Presidential Posturing

Our local paper has added bloggers to its daily journalism roster, most of whom write highly-biased, inflammatory political rantings and ravings. However, there is one blogger who consistently impresses me with his historical columns. Today's offering is on Gen. George Patton, who used to hang out in our little corner of the world, training troops who later deployed to Africa during WWII, the Big One. Patton took his troops to an isolated desert location and did whatever was necessary to prepare the men to literally fight to their deaths to defend this country. He did not seek, nor did he want, either public exposure or notoriety for simply doing his job. If he were in the same position today, a reporter would be embedded with his troops, interpreting and molding the training program until he got it to look good on the evening news.

The media blitz about Gov Palin appearing on SNL last night offended me, but I'm not sure that I can articulate why, other than to say that baiting a candidate in the press until (s)he agrees to appear on a TV show is not Presidential. Remember Michael Douglas and Annette Benning's film (The American President)? When the President is commended for ordering a military strike against an enemy target as being presidential, Michael Douglas snaps back, "It's the least presidential thing I do!" I've always admired the film's philosophy as appropriate for a presidential candidate or office holder to guage credible conduct: is it Presidential?

The new style of political campaign offends me because it's all about the media. If one candidate becomes the media's candidate, the race is pretty much over before the polls are opened. No longer does an individual voter make up his/her own mind: the media presents the approved candidates to the voters, based on charisma, sound bites, and public appearances. Voters, according to demographics, respond to the public persona, we buy the veneer, and we forget that underneath that thin surface of appearance is the real product: the person we elect.

Sen Obama has used the media to his advantage repeatedly because he has not once been called to account for his transgressions, beginning with his "promise" to use public funding that was broken the day Sen McCain also agreed to limit his spending. McCain kept his word, while Obama has been free to accept any and all monies that will assure his election. It is beyond credulity to believe that the American people donated an additional $150 million to the Obama campaign in the last month: we simply do not have any money, much less discretionary funds we can throw at an election that is pretty much already in the bag.

If Obama's campaign-supported organization, Acorn, can legitimately use Obama campaign funds to sign up non-existent and dead people as voters, has his campaign used the same tactics to attribute political donations from "someone" who has money to spend to assure Obama wins this election?

Dave Lettermen was able to "shame" Sen McCain into coming back on his show, to apologize for doing what Sen McCain believed was the right thing. Does Sen McCain not realize that appearing on Letterman was far more the wrong thing to do than returning to Washington to deal with the worst financial situation in this nation's recent history? That is the pull of a powerful media. If Letterman can make McCain jump through the hoops while he's still a candidate, imagine what the media can do once he's President.

Ditto with Gov Palin. If SNL wants to lampoon her, let them go for it, but she needs to stay above that sort of public appearance. Does Gov Palin not realize that SNL's goal is ratings, and the network gets the ratings when the media manipulate the target of SNL's satire to appear live? Gov Palin is not skilled at international politics, so she is an easy target for her political opponents; there is also no way that she can compete with skilled comedians who make their living with their quips. It's a win for SNL that they offer to have her on the show; it's a lose for Palin that she accepts.

Gen. George Patton once said, “Anyone, in any walk of life, who is content with mediocrity is untrue to himself and to American tradition.” The media is mediocrity, entertainment aimed at the highest audience ratings at the lowest cost. We should have lower expectations for comedy shows than we have for our citizens who hold political office, especially the two highest offices in the United States of America. Instead, these two have become equated in the public eye: if voters don't see the candidates on the popular TV venues, they won't vote for them. If the TV comedians and pundits can pull the strings and have the potential future Presidents and Vice-Presidents of the United States of America come running, we have sunk to depths that should be uncomfortable for anyone who thinks that's okay.

The election to office of candidates should be based on qualifications, not charisma. The election to office of candidates should be based on political principles, not personality. The election to office of candidates should be based on an educated understanding of the issues and how to deal with them, not on rhetoric that makes a good sound bite for the political pundits. Candidates for office should know who they are and how to present a Presidential candidate to the people, not pander to the public's need for entertainment by appearing on talk shows and peforming comedy skits.

Gen Patton knew what his job was, he did it, he countered the criticsm directed at him from people who did not share his level of military training and tactical awareness, and he literally gave his life to keep this country safe from its enemies. Had he been training troops today, he'd walk off the job because the job that he had to do was harsh, demanding, and necessary to prepare military personnel to defeat the enemy both at home and abroad. Today, Gen George Patton would be crucified in the press, vilified on the talk shows, satirized on the comedy shows, called to account before Congress based on his poor public performance, and sent home in shame.

What Patton accomplished wasn't pretty, it wasn't popular, but it was necessary, effective, and certainly more Presidential than the current political campaign.