Before television, Presidents were esteemed, dignified, and… well, Presidential. Albeit a bit distant at times, Presidents were not in constant contact with the American people- there was general cognizance that he was always there, working, doing his job, and only addressing the nation at important times, to discuss important issues. With the invention of the television, that all changed. Suddenly, your President (and the occasional Presidential hopeful) was everywhere- on the news, on sit coms, gossip channels, even late night shows. Television took Presidents down from their prestige and put them on the same plane as celebrities. As Source B puts it, “Presidents are losing their distinctiveness as social actors and hence are often judged by standards formerly used to assess rock singers and movie stars”. With this distorted image of the Office, different types of people began to run and consequently win Presidential Elections. Instead of a competition between policies, Presidential …show more content…
It brought all of their voices, faces, triumphs and mistakes right into the living room, next to the the ficus and in front of the coffee table. At first, this direct access brought the nation together, and like Source A says, “the television lay in its presumed capacity to inform and stimulate the political interests of the American Electorate.”. However, like many things, prolonged exposure to politics is not good. Source B states, “Those who watch politics on television are increasingly turning away from the policy sphere, years of hyperfamiliarity having finally bred contempt for politics itself.” The result of this is palpable - mention politics once in any kind of social setting, and the result is a resounding groan and general loathing from everyone. People are sick of politics because the television, and now cable news, broadcasts it in their face