Democracy as Caricature
“I’m not familiar, precisely, with exactly what I said, but I stand by what I said, whatever it was.”
Mitt Romney
Another articulate politician from the Republican Party explains his position on the issues. It happened at the end of last week in Jacksonville, Florida . Governor Romney had just finished repudiating a reported plan by Republican strategists and billionaire founder of TD Ameritrade Joe Ricketts, to run a $10-million super-pac advertising campaign linking President Obama once again to the outspoken Rev. Jeremiah A. Wright.
In appearing to sneak up to the imaginary line separating substantive political discussion from a phenomenon known as “News Abuse,” Romney nevertheless stood by a statement made earlier in the year on a right-wing radio talk show asserting that Mr. Obama wanted to make America “a less Christian nation.”
Governor Romney had just finished condemning the President for running a campaign based on personal attacks and the equivocation is hardly surprising. The resurrection of Jeremiah Wright as a political instrument and the frontal assault on Mr. Obama’s profession of faith are not exactly junk food news; this is not Sarah Palin’s blow-dried politics, not another nightly Weiner roast, not an in-depth analysis of John Edwards’ $200 haircuts. These reports represent a serious attempt to use the media to manipulate the racist undercurrent that forever remains smoldering beneath the surface American society. But they also underscore an important truth about the role of money in mass media today: the Citizens United decision didn’t merely open a spigot of dollars to support benign campaign messages; In making it officially acceptable that elections can be purchased, it has drained our democracy of its residual integrity and turned it into a caricature.
The Supreme Court’s decision granted a license to provide unlimited funds to those who would spend time figuring out how best to peddle pejoratives to a bored citizenry rather than engage in the substantive discourse characteristic of a democracy. Citizens U. gave a bold green light to the financial aristocracy to pay for the kind of negative visceral messages that appeal to base emotions rather than to meaningful dialogue.
In spite of the hopes that many retain about America being an exemplar of democracy, each electoral cycle seems designed to disappoint, as arguments over policy quickly descend into political food fights and important issues evolve into caricature. Many on the political right understand that a truly educated electorate – one that can think critically about the issues – is not in their interest. Little by little, the media messages over the years have been handed over to the ad man, a process which continues to function as Carl Jensen described it: as a tool to divert the public’s attention from a substantive analysis of the real issues facing the country.
The dumbing-down of the political process in America should be a matter of concern to all. It is an important step on the road to despotism
Mitt Romney
Another articulate politician from the Republican Party explains his position on the issues. It happened at the end of last week in Jacksonville, Florida . Governor Romney had just finished repudiating a reported plan by Republican strategists and billionaire founder of TD Ameritrade Joe Ricketts, to run a $10-million super-pac advertising campaign linking President Obama once again to the outspoken Rev. Jeremiah A. Wright.
In appearing to sneak up to the imaginary line separating substantive political discussion from a phenomenon known as “News Abuse,” Romney nevertheless stood by a statement made earlier in the year on a right-wing radio talk show asserting that Mr. Obama wanted to make America “a less Christian nation.”
Governor Romney had just finished condemning the President for running a campaign based on personal attacks and the equivocation is hardly surprising. The resurrection of Jeremiah Wright as a political instrument and the frontal assault on Mr. Obama’s profession of faith are not exactly junk food news; this is not Sarah Palin’s blow-dried politics, not another nightly Weiner roast, not an in-depth analysis of John Edwards’ $200 haircuts. These reports represent a serious attempt to use the media to manipulate the racist undercurrent that forever remains smoldering beneath the surface American society. But they also underscore an important truth about the role of money in mass media today: the Citizens United decision didn’t merely open a spigot of dollars to support benign campaign messages; In making it officially acceptable that elections can be purchased, it has drained our democracy of its residual integrity and turned it into a caricature.
The Supreme Court’s decision granted a license to provide unlimited funds to those who would spend time figuring out how best to peddle pejoratives to a bored citizenry rather than engage in the substantive discourse characteristic of a democracy. Citizens U. gave a bold green light to the financial aristocracy to pay for the kind of negative visceral messages that appeal to base emotions rather than to meaningful dialogue.
In spite of the hopes that many retain about America being an exemplar of democracy, each electoral cycle seems designed to disappoint, as arguments over policy quickly descend into political food fights and important issues evolve into caricature. Many on the political right understand that a truly educated electorate – one that can think critically about the issues – is not in their interest. Little by little, the media messages over the years have been handed over to the ad man, a process which continues to function as Carl Jensen described it: as a tool to divert the public’s attention from a substantive analysis of the real issues facing the country.
The dumbing-down of the political process in America should be a matter of concern to all. It is an important step on the road to despotism
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