The political evolution of Leslie Knope
SalonThere is a moment during "Parks and Recreation’s" second season when Leslie Knope, the department’s effervescent and overachieving deputy manager portrayed by Amy Poehler, breaks down and has a libertarian moment. In my next life, I am going into private industry, maybe strip mining.” Leslie’s foray into Ron Swanson’s ideological territory was brief — she later says, “The right thing to do is not take shortcuts” — but that episode, titled "Kaboom," underlined the daunting task the showrunners, Michael Schur and Greg Daniels, laid out for the sitcom. Leslie becomes an icon to the gay community – “She’s Leslie Knope and she wants to recruit you!” – and is feted at the Bulge, a gay bar in Pawnee. Instead, Schur continues to underscore a government’s prime purpose, which means that Leslie ultimately uses her City Council seat to help Pawneeans manage quality-of-life concerns — she thinks of their lives in the long-term.
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