America has become a land of polarizing figures. The usual 55-45 type of voting (check many polls, along with elections) and to me there is no mandate in the land. We can't agree on much.
Recently, Sarah Palin was pegged for having a crib sheet of 3 topics to discuss while being a keynote speaker. While I think it's open fare for Democrats to poke fun at Palin, the counter argument I heard is how President Obama, a good speaker, relies on a teleprompter.
What did we expect in this Age of Soundbites, Tweets and Text Messages?
We MUST get it in, it must be quick, it must be packaged for the press. I'm no fan of the 24-hours news cycle. I watched the CBS morning news and was startled at the 20th century-pace of it, thinking CNN would've rapidly gave me the News I needed to know. But how much news do I want? And when it comes to the electorate, are they really paying attention?
Not just a crappy economy, but there are major storms blotting D.C. and the Midwest as I speak. We've got other things on our minds. But we would (I think) like our politicians to pretend to be sincere and to have a clue of what to say next without such sleight-of-hand tricks.
Whatever happened to someone having a page of notes to work of? Would we shame them - or doesn't it look cool to occasionally look down at the podium? Is it too scripted to seemingly memorize all someone, from politician to CEO, has to impart?
The little banter coming about this politician or that one is too early for 2012. Remember, the news is made, not just lived. So beware. I mean, our Reality TV is not real - it's scripted or re-shot. Maybe the Haitian earthquake was such a big deal on TV not just because of its horrible nature but because here was a made-for-TV movie right in our living rooms - unscripted, real TV. But when the Media descended, it soon changed.
Maybe we can agree on a truth we want: a slick, well-produced, palatable take on life; we'll take it with an edge. Add some salsa to it. And don't forget to put it wrapped in a box.
We're comfortable with that. Yes. In America we're not good with uncomfortable things. Even our most horrible has to have a friendly take. Hey, why not? It's good for ratings. And when it's good for ratings, it's good for the sponsors.
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