One of the ironies of political journalism is that reporters seem to heap contempt on the superficiality of politics, the cynical posturing, and the opportunism, while at the same time embracing the values they purport to condemn. So many of them care nothing about substance, but are only concerned with appearance. They claim to value "authenticity," but what gets their praise is a convincing portrayal of the authentic. So George W. Bush, son of a president and grandson of a senator, who bought a "ranch" in 1999 in preparation for his presidential run so he could pretend to clear brush like a real live cowboy, got fawning coverage for being down-home and genuine, while his two opponents got eviscerated by the press for being elitist sons of privilege. Their problem wasn't their backgrounds; it was that they weren't nearly as good of actors as Bush. Those reporters keep in their minds an idealized "real" American, a small-town simpleton easily swayed by a shiny ad or a picture of a candidate munching on a corn dog. Let's watch this 1.5-minute video produced by Sarah Palin's people, and then we'll see what the guy who may be the most important political reporter in America had to say about it:
We have some rather silly and empty talk about "mama grizzlies," and how women are gettin' all mad about government and stuff. We also have about 100 different shots, essentially of three different scenes: Sarah Palin at a podium, Sarah Palin giving a woman a hug, and Sarah Palin posing for pictures with one or more women. But there's music! And sometimes the camera is jittery, just like in pretty much every movie and television show these days!So here's how Mike Allen of the Politico responded:
