Say Something Real
America’s Obsession with Shiny Objects
By Michelle Bryant
Michelle Bryant
Working in politics, you learn a lot about people. If you are paying attention, you learn to read a room, when to speak, and when to keep your powder dry. You figure out what resonates and what falls flat in messaging around your issues. You also learn the inconvenient truth about too many people…shiny trumps substance. We are a superficial species, that elevates others based on beauty, money, status, or perceived perfection. Let me give you an example of what I mean.
A few years ago, there was a candidate for office in Wisconsin who had a speech impediment. After meeting with him, I remembered thinking “Great guy, solid credentials, not going to win”. His speech pattern required the listener to be deliberate and patient while talking with him. You had to lean in to understand his words. If you overheard him speak, you could mistake the verbal disability for a cognitive delay. The ugly truth was that he would not be evaluated for his many accomplishments or qualifications. He would be judged by much more superficial measures. As an electorate, we can be indolent, unforgiving, and easily persuaded by shiny objects or people. The recent Presidential debate is a perfect example.
By all accounts, the much-anticipated match-up between President Joe Biden and Donald Trump, was alarming. While Trump was on script…dishonest, effusive, delusional, etc., Biden’s slow and befuddled moments set the country and Democratic Party on fire. Questions of age and competency were falling from the lips of political pundits, party acolytes, and of course the haters. In 90 minutes, all of these folks were willing to look away from a three-and-a-half-year record of historic accomplishments. But if you leaned in and were deliberate in your listening, you would have heard the most substantive comments of the entire debate.
The topics included abortion, the January 6th attack, the economy, Trump’s criminal conviction, and more. Biden laid out the fact that he was left with a mess, as the nation battled COVID-19. Biden reiterated the work to reduce everyday costs for Americans and bring needed financial resources to address everything from infrastructure to small businesses. He was the strongest, (vocally, for sure) on the issue of protecting democracy and it is this subject that requires the toughest review.
Our democracy, as we currently know it, is shifting. Like quicksand, the ground is ceding and the victories of the past are slowly dissolving. As a nation, we can’t continue to be drawn to carnival barkers, bright shiny objects, or grandiose promises. We must resist the urge to be lazy voters. We must honestly investigate and evaluate the work records of candidates. Social media posts can not be our only source of information. It is in a true review of what’s at stake, that we will make choices based on the collective needs of our country. William Shakespeare once said, “All that glitters is not gold”. While less elegant, I’m saying “All that stutters and stumbles ain’t wrong”.