bytes and ballots

This governor flies aboard a leased Gulfstream jet with only his handlers, paid for by special-interest donors. There aren't any pesky reporters around to press him, for example, about his plans for a second term.

He rarely holds news conferences that aren't staged photo-ops. But it's not just him; it's too many politicians these days, including recalled Gov. Gray Davis. Courage and confidence have given way to caution and cowering.

In one way, it's understandable because of technology. Sen. John Kerry stumbles on "a botched joke about the president" — it sounds like he may be insulting troops — and instantly becomes a target of political opportunists and demagogues.

In the pre-blog era, the slower communication system was much more forgiving.

And politics was more civil.

...

Technology has made candidates less interesting. They're not speaking from their souls as much as mimicking voters who sound off in focus groups or respond to polls. The politicians' manicured messages lack spontaneity and a sense of sincerity.

If Reagan had studied polls, which back then were slower and less sophisticated, he would have missed one of the most potent issues of 1966: the voters' escalating anger at student protests, especially at UC Berkeley. That wasn't picked up by surveys. Reagan found it himself by listening to audiences' questions. Soon, he was denouncing the "mess at Berkeley" and running ahead of Brown.

...

Politics was more of a fun, community sport 40 years ago. And government generally functioned better.

// posted by Michael Alvarez @ 4:21 PM