Hasn't it always been more about the 'star-quality' and a nice hair do than actually politics? From J.F.K, to Reagan, to George W. Bush to possibly the best (or worse) example of this, the 'Governator'  ::). Seems to be a very American thing...

You're right and it's no accident. If you're busy critiquing the guy's hair-do, you won't notice he's a pickpocket and he just stole you're wallet!
::)

Hasn't it always been more about the 'star-quality' and a nice hair do than actually politics? From J.F.K, to Reagan, to George W. Bush to possibly the best (or worse) example of this, the 'Governator'  ::). Seems to be a very American thing...


As we've said about other things, the fact that we're so media and entertainment driven, much of politics absolutely has become this.  I don't know that it always was -- before television it might have been different.  But I don't think we can just blame politicians.  We are "the people" and much of our culture (meaning much of our people) demand this.  People say, through their actions, "I will watch your speech (or your convention or whatever) if you make it worth my while -- make it dramatic or sexy or a big spectacle, etc. and, sure, I'll switch off American Idol for a few minutes to see what you have to say....but don't talk too long....because I don't have that long of an attention span and I might get bored."

Politics is the show.  Policymaking, on the other hand, is a lot more complex than it seems on the surface and there's so much that goes on behind the scenes  --  that's where the real stuff happens.  And there's just no way most of us will ever see much of that unless we choose to take alot of time and effort to do that.

People say, through their actions, "I will watch your speech (or your convention or whatever) if you make it worth my while -- make it dramatic or sexy or a big spectacle, etc. and, sure, I'll switch off American Idol for a few minutes to see what you have to say....but don't talk too long....because I don't have that long of an attention span and I might get bored."



Yup.  We are the nation of the soundbite.

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This is definitely were the UK and US contrast in style. The President of the US has to appear like Stan Smith from 'American Dad' (strong, confident and allpowerful yet paranoid) as our government in general look like a series of misfits (anyone who has seen Jack Straw, John 'Two Jags' Prescott and John Major in the past will know what I'm talking about).

However, I tar them all with the same brush. The only thing different between the way the two operate is their appearances.

i hear it started with the kennedy-nixon debate in 1960.

i hear it started with the kennedy-nixon debate in 1960.

The dapper JFK juxtaposed with the homely Dick Nixon and his sweaty upper lip is a good example of the power of television, but I don't think it started the "image over substance" problem. Campaigning always bore a component of puffery designed to distract the lowing herds from the real issues. However, the modern "image over substance" pathology started with Ronald Reagan. Reagan sold the image of the chipper grandfather we all wish we had (as Jello Biafra put it), and his campaign was two-tiered. The rich got the steak, everybody else got the sizzle.