GOP Hocus Pocus: Turning a Liar into a Minor Celebrity

Okay, let’s state the obvious: the GOP’s got a huge problem with candidate quality. It’s not just Herschel Walker (GA), George Santos (NY), or Anna Paulina Luna (FL), who’ve all been accused of lying or fudging their credentials or back stories. It’s a real pattern. It’s like Republicans pick any ol’ malleable Joe Schmoe to throw in the ring, which causes folks to question the GOP’s selection process or if one really exists.

Lately, it appears Republicans favor candidates with the least amount of political baggage and the most loyalty (or professed loyalty) to the party’s platform. If they attract lots of sticky media coverage along the way, for whatever unfortunate reason, that’s fabulous! One might even think some GOP candidates are vetted for scandal and the visibility it can garner. “Print anything about me you want, just spell my name right,” goes the old joke.

Car-crash journalism

Basically, the media loves anything that makes people slow down to gawk, like a train wreck or a car crash. Media outlets can grab people’s sustained attention with all the juicy, unethical details of those in power or those vying for power. By covering dishonest behavior, the media can shape opinion and by attracting eyeballs, they can get money from advertisers. The more flawed or outrageous a politician or wannabe, the more people clamor for fodder for the next social media meme.

Remember how much airtime the media gave to candidate Donald Trump? Coverage was non-stop and continued through his presidency! Sure, it was unpalatable, but we couldn’t look away. But once he became the Former Prez, he was less interesting. His 2020 election lies wore thin, the public grew weary, and the media needed a new celebrity to keep folks tuned in.

We don’t need another zero

Here’s the deal. Turning any politician into a media darling of sorts results in voters not knowing the real candidate or their platform until too laIe. But sadly, infamy appears to have a huge payoff for GOP fibbers and scalawags. These buffoons, if elected based solely on name recognition, easily slip into granting more favors to the special interests and have less accountability.

In essence, intentionally-bad candidates foster less trust in the election process, one of the far-right’s blatant strategies to burn down democracy. At the end of the day, the media’s obsession with shady characters and the political right’s focus on media coverage at all costs is a true bummer.