March 29, 2008
Washington: The New Hollywood
By Max Buzzell

KEY WEST (Conch-Wonk) - Is Hillary the next Garbo? Is Barack the next Gable? Is John McCain the new John Wayne? You might think so judging by the amount of attention they're getting. There's a lot of drama unfolding right now. Some would say that starring on the silver screen represents the height of fame and popularity. But these days the silver screen has been taken home, diminished in size, and the movie has been placed beside sit-coms, the evening news, and commercial advertising. The market share for every form of entertainment is dwindling as the forms themselves multiply like rabbits.

In Hollywood, the work is hit-and-miss, and the interesting work is scarce. When they have strikes, production stops, and the viewers just flip to a different channel. Viewership for the Academy Awards is at an all-time low. You might start out waiting tables, and if you work hard, sleep with everyone, and get lucky, you just might be lied about in tabloids and get asked to "walk the carpet." Your current work will be competing for eyeballs along with all your previous work. In Hollywood, the ladder is stretching ever higher, and you must become "royalty" before you're anyone.

In politics, the situation is almost the opposite. You start much closer to the top. When you get elected, your job is good for the length of the term. Typically, you get a staff. The demands of the job are monumental, and there is always something interesting that you can get someone else to fix. You get to vote for your own pay raises. You start out appearing regularly on local television, and from the get-go you can set your sights on the White House, and being in living rooms around the world 24/7. No matter how sizable the population becomes, there can only be one president, fifty governors, one hundred senators, etc. In other words, the job of politician is one that is becoming increasingly rarefied, . . . and powerful. You occupy a central place by definition all the time. You don't need to drive to where the paparazzi might be to get noticed; rather, the most important world leaders, business leaders, and leading journalists compete for the opportunity to listen to you.

Hollywood and Washington are both in the "make believe" business. Both are about wants, and needs, and the future. In both places people play to the cameras, and wear makeup. In both places the competition is for the airwaves, the billboard space, and attention spans. Throughout history it has been the politics of our species that has been "the greatest show on Earth" (except for a few brief years when that was the circus). Only politicians get their mugs on the money. Show business and the movies still have a place in society, but political issues are now more pressing as everything becomes a global concern in seconds. Unlike movie stars, we need our politicians.

A growing amount of television emanates from government sources. All news is now of the format "journalist in front of government building expounding on what they were just told inside." There are channels dedicated to 24x7 punditry, NASA, and Military coverage. There is the humorous side of politics, such as the shows of Jon Stewart, Stephen Colbert, Bill Maher, and Saturday Night Live. There is a growing C-SPAN series of channels. There are the Sunday morning news shows. Ann Coulter, James Carville, and Dick Morris are different kinds of stars, but nonetheless they are sure to boost ratings. Government officials are often on financial news shows. The Supreme Court often gets coverage, as does the Coast Guard, FEMA, etc., etc. Who but government officials launch ships, and open bridges. The History channel is primarily about the acts of governments, politicians, and various military outfits. Then there are the campaigns, the conventions, and other Ballot Bowl coverage, . . . and the list goes on. Even on reality shows like COPS, and in drama series, crime series, and movies, much of what we see is how people interact with government agencies or representatives. What seems to be happening is that sports and shows for toddlers are just moving further and further down the dial.

So what is it we want from politicians anyway? Well, as it turns out: a movie star smile, a little song and dance, followed by some real substance, some truthiness, . . . and lots of solutions. That's all. Same as always. Just bigger, and better, and with more special effects please.