Ted Cruz's next career
People wonder about how someone like Ted Cruz grew so significant in such a short time. It isn't really his positions on issues or his work as a lawyer, though he was on the legal team that put George W. Bush in the White House in 2000. His only run for political office was for the US Senate from Texas. Not bad for a first try.
Politicians in general need some talent for the theater. To get in front of people to ask for their votes or for money to support their election campaign requires some flair for performance. Once they are elected, theatrical skills are less important to politicians than those mastering new information quickly and negotiating with colleagues. Cruz still displays a fondness for the stage
Politicians that have served in office for a long time generally develop knowledge about the issues before them in committees and congress in general and on how to work with colleagues, principally with members of their own party, though more the masterful can work across the aisle. They have some theatrical skills working with media, sometimes for pushing their agendas, but more often for the exposure needed to get themselves re-elected to office. They probably find some reward in exercising significant power both for constituents and the country as a whole, and can find some sense of accomplishment as a legislator. They tended to be moderates, happy to see things work rather than see their own visions prevail. Cruz doesn't really fit this description.
In the past, those leaving a career in politics could sometimes find a lucrative career in lobbying or in businesses connected with their work in congress. In those cases, they can still feel they are working towards accomplishing something important. This appealed to moderates used to working with colleagues, and thus were very successful lobbyists, as legislators would listen to and trust them.
Politics rarely found a place in the entertainment business for a long time. The print media and broadcast media of radio and television rarely found a place for politics apart from serving as a portion of news. Broadcast media usually offered a smorgasbord of entertainment in which politics, apart from during the run-up to elections and juicy scandals, rarely found a home. That changed with the spread of cable television and the growth of talk radio, especially with specifically news-only channels. Program directors had hours of time to fill, and there wasn't really that much to cover. Some inexpensive time fill was needed.
In the past, television stations would have a couple hours per week of political talk shows, Agronsky & Co. and the McLaughlin group were among the more notable. They featured a few journalists discussing matters of the previous week. At first rather staid, they grew more theatrical over time, leading to SNL parodies people may remember like "Jane, you ignorant slut." Cable news channels saw the entertainment value in such inexpensively produced programs (film in the studio, no remote transmission equipment or travel costs, etc), so they started to fill up time with such shows. Frequently they drew on the techniques of sports programming stars, who were used to filling time on the air when nothing was really happening on sporting events they were covering. The talk shows became more interesting than the repeated coverage of the day's top stories and thus they developed a following.
The problem was casting the talk shows. Only the wonky wanted to watch journalists discuss the news, so they needed more high-profile regulars. Elected politicians had time for quick interviews on shows, but they were supposed to be working in their elected positions, so they were not available consistently. Retired politicians, particularly more famous ones, were good options, as they had good name recognition and were used to speaking off the cuff to the media in an engaging manner (some journalists on talk shows, particularly from print media backgrounds, were rather dull TV). As the talk show casts filled up with former politicians, the politics as entertainment business grew.
Some politicians found their interest in theater was stronger than their in interest in accomplishing something in the capitol of their state or country. Such folk were perfect for the growing political entertainment business. A balanced moderate, able to see both sides of an issue, tended to be rather dull TV, so more opinionated voices of the left and right became the choice of programming directors.
The left's outlet MSNBC doesn't draw very many former leftist politicians into the studios as a career after they leave politics. The reasons could be possible different motivations for entering politics from the left or a preference for lobbying work, which tends to produce more results that talking on TV shows.
The right's outlet, Fox, has found great success drawing former politicians into the studio. Patrick Buchanan, Michael Hucklebee, Rich Santorum, Sarah Palin have all found very lucrative careers entertaining viewers. A couple of them developed a following as elected officials and joined when they were unsuccessful being re-elected. Sarah Palin left her elected position to become make millions speaking and entertaining on Fox News. Much like Newt Gingrich before her, she makes her living as a political celebrity rather than a participant in the process.
Ted Cruz seems to be building up his contract price with Fox upon retirement from the Senate. Between his marathon speech before the government shutdown and appearances at the WWII monument, his interest in theater vs legislating is apparent. Some say he is preparing for a run for President, not without precedent for a freshman senator as the current president was not involved in national politics very long before being elected to that office. Whether his birth in Canada will preclude his run is already being debated. The bigger question is whether he will wait five years to make the jump to television. Considering how fellow Republicans are scapegoating him for the current shutdown, his legislative effectiveness is not likely to be very great the remainder of his term.
He is much more intelligent than other right wing politicians who have gone into the political news as entertainment business. Graduate of Princeton and Harvard Law school, he could morph into something rarely seen on television, an articulate voice of conservative ideas rather than a panderer to base instincts and frivolous opinion. We'll see.
Politicians in general need some talent for the theater. To get in front of people to ask for their votes or for money to support their election campaign requires some flair for performance. Once they are elected, theatrical skills are less important to politicians than those mastering new information quickly and negotiating with colleagues. Cruz still displays a fondness for the stage
Politicians that have served in office for a long time generally develop knowledge about the issues before them in committees and congress in general and on how to work with colleagues, principally with members of their own party, though more the masterful can work across the aisle. They have some theatrical skills working with media, sometimes for pushing their agendas, but more often for the exposure needed to get themselves re-elected to office. They probably find some reward in exercising significant power both for constituents and the country as a whole, and can find some sense of accomplishment as a legislator. They tended to be moderates, happy to see things work rather than see their own visions prevail. Cruz doesn't really fit this description.
In the past, those leaving a career in politics could sometimes find a lucrative career in lobbying or in businesses connected with their work in congress. In those cases, they can still feel they are working towards accomplishing something important. This appealed to moderates used to working with colleagues, and thus were very successful lobbyists, as legislators would listen to and trust them.
Politics rarely found a place in the entertainment business for a long time. The print media and broadcast media of radio and television rarely found a place for politics apart from serving as a portion of news. Broadcast media usually offered a smorgasbord of entertainment in which politics, apart from during the run-up to elections and juicy scandals, rarely found a home. That changed with the spread of cable television and the growth of talk radio, especially with specifically news-only channels. Program directors had hours of time to fill, and there wasn't really that much to cover. Some inexpensive time fill was needed.
In the past, television stations would have a couple hours per week of political talk shows, Agronsky & Co. and the McLaughlin group were among the more notable. They featured a few journalists discussing matters of the previous week. At first rather staid, they grew more theatrical over time, leading to SNL parodies people may remember like "Jane, you ignorant slut." Cable news channels saw the entertainment value in such inexpensively produced programs (film in the studio, no remote transmission equipment or travel costs, etc), so they started to fill up time with such shows. Frequently they drew on the techniques of sports programming stars, who were used to filling time on the air when nothing was really happening on sporting events they were covering. The talk shows became more interesting than the repeated coverage of the day's top stories and thus they developed a following.
The problem was casting the talk shows. Only the wonky wanted to watch journalists discuss the news, so they needed more high-profile regulars. Elected politicians had time for quick interviews on shows, but they were supposed to be working in their elected positions, so they were not available consistently. Retired politicians, particularly more famous ones, were good options, as they had good name recognition and were used to speaking off the cuff to the media in an engaging manner (some journalists on talk shows, particularly from print media backgrounds, were rather dull TV). As the talk show casts filled up with former politicians, the politics as entertainment business grew.
Some politicians found their interest in theater was stronger than their in interest in accomplishing something in the capitol of their state or country. Such folk were perfect for the growing political entertainment business. A balanced moderate, able to see both sides of an issue, tended to be rather dull TV, so more opinionated voices of the left and right became the choice of programming directors.
The left's outlet MSNBC doesn't draw very many former leftist politicians into the studios as a career after they leave politics. The reasons could be possible different motivations for entering politics from the left or a preference for lobbying work, which tends to produce more results that talking on TV shows.
The right's outlet, Fox, has found great success drawing former politicians into the studio. Patrick Buchanan, Michael Hucklebee, Rich Santorum, Sarah Palin have all found very lucrative careers entertaining viewers. A couple of them developed a following as elected officials and joined when they were unsuccessful being re-elected. Sarah Palin left her elected position to become make millions speaking and entertaining on Fox News. Much like Newt Gingrich before her, she makes her living as a political celebrity rather than a participant in the process.
Ted Cruz seems to be building up his contract price with Fox upon retirement from the Senate. Between his marathon speech before the government shutdown and appearances at the WWII monument, his interest in theater vs legislating is apparent. Some say he is preparing for a run for President, not without precedent for a freshman senator as the current president was not involved in national politics very long before being elected to that office. Whether his birth in Canada will preclude his run is already being debated. The bigger question is whether he will wait five years to make the jump to television. Considering how fellow Republicans are scapegoating him for the current shutdown, his legislative effectiveness is not likely to be very great the remainder of his term.
He is much more intelligent than other right wing politicians who have gone into the political news as entertainment business. Graduate of Princeton and Harvard Law school, he could morph into something rarely seen on television, an articulate voice of conservative ideas rather than a panderer to base instincts and frivolous opinion. We'll see.
Comments
Post a Comment