Phony Politicians
The Deception of Stage Presence
By Daniel Muniz

Brad Warthen, the editorial page editor of The State, which is an influential newspaper in South Carolina called former Senator John Edwards “a phony — a make-believe Man of The People.”

In 2003, he observed Edwards at a rally in which he initially described the presidential candidate as:

His face was impassive, slack, bored: Another crowd, another show.

However, Warthen then noted an instantaneous change in Edward’s demeanor:

As his introduction reached its climax, he straightened, and turned on a thousand-watt smile as easily and artificially as flipping a switch. He assumed the look of a man who had just, quite unexpectedly, run into a long-lost best friend. He stepped into view of the crowd at large, and worked his way, Bill Clinton-like, from the back of the crowd toward the stage — a man of the people, coming out from among the people — shaking hands with the humble, grateful enthusiasm of a poor soul who had just won the Irish Sweepstakes.

And then weeks later, Edwards returned to South Carolina for a meeting with The State’s editorial board in hopes of garnering the newspaper’s endorsement for president. At that meeting, Warthen made the following observation:

The interview proceeded according to script, a lot of aw-shucking, smiling, showing of genuine concern, and warm expressions of determination to close the gap between the Two Americas.

Afterwards, as Edwards was leaving the newspaper office, Warthen explains the encounter of an administrative assistant:

It seems that when she alone had met then-Sen. Edwards at the reception desk, she had been struck by the way he utterly ignored the folks in our customer service department and others who had hoped for a handshake or a word from the Great Man. He had saved all his amiability, all his professionally entertaining energy and talent, for the folks upstairs who would have a say in the paper’s endorsement.

Of course Brad Warthen has seen his fair share of politicians over the course of 30 years but he was struck by the stark phoniness of John Edwards. However, for those who have closely worked on numerous political campaigns, this type of chameleon behavior is not at all that uncommon although the extremes vary from person to person.

I have often thought of politicians (and it is irrelevant of political party or ideology since political operatives from both sides have observed the same thing) as being a used car salesman. There is a flashy showmanship involved and the better the theatrics, then the better the result can be. And those who have mastered the art of public speaking and persuasion, they can take their political careers to great heights.

So in other words, the genuineness and concern about issues is very much an act. And as Warthen observed, the more masterful politicians can turn their enthusiasm on and off like a light switch.

But does that mean that the warmth and sincerity is fake?

Well, yes. Although it is a ruse that doesn’t mean that he or she doesn’t believe in the issues. And just like anything that a salesman is trying to sell you, there is a level of theatrics involved. Stage presence is enormously helpful for a sales pitch and politicians are no different because they are trying to sell you something. However, it is the extremes that some candidates are willing to take their antics to that can be very disturbing to the uninitiated. It is almost as if certain politicians have multiple personalities in which the public will never know who they really are.

But in all truthfulness, many partisans don’t care all that much about the phoniness as long as the candidate sticks to a core set of beliefs. But for those voters who are unaffiliated with any party and who may not be committed to any particular ideology, then a powerful stage presence is going to make a huge difference because a politician is selling himself to the crowd which may be more important than the issues or positions.

And as many voters are already keenly aware of, there are some politicians who will say just about anything to get elected, especially when an election is only two months away. And that is where the best candidates shine. A fresh smile and an amiable cheerful personality that radiates charm and magnetism can overcome the flip-flops and outright lying.

In essence, there is a level slickness. Something that is a little too shiny and too slick to be real, much like a used car salesman using his sales pitch. And even though people hate dealing with car salesmen, it is a necessary evil because you still need to buy a car. The same goes with politicians. Their slick but bogus empathy is a necessary evil because you are still going to cast a vote.

Now should you be disillusioned?

Of course not! However, I do not condone duplicitous disingenuous behavior but the harsh reality is that politics is a blood sport where opponents often go for the jugular. As a result, most (but not all) of the people who are in the political arena are very eccentric individuals with strange personalities. But that is practically a requirement because it is very difficult for a simple ordinary person to endure the trauma and onslaught of the juggernaut that politics is. You almost have to be weird (and phony) to survive a rough and tumble environment especially for higher offices.

Consequently, it is incumbent upon everyone to be an investigative voter so that you are not ensnared by the duplicity and deception of a “thousand-watt smile” or the bogus enthusiasm and concern of fraudulent politicians.

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