Dan Greaney, a longtime writer and producer for “The Simpsons” who humorously predicted a Donald Trump presidency, is now running for the 2028 Republican presidential nomination.
An episode titled “Bart to the Future” aired on March 19, 2000, which imagined Bart Simpson’s life 30 years into the future.
The episode not only foretold Bart’s life as a pot-bellied, beer-drinking, failed musician, but that of his brainiac, politically active younger sister, Lisa, as being the president of the United States. Lisa Simpson’s presidency is hampered by her predecessor’s literal bankrupting of the nation, leading to harebrained schemes by Bart to save the day financially. The predecessor’s name, in the episode, is “President Trump.”
Greaney, the writer of that episode, will be at University of Illinois Springfield on Saturday, Nov. 14, along with fellow Simpsons writers Bill Odenkirk and Josh Weinstein. The trio will talk about Greaney’s own vision for his future, that of being the president of the United States in 2028 as a successor to Donald J. Trump.
No, this is not a joke. It’s not a bit. This, Greaney told Illinois Times on Tuesday, will be a genuine campaign to run for president as a progressive Republican.
“What moved me to action was a sense that I just couldn’t leave it to other people anymore,” Greaney told IT. “The midterms, I feel, were a good start. I think there is a realignment in our country that is trying to make itself felt, that is trying to happen, and the public has been switching between the two parties, trying to get one or the other to address their priorities. With luck, the Democratic Party will be moving in the direction of addressing the priorities of the people. But, they may drop the ball, and the other party should be one that is going to show up in good faith and try to solve the problems of the American people, not someone who is going to try and subvert democracy.”
To kick off his campaign, Greaney is visiting 17 Springfields in the U.S. The tour started Nov. 5 in New Hampshire and will continue through Nov. 24. Saturday’s visit to UIS will follow a visit to Springfield, West Virginia.
Fans of “The Simpsons,” of course, know the family lived in the fictional town of Springfield, but the show never specified exactly which one. Some believe we’re the real Springfield the show was based upon, being in the heart of the Midwest. But other Springfields, such as the one in Vermont, have gone as far as to erect a statue of Homer Simpson’s giant yellow hand holding a pink, glazed doughnut in the town square. Creator Matt Groening eventually acknowledged it was named after the Springfield in Oregon, close to where he was raised, although he has said he chose the name to represent “Anytown, U.S.A.”
Greaney, 62, calls “Is Springfield America?” something of a listening tour, and what better places to do that than in all the varied Springfields across the country? Greaney concedes that some might think this whole thing is a publicity stunt, especially with all the Springfield stops. But, hey, he’s got to play to his strengths in getting people’s attention.
“The fact that people think this is a joke, I mean, I’m lucky they think of it at all, right? That’s the card I have to play, is my connection to “The Simpsons.” That’s the only reason we’re on the phone right now, that anyone has given me the time of day,” Greaney said. “Yeah, it’s a gimmick, it’s a hook, but everybody’s gotta have a hook. I hope it gets the conversation started, and I think that anyone who enters into a conversation with me would realize very quickly it’s not a joke.”
Greaney’s seriousness in running is exemplified with the recent hiring of Reed Galen as a campaign advisor. Galen, a co-founder of The Lincoln Project, is a former top Republican adviser to both Bush presidencies and the 2008 campaign of John McCain.
Greaney, a Harvard graduate and former president of the Harvard Lampoon, wants to steer the Republican Party back to its non-MAGA, non-Trumpian roots, such as that of two of his heroes – Abraham Lincoln and Teddy Roosevelt.
Greaney said former Illinois Congressman John Anderson is another role model. Anderson ran as a third-party presidential candidate in 1980, getting 6.6% of the national vote.
Why not run as a third-party candidate himself, to further distance himself from all things Trump?
“I actually registered as a Democrat after the second Iraq War, which I defended for a while, but I realized had been obtained by fraud on the American people,” Greaney said.
But, Greaney says, he became disenchanted with the Democrats, and, while he is disgusted by how Trump has run the country, he feels his best chance at winning is as a progressive Republican.
“There are plenty of decent people who think of themselves as Republican and vote Republican,” Greaney said.
Greaney said he will be sure to visit the Abraham Lincoln Presidential Library and Museum while in town for the presentation at UIS, which is free and open to the public.
“I would say that my engagement with politics again was a re-reading of the Gettysburg Address after the Jan. 6 Capitol assault,” Greaney said. “It was so upsetting to see our American flag being abused in that way, and when I re-read the Gettysburg Address, that actually began me on this whole journey. So, it’ll be a real privilege to be in your Springfield – the Land of Lincoln – this weekend.”
The “Is Springfield America?” event, featuring “The Simpsons” writers Dan Greaney, Bill Odenkirk and Josh Weinstein, will be held at 6 p.m. on Saturday, Nov. 14, in Brookens Auditorium at University of Illinois Springfield. Admission is free and no advance registration is required.
