Done with Adults
He reminds us that Paul Ryan was introduced to the country as a young policy wonk with a head full of Austrian economics. That apparently wasn’t what America was looking for. The rise of youth culture is the reason the least “cool” candidate has always lost the presidential election (from Jimmy Carter and Walter Mondale in the 1980s to George Bush and Bob Dole in the 1990s to the recent losses of John McCain and Mitt. Romney).
“The combination of youth culture and 21st century technology has made attention the currency of the moment. Sober, calm, and judicious are out. Loud, obnoxious, and incessant are in.” That is why Donald Trump defeated Jeb Bush, Marco Rubio, and Ted Cruz in the Republican primaries.
One research study concluded that the 2016 election was “extremely light on policy.” Instead, it was driven by clickbait. You don’t get lots of coverage by going on C-SPAN with a PowerPoint presentation on tax policy or health care policy. You get attention with tweets and verbal slams.
Cline explained, “Sober, dignified figures such as Paul Ryan are at a double disadvantage in this new era . . . To paraphrase Sean Connery in The Untouchables, they bring a pie chart to a knife fight.”
This is a sad, but probably accurate, assessment of the state of American politics today. As voters and citizens, we should demand more from our candidates and politicians. Unfortunately, we are willing to settle for so much less.
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Kerby Anderson is a radio talk show host heard on numerous stations via the Point of View Network endorsed by Dr. Bill Smith, Editor, ARRA News Service
Tags: Kerby Anderson, Viewpoints, Point of View, Done with Adults, Paul Ryan, To share or post to your site, click on "Post Link". Please mention / link to the ARRA News Service and "Like" Facebook Page - Thanks!
Posted by Bill Smith at 11:05 AM - Post Link
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