A is for Appearance, B is for Believability

Some might see this as a further sign of the coming apocalypse, others just indicative of the state of our political system and media. The NY Times did a story showcasing the new world of political pundit training.

A school calling itself the “Leadership Institute” in Arlington, VA is focusing on the worst parts of journalism and political science and offering classes in how to be a better participant in discussion shows like Hardball or Hannity & Colmes.

Too often political discussion in our country is reduced into sound bites in order to be more appealing. It creates an atmosphere of turning serious policy decisions into a jerry springer episode. Discouraging real intellectual discussions, the winner is determined by who has the better zing or punchline instead of the better idea. No wonder when the founding fathers were creating the constitution they held meetings behind closed doors.

With that said, since that is the world we live in, those who do it well are rewarded. Traditionally, these roles have been held by old policy wonks like Novak or McLaughlin. Now, a new young generation is coming up and showing that they have the verbal moves to match wits and attract viewers. Racheal Maddow of MSNBC consistently beats Larry King now.

This has long been the conservatives playground. Republicans are very good at distracting from real issues. Think about the current campaign. While the economy is tanking, McCain wants to focus on who Obama may or may not know. Kerry was “swift boated”, instead of attacked on issues. So, the sooner Democrats get better at this, the better for the pary.

Training, of course, doesn’t hurt. For whatever reason, some television bookers say that Republicans are way ahead of Democrats when it comes to grooming their young for political talk shows. Historically, Republicans “considered it a primary part of the campaign to have people on television to advocate for their cause,” said Tammy Haddad, a former executive producer for “Hardball” on MSNBC. She called the Leadership Institute part of the Republican “farm system.”

Democrats may be starting to catch up. One liberal organization, the Center for American Progress, started what it calls a “pundit project” in 2006, offering on-camera training at the annual convention of the Daily Kos, a left-leaning blog, and elsewhere.