Friday, November 21, 2008
By Janice Shaw Crouse, Ph.D.
Not surprisingly, many voters who cast their ballots for Barack Obama for president had no idea what he believed, what his voting record was or what his priorities would be as president. The YouTube videos showing voters ignorance during the just-completed election would be hilarious if they were not so sad. The Emperor leading the presidential polls had no clothes, but who would speak out? The nations opinion leaders threw up smoke screens that protected the public from the reality. The media certainly was not going to expose the nakedness of its crown prince. His opposition kept looking the other way. The cheering crowds clothed him to suit their individual preferences.
I watched the third and final debate in dismay. We tuned in to CNN because they carried an on-screen chart to display the reactions of 25-30 uncommitted voters set up backstage who had agreed to indicate their minute-by-minute reactions to the two candidates remarks by turning a dial to indicate their degree of positive or negative response to the comments of the presidential candidates. We discovered that the more emotional the comment, the higher positive response of the uncommitted voters. The more measured and reasonable the candidates statements, the more negative the voters responses. It was a riveting phenomenon that was scary in its implications the public didnt want to hear reasoned argument; they wanted platitudes that made them feel good.
During this election, Barack Obama said lots to make the public feel good. He made promises couched in vague language that could mean anything that the listener wanted them to mean. He used words like change and hope; he promised tax cuts to 95 percent of Americans a promise that was ludicrous and impossible to fulfill, but people fell for it. He spoke one way in front of liberal audiences and another way in front of conservative ones. He learned the language of evangelicalism and he spoke it fluently when it served his purposes. People with diametrically opposite points of view came away from his rallies convinced that Obama agreed with their position on the issues.
About The Author
Janice Shaw Crouse is a former speechwriter for George H. W. Bush and now political commentator for the Concerned Women for America Legislative Action Committee.
More
C'mon, the pundits we were so concerned about Sarah Palin, what with her 150K$ wardrobe that a few minor details were bound to slip past them.