.:written during '00 primaries:.
I was up late watching C-Span one night, (something which has yielded me with countless gems on worthy information), when I first discovered Jim Taylor. Jim Taylor, along with a number of other individuals, is currently running for president of the United States as an independent. His campaign motto, “Because Everything Is Crappy,” may be one of the most refreshing statements in modern politics. He claims to be the only presidential candidate who lives from paycheck to paycheck and who does not have health insurance.
While I do not intend to vote for Mr. Taylor, I find his approach to politics refreshing and unique. He is currently bridging the gap between entertainment and politics, creating public spectacles and dragging a film crew in his wake. I am certain that the sheer enthusiasm of this individual for politics will help inspire a number of people to become more involved in this years campaign.
This is important, because the biggest and most influential segment of the population in American politics today is the non-voter. Voter apathy, one of the issues closest to the heart of Taylor’s campaign, is responsible for the slow deconstruction of democracy in this country.
Voter apathy did not just occur, this is not a new phenomenon; it is, instead, a gradual process originally noticed and lampooned by Wavy Gravy in 1975 with the “Nobody for President” campaign. According to the figures available on the “Nobody For President” website, only 52.5% of eligible voters between the age of 18-24 actually registered to vote, and only 42.8% actually voted in 1992. Compare this to the age group 45-65, where 75.3% registered and 70.1% voted, and you begin to see the problem.
Voting is a privilege, originally only afforded to the white male landowners. It took many years and the political action of many different individuals to create a political climate within which all citizens, barring felony convictions, are allowed to vote. In fact, it could be argued that this country was not actually a democracy until 1964, when the Equal Rights Amendment opened up the voting booth to people regardless of race. People died for this right.
I know full well that this argument is an ineffective one. Those who do not vote do so because politics is boring to them, and no amount of rhetoric will arouse interest. Indeed, rhetoric, especially that which contains historical and sociological data, actually increases their determination that politics is boring. People, as a whole, prefer to be excited, stimulated, and pandered to. They want to see conflict, comedy, drama, and action. They do not want to sit through hours of issue-related debate; they want to see the President of the United States apologize to his wife on national television. And it is not only the viewers who are bored.
John W. Mashek: “I think the press was bored. We didn't have any suspense. But I don't blame the press as much as I do the candidates and the campaigns for the boredom that set in.” John Mashek is one of the authors of "Lethargy '96: How the Media Covered a Listless Campaign.” Others responsible for this book are Lawrence T. McGill, Media Studies Center research director; and Adam Clayton Powell III, Freedom Forum vice president of technology programs.
According to Lawrence T. McGill: “There was a lot of talk about this being the campaign during which the voter checked out early and didn't pay attention to it very closely. There is reasonable evidence to show that the amount of attention people were paying did go down from 1992 to 1996.” In other words, people are steadily becoming numb to the very idea of politics.
This is where Jim Taylor comes in.
There’s something else I need to tell you about Jim Taylor. He knows that, unless there is a sudden and spontaneous transformation in the methods of political media coverage, very few people are going to hear about his campaign. This is where his skill as an independent filmmaker comes into play.
While on the campaign trail, Jim is also directing a film based on his bid for the presidency entitled “Run Some Idiot.” He plans to have this film completed and released before the November election. Judging from his statements so far, both on his website and during the C-Span debates, he is taking aim at the way that the media creates voter apathy by restricting the public’s access to independent candidates. His theory, a view I also share, is that more people would vote if there were more candidates to choose from.
By allowing those political parties which fall outside of either the Democratic or the Republican Parties, a sense of diversity in opinion and approach to political issues will create the spectacle people now demand from their television sets. These spectacles will act to focus the attention of the public. In fact, I propose that these displays be given as much attention as one of the various awards shows the networks occasionally hold to give themselves awards. This seems only fair.
Imagine, if you will, a huge theater, filled with smoke. There, at center stage, a single shadowy figure holds up a giant gavel. A hush falls over the crowd, and soft, ominous music begins building in the background. A flash explosion on the stage sets a ring of fire to blazing. Laser lights dance wildly about the audience as the announcer intones: “The contenders for the United States Presidency!” Then proceeds to read off each candidates vital statistics as, one by one, they run out onto stage and leap through the flames like lions at a circus.
Dancers join them, and an Uncle Sam on stilts strides across the background, all while the opening credits are displayed for the viewers at home. Two play by play announcers fresh from WWF and a political theorist discuss each candidates strengths and weaknesses, while on-line participants challenge each other in a running chat displayed along the bottom of the screen. Meanwhile each candidate enters into a gameshow format wherein they are challenged on their law, geography, and political knowledge. Then they undergo a psychological evaluation, urine testing, and a physical examination.
That would make for great television, to say the least.
