Crawford

Residents of tiny Crawford, TX, discuss the impact on the town after George W. Bush bought a ranch there in 1999, just before announcing his candidacy for the presidency. Directed by David Modigliani., Filmmaker David Modigliani explores the impact of the presidency on the small town of Crawford, Texas (population 705) after President George W. Bush declares the once-sleepy community his “home” away from the White House. Shortly after then-governor Bush purchased a ranch in Crawford back in 1999, the insular community began to experience an enormous boom. Later, as Bush began his bid for the presidency, he used the town as a means of justifying his folksy, down-home image. But as new shops open on Main Street and the town of Crawford is thrust into the spotlight thanks to the advancing armies of television reporters and flocking tourists, some of the citizens began to feel the adverse effects of Bush’s political stagecraft: A progressive-minded teacher and her favorite student are pushed over the edge, the local newspaper is boycotted for endorsing John Kerry, and in 2005 prolific war-protestor draws fills the streets of the small town with over 20,000 anti-war demonstrators. These days, much like the Bush administration itself, the boom has gone bust. As the streets empty out, the small shops board up their windows, the soil settles on two graves, and one person prepares to leave town to start life anew elsewhere, the citizens of Crawford start to wonder what will happen to their beloved town once Bush too beats a hasty retreat in search of more prosperous pastures.