 | ** In a very mild example, Sonja Hemphill engages in corruption when she [[IDidWhatIHadToDo chooses the needs of the Star Kingdom]] over [[ScrewTheRulesIHaveConnections the integrity of the military judicial system]]. When faced with the CourtMartial of Captain Pavel Young, the heir to North Hollow, two of the officers on the trial are [[JuryAndWitnessTampering bought and paid for]] by North Hollow, while three others agree that the Captain has committed an offense that carries the death penalty. Hemphill agrees with the latter, ''but'' she knows that if Young is executed, it'll be impossible to get a declaration of war through Parliament.[[note]]As one of the Kingdom's highest-ranking admirals, she knows full well that war is coming whether Manticore is ready or not.[[/note]] She votes no on the capital offense, while voting yes on the charges that will get Young dishonorably discharged. |
| 153 | * In ''Literature/{{Jago}}'', Sir Kenneth Smart is the minister responsible for the government's secret research into paranormal abilities (which he mostly views as a branch of weapons research; the only reason there isn't a psychic assassin training program is because of the stonewalling of one of his more principled subordinates). His research group has been aware of the villain's activities for years but has stuck to watching and not intervening in hopes of learning something that might have military applications. When the villain's activities end in a catastrophe with an enormous death toll, Sir Kenneth becomes a public hero by declaring that it will never happen again and using it as the excuse for a raft of strict law-and-order measures that he knows perfectly well have nothing to do with the actual cause of the disaster. |
| 154 | * ''Literature/MagicInc'' has an extensive discussion of politics and the corruption that runs them when the protagonists try the legal route to ousting the titular company. The politics are so corrupt, they have to resort to fighting magic with magic. |
| 155 | * Commissioner Clive Viceman in ''Literature/TheMentalState'' has ultra-conservative political views and gladly exploits his official position to boost his popularity. He prefers dealing increasing amounts of punishment to people who break the law because they are addicted to drugs rather than actually try to help them overcome their addictions. He is also willing to interfere with the rights of prisoners in order to spy on inmates, dig up dirt on them and expose them to the public. |
| 156 | * In ''Literature/TheNexusSeries'', several characters on the ERD's side are [[TheDreaded terrified]] of Special Adviser Maximilian Barnes for the things it's been rumored he's done. [[spoiler:This fear is justified in ''Crux'', in which it's revealed that Barnes has orchestrated several [[FalseFlagOperation fake transhuman terrorist attacks]] to drum up favor for candidates running on [[NoTranshumanismAllowed anti-transhuman technology platforms]]. He kills [[ReluctantMadScientist Dr. Holtzmann]] for [[HeKnowsTooMuch figuring this out]].]] |
| 157 | * In ''Literature/{{Otherland}}'', half the members of [[TheConspiracy the Grail Brotherhood]] are heads of state. The rest merely ''own'' heads of state. |
| 158 | * Willard Phule of ''Literature/PhulesCompany'', a.k.a. [[TheGoodCaptain Captain Jester]], encounters Governor Wingas on his maiden tour after his promotion. The governor eagerly awaits a "campaign contribution" from the newly arrived ''very'' wealthy man. |
| 159 | * There's a parliamentary faction in the ''Literature/PrinceRoger'' setting dedicated to overthrowing the Empire of Man which includes Roger's father. As part of the coup plot, the Empress is {{Mind Rape}}d so severely that she ultimately [[spoiler:steps down as Empress because her mind is so broken]] once the coup is finally put down. |
| 160 | * Insofar as there ''are'' politicians in ''Literature/SnowCrash'', they're corrupt. Everyone's corrupt. [[CrapsackWorld Everything's corrupt]]. |
| 161 | * Many politicians in the ''Franchise/StarWarsLegends'' and ''Franchise/StarWarsExpandedUniverse'' continuities, many of them Bothans. This is because Bothans have a ''very'' ruthless, predatory attitude towards politics, and they see any politician who isn't doing anything in his power and making whatever shady deals he needs to in order to cement his office and get rid of the opposition isn't doing his job right. This is particularly notable in ''Literature/TheThrawnTrilogy'', when Bothan leader Borsk Fey'lya does everything he can to ruin Admiral Ackbar and take over his position even when it's detrimental to the New Republic war effort. [[MagnificentBastard Thrawn]] himself notes that he never tried subverting Fey'lya, since he was helping the Empire so well as he was that Thrawn just didn't need to. |
| 162 | * In ''Literature/StrangerInAStrangeLand'', Jubal Harshaw is glad to learn that Secretary Douglas, head of the Federated Nations, is the sort of politician who, once bought, stays bought. |
| 163 | * ''Literature/SwansBraidAndOtherTalesOfTerizan'': In "Swan's Braid", Councilor Saladaz turns out to have been an accomplice of the gang Hyrantaz led, giving them tips with part of their loot as his reward. Two other Councilors were as well, with all three beheaded after it's found out. |
| 164 | * Senator John Caddrick shows up late in the ''Literature/TimeScout'' series, is deep in bed with TheSyndicate and personally ordered multiple murders. His reputation is ''fearsome'' and well-deserved. |
| 165 | * ''Literature/VictoriaANovelOf4thGenerationWar'' has several, ranging from city officials and up to PresidentEvil, since the first part of the story chronicles the struggles of a band of vigilantes fighting the corrupt Establishment in a dystopian near-future United States. |
| 166 | * ''Literature/WarsOfTheRealm'': [[spoiler:US President Harden and National Intelligence Director Ward. They let themselves get implicated in a [[MiddleEasternTerrorists terrorist]] plot to destroy America.]] |
| 167 | * In ''Literature/YouAreDeadSignHerePlease'', all of Dead Donkey's politicians are corrupt as a matter of principle. |
| 168 | [[/folder]] |
| 169 | |
| 170 | [[folder:Live-Action TV]] |
| 171 | * ''Series/AgentsOfSHIELD'': In "[[Recap/AgentsOfSHIELDS2E6FracturedHouse Fractured House]]", there's [[spoiler:Julian Beckers, the Belgian Minister of Foreign Affairs]], who's a member of Hydra. |
| 172 | * ''Series/{{Angel}}'' gives us a number of evil, never mind corrupt, politicians, thanks in no small part to the [[AncientConspiracy law firm of Wolfram and Hart]]. Two senators show up on screen, and far more are implied. One of them, Senator Helen Bruckner, is actually a demon who's taken over a human body (quite probably, Magnus Hainsley was responsible). |
| 173 | * ''Series/BoardwalkEmpire'' is built on this trope, as it shows obscene amounts of corruption in all levels of 1920s government going all the way to the White House. |
| 174 | * Every politician in ''Series/{{Boss}}'' is corrupt, sleazy, useless, or some combination of the three. |
| 175 | * How corrupt is Mayor Wilkinson, of ''Series/BuffyTheVampireSlayer'''s Sunnydale? He sold his ''soul''. The only reason Sunnydale exists is because he set it up as a demon/vampire smorgasbord. How does he keep getting elected, decade after decade? He's a genuinely competent and dedicated administrator who does an excellent job of running the city. He just also wants to become a giant snake demon. |
| 176 | * ''Series/Castle2009'': |
| 177 | ** The show gives us a district attorney willing to pervert the justice system to retain the backing of a very wealthy family. A mild example, but he nearly convicted an innocent man of murder to help secure his election. |
| 178 | ** There's also Mayor Bob, friend to Castle who features prominently in the episode 'Dial M for Mayor.' There's ample evidence to suggest that he's embezzling funds and was involved in a murder, but he attests that he's being set up. Subverted in that he's right and the conspiracy that shot down his run for governor are the same guys [[spoiler:involved in Beckett's mother's murder]]. |
| 179 | ** "After the Storm" gives us [[spoiler:William H. Bracken, Senator for New York and the man behind the murder of Beckett's mother]]. |
| 180 | * In the ''Series/{{Cheers}}'' episode "[[Recap/CheersS9E4 Where Nobody Knows Your Name]]", Sam goes to visit [[CorruptCorporateExecutive Robin Colcord]] in his country club prison. As they leave the tennis court, an older man walks in and Sam points to him and says, "I voted for that guy." |
| 181 | * ''Series/ChiefOfStaff'' portrays the parliament of South Korea as being ridden with corruption from top to bottom, with assemblymen taking bribes and basically being owned by evil {{Corrupt Corporate Executive}}s. Even Minister Song, who rises from the assembly to become Minister of Justice, has his corporate owner, evil Chairman Sung, whom Minister Song addresses as "sir". Idealistic Jang Tae-joon goes into politics and worms his way into this organization, eventually becoming an assemblyman himself, so he can take it down from the inside. |
| 182 | * ''Series/Daredevil2015'': |
| 183 | ** Wilson Fisk's abusive father Bill Fisk had the aspiration to be one, which is why he ran in the local elections. He funded his campaign by borrowing money from Don Rigoletto with the understanding that if elected he would repay the money through kickbacks. However, he lost, and Rigoletto soon wanted his money back. He blamed his loss on his wife and attacked her, prompting Wilson to kill him in self-defense. |
| 184 | ** Wilson Fisk has a number of politicians on his payroll, such as Senator Randolph Cherryh, whose role is to alter zoning regulations so Fisk can complete his goal of turning Hell's Kitchen into residences for the rich. |
| 185 | ** District Attorney Samantha Reyes. She is ready to go through anything, including illegal measures, to get by, and turns out to be responsible for the botched sting that got Frank Castle's family killed. Matt says Reyes wouldn't even buy a pack of gum if it didn't further her career, while Karen finds that she has a habit of [[ChronicBackstabbingDisorder backstabbing her own allies]] to save her own ass. |
| 186 | * ''Series/DoctorWho'': The Grand Serpent, who arranges the deaths of relatives of a political opponent as part of a deal. He also gets his guard ReassignedToAntarctica after the latter tried to blow the whistle. |
| 187 | * The ''Series/{{Dollhouse}}'' has a number of powerful connections. Yet another senator cashes in the favor. Hell, [[spoiler:they got a doll elected as a senator so they could rig an investigation into themselves and set it up to fail]]. |
| 188 | * ''Series/{{Dominion}}'': David Whele, for all his talk of everything he does being [[WellIntentionedExtremist for the sake of protecting Vega from extermination by the angels]], is clearly only interested in advancing the power of himself and his family. This is best exemplified when Alex is revealed to be TheChosenOne, and Whele views him as a personal threat, rather than the last hope for humanity's survival. |
| 189 | * ''Series/TheEndgame'': Joan Bradbury turns out to be a corrupt official who's taken money from a [[TheCartel Mexican drug cartel boss]] in exchange for information on federal operations against him. |
| 190 | * ''Series/GameOfThrones'': |
| 191 | ** The small council is often filled with self-serving courtiers. |
| 192 | ** Cersei has all the makings of a crooked politician (dishonesty, underhandedness, a sleazy private life, disregard for the law, self-entitlement, paranoia, etc.) and very few of the attached EvilVirtues beyond ambition and determination. She's also occasionally murderous, but much less so than other courtiers or her book counterpart, until she goes genocidal and blows up the Great Sept of Baelor with wildfire, killing hundreds, if not thousands. |
| 193 | --->'''Cersei:''' When you play the Game of Thrones, you win or you die. |
| 194 | * ''Series/{{Gotham}}'', in keeping with its [[ComicBook/{{Batman}} canonical roots]], has yet to have a mayor who isn't corrupt or downright villainous: |
| 195 | ** Aubrey James is rather openly in the pocket of the mob. While he's forcibly removed from office by Theo Galavan, following Galavan's own fall from power he tries to weasel his way back into power by having the city council appoint him back into office as an emergency measure, without any sort of election. |
| 196 | ** Theo Galavan kidnaps Mayor James and has him tortured for fun, while having a group of criminals broken out of Arkham and sent on a terror spree, just so he can be a hero by publicly stopping them, all so he can then win an emergency election to replace the missing James (and having his opposing candidates assassinated to ensure he wins). And all of this is to put him in position to take over Wayne Enterprises and use its resources to reshape Gotham in his image. Plus, wanting to kill Bruce to carry out a centuries-old blood feud. |
| 197 | ** Penguin tries to rig the election between him and James in his favor by bribing election officials (though admittedly, Riddler takes the money back, just to prove that Penguin can [[VillainWithGoodPublicity win without bribery]]), and once in office continues to simultaneously run his criminal empire, including having people killed. |
| 198 | ** The new mayor and police commissioner in power at the start of Season 4 willingly cut a deal with Penguin, legalizing all crime committed by criminals who buy Penguin's permits, in order to cut back on violent crimes (as Penguin won't approve those and eliminates anyone who commits crimes without his permits)... and, it's implied, for a cut of the profits. |
| 199 | * ''Series/HandOfGod'': Pernell and Bobo, the mayor. Once Pernell gets religion, he starts to change somewhat, annoying Bobo to no end. |
| 200 | * A story arc of ''Series/HomicideLifeOnTheStreet'' centers around a Republican Congressman trying to [[ArmouredClosetGay cover up his secret boyfriend]] by ([[EpicFail ineptly]]) framing him for kidnapping. Pembleton easily figures out that the kidnapping never existed, but he's persuaded by his superiors to cover it up... which bites him in the ass when the press finds out about it and it becomes a massive scandal, with Pembleton left as the scapegoat. |
| 201 | * Congressman Frank Underwood of ''Series/HouseOfCardsUS'' is not above using any and all means necessary to reach his goals. |
| 202 | * ''Series/KamenRiderBuild'': Gentoku Himuro, the son and chief aid of Touto's Prime Minister, doubles as Night Rogue, leader of Faust, the resident NebulousEvilOrganisation of the setting. The Prime Ministers of Hokuto and Seito could also count as this, as both of them are after Pandora's Box solely to use its power for their own self-interest. |
| 203 | * Parker's ex on ''Series/KillerWomen'' is a state senator who doesn't want to let her go, so he turns their divorce hearing into a complete sham by having a judge he just ''happens'' to be friends with hear the case. The judge then tries to make it sound like Parker's just being unreasonable for thinking the fact her ex is a {{Domestic Abuse}}r counts as 'irreconcilable differences'. |
| 204 | * The ''Series/KolchakTheNightStalker'' episode "[[Recap/KolchakTheNightStalkerE7TheDevilsPlatform The Devil's Platform]]" has a politician who has made a DealWithTheDevil so he can have both political and satanic power, as well as being able to kill anyone who opposes him. [[ArsonMurderAndJaywalking He also takes bribes]], and performs the occasional HumanSacrifice for good measure. [[TakeThat In other words, a typical politician]]. |
| 205 | * Near the end of ''Series/LawAndOrder'''s run, we meet Governor Shavloy, who consorts with prostitutes and more. |
| 206 | * ''Series/LawAndOrderOrganizedCrime'': US Representative Leon Kilbride, who's the mentor of a gang leader, completely aware of his dealings, and embezzles money through delaying construction purposefully when starting a project. |
| 207 | * ''Series/LukeCage2016'': Councilwoman Mariah Dillard is cousin to Cornell "Cottonmouth" Stokes, and embezzled funds to fund the renovation of Cottonmouth's nightclub Harlem's Paradise. She's also responsible for scheming with Willis "Diamondback" Stryker to bulk-sell [[AbnormalAmmo Judas bullets]] to the NYPD. |
| 208 | * ''Series/MagicCity'': Florida State Senator Ned Sloat. Ike is supposed to give him $65,000 to support legalized gambling in the state of Florida. Sloat tells Ike "I cannot be bought, but I can be rented." Ike offers Sloat $10,000 to vote against legalized gambling. |
| 209 | * From ''Series/MontyPythonsFlyingCircus'': |
| 210 | -->''"We would like to apologize for the way in which politicians are represented in this programme. It was never our intention to imply that politicians are weak-kneed, political time-servers who are more concerned with their personal vendettas and private power struggles than the problems of government. Nor to suggest at any point that they sacrifice their credibility by denying free debate on vital matters in the mistaken impression that party unity comes before the well-being of the people they supposedly represent. Nor to imply at any stage that they are squabbling little toadies without an ounce of concern for the vital social problems of today. Nor indeed do we intend that viewers should consider them as crabby, ulcerous, little self-seeking vermin with furry legs and an excessive addiction to alcohol and certain explicit sexual practices which some people might find offensive. We are sorry if this impression has come across."'' |
| 211 | * ''Series/TheNightAgent'': Ashley Redfield is the Vice President of the United States, and it turns out that he's deeply corrupt. He not only is in bed with the CEO of a [[PrivateMilitaryContractors corrupt mercenary company]], Redfield willingly becomes involved with a plot to assassinate the President, which will let him take over. |
| 212 | * Governor James Devlin of ''Series/{{Oz}}'' is established as a corrupt politician and, over the course of the series, evolves into the modern American equivalent of an EvilOverlord. |
| 213 | * Being set in a small-town government, ''Series/ParksAndRecreation'' features a lot of these. Aside from [[ThePollyanna Leslie]] and [[OnlySaneMan Howser]], the town council features [[DepravedDentist Jeremy Jamm]], [[KavorkaMan Bill Dexhart]], and [[RacistGrandpa Fielding Milton]]. Then there's the government of rival town Eagleton, which continued to [[ConspicuousConsumption spend money they didn't have]] on [[MockMillionaire stuff they didn't need]], resulting in the town being absorbed into Pawnee to prevent Eagleton's situation from dragging the rest of the region down with them. |
| 214 | * ''Series/{{Rake}}'': Basically all politicians which have any focus at all, except for David Potter. They accept bribes, extort people or even order murders in some cases. |
| 215 | * Pretty much the entirety of the Ukrainian government in ''Series/ServantOfThePeople''. |
| 216 | * A running theme in ''Franchise/StarTrek'', starting with ''[[Series/StarTrekTheNextGeneration TNG]]'' and culminating with ''[[Series/StarTrekDeepSpaceNine DS9]]'', is the endemic corruption of the Klingon ruling class, despite their cultural emphasis on personal honor. First is the House of Duras, whose members (at least those we see) have conspired with foreign powers to subvert their own government. Next is Chancellor Gowron, who ''might'' be a ReasonableAuthorityFigure if not for his habit of putting personal ambition over the good of the Empire. Through all of this, the High Council's primary duty appears to be covering their own asses whenever there's a scandal. |
| 217 | * Season 3 of ''Series/StrangerThings'' has Mayor Larry Kline, who is revealed to have sold out to the Soviets, helping them to use legal loopholes to push out local landowners so that they can buy the land and build the Starcourt Mall on it as a cover for their ElaborateUndergroundBase. In his defense, he seems genuinely scared of them and implies he was forced into it, but that hasn't stopped him from continuing along with it even though he has the evidence to expose them. |
| 218 | * In the ''Series/TwoUpTwoDown'' episode, "Paper Tigers", Jimmy gets his bike crushed at the golf club by Councillor Foley, so in retaliation, Jimmy sets out to expose the corruption in high places. |
| 219 | * An episode of ''Series/{{Wallander}}'' has a former Minister of Justice murdered for belonging to a [[spoiler:human-trafficking ring]] and using his power to protect his accomplices. |
| 220 | * Most of the politicians in ''Series/TheWire'', with Senator Clay Davis earning particular mention for his alliance with Baltimore's organized crime syndicates. In fact, this guy is ''beyond'' shameless, even ripping off those same gangsters with some straight-up bullshitting about bribes that actually go nowhere and using his public office to protect himself from them. The show ultimately makes the depressing argument that political corruption is InherentInTheSystem, suggesting that it's the easiest (if not the only) way to ensure re-election. |
| 221 | * ''Series/YesMinister'': The main characters generally avoid slipping into this trope. Jim is generally aware of his moral compass even when he is doing his best to ignore it, Sir Humphrey is a devoted servant of the status quo, and Bernard is young and naïve. That said, the series to a large extent circles around the backroom deals and favor trading that keep the wheels of government turning. |
| 222 | ** "Jobs For the Boys" circles around how retiring politicians and senior civil servants are given cushy, well-paid not-actually-jobs in various quangos ([=QUAsi-Non-Government-OrganisationS=], funded but not controlled by the Government) and how said jobs are distributed. |
| 223 | ** Similarly, "Doing the Honours" revolves around how the Honours list (essentially the official list of recommendations for people who deserve knighthoods and similar honors) has become a way to pay off people who either donate significant sums of money to the party in government or know where the skeletons are buried, without having to actually pay them. |
| 224 | * In a sketch from the ''Series/{{Ziwe}}'' episode "Wealth Hoarders", Ziwe portrays an aspiring mayor of New York who is openly OnlyInItForTheMoney, citing her own job security and economic welfare as her sole reasons for running in her campaign ad. |
| 225 | [[/folder]] |
| 226 | |
| 227 | [[folder:Manhwa]] |
| 228 | * ''Manhwa/LevelOnePlayer'' is rife with these. The first on-screen case is the incredibly StupidEvil Lee Hang-gu who ''immediately'' files ridiculous claims, such as "loss of rented equipment" and "breach of contract" against Choi Hyungsung and family ''the instant'' he gets word that the main character died in action, and kicks the dog a bit more by trying to strong-arm Choi's family into giving up their estate, even flat-out evicting them from the family home, ''and billing them'' for all the living expenses Choi provided. When Choi asks him for an apology, Lee Hang-gu goes apoplectic, thinking he's being disrespected, because his yes-men keep telling him he did nothing wrong. |
| 229 | [[/folder]] |
| 230 | |
| 231 | [[folder:Music]] |
| 232 | * The song "[[https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=biGF7e-FALk Blood Red Dawn]]" by the PowerMetal group Music/{{Keldian}} is basically a giant TakeThat against corrupt politicians that are in the pockets of the wealthy and the upper class, referring to them as "snakes of the earth". It goes out of its way to portray just how dangerous they can be when they control both wars and the populace to line their own pockets and destroying people's liberties. |
| 233 | [[/folder]] |
| 234 | |
| 235 | [[folder:Podcasts]] |
| 236 | * In ''Podcast/WelcomeToNightVale'', the City Council is ironically made less threatening by being this. As an immortal HiveMind of {{Humanoid Abomination}}s who've ruled the town since its inception and supposedly will one day assume their true form and devour it, the fact they also waste millions on ill-conceived public works projects, charge exorbitant prices for the bloodstones they have a monopoly on, and deflect blame or skip town whenever things go wrong is what makes them comical. |
| 237 | [[/folder]] |
| 238 | |
| 239 | [[folder:Religion]] |
| 240 | * ''Literature/TheBookOfMormon'': |
| 241 | ** King Noah levies 20% taxes on everything, using the proceeds to build fancy buildings and spend his time on sex, alcohol, and parties. Note that by [[CorruptChurch corrupting the church]] into preaching that all is well, he is [[VillainWithGoodPublicity still quite popular]] -- at least until he starts martyring his few critics. |
| 242 | ** The Gadianton robbers, in the book of Helaman, are able to place many of their members as judges, where they condemn the righteous, take bribes from the guilty, and generally lead the people around by the nose. |
| 243 | ** The Jaredite king Riplakish basically enslaves his own people for forty years, with crippling taxes backed by prison sentences with hard labour (typically refining gold and otherwise making the king richer), until finally they rise up, kill him off, and exile his family. |
| 244 | [[/folder]] |
| 245 | |
| 246 | [[folder:Roleplay]] |
| 247 | * In ''Roleplay/TheGamersAlliance'', quite a few politicians, notably the ministers, are shown to be corrupt and often working towards selfish goals at the expense of others. |
| 248 | [[/folder]] |
| 249 | |
| 250 | [[folder:Tabletop Games]] |
| 251 | * ''TabletopGame/{{Abyss}}'': |
| 252 | ** The manual's description of the Politician guild is "Politicians are widely disliked and have few scruples. They're very useful to sway the control of Lords." One of them is even named "The Corruptor". His effect is that when you recruit him, you can pay five Pearls to recruit a second Lord without paying its normal costs. |
| 253 | ** The ''Kraken'' ExpansionPack introduces Nebulis, which represent "dirty money". Whoever has the most Nebulis left at the end of the game is deemed the most corrupt player. |
| 254 | [[/folder]] |
| 255 | |
| 256 | [[folder:Theatre]] |
| 257 | * ''Theatre/BothYourHouses'': All of them except for Alan. Sol is the worst, stating without shame that he wants the fleet anchored where it will make him money. Sol later tells Alan that it was corrupt politicians and {{Corrupt Corporate Executive}}s who built the railroads and steel mills that drive the American economy. |
| 258 | -->'''Sol:''' By God, if there's anything I hate more than store liquor, it's an honest politician. |
| 259 | [[/folder]] |
| 260 | |
| 261 | [[folder:Video Games]] |
| 262 | * ''VideoGame/AITheSomniumFiles'' has Congressman So Sejima, a member of the Japanese Diet whose EstablishingCharacterMoment is being caught hiding in a {{Yakuza}} den. He's a prime suspect in the SerialKiller case the game resolves around, but his army of [[{{Mooks}} bodyguards]] and friends in high places get in the way of [[PlayerCharacter Date]]'s attempts to find the truth. |
| 263 | * ''VideoGame/AssassinsCreedI'': Why bribe politicians when you can MindRape them? Still, some are Templars, some are Assassins, so this goes both ways. |
| 264 | * In ''VideoGame/CommandAndConquer''[='s=] Nod campaign, the faux RiskStyleMap shows, among other information, a percentage of government corruption. |
| 265 | * Kain Murasame from ''VideoGame/DemolishFist'' and the game's main antagonist, who runs an underground genetics research corporation developing bioweapons, intending to sell his creations and use them to change the world as he sees himself as "the true saviour of the human race". |
| 266 | * {{Subverted|Trope}} in ''VideoGame/DyingLight'' with [[spoiler:Erol Assani]]. Despite claiming to have stolen millions of dollars from the banks of Harran in the wake of the localized ZombieApocalypse, [[spoiler:Assani is actually trying to distract the player character so that he can safely get himself and his family onto a helicopter out of the city. In actuality, he tried his hardest to get the helicopter to pick up Crane as well, but doesn't have any way of knowing how Crane will respond to finding out that the crew refuses to help him get out]]. His worst crime is actually [[spoiler:being kind of petty and suspecting the worst of his head of security, who removed his leg to save his life the day that Antizin started being air dropped into the city]]. |
| 267 | * ''Franchise/{{Fallout}}'': Flip a coin. Then shoot it. If you hit it, [[CrapsackWorld the elected official is honest]]. To be fair, there aren't very many elected officials -- they're mostly [[WastelandElder elders]] or [[WastelandWarlord warlords]]. |
| 268 | * In ''VideoGame/{{Gangsters}}'', every politician is this. Greasing palms is eventually a downright necessity if you wish to stay out of jail (and thus avoid losing the game), and good bribery is also required to take your enemies out of your way faster. |
| 269 | * ''VideoGame/GrandTheftAutoViceCity'': One mission involves you taking pictures of a [[StrawCharacter conservative politician]] consorting with a hooker while [[{{Hypocrite}} wearing women's undergarments]]. |
| 270 | * ''VideoGame/HeroesRise'' has Mayor Victon, who is responsible for putting the PlayerCharacter's parents into a maximum-security prison for life without not only visitation but communication rights for what amounts to be self-defense during his time as a judge. This was obviously done as part of his run for the Mayor on the platform of regulation of Powered individuals. At the end of the game, [[spoiler:he hints that he knew all about the Prodigal and did nothing while she worked hard to plan the city's destruction. He also openly threatens you and implies that there was more to your parents' imprisonment than you thought]]. Victon's corruption is even more evident in the sequel, where he openly allies himself with an anti-Powered group called the Meek and even [[spoiler:has them orchestrate a potentially deadly incident on the day of the Presidential Election in order to raise support for his campaign]]. |
| 271 | * ''VideoGame/IWasATeenageExocolonist'': |
| 272 | ** Lum has absolutely ''no'' knowledge on how to properly run a colony other than using force to sway people into supporting his militaristic vision for it. According to Rex, he was a "meathead military guy" who was [[DeskJockey assigned a desk job to keep him from causing trouble]], and he [[YouAreInCommandNow only became the Governor because the Helio crew who were more fit for the job died when the ship passed through the wormhole.]] |
| 273 | ** If approached about the topic, Seeq agrees that Lum needs to go and admits to considering taking his place themself. It also costs exactly 100 Kudos to get them to support someone else during a vote for a new Governor [[spoiler:unless Eudicot is saved, in which she calls Seeq out for extorting money from a teenager in exchange for a vote]]. Sol's own internal narration points out that ambitions to be Governor and being easy to bribe isn't exactly the best combination of traits for a single person to have. |
| 274 | * ''VideoGame/LikeADragon'': |
| 275 | ** Kyohei Jingu of ''VideoGame/Yakuza1'' is a high-level politician in deep with the {{yakuza}}, and is actively attempting to [[OffingTheOffspring murder]] his illegitimate daughter, [[spoiler:Haruka]], and her mother so that their existence won't threaten his career. |
| 276 | ** Ryo Aoki of ''Videogame/YakuzaLikeADragon'' is the Governor of Tokyo who rose to power through creating the NPO "Bleach Japan" that protested organized crime and was considered one of the figures behind the police operation that took down the Tojo Clan. In practice, Bleach Japan is effectively a campaign to gentrify Japan that targets the lower class in an attempt to run out smaller criminal syndicates for Aoki's own criminal allies. Like Jingu above, he's a ruthless individual who will have anyone killed to secure his rise to power or simply out of paranoia, including [[spoiler:his own father Masumi Arakawa and loyal minion Hajime Ogasawara]]. |
| 277 | * ''VideoGame/MassEffect2'': Joram Talid, a turian running for office on the Citadel with an openly anti-human platform. He also has gangsters performing shakedowns for him on the side, and his behaviour has gotten another criminal (a human) so angry at him he's hired an assassin to kill Talid. It's entirely possible for Shepard to shoot him dead for it. |
| 278 | * ''VideoGame/MaxPayne'': |
| 279 | ** Alfred Woden from the original ''VideoGame/MaxPayne1'' is a US Senator and leader of an AncientConspiracy that is behind much of the plot of the game. Though he is technically on Max's side, neither Max nor the player have any illusions about his morals. |
| 280 | ** ''VideoGame/MaxPayne3'' gives us Victor Branco, a Brazilian politician who masterminds the deaths of his siblings both to gain control over his family's fortune and to gain sympathy from voters. Also, he's involved in an OrganTheft ring. |
| 281 | * ''VideoGame/MetalGearRisingRevengeance'''s BigBad Senator Armstrong is a crazed WellIntentionedExtremist who engages in human trafficking and war crimes as part of a plan to remake the US into a social darwinist utopia. |
| 282 | -->'''Raiden:''' How the hell did you get elected?\ |
| 283 | '''Senator Armstrong'''; ''[[[ActuallyPrettyFunny chuckles]]]'' [[AffablyEvil Well, I don't write my own speeches.]] |
| 284 | * ''VideoGame/MirrorsEdge'' says that the government has become corrupt, but the ending implies that the world isn't ''that'' bad. ''VideoGame/MirrorsEdgeCatalyst'' is a reboot, and the world is somewhat different. For one thing, they've completely done away with the elections thing and straight up made the City of Glass a corporate oligarchy, with the ruling families as the owners of a few powerful companies. Below them are the shareholders, then the various levels of "employs". Then you have several kinds of non-citizens. Hard to tell if having the political players being openly {{Corrupt Corporate Executive}}s only out for more wealth and power makes this a subversion or played straight. |
| 285 | * ''VideoGame/MutantFootballLeague'' pokes fun at politicians left and right, but it's mentioned that there exists the Corrupt Politician Hall of Fame museum in the city of Chiraq, Killinois. |
| 286 | * Bunnylord in ''VideoGame/NotAHero'' is a drug user with no moral compass. He's content with murdering his enemies and does good deeds only to gain votes to become mayor. |
| 287 | * ''VideoGame/PAYDAY2'' has Councilman John Henry Simmons, better known by his alias of "The Elephant". Over the course of the game, he contracts [[VillainProtagonist the crew]] to help further his political career in various ways. These include framing his political rival for possession of drugs (which, to be fair, was a particularly selfish and evil example of FramingTheGuiltyParty, as said rival actually ''was'' involved in drugs and illegal arms dealing), rigging an election so that the Elephant's preferred candidate gets elected as mayor, and stealing the only working prototype of a cold fusion engine so that the oil companies that sponsor him can remain in business. |
| 288 | * ''Videogame/Persona5'' both plays this straight (or exaggerates it) and also inverts this. |
| 289 | ** The straight example is Masayoshi Shido, a power-hungry politician who leads TheConspiracy that serves as the main antagonist of the second half of the game. He uses his connections to influence the masses so that he can become [[PresidentEvil Prime Minister]] as well as to get away with any misdeeds, such as [[spoiler:getting the protagonist put on probation when he stopped him from sexually assaulting a woman]]. For worse, [[spoiler:he is the father of Goro Akechi, aka The Traitor, and basically [[AbusiveParents one of the biggest reasons]] why [[BastardBastard Akechi]] is... [[WellDoneSonGuy the way he is]]]]. |
| 290 | ** The inversion is Toranosuke Yoshida, an actually honest-to-God good politician striving to improve the lives of the people, even if his past mistake and rejection from the people based on that will continue to haunt him. He's one of Joker's Tarot Confidants, and if maxed out, [[spoiler:gets re-elected to Diet to ensure his good policies will be implemented, and then helps Joker get out of his juvenile sentence quicker]]. |
| 291 | * Snattle of ''VideoGame/PokemonXDGaleOfDarkness'' is an admin of the criminal syndicate Cipher, and seeks to become governor of Orre. His political campaign involves kidnapping ''an entire city of people'' and replacing them with disguised Cipher members. |
| 292 | * Most of ''VideoGame/RagingJustice'' have your characters cleaning the streets of gangsters in an attempt to rescue Wilson, the city's Mayor, who was kidnapped by the villains prior to the game's events. But after defeating all the mob's lead enforcers, you finally infiltrate the gang's mansion headquarters where Mayor Wilson is held, only to discover Wilson is actually their ''leader'', pulling the strings behind the criminal empire's activities. |
| 293 | * ''VideoGame/{{Scrapland}}'' has The Mayor. He and the Chief of Police are partners-in-crime in a stolen objects trafficking ring. |
| 294 | * In ''VideoGame/TheSpectrumRetreat'', it's heavily implied that Governor Crow is corrupt, and that's the reason why he makes decisions that favour certain private sectors while harming the populace at large. |
| 295 | * In ''VideoGame/SpiderManPS4'', Norman Osborn is the mayor of New York City in addition to CEO and owner of Oscorp. As such, a lot of his decisions are made with consideration for how it could benefit his company, something that really grates on former-friend and business partner [[spoiler:Otto Octavius]]. |
| 296 | * The BigBad of ''VideoGame/StreetsOfRogue'' is the city's corrupt Mayor, a comical take on this whose sins include banning chicken nuggets, raising taxes after running on a promise to lower them, and confiscating all the alcohol in the city to hold a giant party... [[ArsonMurderAndJaywalking and the party sucked]]. |
| 297 | * In ''VideoGame/TerraInvicta'''s simulation of Earth, several groups compete for influence over governments for their own ends, represented by the "spoils" system. Spoils put money into your organization's coffers at the expense of the nation's economy in the long run. Of note, local elites in a given region ''expect'' a certain amount of spoils to be collected (as they receive a cut), and will be unhappy if their demands aren't met, making the region more vulnerable to coups and such launched by competing organizations. |
| 298 | * ''VideoGame/ThisIsThePolice'' has quite possibly the most corrupt city hall ever seen, even more than ''Series/TheWire''. |
| 299 | * ''Videogame/{{Tropico}}'' positively encourages the player to play President Corrupt... er, El Presidente Magnifico, joyfully trampling at will on most of the rights of the people and basing a large chunk of the score and storyline on embezzlement and the cult of personality, providing the opportunity to rig or cancel elections, and having a whole submenu devoted to bribing, arresting or assassinating political opponents. |
| 300 | * In ''VideoGame/VerdictGuilty'', Mayor Sang is responsible for the perennial corruption of the police force and takes a cut from all criminal activity in Seoul. And he's running for President of South Korea. |
| 301 | [[/folder]] |
| 302 | |
| 303 | [[folder:Visual Novels]] |
| 304 | * ''VisualNovel/PhoenixWrightAceAttorneySpiritOfJustice'' has the [[PunnyName punnily-named]] Paul Atishon, who [[SleazyPolitician campaigns all day and all night]] in a fancy [[TooImportantToWalk palanquin]] to be the assemblyman of Kurain Village. An utter {{slimeball}} with an [[SmallNameBigEgo enormous ego]], Atishon spends the entirety of Case 5 generally being an arrogant, insufferable {{Jerkass}} [[spoiler:and turns out to have [[TheDragon a campaign benefactor]] in [[HangingJudge Inga Karkhuul Khura'in]], who enlisted him to take back [[MacGuffin the Founder's Orb]] at all costs. To that end, Atishon [[MurderIsTheBestSolution kills]] archaeologist Archie Buff and then {{blackmail}}s [[CrusadingLawyer Phoenix Wright]] into defending him.]] |
| 305 | [[/folder]] |
| 306 | |
| 307 | [[folder:Web Animation]] |
| 308 | * In ''WebAnimation/RedVsBlue'', [[spoiler:Malcolm Hargrove, Chairman of the UNSC Oversight Sub-Committee, is both this and a CorruptCorporateExecutive after the reveal that he's the one who called the hit on the planet Chorus]]. |
| 309 | * ''WebAnimation/SocietyOfVirtue'' has [[MorallyAmbiguousDoctorate Doctor]] Evil Congressman. |
| 310 | * ''WebVideo/UltraFastPony'': Mayor Mare. She's completely upfront about the fact that she's embezzling money and exploiting her town for unpaid labor. In her very first scene, she says: |
| 311 | -->'''Mayor Mare:''' I thank you all for coming, and for not running against me as Mayor, again. Especially after my last opponent was found dead in that river. We may never know how he got there. |
| 312 | [[/folder]] |
| 313 | |
| 314 | [[folder:Webcomics]] |
| 315 | * Congressman Arthur Bennett in ''Webcomic/ButImACatPerson'' tries to be this. He isn't as good at manipulation and ruthlessness as he'd like to believe, though. |
| 316 | * Kai and Min-Min's father in ''Webcomic/{{Knite}}'' is one. In fact, their father taking kickbacks and allowing pollution is the reason why the latter is [[DelicateAndSickly ill]]. Unfortunately, going by what her brother says, [[YourDaysAreNumbered she might not last too long]]. |
| 317 | * ''Webcomic/{{Unsounded}}'': A common unifying theme is that those with power over other people will ''never'' treat the common man as their equals -- and those that mix their political power with their faith in the unknowable should ''never'' be trusted. |
| 318 | ** Cresce pretends to be a communist republic, but it's deeply entrenched in familial nobility and religious administrative power. The only reason it has 'improved' for humans is because they threw the Inak into miserable serfdom, and almost none of the nobles (who are basically an unelected congress) give a damn until a revolution blows up in their face. Even the Queen, a WellIntentionedExtremist trying to create a better legacy, is willing to sacrifice the lives of thousands and generally ignores the consequences of hiring mad scientists. |
| 319 | ** Sharteshane is ruled by gangs and corporations, and is currently in the pocket of the Beadman Syndicate. His method of ruling is to distract the king with BreadAndCircuses, having bought the king's rise to power in the first place, and then use legal policy and criminal skullduggery to maintain his monopoly on every product in the country. |
| 320 | ** Then there's ''[[WretchedHive Alderode]]''. Religion rules the country[[note]]The upside is that religious freedom is enforced, but barely.[[/note]], caste systems are ''biologically'' enforced to churn out disposable soldiers and workers, and the threat of a religious upheaval causes one politician to consider mass-genocide to 'even the scales'. Not helping matters, as one of the protagonists notes, is how the head of the council 'scratched his chin' in serious consideration of the genocide idea. |
| 321 | [[/folder]] |
| 322 | |
| 323 | [[folder:Websites]] |
| 324 | * ''Website/AlternateHistoryDotCom'': |
| 325 | ** ''Literature/TheRuinsOfAnAmericanPartySystem'' has Huey Long. Using his role as Attorney General and the guise of friendship, he becomes TheManBehindTheMan to President Floyd Olson. From this position of power, he's able to essentially build his own empire within the federal government, gaining leverage over numerous politicians with a vast amount of {{blackmail}}, forging alliances with the mob, and assassinating anyone who gets in his way. [[spoiler:He's eventually exposed and indicted for his crimes, and commits suicide rather than face the courts.]] |
| 326 | ** ''[[https://www.alternatehistory.com/forum/threads/triumphant-a-davy-crockett-presidency.475060/ Triumphant: A Davy Crockett Presidency]]'' has plenty of the usual examples of 19th century American political corruption, but there's an exceptional case in Daniel Sickles, who [[FalseFlagOperation stages]] an AssassinationAttempt on himself so that the sympathy will help him win the 1888 presidential election. Once in office, he then allows corruption to ran rampant so long as he can personally profit from it, and rigs numerous state-level elections so that he can pack key offices with his allies. And when he loses the 1892 election to Labor Party candidate Walter Earp (the alternate version of Wyatt Earp), he declares the election invalid and uses his allies in the military to try and either arrest or kill Earp and the rest of the Labor leadership, [[spoiler:though he ultimately fails and is executed for treason]]. |
| 327 | [[/folder]] |
| 328 | |
| 329 | [[folder:Web Videos]] |
| 330 | * [[https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=Fq2DDGRE_jA This video]] shows the way corrupt politicians use slander to beat their opponents. |
| 331 | * ''Series/TheCallOfWarr'': Killsin is a civic administrator who started taking bribes to make specific rulings. He got away with it for a while, and gloated about how he used to have an office, authority, and women...but eventually, he got caught, and was nearly put in chains for it. |
| 332 | * ''WebVideo/{{Decker}}'': It is heavily implied that President Davidson has accepted a number of bribes from special interest groups in exchange for special treatment. |
| 333 | [[/folder]] |
| 334 | |
| 335 | [[folder:Western Animation]] |
| 336 | * ''WesternAnimation/{{Arcane}}'': The entire Piltover City Council (besides [[ScienceHero Heimerdinger]], who seems blissfully ignorant) is guilty of skirting the laws and backroom deals. [[spoiler:Even Jayce is convinced to go along with it as the price of power by Mel.]] |
| 337 | * ''WesternAnimation/BandoleroAnimation'' has Governor Campomayor. It's implied in some chapters that he become one thanks to Don Rodrigo's influence. [[spoiler:Fortunately for the townspeople, at the end of the series, he becomes nicer and sees the error in his ways.]] |
| 338 | * Senator Safety from the ''WesternAnimation/CodenameKidsNextDoor'' episode "[[Recap/CodenameKidsNextDoorS6E1OperationSAFETY Operation: S.A.F.E.T.Y.]]" is a parody of [[ComicBook/XMen Senator Kelly]]. Less "corrupt" and more a WellIntentionedExtremist, he tries to propose several absurd laws with child safety in mind until the Senate funds one of his projects just to get him to shut up. Unfortunately, the project (which involved Safety Bots, which parody the Sentinels) [[AIIsACrapshoot endanger the safety of children]] -- and adults -- more than they help it. |
| 339 | * Mayor Adam West from ''WesternAnimation/FamilyGuy'' has no problems making deals with big polluters, wasting taxpayer money on solid gold statues of Dig 'Em the Honey Smacks Frog, or killing anyone who questions his methods. Of course, in his case, he's not so much greedy as ''violently insane''. |
| 340 | * ''WesternAnimation/LucyTheDaughterOfTheDevil'': Senator Whitehead made a literal deal with the Devil for political power, promising to run as the first openly satanic presidential candidate and ushering in the Apocalypse via Lucy. As it turns out while he does plan to marry Lucy, he has no intention of running as the Satanic Candidate, often putting off Satan when he asks about it. This comes back to bite him in the butt as the Devil frequently exacts spiteful vengeance against the Senator, though he refrains from torpedoing his career. |
| 341 | * ''WesternAnimation/TheSimpsons'': |
| 342 | ** Mayor Quimby is a massively over-the-top example. In fact, the mayoral motto is ''Corruptus in Extremis''. |
| 343 | ** Senator Mendoza is from a ShowWithinAShow, the movie ''[=McBain=]'', but he's pretty bad, being a drug kingpin who uses his connections as a cover for his operations. |
| 344 | ** There is also Congressman Bob Arnold in "[[Recap/TheSimpsonsS3E2MrLisaGoesToWashington Mr. Lisa Goes to Washington]]". He takes a bribe to demolish the very forest that inspired Lisa's patriotic essay and was even willing to allow Mt. Rushmore to be fracked. |
| 345 | ** When Quimby is unseated by Sideshow Bob in "[[Recap/TheSimpsonsS6E5SideshowBobRoberts Sideshow Bob Roberts]]" in a rigged election, Bob turns out to be even worse. |
| 346 | ** ''Homer'', of all people, became a clear example of this Trope in "[[Recap/TheSimpsonsS9E22TrashOfTheTitans Trash of the Titans]]", using underhanded tactics and BlatantLies to win the election for City Sanitation Commissioner (unseating one of the few competent people in Springfield, to make it worse) and then causing a disaster that required the whole town to be moved. (Of course, you might partially blame everyone who was stupid enough to believe his "crazy promises", which is what the previous commissioner does). |
| 347 | ** The ''worst'' example on the show would no-doubt be Russ Cargill, the BigBad of ''WesternAnimation/TheSimpsonsMovie'', an EPA official who becomes convinced Springfield is such a hellhole that he first has it sealed under a giant glass dome (that his company just happened to manufacture), then tries to ''blow the entire city to smithereens''. |
| 348 | * Corrupt Politicians are ''everywhere'' in ''WesternAnimation/StarWarsTheCloneWars''. The Separatists have a point: the Republic Senate ''is'' corrupt and incompetent. Of course, so are many separatist governments... That the two sides of the conflict are both being managed by Sith Lords probably plays a role in that. |
| 349 | * The Mayor of New York in ''WesternAnimation/TeenageMutantNinjaTurtles2003'' is being given campaign money by the Foot so he'll look the other way on their criminal activities (and prop the Shredder up as a [[VillainWithGoodPublicity philanthropist]]). |
| 350 | [[/folder]] |
| 351 | ---- |
| 352 | ->'''Statler:''' Corrupt politicians? What other kinds are there?\ |
| 353 | '''Waldorf:''' Unsuccessful ones!\ |
| 354 | '''Both:''' Do-ho-ho-ho-hoh! |
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