Prof. Bainbridge writes:
Newt versus Barak, however, could be vastly entertaining. Two really smart guys, both of whom are good speakers, and both of whom will be at least affecting being really pissed off at the other and the other's base. If the Newt who tore into John King the other day shows up at the debates, they will be truly great TV.
Since I don't think anybody in Washington or running to be in Washington can fix the problems we face, why not vote for the circus?
My usual heuristic is to vote for divided government, though that's sometimes tricky in Presidential elections when Congress might be in play. And I do sometimes override it, such as in 2008, when I ultimately could not bring myself to vote for a McCain/Palin ticket.
But I'll admit that at times, I've pondered the "Jay Leno factor," which is similar to what Prof. Bainbridge has in mind. The difference is that he's thinking about the general election campaign season, whereas I'm thinking about the next four years. Now come on, for those of you who remember the Clinton years, there was incredibly entertaining fodder for late night talk shows. Who can forget the awesome job that the late Phil Hartman did as Bill Clinton on "The Tonight Show"? I've been trying to find a YouTube clip of the skit with Lou Bega's "Mambo No. 5" and all of Clinton's . . . women.
Can you imagine if Bob Dole had won the Presidency in 1996? Dole would not have provided anywhere near the same entertainment value!
Yes, I'm not proud to admit that I see our Presidency reduced in part to how much fun comedians can make of the President. . . .
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