Go to YouTube and type in “Hilary Clinton”, and you get something along the lines of 96,000 videos; type in “Barack Obama”, and you get approximately 116,000. Or try Google, where typing the name “John McCain” elicits about 38,000,000 hits. Welcome to politics in the media age, where everything you need to know is at your fingertips – and even more that you don’t.
We live in a time where those running for the highest office in the country are under a greater, more intense form of scrutiny than ever before. Each one of the videos or web pages mentioned above give us intimate access to the candidates, allowing us the freedom to leisurely examine their positions, or their public speaking methods, even their clothing or hairstyles. It seems like we can never get enough… we gorge ourselves on every tidbit we can find, even though there is more information about these people than we could ever hope to read, hear, or see.
As humans, we’ve always had an insatiable need for knowledge; what we’re witnessing now, though, is something else. It’s as if, by having so much, we’ve become conditioned to expect even more. It’s not enough to be able to watch a video of Obama anytime we want… now, we can scrutinize his every word, to look for meaning both obvious and covert. We can watch him frame by frame, in high definition television, looking for a blink or a facial tic that we can use to add meaning to his words – or to imply intent that isn’t really there. It’s a form of perception-shaping, each according to his own needs or desires. And then, when we’re done, we can log in to our favorite sites and post our newfound beliefs (or theories) for the whole world to read.
What does this mean to the election process? One need only to look at Franklin Roosevelt for one answer. Roosevelt contracted what was believed to be polio in 1921, resulting in his paralysis from the waist down. Yet he was able to not only continue in public office, but to go on to win the presidency three times. And throughout all of this, he convinced the American public that he was, if not exactly healthy, then at least getting better. He did so by manipulating the media into seeing what he wanted it to see: he taught himself to walk using iron braces and a cane to appear vital; he used an extra-sturdy podium with which he could support himself for speeches in public; and he rarely allowed himself to be photographed in his wheelchair (which he used only in private). He lied about the extent of his illness because he knew that it could not hinder him in serving the people.
Today, however, the line between mainstream media and independent ‘journalist’ has become severely blurred. If Roosevelt were to try and manipulate the media now, he would in fact be manipulating us, the public at large. And he would be vilified for it, for lying about something of such significance. Today, the health of the most powerful man in the world is information that belongs to all of us. The president cannot have a hangnail removed without the world knowing in advance… he gets a flu, and instantly the story flies around the world as markets tremble in anticipation. No, chances are that Roosevelt wouldn’t even be nominated today – a candidate felled by a paralyzing illness might be considered a poor choice for whichever party he chose to represent. Never mind qualifications… in the media age, it’s as much about how you look during your speech as it is what you say.
Which brings us back to McCain, who is questioned because people say he’s too old; or Obama, who comes across to some as a bit of an elitist; or Clinton, who at times is either too severe or too shrill or too mushy. Thanks to an over-abundance of media outlets and devices, we have resorted to judging our candidates based on qualifications that, at times, have almost nothing to do with the office of the President and more to do with a popularity contest – we can watch a speech on You Tube, read the comments below, and get swept up in the discussions of everyday people debating the most mundane points. It’s unnerving, to say the least. And it’s also unnecessary.
Bring on the general election…
