“Grass Roots” Politics, Black Republicans … and Dry Humor

By Jason Apuzzo.  A web series I’ve taken to recently is called “Grass Roots.” “Grass Roots” is a comedic series about an inept pair of grass roots political operatives working for an aspiring Democrat candidate.

The humor in this series is pitch-perfect and dry as a martini. “Grass Roots” is the brainchild of writer-director-actor Aaron Hiliard, who really brings the episodes to life with his smarmy, impossibly self-satisfied characterization of the hack political operative ‘Miles.’ In the episode above, titled “The Black Vote,” Miles and his partner conduct some decidedly ham-fisted ‘outreach’ toward a hapless black Republican.

It would be an understatement to say that the source of “Grass Roots’” humor is the utterly crass, cynical attitude of today’s political classes – and particularly Democrats – toward the micro-targeted demographics (once quaintly known as ‘citizens’) who make up their voter constituencies.  Writer-director-actor Aaron Hiliard (who reminds me a lot of Mo Rocca) captures this perfectly, yet does so without rancor; his character ‘Miles’ is really just a benighted careerist who accepts all the inane wisdom he’s been fed about how to ‘rise’ in politics.  [Miles is uncomfortably similar, actually, to the kind of guests who pass through Rachel Maddow's show each day - smarmy, low level agitators and opportunists, each with a career to peddle.]

Congratulations to Aaron Hilliard and his crew.  We’ll be showing more of “Grass Roots” down the line.  Enjoy!