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The Media will help the Reform Party.
WEB-TEXT VERSION OF THE NAFTA ARTICLE
Media will help Reform Party change politics
BY NORMAN A. LOCKMAN
There is a terrific temptation to cackle at the pretensions of DonaldTrump and Pat Buchanan seeking to be president of the United States. It is just as tempting to write off the Reform Party as the party that ought to have as its symbol the Pushmepullyou, a hapless two-headed creature conjured up in a children's story. But don't jump to too many conclusions too fast.
This is a phenomenon that could alter American politics. I'm not suggesting that any of these people should wind up in the White House, perish the thought. But given the American taste for tasteless spectacle, these people are going to change the way we think about national politics.
As long as they are on the scene, the media will worship these guys. Whenever, slambang personalities vie with issues, do I really have to tell you which will get more media time? Furthermore, they already have plenty of strange company. Donald Trump appealing to Regis Philbin fans is certainly no stranger than Flat Tax, Steve Forbes appealing to Flat Earthers. Warren Beatty is no weirder on the left than Alan Keyes is on the right. Ross Perot is no more quixotic then Gary Bauer. Minnesota Governor, Jesse Ventura's recently published ideas are hardly more bizarre than Pat Buchanan's. Having them in the campaign is worth the suspense of seeing who any one of them might choose as a running mate. The possibilities boggle the mind.
Banish boredom
Traditional politicians are tossing armind the word "circus", when they talk about the field of candidates eyeing the Reform Party's national ticket. The last time I went to a circus, it was packed. People love circuses, and they are likely to love this one. What is more, a lot of people who would not have paid much attention to Vice President Al Gore growing grass, and Bill Bradley stooping down to shake hands with little kids, will tune in on this circus.
They may be tuned in for the wrong reasons, but many of them will be paying attention to national politics for the first time. There are more people than you think who would delight in watching any one of these birds of paradise fly up the the Establishment's nose. Ask the old guard in Minnesota. Circus or not, the shakeout of the Reform Party's potential candidates is going to get national attention, and when it is over, the traditional parties may wonder what hit them as newly energized voters turn to them for some excitement.
The Photos' subtitle:
CHANGELINGS: Donald Trump, above right being interviewed on the "Larry King Live" show, and Pat Buchanan right photo, are both vying for the presidential nomination from the Reform Party.
The rteason is this gaggle of pretenders doesn't bother with political double-talk. They rant. They say things regular people say to each other in bowling alleys and overTV dinners. Take Ventura's Playboy interview. Nothing in it has not been said repeatedly in bars and cars all over America, not even the worst characterizations of people and institutions. What makes us aghast is that he said it on the record, with gusto, and has done little to indicate he's sorry he said what he did.
Ditto with Buchanan and his canard about Hitler and the Nazis. It is as if they know we Americans have a terrible fascination with meatheads. The traditional parties and politicians are going to have no choice but to learn how to talk like real people with sense, just to offset the "damn right" rhetoric ofthe new wave. And they are going to do it without using snore-speak.
The Reform troupe (and some of the far-right Republican contenders) is (sic) are probably, going to tell you what they honestly think, even if it is way off base.
Traditional politicians are going to have to learn to stop trimming and do the same thing, because honesty, even perverse honesty, has an appeal that connects directly to hearts. It's beginning to look like we should just line'em all up, Republicans, Democrats, and Reformers, and book Jerry Springer to stage the first presidential debate of the new millenium, with Howard Stem and Don Imus asking the questions.
Norman A. Lockman, a Pulitzer Prize winner, is assoctate editor of The Wilmington (Del.) News Journal.
