Political theater at it’s finest. Why is the media acting so surprised? More importantly and telling, however, is the surprise of politicians and the business titans that share a mutual affinity for disingenuousness, i.e., BS. Donald Trump leading early GOP polls and Bernie Sanders making serious inroads on the Dems’ side? Both masquerading as serious presidential candidates and daring to intrude on our silly parade of adults in suits bowing and scrapping and pontificating to the huddled masses in order to secure victory and commandeer Air Force One? How dare they?… ask the ever so dull politicians and power brokers that have so patiently waited their turn; and who are already busy writing their dishonest TV ads? These same politicians that John Stewart, who interviewed all on his TV show, labeled, “Sales people.” “They live in a world of denial and conjuring. It’s very strange, it’s very strange to talk to people who have lost their awareness that that’s what they’re doing. At least with a salesperson, they’ll every now and again, they go, ‘Look, I shouldn’t be tellin’ you this. This is a piece of crap.”
Trump and Sanders…two guys, totally and completely different human beings with opposite life styles and senses of themselves and certainly, political philosophies…confounding politicos while feeding the media great ratings and a reason to be…What’s going on here? Have pigs finally learned to fly? One of my fellow Pay-for-Performance PR pros has a possible take on Mr. Trumps’ ulterior motive worth considering… And while Mr. Sanders’ motives appear to be less self-serving, his campaign is equally savvy in making him stand out, and above, by doing exactly what Mr. Trump is doing…only without the crude boorish defensive behavior. And both seem to know that it’s more about what they are not saying than what they are…political platitudes and remarks so carefully culled of all and anything that might offend even the tiniest of minorities, that the result is tedious, repetitive oatmeal. In other words, two guys that don’t measure their every word, but are saying what they believe…even if it offends a few of us or all of us. Somehow this is striking a nerve with the American public that longs for some color, no matter how garish, after years of gray.
The politicians, old and new, need not worry, however. The good ones will learn the techniques of honest and clear communications and use it to their advantage. The less skilled and dishonest will awkwardly try to cloak themselves in “straight talk” and stunts only to ultimately look as foolish as an old man with dyed hair and a comb-over.
