Politics as a Show Business

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As an example of Nixon`s followers we can describe Bill Clinton. His PR was generated by what he`s taken from Nixon`s media machine and was successful on TV because his style and persona mesh so well with television spin revolution. Clinton`s media-team conducted meetings twice daily analyzing media coverage and disscussing how to script Clinton`s responses. However the main feature of his media machine was what he`s called ‘rapid response strategy’: this strategy involved running an opposition research unit .The opposition research gathered needed information on opposition politicians – their live performances, interviews, background, place in media and feed. Such research enabled Clinton`s team to have communications before appearing in front of public. With all this, Clinton never performed on television without beforehand negotiation with producers of media channels and discussing which topics are allowed/disallowed. Using the Internet, Clinton made it accessible to contact the White House via e-mail (a lot similar to telegrams and letters to the White House at Nixon`s times). Clinton`s policy was based on communication campaigns and thus during his term PR-ized politics came with both the republicants and democrats playing one game – trying to put a positive spin on their activities and a negative one on the opposition using the dirty tricks. (Louw, 2005, p.162).

Entertainment and celebrities

Involving celebrities helps political process to gain an attention from masses; however it is both mutual because celebrities are promoting their image and fight for title and loyalty of their “brand” using politics as a channel.

Kanye West - american rapper, record producer, and fashion designer – has recently announced Presidental Run during his MTV WMA speech. He said that he is going to run for president`s position in 2020 after a long hilarious speech about how he smokes a little something before getting on the stage because he`s a believer in art and it`s connected all together. For now, it`s been a huge bunch of pranks regarding his speech, there are heaps of discussions, parodies, articles on this topic, for example the Motherboard, specialized in blogging, longform reporting, and video journalism, investigating news and events even has an article on “What a Kanye Presidency Would Look Like”, where they present five visions of America under President Kanye. (Motherboard, 2015). [pic 1]The main fact that Kanye`s speech has attracted the attention not only of the average media channels but also of some high-ranked personalities. Barack Obama, current American President, gives Kanye West some tips on how to behave on such position.The Rollingstone magazine`s article by Daniel Kreps from October 10, 2015 discusses the thing in detail, starting that the rapper was on hand to assist in the fundraising efforts of the Democratic National Committee as West joined President Barack Obama at San Francisco's the Warfield Theatre Saturday morning. The event, which supported the Democratic Hope Fund, promised a musical performance by West, but first Obama warmed up the crowd by doling out some political advice for Kanye 2020. "Do you really think that this country is going to elect a black guy from the South Side of Chicago with a funny name to be president," Obama quipped. "Couldn't get any stranger, but in case Kanye's serious about this whole POTUS thing – or as he calls it, 'Peezy' – I do have some advice for him. There's some stuff I picked up along the way..." . (Rolling Stone, 2015). Obama isn`t the first politician who has commented on Kanye`s run for a president. Donald Trump and Ben Carson were, hovewer, a lot more nicer to Kanye`s attempt and noticed that Kanye is not a type of person that everyone thinks he is. With the whole situation we can admit how fast this Kanye`s action caused the hightened attention to his person (image & loyalty), to political process (mass) and to comentators on his action as well. [pic 2]

The other way is creating a celebrity out of the politician, of course, mostly without their desire to it. The daily matters and a classic routine of a politician can meet the convertion into fun story made up of cut and put into a ‘right’ angle information, which brings masses to the certain reaction – and the target of media channels is to make masses laugh! Since we couldn’t make fun of the events themselves because they are of primary political importance, we could make fun of some of the coverage of the events – and this is how media engages into dirty tricks and manipulation, exaggerating to the highest point. This can also happen on ground of a certain action of politician, which leads to further making pranks on this subjects as the action is controversial. As an example, we could descry Kim Jong-un. [pic 3]

Kim Jong-un is the current leader of the Democratic People`s Republic of Korea, commonly known as North Korea, is recently very often been mentioned in media for his threats of destroying the United States of America (USA) with nuclear weapons. After the conducted research the USA was able to retrieve information about North Korea`s weaponary`s strength, showing that the latter possess ridiculously minuscule ability to reach the destination. This lead to appearring of pranks regarding this issue all over the mass media and particulary on internet resources. Facing such pictures all over the internet, the leader of North Korea starts seeming more funny than threatful: the media found a way to present a story so the mass will: a) know about the issues happening in political circle; b) receive it in a way of a joke so they are satisfied. [pic 4][pic 5][pic 6]

On the ground of such information, mass goes further and internet bloggers or simple users start making fun of a political leader as a whole, not even regarding the issue being revealed in media. This involves everything which is obvious to joke about: as far as mass is not appropriately cognizant with a leader`s politics and a general conduct, they use appearrance for example. This leads to further distorted perception of a person. Look at the picture 3. Is it even possible to be serious about him after such?

Common responsibility

Media events show politicians engaged in the business of governing or carefully deliberating over public policy issues. Another class of media event shows the politician with his or her family, participating in casual activities, or in a seemingly unguarded and intimate moment. (Yale,1998). Thus, once media reflects on politicians public and private life, the masses follow the idea that the politician`s image is exactly how the media shows it; masses form an opinion and