Honest Man: The Life of R. Budd Dwyer
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Honest Man: The Life of R. Budd Dwyer

2010, Politics  -   30 Comments
8.16
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Ratings: 8.16/10 from 87 users.

Across the internet, in university classrooms, and in small American towns like Meadville, the story of R. Budd Dwyer's political downfall and subsequent end is told; still there are many people today who wouldn't know him if asked to look at a picture and identify the man, and likely just as few who know him by name. It is the story of Dywer's very public and statement making suicide, and the fact that it was televised, that transcends.

Honest Man provides a deeper look into the story of former State Rep. and Pennsylvania Treasurer Budd Dwyer, his background, people who knew him in varying capacities, and the so called conspiracy that many who were closest to him, and some who were certainly not, point to as the true reason behind the former politician and family man's decision to end his life. It doesn't matter what your level of familiarity is with the story or the man.

Maybe you were around for and aware of the entire ordeal back in 1987, maybe you'll remember halfway through that his televised death was mentioned in a course you took as an example of where the arguments behind censorship and ethics in the media come from, maybe not, but either way it doesn't take long to get interested once you begin to view the film, and most will likely have a strong emotional reaction to the film.

The one negative in the film, has nothing to do with the shooting, graphics, or anything technical, but arguments made by Dywer's children that cut down the efforts to paint him as a good man, a man of the people who wanted nothing more than to serve his constituents and know that his family held the same values as he did.

Implications by Dwyer's son and daughter that the jury who found him guilty was either too uneducated or too poor (i.e. working jobs insignificant enough to be able to take eight days off to do their civic duty) is a show of their own personal opinions, but it reflects on Dywer of course, because that is who they are there to talk about, and the roughly half an hour that was just used to describe a man whose opinions are not made out to match those of his children is suddenly mired by statements that would strike most people as the type of thing you simply don't say.

Still, this is a message, and piece of American history that should be disused and shared and the director's cut of Honest Man handles the retelling of this story in a powerful way that seeks to supply us with objective facts and subjective accounts from people with some authority on the matter, and never seems to seek to sway the viewer's thoughts one way or the other.

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Matt hayslett
Matt hayslett
2 years ago

yeah evidence that convicted him?!!! what evidence, a dirtbag who took a plea deal, copped to a plea deal cuz he was dirty and wanted to Implicate everyone around him cuz he didnt want to go down alone. Budd was a great man, and a honest man. He did believe in the system and that was his only naivety. He was a republican!! Its not hard to see the forest through the trees. Late 80s is when the state of P.A. was first being taken over by moonbats and he was clearly in there way. Whats hilarious is politicians all over this country take bribes and money everyday and This "$300k" Is drop in the bucket compared to what these politicians are reaping. Its called "kickbacks", "lobbying" and "campaigning" Eric swallwell, head of Intelligence, slept with chinese spys , fang-fang, brought more spies In our country and has taken over 10 million dollars from the Chinese In "campaign" money. Yet hes living high on the hog. Maxine waters, salary was around $110,000, yet shes worth millions and has 50 million dollar homes and various mansions around the world. Pelosi, same thing, worth millions, owns estates all over the u.s. and beautiful homes around the world. Maura healey, my Attorney general of M.a. just got 3.3 million put into her account, shes going to be governor soon when charlie baker steps down. Yet these people are all living the high life. The list goes on and on and on and the money doesnt add up. How can someone making around $100,000 a year be worth millions and stupidly rich ?! Just honest government civil servant work here nothing to see. Yeah believe everything the news and tv tell you. Sheep. Do your own research before making comments about how he was guilty just because you heard it through the news..

Louis
Louis
4 years ago

this doco is really bad...I mean really bad. Totally one sided, and complete overlooks all the evidence that convicted this man. The main characters are...surprise surprise...Budd Dwyer's family who...surprise surprise...say he was a great guy and innocent. They said the jury were too dumb too know Dwyer was innocent! This pathetic little piece attempts to undermine the justice system....when in Dwyer's case it worked exactly as it should have. Wonder if you all know that because of this "innocent" man Dwyer, people lost their houses in Eerie county, and this "innocent man" already had one episode of corruption under his belt when he was a state senator. Use your brains guys, and don't accept this nonsense. This doco is as deceptive as Dwyer was.

Petra I. Hernandez
Petra I. Hernandez
5 years ago

One more F grade for the USA. What will it take to change that which needs to be changed? Another honest man, a dear friend of mine, was also found guilty for charges of child molestation when I and his other hundreds of friends, swore on the Bible that he is innocent. Too often, too often. too often, WE THE PEOPLE, who still believe in honesty and jobs well done are victims of a system which is up side down. What wil it take to change that which needs to be changed? RIP and PEACE for family and friends and for WE THE PEOPLE!

jase
jase
6 years ago

this is a pathetic "documentary". they skim over all the evidence, conveniently leaving out the parts which show Dwyer was no doubt guilty.
Dwyer was greedy and he got caught. And no amount of talking to his family and buddies can ever change that. Even Dwyer's own lawyer knew he was guilty and repeatedly asked Dwyer to admit to his crimes. But Dwyer couldn't accept it, and his public image was so important to him. So then he goes and blames everyone but himself and commits suicide in public like the self-absorbed and selfish man he was.

frankie
frankie
6 years ago

If you believe what a man tells as truth after he admits to offering a bribe to a politician your a fool and budd had access to millions of dollars that he could have taken from and more than likely have the know how to not get caught so why would anyone decide to take part in a bribery that involved other people knowing. He was targeted because he did his job as expected by the tax payers and certain officials of government were unhappy because they were using tax payers money for their own personal use which budd publicly spoke off and I take my hat of to mr. Dywer for doing so

mike m
mike m
7 years ago

lotta people get worse breaks and dont blow their head off
nor do they all put on bombs and go in a crowd
mental illness
thats what the war should be against

Shannon
Shannon
8 years ago

This man committed NO crime. And it's a horrible injustice that his family will never get the
"closure" of his being exonerated. That could only occur if the "justice(oxymoron)system" admitted to its OWN corruption. We live in country where we convict people and ruin their lives without questioning the system. We (our government) murder, torture, gas-light and lie innocent people on a daily basis....yet we spend so much tax payers money on going after "terrorists". Wake up people....until everyone has the balls to back up our belief systems and moral code....as this man did...we will continue to live in this American Delusion. His suicide was simply a weak moment for a proud man. Being proud isn't the same thing as being arrogant. Only an arrogant person would believe that it was.

Deegee
Deegee
8 years ago

@Anna - the liar that was exposed. Many people commit suicide when their ill deeds come out and there is no way to cover them up or smooth them over again. Some people compartmentalize things so they can think of themselves as decent people, but when worlds collide and the compartments fall apart, the cognitive dissonance becomes too much and they cannot deal with the reality of who they are, rather than how they like to think of themselves. And at the point, you can have a suicide happen.

chris
chris
8 years ago

Seems like a lot of fluff to me. What inocent person kills themselves to prove a point. Seems like an arrogant self adsorbed person to me.

Cille in Norway
Cille in Norway
8 years ago

This is a rosy whitewash poor-man-who-got-tricked-into-bribery tale, complete with sad acoustic guitar and piano, completely onesided and not worthy of being called a documentary. I sat through the whole thing waiting for at least one mention of an opposite view on this "Honest Man", but it never came. I'm disgusted at this 'product', which is all it is.

ZamaZalotta
ZamaZalotta
9 years ago

I'm not OK with the fact that the honest man in this story said "...i would, that sounds pretty good to me" about a 300K contribution provided that someone gets a million dollar contract.

But then again you can blame the jury for being high-school graduates, that sounds like a valid argument...

Carl Berke
Carl Berke
9 years ago

Clearly you cannot comprehend the question that I raised. It seems that they raise the same dolts in England. There is no positive in this story. One can ask why its called a story about an honest man when he just as clearly accepts the idea of the bribe! White wash and hogwash.

Carl Berke
Carl Berke
9 years ago

blu paws seems to be fawning . Watching some other video? Certainly unresponsive to the question and merely looking for dreadful irrelevant saccharine remarks.

blu paws
blu paws
9 years ago

rip, what lovely kids you have, I am 32 from the uk, found this very sad, seemed a most decent father and person, liked tge fact he drove five hours to see daughter play

Carl Berke
Carl Berke
9 years ago

Dwyer's guilt is extremely glossed in this film. When Smith tells Dwyer that Torquato wants to give him $300,00 there is a positive reaction quickly heard and never revisited. Torquato was and is a crook. Dwyer would have protected himself by revealing the offer at once.

DDDDDuane
DDDDDuane
9 years ago

I knew who this guy was immediately from his photo from the "Faces of Death" film...He looked like an honest great guy who was railroaded into ruin by psychopaths...I didn't watch this yet but from the description his kids sound like
s c umb ags....

Filter
Filter
9 years ago

Now you know where the song comes from.

Filter
Filter
9 years ago

Hey man, nice shot.

dmxi
dmxi
9 years ago

Weird thing is I got my attention about this man via the band 'GWAR'... but still, he was acting out the symptoms of a corrupt and dying system... heartbreaking watch due to Dwyer's belief of the righteousness in a misused constitution!

- broken but not corrupted... rip Dwyer, true courage always comes with great loss - suicide... the most sweetest of solutions in dire need!

Mike
Mike
9 years ago

Bud was a Honest human being and did not realize how corrupt the political machine was. When you tamper with the machine of politics to make a positive change, anything can come your way. There were many before Bud and there will be more to fall after Him. The federal side has many more skeletons in their closet than ever could be imagined. The two party system is nothing more than one big soap opera controlled by a few behind the curtains, taking the country and the people down their yellow brick road.

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