On some great and glorious day, the plain folks of the land will reach their heart's desire at last, and the White House will be adorned by a downright moron.
I disagree that there would be no audience for it.
Traditional media might not air it but today that debate would be done on a podcast. So it will still be seen by many although perhaps it won't be seen as widely.
Still, does it matter that people will see it? As you say " all that matters for a politician is the soundbite on cable news and the cheap rhetorical win. A good zinger or a good quip counts infinitely more than a good policy or even plain logic."
I don't know how we would go back to the Buckly ~ Vidal or Buckly ~ Baldwin level of debate. First, back then there was far less choice in what you could watch for entertainment on Tv. And second, today the recommender systems on the platforms on which we consume our media have been optimized for the zinger and outrage type of messages.
France still has a strong elite class that rules the republic. Its system is working (perhaps surviving is a better word) even though it is under constant pressure and the country has lost some power to another Elite class ~ the EU. Which, just like in the UK is being used as a scapegoat for many reasons.
I see that in Europe there is still room for polite debate on late-night TV although it's viewership must be declining by the day. Find me 10 people on the street that spend their evening watching those political programs instead of working, watching sports or netflix and I buy you a beer. I do fear it is just a matter of time before they suffer the same fate as the US.
I don't want to sound conspiratorial but we all know that our western democracies have enemies. I for one distrust the "Kumbaya one world" UN vision. The enemies of liberal democracies know very well how to disrupt democracies by adding fuel to existing fires.
(about this I recommend anyone that bother to read my comment to listen to what Thomas Rid explained about active measures on the Hidden Forces podcast).
I disagree that there would be no audience for it.
Traditional media might not air it but today that debate would be done on a podcast. So it will still be seen by many although perhaps it won't be seen as widely.
Still, does it matter that people will see it? As you say " all that matters for a politician is the soundbite on cable news and the cheap rhetorical win. A good zinger or a good quip counts infinitely more than a good policy or even plain logic."
I don't know how we would go back to the Buckly ~ Vidal or Buckly ~ Baldwin level of debate. First, back then there was far less choice in what you could watch for entertainment on Tv. And second, today the recommender systems on the platforms on which we consume our media have been optimized for the zinger and outrage type of messages.
France still has a strong elite class that rules the republic. Its system is working (perhaps surviving is a better word) even though it is under constant pressure and the country has lost some power to another Elite class ~ the EU. Which, just like in the UK is being used as a scapegoat for many reasons.
I see that in Europe there is still room for polite debate on late-night TV although it's viewership must be declining by the day. Find me 10 people on the street that spend their evening watching those political programs instead of working, watching sports or netflix and I buy you a beer. I do fear it is just a matter of time before they suffer the same fate as the US.
I don't want to sound conspiratorial but we all know that our western democracies have enemies. I for one distrust the "Kumbaya one world" UN vision. The enemies of liberal democracies know very well how to disrupt democracies by adding fuel to existing fires.
(about this I recommend anyone that bother to read my comment to listen to what Thomas Rid explained about active measures on the Hidden Forces podcast).
Very well said.
I have once written a post recommending some “boring” podcasts based on high-quality debate. My favorite remains Talking Politics: https://klementoninvesting.substack.com/p/the-best-boring-podcasts
And now excuse me while I go out and try to find ten people who watch intellectual chat shows on late night TV...
FYI: Joe Rogan does not count as an intellectual chat show! ;)