Hello everyone, I've been reading the board for quite a while and have finally decided to join and start posting and making friends.

Throught the novel and the movie trilogy there are always constant references to politics. Vito expressed his desires of Michael becoming Governor Corleone, Senator Corleone etc..., In the commission meeting of peace in the novel Vito says something to the effect of " someday maybe our children will be senators or the president.." I've even heard before political families being compared to the Corleone's....The Kennedy's and even the Bush's (lets keep the Bush comments down and just discuss my comment.)

What is everyone's thought on the Godfather related to politics?

-Sonny

I guess the legitmacy(sorta) and The mafia and politics go hand in hand everyone knows that.

Welcome, Sonny!
As Toni said, "legitimacy" is a big part of the thread of "politics" in GF. Michael provides a Grade-A example in the scene where he woos Kay in New Hampshire. He says his father is "just like any other powerful man with responsibility for others." Kay says "Senators and Governors don't have people killed," and Michael replies, "Now who's being naive." He's saying, "If the political pezzanovanti can lie, cheat, steal, kill, etc., and be considered 'legitimate,' so should I."
The other aspect of politics that applies to organized crime is license--that is, political protection that enables gangsters to operate rackets with immunity from arrest or prosecution. That's what Sollozzo needed from Vito.

I think it's interesting that you mentioned the Kennedy's. Everyone knew that Joe, Sr. was a criminal. There were rumors about his money having been made during prohibiition (maybe he ran molasses ), and his rather ruthless trading practices were well known. As a matter of fact, when he became head of the newly formed SEC, it was said that most people likened it to allowing the felons to guard the prisons. However, his quest for legitimacy by seeking the highest office in the land for one of his sons is similar to Vito and Michael's chat in the garden. Vito, too, wanted that same sort of legitimacy for his grandchildren.

I know that legitimacy and protection are the main reasons for politics in the movie, I was really wanting everyone's opinion on why some political families are compared to the Corleone's. I should've elaborated more in my comment. No big deal, thanks for the welcome.

-Sonny

As the French writer Balzac observed, "Behind every great fortune is a crime." That's on the overleaf of the GF novel. It applies to Kennedy and other "legitimate" multizillionaires, and to gangsters.

I don't believe it's legitimact they seek. They use politics and politicians to achieve their ends. There are not droves of Mafia kids seeking out the Mafia life becuase they, like us, want to be doctors, lawyers, firemen, nurses, plumbers, etc. They eschew killing people to make money and gain and retain power and influence. Their fathers do not eschew. They embrace any means to achieve those ends.

If you notice, in GFI, for the most part, the legitimate people were in the background. They were referred to, but not seen. But they were just as culpable. In GFII they were more out front. In that sense, GFII was more honest than GFI about such people.