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I was asked an interesting question yesterday.
"What do you think the presidential candidates of 2012, 2016 and beyond will look like?"
A few of the obvious names pop in to my head. If the republicans win this time around, perhaps Hillary will be back. If the democrats win...maybe Sarah Palin in 2012?
During a week of heavy Gustav news coverage, it was Palin who took the country by storm on the political landscape. This Alaskan governor, who had almost no national name recognition until a week ago, garnered a television audience 37.2 million viewers strong this past Wednesday. That is only about a million short of Barack Obama's 38.4 million viewers for his acceptance speech a week prior. (For those of you wondering, Senator John McCain's acceptance speech on Thursday drew nearly 40 million viewers, and 24 million tuned in to see Joe Biden at the Democratic convention.)
Zero to 37.2 million in a week. Not bad, Governor Palin.
It is, however, a bit premature to start thinking about exactly who might or might not run in 2012. Let's get through November first.
But this whole conversation got me thinking about the bigger picture of how celebrity seems to be creeping its way into our national politics. There have been popular young candidates before. (I'm remembering Bill Clinton playing the saxophone.) But Obama really seems to have hit a new level in rock star politics. And then, in a week's time, Palin seems to be duplicating his celebrity success on the right.
The conventions (especially the dems') looked like American Idol concerts. (I'm fairly certain the lady that announced Barack Obama before his speech was the same woman that does the voiceovers for the Academy Awards.) And now, Obama and Palin are gracing the covers of US Weekly, OK, and other magazines, seeming more like Ben Affleck and Jennifer Garner than the politicians you'll find printed on your money or on monuments across the country.
If I had to guess, it seems like this is a trend that will only continue to grow. Adding "celebrity" into the mix brings more people to watch political coverage, and more and more, the entertainment world is finding that covering politicians is good business.
America's never-ending need for gossip and drama has turned politics into the latest hot reality show. Now, as both celebrities and politicians joke with Jay and dance with Ellen, it is sometimes difficult to see where the lines are drawn.
And is it even about the issues anymore?
I have to tell you, as I was covering the conventions, I was surprised by the number of people in attendance that couldn't begin to have a conversation when I invited them to discuss their most important issue. I heard a lot about "change" and "keeping us safe." It seems that the tag lines of the politicians stick in the minds of viewers, just like those at the end of movie trailers.
What affect will this have on our nation's political process? What will future candidates look like?
Do you think that this fall and into the future that our president will be picked for good policy or good publicity?
Discuss.
