For as long as I have lived in Des Moines and Iowa, which is all my life, a host of boosters, both elected and never-elected, have tried to "snazz up," "jazz up," and "polish up" the state's image.
Many attempt to make Iowa, and Des Moines specifically, some sort of tourist/entertainment destination. But most have come to a sorry end because they were either not original (the "they do it in California" syndrome) , under funded, under attended or just plain harebrained.
Under the harebrained rubric comes the "caucus TV spectacular" idea promoted by Greater Des Moines Convention and Visitors Bureau president Greg Edwards and Blank Park Zoo director Terry Rich, "TV special can jazz up caucuses, backers say," January 2, 2007.
Citizens of the United States are cynical enough about the political process without the likes of a Britney Spears shaking her booty for ballots or a Lee Greenwood patriotic salute to corn and the Iowa caucuses.
The Iowa caucuses were intended as the first serious look at both parties presidential candidates, with the emphasis on serious. Let's not turn them into another tawdry television special.
Subscribe to:
Post Comments (Atom)
Posts
No comments:
Post a Comment