Former President Bill Clinton believes that 99 percent of the time the fictional portrayal of the Washington, D.C., in "House of Cards" is an accurate reflection of reality,
according to actor Kevin Spacey, who plays the sociopathic president, Frank Underwood, in the popular Netflix series.
"'Kevin, 99 percent of what you do on that show is real. The 1 percent you get wrong is you could never get an education bill passed that fast,'" the actor tells Gotham magazine in a voice that was a "pitch-perfect impression" of the former president.
"He tells me, 'I love that House of Cards,'" adds Spacey, who is a longtime friend and poker buddy of Clinton.
Like Clinton, President Barack Obama also expressed his wish that the president could be as efficient as the fictional President Underwood, telling Spacey, "I wish things were that ruthlessly efficient,"
according to Deadline.
An acknowledged fan of the show, in 2014 Obama issued a
request via Twitter to potential spoilers not to ruin the second season opener.
"Tomorrow: @HouseOfCards. No spoilers, please."
"I'm just wondering if you brought advance copies of House Of Cards?" Obama was overheard asking Netflix CEO Reed Hastings in 2013 during a White House meeting.
Republicans are not immune to the show's allure either. House Majority Whip Kevin McCarthy, who served in the same position as Spacey's Underwood did before becoming president joked that he could be more effective in his job if he were as ruthless.
"He literally murders one member," McCarthy
told the Daily Pilot in 2013.
"If I could murder one member, I'd never have to worry about another vote," joked McCarthy.