We moderates have to admit that we are currently losing the political struggle in this country. We have less of everything -- activists, candidates, PACs, pundits, think tanks, media outlets, etc.
We have some of each of these things, but less than either the right or left. There's a lot of room for improvement, to put it charitably.
Let's take a brief look at just one piece of this overall picture of centrist underachievement.
One thing that continually energizes the right and left are the presence of prominent figures in the media who offer some kind of ongoing entertainment centered on their political views.
Thus, the right has Rush Limbaugh, Sean Hannity, Bill O'Reilly, and Dr. Laura. The left has Bill Moyers, Jon Stewart, Al Franken, Michael Moore, and Harry Shearer.
These guys take politics into the entertainment realm -- making it palatable, at a minimum, to a core audience of receptive viewers/listeners, and probably exposing millions of other casual listeners as well.
In sheer volume, it probably dwarfs just about any other form of political communication. Millions of people tune in every day -- partly because they find it entertaining, and partly because they become self-identified with the movement represented by the show's host.
It would be totally natural, based purely on the available material, for an especially funny, talented centrist to join these ranks. He or she would be unique in the ability to make fun of both sides. And both sides do so many things worthy of mirthy comic deconstruction -- a truly bottomless well of material.
It's inherently more credible, I would argue, to poke fun at both sides than it is to aim your fire in one consistent direction.
The question is who? And how? How do you get someone the opportunity to emerge as a some sort of politically-oriented media figure?
I suspect the who part should focus on a certain young man who's become the most outrageous, screamingly-funny blogger on the Internet. His name is Andrew Northrup, and his blog is called The Poor Man.
I've personally had more laugh-out-loud, uncontrollable, spit-your-coffee-on-the-computer-screen moments while reading Andrew's blog than anywhere else. I challenge you to find a funnier blog. And he's consistent, too. It's not like he hit a groove a month or two ago and then rode it for a while. The guy has a wild, wicked, relentless imagination.
Perhaps a guy like Andrew -- successful in one medium, with a comfy cult following -- would be less receptive to any attempt to push him out there in other mediums he may find less natural.
Maybe. But take a moment to consider what Harry Shearer does with his radio program Le Show. It's an hour a week. Pre-recorded. And half of it's made up of his personal musical selections.
You don't have to find yourself in front of a mike speaking to a live audience to try this. It's not that scary. Really.
So that's the question. Would Andrew be willing to put something together and give it a whirl? And how would you go about arranging that kind of opportunity for him?
A key question for any candidate for the presidency is what kind of basic image they will project to the American people. What will most folks think of them? If an average voter had to peg their personality in some way, what would they say?
This is where Al Gore failed in 2000. I don't think most Americans would know what to say if asked to describe him on a personal level. Who is he? Who, among our friends and neighbors, would you compare him to? I don't think he ever answered that fundamental image question. Most folks would probably shrug their shoulders and say "I don't know" if asked to describe Gore as a person.
An advisor might have done Gore great favors by convincing him, say, a year or two before the election, that he needed to go find himself -- his basic personality -- that he needed to go sit down with a lot of Americans and relate to them on purely human levels. Take a trip across the country. Find your connection with the American people.
This is something every candidate needs to understand. You can't be president in America unless the average guy out there feels he knows who you are.
Some of the emerging 2004 contenders are wrestling with this question. What do they want the average American to think when someone says their name?
For one candidate, I think I know the answer.
Spend a little time listening to recent interviews with Joe Lieberman. He did an extended interview on NPR week before last. You can look at a column or two (or three) showing basic impressions of Joe as he tours the country.
The reactions are pretty consistent. Whether he's talking to a reporter or working a room, he comes across as nice, easygoing, gentle, and upbeat. He also manages to express firmness and convictions on various issues. He's sharp, discussing a range of complex issues in a firm but easy-going manner. And finally, he's optimistic. He manages to combine strong criticisms of the current administration with a basic vision of how things could be, should be, with new leadership.
Lieberman is setting a basic tone for his candidacy, and it's a strong one. He doesn't have the personal touch of Bill Clinton, but he's aiming for a Clintonesque optimism and easygoing style (while, at the same time, advocating a return to Clinton's policies).
If you ask politically attuned folks about Lieberman, you may very well hear different impressions. Some say he's boring ... lacking that certain spark or charisma that can move a crowd.
I see a different aspect of his personality. Something that's been there all along, if you listen to anyone who's met him. An energy and optimism that seems to be coming to the fore, now, as he takes hold of his new challenge for national leadership.
That's the critical basic challenge for the Lieberman campaign. Can they take his real personality -- what comes through when folks meet him -- and somehow project it on the national level? Is there some way of introducing him to the average voter out there, a guy who pays relatively little attention to politics and (most likely) hasn't listened to a single interview with a 2004 contender?
Those of us who want to help him need to embrace that challenge -- find ways to project the real Joe, up close and personal, to a broad segment of the American people.
