Kick ‘Em

Kick ‘Em

There is an ongoing debate in the Democratic Party:  has the nature of politics changed?  With the election of Donald Trump as President, have we entered a new period of “reality show” campaigning?

Television had been around since the late 1940’s.  One of the first major political impacts of the medium was the televised McCarthy hearings in 1954, where Senator Joseph McCarthy led a hunt for Communists in the American government. The fervor of the chase led to a loose attitude about evidence, culminating in attorney Joseph Welch, defending a younger member of his firm saying:

“Until this moment, Senator, I think I never really gauged your cruelty or your recklessness. Have you no sense of decency, sir, at long last?”

It was on TV, to a national audience.  The statement struck Americans, and began the decline of McCarthy (and has been echoed in recent times in the Strozk and Kavanaugh hearings – by both sides.)

In the election of 1960, Vice President Richard Nixon was the Republican running against Democratic Senator John F. Kennedy.  Nixon had been a World War II vet, a Congressman, Senator, and Vice President for eight years in the successful Eisenhower Administration.  Kennedy was also a vet, and was elected to the Congress and the Senate. He had been touted as a possible Vice Presidential nominee in 1956 for Adlai Stevenson. 

But it wasn’t until the televised Presidential debates of the 1960 election that TV came to the fore. Nixon, a star debater, thought he was well prepared to show Kennedy as ignorant.  Kennedy, on the other hand, had a much better understanding of what a national television audience would expect.  Kennedy was well prepared, but he was also “cool,” in the Frank Sinatra, Peter Lawford (his brother-in-law) sense.  Americans ended up seeing Nixon as a pale, unshaven (he had a terrible five o’clock shadow and refused to use makeup) and sweaty detail guy; while Kennedy was a tanned, well spoken, “cool guy.”  It made the difference.

There are many Democrats who see a similar change in politics today.  With the advent of the “reality show” Presidency, where the “good guys” and “bad guys” are called out and challenged, and the issues simplified to basics; should the Democrats find a “reality show” candidate?

I admit, I’m not a fan of reality shows.  But I have watched enough World Wrestling to understand the concept.  There are good guy competitors and bad; the crowd cheers for the good guys, boos the bad guys, and fully expect the bad guys to cheat and sometimes even win.  And while everyone in the stands recognizes that the outcome of the “matches” is pre-determined, a rehearsed show, it doesn’t slow down their enthusiasm.

There is a good reason that Linda McMahon, a former CEO of World Wrestling, was appointed by President Trump as the head of the Small Business Administration.  Trump learned to reach people through her business model.

So Democrats are faced with a conundrum:  join the reality show or follow a more traditional model.  Michelle Obama gave her answer to this question in the 2016 campaign:  “…when they go low, we go high!”  But former Attorney General Eric Holder, a potential 2020 Presidential candidate, this week modified her statement by saying, “when they go low, kick ‘em.”

Attorney Michael Avenatti, also eyeing a Presidential run, has taken this to it’s logical extreme, challenging Donald Trump Jr. to a mixed martial arts match (for charity) to resolve the ongoing Twitter insults they have exchanged.

The Obama’s had enormous political success staying out of the fray.  Perhaps the greatest contrast of our age is the “cool class” of Barack Obama, and the “crass braggadocio” of Donald Trump.  And we all saw the sad spectacle of Republican candidates trying to match Trump’s crudeness; the sweaty discomfort of Marco Rubio making penis size comments is still a national embarrassment.

There needs to be a larger discussion of what we want America to be.  Are we now the “reality show” nation, with campaigns a series of insults and unbelievable statements with the crowds cheering “lock her up?” Or are we going to determine the future of our nation in a more serious conversation, where intent and intelligent folks put forth their vision?  It’s not just up to us, it’s up to America.

Author: Marty Dahlman

I'm Marty Dahlman. After forty years of teaching and coaching track and cross country, I've finally retired!!! I've also spent a lot of time in politics, working campaigns from local school elections to Presidential campaigns. View all posts by Marty Dahlman