I once went with a friend to an SGA meeting at my previous college. It was held in a fairly large room, with the leaders of the SGA at a table in front, facing the audience made of students, Resident Assistants, Senators from each floor of every dorm building. It was a small school and there were probably around 100 to 120 people in the room, which was a good number of people.
Everyone in the SGA dressed up in at least a shirt and tie, a dress, etc. Some of them wore big wool sports jackets. Make-up with flair was present as well. I mention this because, as the evening went on, I began to get the sense that I was in some kind of theatrical production. One of my friends stood up to talk about an issue that was upsetting him. The moderator fielded several responses. One person would say something, then another would pick it up, either agreeing or disagreeing. But it wasn't what was said, it was the cadence of their speech and their body movements that I still remember. It was like watching a play about a town hall meeting, somebody saying, 'Now this here is our town and we've got to protect it,' while lifting up his chest to show that he was "speaking from the heart". Then there would be another person saying, 'well, we should consider what he has to say and not say no immediately to the suggestion', while furrowing her brow and giving the "look of concentration".
Strangely, people broke into applause after some of the later and more 'impassioned' statements. And after each statement I got the sense that every person speaking was summoning the energy of the crowd and riding on top of the wave of support to make their speech, or monologue as it were.
Politicians behave like this too. They are like highly-educated celebrities, with a similar need for the kind of attention that celebrities get. The Twitter bombs, the supposedly ill-timed and ill-conceived remarks are carefully placed to achieve the desired effect, which is not always clear. It may seem black and white--you either win and are elected to office or not, but it is a much more subtle process.
Everything a politician says is either scripted by more savvy architects of political construction, like a playwright writes for an actor, or it is such an ambiguous or obvious statement that any harm it might cause cannot be stuck to the administration. Take Donald Trump's statement about global warming, in the header image. This is a joke or a heavily distorted version of what he was trying to say. What you have to understand is that politicians say things that suites the media where they say it. This is a perfect example because it makes you say WTF? What could he mean? Is this man INSANE? I AM GOING TO WATCH EVERY INTERVIEW HE IS IN TO SEE IF HE CAN EXPLAIN HIMSELF! This last statement is what Mr. Trump is fishing for, because in fulfilling it you are buying in to his celebrity. You are giving him attention, and politicians, or public 'business' figures, like celebrities, need attention to survive.
On the other hand, Hillary has been a part of political scandal-hijinxs ever since her time as First Lady.
All of these disgraces and perceived lapses of intelligence basically amount to an altered form of entertainment. A perverse one, maybe, but only if you take it too seriously. Like Bill Clinton, who publicly played his sax and had illicit sex, both as a president. That is entertaining; he was entertaining, and comedians still make jokes about him today. And now his former First Lady is running for his old office, perhaps in spite of his Second Lady, in true Real Housewife form. This is the stuff of prime time television gold. Add in a crazed celebrity business man and it becomes the golden goose of network ratings.
Coming soon to theaters--one woman who has seen it all. She's been the president's better half, seen him fall from grace and is now rising to the ultimate challenge in a turbulent, fast-paced America--becoming the first woman president! (shows heroic shot of Hillary Clinton--cuts to Trump in his tower office petting a white cat)
