Brain Fuel

Politicians are now celebrities and celebrities are now politicians. Bono is now the leading voice on aid to Africa. Arnold Schwarzenegger is the governor of California. In the immediate wake of September 11th, CNN ran a ticker item across its screen that let its viewers know that Madonna was “urging restraint.” Working from the other direction, former Vice President Al Gore is now an Academy Award winner. So what’s the problem? According to Orman, it means that politics, like the movies, has become something that Americans simply watch instead of participate in. CNN and the major networks treat politics as entertainment and sport instead of focusing on issues, and in an incredible irony, some of the most insightful analysis of current events now comes from entertainment programs like “The Daily Show” and “The Colbert Report.” Celebrities, like Ronald Reagan, have long segued into politics, but according to Orman, the two worlds have now completely conflated and it’s a bad state of affairs for the country.