Everyone has an opinion when it comes to whether Barack Obama is a celebrity or not. Republicans would like you to believe he’s on the phone with George Clooney right now, discussing his favorite form of abortion. Democrats would like to tell you he’s busy hand-shucking corn or bowling or whatever it is people in small towns do — in Wisconsin, townies fancy making lamp shades out of skin. But no matter where you stand on this issue, there is a serious problem in today’s political landscape regarding the way we view our elected officials, and more importantly, the way they view themselves.
The political sphere and the entertainment world are on a collision course reminiscent of those two helmets in the “Monday Night Football” intro, except this time, not even Hank Williams, Jr. can save us. When Bill Clinton appeared on “The Arsenio Hall Show” and blew that saxophone, it was done to show the public how the president can be more than a white-haired man in a suit; it showed he is a real person. Of course, as Clinton himself would confess, that all depends on your definition of “is.” But if you turn on cable news today, you’re liable to find Mike Huckabee or Karl Rove discussing the political topics of the hour. And without playing any instruments — although Huckabee does play bass. These are not simple attempts to show the American people who they are, as both these men saw their share of national spotlight. These are attempts to grab onto whatever little bit of spotlight is left. While the political careers of Rove and Huckabee may be over, they are, Mr. DeMille, ready for their close-ups.
We’ve long seen former athletes leave the game to join a broadcast booth, and it’s rarely been insightful. These ex-jocks have a tendency to ramble on about their glory days instead of helping the casual fan understand the game. And the modern politician is quite similar to the retired quarterback. Both are typically self-centered, and more concerned with preserving their past image than enhancing that of any current player. Even in retirement, they feel the need to defend their accomplishments instead of evaluating current situations. Politics is not a game of the past, so it’s hard to see why resurrecting ghosts can help.
While putting a politician on a cable news network to give them one last moment of face time is a bit pathetic, it’s nowhere near as frightening as giving them air time to further push their views. Cable news, despite the constant calls of bias, is still news, and news should inherently be without bias. How hard is it to trust Karl Rove’s analysis of any situation when for years he’s been at the center of the conservative movement, and is known to use underhanded tactics to get his way? It becomes hard to tell whether news is working to inform the public, or distorting it in a new way. Similarly, how are we to trust Mike Huckabee’s critiques of candidates who mere months ago he was fighting for the presidency? Sure, the idea of “Huckabee ’08” was a little crazy, but he may still have politician ambitions, and there’s no bigger stage to discuss those than basic cable.
The bare-bones duty of any politician is to be a servant of the public. To forget self-interests and work for what’s best for the American people. While this is a little too idealistic, there are some who seem to be taking it too far. Martin Sheen is a good actor. He played the president on NBC’s “West Wing”. I would not vote for him. Al Gore was the vice president. He’s hosted Saturday Night Live twice. I would not give him an Emmy. Ronald Reagan was a B-movie actor and the president. Was he a good one? Ask Karl Rove.
Sean Kittridge ([email protected]) is a junior intending to major in journalism.
