It takes a Potemkin Village
That Elizabeth Bumiller's conduct during the New York Democratic debates was attrocious, we can all agree.
However, let us not forget the excellent piece she wrote on the stagecraft of the Bush Administration, in which she coined the phrase "Sforzian backdrops" (pictured) -- the American equivalent of "Potemkin Village."
From a Texas ranch that wasn't a real ranch, to a "Mission Accomplished" banner without a mission accomplished, to a turkey for the troops that wasn't a real turkey, to a "Jobs and Growth" plan that could not reasonably be expected to create jobs, the Bush White House has mastered the art of imagery and deception. On Karl Rove's conception of politics, one should campaign as though people are watching their televisions with the sound turned down. Image is everything.
I was reminded of these points when I came across this Newsweek article linked by Atrios. I was surprised to learn that Bush's recent, controversial advertisements included firemen. Johnny and Roy haven't been too keen on Bush, given his political exploitation of 9/11 (a day on which many firemen lost their lives) and his shortchanging of first-responder funding. Their union has endorsed John Kerry for President.
But it turns out that the firemen were as fake as Bush's Thanksgiving turkey:
Another less-publicized aspect of the ad flap: the use of paid actors -- including two playing firefighters with fire hats and uniforms in what looks like a fire station. "Where the hell did they get those guys?" cracked Harold Schaitberger, president of the International Association of Fire Fighters, which has endorsed John Kerry, when he first saw the ads.
(A union spokesman said the shots prompted jokes that the fire hats looked like the plastic hats "from a birthday party.") "There's many reasons not to use real firemen," retorted one Bush media adviser. "Mainly, its cheaper and quicker."
"It's cheaper and quicker." Doesn't that capture it all?
It takes a Potemkin Village to make this President presidential.
Postscript: On this theme, I recommend Philip Dick's brilliant short story, "The Mold of Yancy." It is one of my favorite Dick pieces. As a commentary on totalitarianism, it equals Orwell and Huxley.
12:53:21 AM 
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