Reality Show

Thad Guyer presented a dystopic vision of America.   He posits that we have largely lost the ability to do self government at the national level.   We have become an audience and want to be entertained.   Circuses.

I agree.   (State and local politics is still about government--the ratings are too low to be entertainment, so it persists as mere government.)

The 2016 presidential election is presented by the media as a reality TV show, one with fluctuating ratings.   When Trump is on camera, ratings soar.  When boring policy-oriented politicians are on stage (imagine Senator Schuman talking with Senator Wyden on CSPAN) the ratings would be approximately zero.   

The Election Show is less interesting than "the Voice" or "American Idol" and draws fewer viewers and fewer participants.   Happily, Trump has bumped up interest, unless something more urgent comes up: Ebola!!  Boston Marathon Bomb!!  Search for Prison Escapees!!

Not everyone is uninvolved.   Some people consider the election to be deadly serious.   Competing interest groups understand that elections matter.  Industry groups, unions, environmental groups, association groups of multiple types, the K Street lobbyists--that is, so called special interests--they know and care.   Politically interested very prosperous people know and care (the Koch Brothers, Bloomberg, Perot).

One of the canards of Hollywood and TV is that "the suits", the Executive Producers never know in advance what shows will "hit".  The various interest groups are, in effect, the Executive Producers.  They know the election matters, they have the money and influence to attempt to nudge things in one direction or another.   Of course, they are hobbled by the reality that every interest group has an approximately equal and opposite interest group.  For every Coal Producers Association there is a Clean Air Association.   

The  "suits" know that big stars really help, but they are no guarantee, c.f.  "Ishtar".   The "suits" try to pick the winners but they aren't ultimately in control.   The audience is.

We are watching Jeb Bush as "Gigli" or "Ishtar"-- big expensive flops.  The audience doesn't want it, won't watch it.    And The Hillary Show, with every bit of pre-production planning, expensive production values, then marketing support, is in theaters in New Hampshire and Iowa and in limited release nationwide, and it is not doing well.  Audiences are unenthusiastic. The Hillary Show has all the predictable elements of success--but it isn't getting the predicted audience.  

Politics in America is more than show business.  The "suits" are right.   Government matters.  But the political theater that determines the direction of our government is show business.   

And Trump is better at show business than anyone else running for president, including Hillary Clinton.