It’s been said that politics is like professional sports.
So true. Both professions are inhabited by conniving criminal types who have mastered the art of the sound bite.
Regrettably, in one of these arenas, both teams always stink.
University of Colorado professor Elizabeth Skewes, author of “Message Control: How News Is Made on the Presidential Campaign Trail,” is kinder.
A political junkie her whole life, she contends, despite the media’s dizzying political coverage, that we know less about our candidates than ever before.
Skewes, who teaches writing, political communication and media ethics at CU, covered both the 2000 and 2004 presidential races in an effort to study how candidates interact with journalists – and, thus, with the public.
“Having been a journalist, I wanted to get to the bottom of the process of covering politics,” she explains. “A lot of people say they are interested in strategy and polls and those sort of things. Other studies tell us that people don’t care about those things. People care about substance.”
People are liars – and, really, I mean that in the nicest way possible. Voters will always let pollsters know about their deep-seated desire to better grasp public policy.
They don’t mean it.
“It’s true. It’s social desirability,” Skewes says. “People will say what they believe others expect them to say in these polls. They say they want more substantive information on Medicare policy because they think they’re supposed to.”
So curious was the citizenry in the nitty-gritty of politics that fewer than a million of them tuned in to the last presidential debate, according to Nielsen.
More people watch soccer matches, which, short of joining the Communist Party or driving a Le Car, is the most un-American activity one can engage in.
Not that the debates tell us much new, anyway.
“I don’t think these debates are getting us very far,” Skewes says. “I don’t think we’re really becoming more informed. Even with the YouTube debates, we had the same old questions over and over – they just had some videos to go with it.”
Those searching for substance have it – everywhere. There has been a proliferation of political coverage. We are now subjected to perpetual campaigns, endless commentary and hordes of experts.
The big sensation so far? A self-produced YouTube video of half-naked Obama Girl.
“My sense, from what I’m reading, seeing and what voters and citizens say, is that most people aren’t getting truly engaged in the process until the end,” Skewes explains. “And then, they are looking for the quickest information. And most people are still turning to mainstream media.”
According to a recent issue of Newsweek, more Americans are able to name Jordin Sparks, the most recent winner of “American Idol,” than John Roberts, the Supreme Court’s chief justice.
This is meant to shock us – proof that Americans are a bunch of know-nothings.
Now, I wish more than 11 percent knew the name of the chief justice, but there is no shame in avoiding political junky-dom. You have a life. Kids. A career.
I know plenty of creepy wild-eyed political expert types who know a lot about John Roberts. I also know I wouldn’t trust them to make a decision on my pet goldfish’s future.
Soon enough, Coloradans will be assaulted with platitudinous ads, dishonest campaigns (the slime is already flying) and old-fashioned sloganeering. Just a whole bunch of nothing.
So in a perfect world, what could candidates do to help the average voter choose? (Preferably in late October 2008.)
“Journalists usually have precious little time with candidates,” Skewes explains. “Which isn’t surprising, but perhaps the extent of how little that time is would be a real surprise to the average voter. … I think anybody who wants to be president of the United States should have the courage and ask, ‘What do you want to know?’ and answer it.”
Skewes recommends that politicians sit down with the media more and answer not only some tough questions, but also tough follow-ups.
Hey, we can all dream.
(Skewes will be at Tattered Cover Book Store, 2526 E. Colfax Ave., at 7:30 tonight.)
David Harsanyi’s column appears Monday, Wednesday and Friday. Reach him at 303-954-1255 or dharsanyi@denverpost.com.
