fastidium

Bill Clinton ushered in a new era of mediated politics to the U.S. presidency. William Jefferson Clinton, at the beginning of his presidency, was the new face of the boomer generation. He brought 60’s welfare politics together with an attempt at protecting all those pensions and 401k out there. His presidency ended on an unbelievable string of photo ops, speeches and an all-time high for job approval ratings. Remember the year of Monica? Remember the explanation about the meaning of “is”, the pastoral advice sessions with Jesse Jackson, the Monica State of the Union address, and the impeachment? It was an incredible time, wasn’t it?

By the end of his presidency, Clinton’s platform was no longer his progressive social agenda, it was his ability to perform in front of an audience. It had to be. Its what saved his presidency. His delivery and stage presence were what mattered in the end - “What about Monica?” was what we were all thinking, while he spoke so eloquently about whatever topic was being discussed. Clinton’s legacy, in the history of world politics, will be that he showed us how to turn causes and issues into brand names. He was the prototype for personality politics and it has been emulated over and over again to this day.

In a recent cover story for Fast Company (Al Gore’s $100 Million Makeover by Ellen McGirt), the man who was second in command during Clinton’s run, Al Gore, discussed the topic of running for President: “What politics has become is something that requires a kind of tolerance for artifice and manipulative communications strategies that I just find I have in very short supply. I just don’t have the patience for things that seem to be greatly rewarded in today’s political system.” Who do you think he was talking about there?

A “tolerance for artifice”. I like that phrase. Artifice is a artful skill, sometimes false or insincere. Its a skill at evading or deflecting the attention of those around you from one topic to another, or in Clinton’s case, deflecting the media from other issues onto himself. Then, once the attention was on him as a person, we could begin to see him as “just one of the guys.”

Mediated politics, indeed.

By the way, after losing the presidential seat himself (although he won the popular vote), Al Gore has gone onto become a huge financial success in a cable television company, an investment firm, and six-figure speaking engagements. Having been the one talking about it for decades now, he’s become somewhat of a prophet for global warming. His net worth, by some estimates, is in excess of $100 million.