It seems like politicians may just have discovered this magical thing called a television.
Ok so they've been using TV to promote themselves for years. However, this year self promotion through the televisual format has reached new heights. First off the British have decided to just go right ahead and copy the American format for holding live debates in the run up to the elections. It's sort of like Question Time but more formal with pre-prepared answers and two of the most powerful people in politics taking personal swipes at each other face-to-face. It also makes guys like Joe the Plumber famous. This decision led to a whole string of suggestions for TV-based politics with Simon Cowell even suggesting elections be held in an X-Factor style format - uh thanks SC but no thanks - that's pushing popular participation to the ridiculous extremes of desperation.
Secondly Obama took American political TV (which I though couldn't be pushed much further) and totally raised the bar by hosting a live health care summit broadcast worldwide on TV and the Internet! Now if anyone wants to deny that this man has reformed honesty within politics then go right ahead but seriously dude has a case. In seriousness using such a public forum did enable a significantly larger proportion of everyday Americans to understand the health care bill and the arguments both for and against it, alongside how it would be practically implemented. With such a revolutionary piece of legislation I believe making all attempts to inform the public are essential particularly in the run up to Mid-term elections in which a key issue will be health care reform. The elections may well give some indication of the effect of the televised summit and I for one will be sure to pay attention.
So it's back to you. What do you think of seeing your trusted representatives faces plastered across your TV screens? Does it make them seem slimy and further unrelatable? And in all honesty does it help you understand which policies you are actually voting for come election day? I for one am a huge advocate of politicians putting themselves out to both public scrutiny and public understanding.
Notes On A Scandal
Lately there have been some great examples of political scandals; and as a result some great examples of reactions to scandal. So in a break from current affairs let’s admire the politician’s way to cope with bitchiness, backstabbing and revelations.
Reaction 1 - Outright denial
Reaction 1 - Outright denial
- John Edwards - In August '08 John Edwards admitted having an extramarital affair with a former aide. However, he vigorously denied the paternity of her child. Another aide claimed paternity of the child however this denial would turn out to be a potentially crippling blow for Edwards career...
- 'Forces of Hell' - This week Chancellor Alistair Darling suggested that the 'forces of hell' had been unleashed on him following his claims about the depth of the recession in 2008. It is notable that he not only implicated the Prime Minister, but also the Conservative Party. Despite this, Cameron has had an absolute field day with this story. This was one part of a very bad week for GB's government....
- Mandelson on bullying - In the other part of the controversial week which many have believed has signalled the death blow for Brown's government the PM was accused of having bullied much of the staff of No 10 resulting in several of them calling anti-bullying helplines. Instead of outright denying the claims Peter Mandelson suggested that Gordon Brown was 'assertive' and 'passionate'. A wolf in sheep's clothing or a true justification of the actions of the PM? We'll see. In an ironic twist Brown has found support in Enterprise Tsar Sir Alan Sugar who suggested that a hot-tempered leader was just the sort that he would like to lead a country. I have to say I'm not sure if a guy whose borrowed catchphrase is 'you're fired' is the best to judge/comment on/advise on bullying claims.
- Lewinsky Affair - One of the most famous quotes from a President ever, and probably the most famous of Bill Clinton's career is 'I did not have sex with that woman'. It was claimed that Clinton had an affair with White House employee Monica Lewinsky and in a speech to the nation he denied it using the above quote among others. However, turned out that Slick Willy actually meant that he didn't have penetrative sex with that woman - oral sex suddenly didn't count. Oh you sly dog, using the grasp of English gained through a PPE degree to worm your way out of a very sticky situation. In the end though, as always, the media ensured that the truth came out.
- John Edwards (yep for the second time) - In January 2010, in the midst of a court case, Edwards came forward and accepted paternity of his daughter, Quinn. He apologised primarily to Quinn, for denying her, and to his wife Elizabeth. Despite this Elizabeth left Edwards in mid-February probably because by this time Edwards had repeatedly lied to her about the extent of the affair. Ultimately Edwards embarrassed himself and may well have screwed up his career for good. His bad.
- Tiger Woods - OK so he's not a politico but he deserves a highly honourable mention, mainly because many on this list could have learnt from it. Following revelations about his personal life Woods disappeared for two and a half months, before making a very public televised apology, in which he admitted all he had done and apologised to his wife, children, parents, sponsors and fans. Somehow I suspect he caught everyone in that large net! Although he has lost some of his credibility he hasn't self-imploded or destroyed his career, and that's something all of the above could do with.
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