Is it just me, or are politicians more involved in popular culture than ever before? Perhaps I just never noticed until recently, but it seems more and more political candidates—namely those in the running for prime minister—are half-acting on political programs (more often than not shows which are satirical in nature), appearing on talk shows and sitting for interviews. Though this new political trend seems to be more prominent in the United States, party leaders in Canada are nevertheless garnering more air-time than ever before. The question is: Are politicians doing these appearances because they believe it will help their parties acquire voter support, or are they just famewhores?
Ever since Obama won the American presidential election of 2008, I wondered how much of his involvement in popular culture enterprises such as The View, Oprah and Saturday Night Live earned him votes. Though he was already dominating the media (you can draw your own conclusions as to why that was), Obama accepted invitations to many talk shows and comedic programs. Did incorporating himself into popular culture contribute to his historical win? In a society where most people now find themselves glued to their televisions and laptops, choosing to watch their favorite shows instead of watching the news, I imagine it did. Rather than just watching “Obama the politician” participate in organized debates and deliver speeches from behind a podium, the American public were able to consider “Obama the human being” through his popular culture appearances; appearances which made him more relatable to the general public (most of whom would rather watch Entertainment Tonight than Fox News).
I think Obama’s campaign has resulted in a lot of politicians coming up with alternative strategies to appeal to the public, and I don’t think that is necessarily a bad thing. Hearing political leaders rant and rave in the House of Commons (or should I say, Coliseum) or watching them battle it out during televised debates can be, in a word, tiresome. I’ll be the first to confess that I like when politicians let their hair down and get involved in shows like The Rick Mercer Report and This Hour Has 22 Minutes. Though their appearances may be rehearsed or satirical, it’s a nice reminder that politicians are actually human beings with senses of humor and not screaming ideological robots.
Despite the entertainment factor, are appearances of such a nature irrelevant? Perhaps. But in a time of public indifference, I think it makes sense to try and engage voters in a new and fresh way. Why not appeal to a person’s sense of humor, rather than their cynicism? Though some appearances can be downright gimmicky, political comedy routines are more than often punctured with actual messages. It isn’t difficult to discern the ideology behind the witticism.
The question of whether light-hearted appearances on late-night television actually work to win over voters is one I don’t think I can answer. All I know is, for a card-carrying Liberal who’d rather eat dirt than see Stephen Harper win another election, I found his stint on The Rick Mercer Report to be oddly hilarious. After seeing his adorable daughter scream alongside Mercer while hidden under a make-shift fort, Harper gained a few points with me (Of course, prorogation knocked him back again. What’s the saying? One step forward, two steps back?). By participating in comedic sketches (thereby poking a little fun at themselves) and letting reporters into their homes, politicians like Stephen Harper, Michael Ignatieff and Jack Layton certainly make themselves more relatable.
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