The Fine Line Between Politics And Entertainment

Over the last few decades, the United States has witnessed a major transformation in its political decision making process. Probably because of the internet, 24 hour news channels, and numerous other factors, it seems that the media has become far more than merely a reporter of the news and politics.

Sarah Palin became a hero to the Tea Party, much because of the "homey" feeling she transmitted over the airwaves, and a feeling by many that she was "just like the rest of us." After John McCain and her defeat in 2008, Ms.Palin has become somewhat of a media celebrity, appearing as a regular on the Fox News Channel, and soon to release her book, which has already recorded huge numbers of pre-sales.

Recently, talk show host Glenn Beck led a conservative rally in Washington DC. Hundreds of thousands of people attended, and the media covered it extensively. Seemingly in response, John Stewart and Stephen Colbert held their "sanity" rally in the same area, attracting another large crowd. This, too, was covered extensively by the media, even though both Stewart and Colbert described their event as not being political. However, anyone who has ever listened to, or watched either Colbert's or Stewart's shows, realize that they are political satires, based on current events. Obviously, there is a very fine line between politics, satire and entertainment.

Many comics have for years based their humor on current and political events. However, recently, because of the number of channels of television that come into many homes, Americans are nearly bombarded daily with news shows, commentary shows, satires and comedies. Sometimes, it is quite difficult to recognize the difference between when one starts and the other ends.

Unfortunately, it is a fact that a large number of American voters are less than optimally informed about relevant issues. During this 2010 mid-term election, there was not only an anti- President Obama vote, but there was an anti-incumbent, anti-taxes, etc. vote as well. One would think that if it was the desire of the American public to be more "conservative," the group of conservative Democrats known as the "Blue Dogs," would have fared far better during this election, where a very high percentage of this group was also voted out of office.

How many voters were fully informed what the "opposition" candidates would actually do, or were these merely votes out of frustration, with the weakness of the American economy and the high joblessness rate? Our political system must better inform the public on issues, instead of merely entertain them.