Acting Chops

This morning’s news includes an article that claims Dennis Haysbert’s portrayal of the President of the United States may well have paved the way for a successful presidential bid by Barack Obama.

I don’t think so.

The military believes in what is called command presence, the aura of authority that comes naturally to some people, most especially Dennis Haysbert. No matter the role he has been given in films or television shows, Haysbert commands the screen. In 24, he is the President; in The Unit, he commands the unit of specialized service members who fight for truth, justice, and the American way; and in commercials for an insurance company, he assures us that we are in good hands with the people paying his salary. As an actor, he travels the world and asserts his authority wherever he is, in whatever role he has been given, because that is what he is paid to do.

But what amazes me more than the claim of paving the way to the [Obama] presidency is that anyone actually compares an actor’s role to the real world. Barack may also be black, but he’s no Dennis Haysbert. Haysbert earns darned good money portraying characters and reading lines written by professional script writers. The decisions he makes are part of the roles he plays. It ain’t for reals; it’s for the movies.

A president, however, must be believable without a script, without a controlled set, without a stuntman to do the hard work for them. Not only do I not believe that Obama is that good, but I also don’t believe that McCain is anywhere near the caliber of command presence that distinguishes the political leader of the free world. Many are called, but few are chosen to serve with distinction, and all we have to do is look at the decline into mediocrity that has marked our presidential process since World War II.

One of the hallmarks of good leadership is total commitment to one’s ability to perform the job: no explanation, no excuses, and no apology. A person who does what needs to be done when it must be done without regard to how it will play out in the press is the kind of person the office demands, but that person in today’s society is crucified by the press – and a president who plays to the press panders to the press. Right now, the power seat rests with the talking heads on the network shows, the pontificating pseudo-politicians who look good and dress well, who read scripted commentary and rant and rave about shoulda, woulda, coulda. They live vicariously through the power position of the instant news media – and create media politicians, such as Barack Obama, who also knows how to dress well, socialize, and stay on message, all that is required to be elevated to the national political anchor desk in the Oval Office.

Oprah Winfrey has made Barack Obama her media darling, her choice for politician of the month. She’s demanded that we all read him, as if he were a book chosen for her reading club, and that we use her study guide to discuss him as the heir apparent. She has an agenda, as do we all, and it is “this man, this time.” Anyone who does not come on board her Obama production risks being outed as a racist. The media backs her 100% because she is a proven political power: what Oprah wants, Oprah gets, and she has both the wealth and the connections to make it happen. She wants Obama; we get Obama. I doubt that anyone has the stones to challenge her choice for book of the month, much less President of the United States.

I would sooner vote for Oprah than I would vote for either McCain or Obama. She has command presence and uses it more effectively than any politician currently on the scene. If it were “this woman, this time,” I might be tempted to put both the first woman and the first black in the White House this November.

Dennis Haysbert is a great actor; Oprah is a great television host; Obama and McCain are unknown quantities who have neither the acting chops nor the script to support them in their bids to become President of the United States. In my world, we are left with no choice, not at this time and not with these candidates, and a foreseeable future that may well be better off with Dennis Haysbert reprising the role of President for the next four years.