Original Tweet From @benjaminpacini: Berlusconi–media mogul–blames the Italian media for his problems? He calls Obama ‘tanned’ and blames the papers? I <3 Italian politics.
Silvio Berlusconi is really just my model of everything that is wrong in politics anymore. Yes, he is corrupt. Yes, he is a liar. But more than anything, he feels that he needs to be a celebrity before he is anything else (then again, he is a Media Mogul, so I suppose that is an occupational hazard). He tells people that he doesn’t really like his job, but does it out of a sense of civil duty. Okay, fine, i would be down with that, but is there any real denying that the man is simply a camera whore (perhaps not the best choice of words considering that he is also being busted for philandering). I wonder, honestly, how much of this is just politics in today’s society.
I remember reading a tweet some time ago with the writer saying “I forgot, is Obama our president or a celebrity?”, and it really got me to thinking…what does it really take to make it in politics? I am betting that the average American does not read the voters pamphlet that is sent to them before they vote. Instead they look at all the “Vote for Royce” signs along the freeway and simply go with those thoughts and beliefs. It is easier, by far, to just look at a few brightly colored signs than it is to find out what is about those brightly colored signs. It is easy to believe the credibility of an organization called “Americans for a Constitutional Government“, because-really-shouldn’t we all be for a Constitutional Government? The implication if you don’t support this group is that you are not, in fact, for a real government. It is all about perception and I don’t lay this simply on the sholders of the GOP, they are just the ones that have figured out better how to stimatize people (after all, FDR basically started this whole thing with his Fireside Chats-it is all about appealing to your audience, not about actually having anything constructive to say). The GOP are great at simplifying things to a “If you are not for us, then you are against us” level and it really is distracting and disturbing at the same time. To be a politician in this climate you almost need to be a celebrity. It is the required level that you need to achieve so you (as a politician) can be the colorful sign amongst all the not so colorful signs. It is the reason that the idea of Brad Pitt running for Mayorare not that far fetched when we hear about it (Jesse Ventura, Arnold Schwarzenegger and Al Franken have all been politicians, Brad Pitt is basically Amnesty International).
I think when it comes right down to it, the reason that our politicians are rapidly becoming celebrities is that it makes them easier to identify and categorize. Sarah Palin was a trial run (I think Bobby Jindal was supposed to be too, but that went way wrong) of the kind of iconographic politician that we are going to see more and more of. A politician that is marketed as a lifestyle, and not a voice.
I am a bit scared of what things are going to become.
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