‘Joe Six-Pack’ says Yee-haw to VP debate

What was most disturbing about the vice-presidential debate was not the discomfort of watching an experienced, well-spoken statesman attempt to debate with an inarticulate “straight-talker” but rather the media’s post-debate reaction.

According to the media, Palin came off stronger than expected (a comment referring to her Couric interview – an interview so embarrassing it’d be more accurate to say Palin did better than atrocious).

Critiques of Biden focused not on his political knowledge but on the degree of likability he achieved.

The media’s consensus was that criticizing Palin for her lack of experience, inaccurate statements or her intentionally inarticulate speech was a low blow.

Presumably, Americans should be more concerned with congeniality than accuracy or intelligence.

While there’s undoubtedly a small percentage of voters careless enough to base decisions on criteria appropriate for an Employee of the Month award, the media has been portraying the majority of the populace as a “Joe Six-Pack” constituency: a group of individuals so politically uninformed that they’d base decisions solely on how bubbly a candidate seems on TV.

This is not a Democratic or Republican issue: This is an issue of mainstream media shaping the public’s ability to assess leadership.

To choose a candidate on likability rather than aptitude is disastrous. After all, to be liked is simple. One must merely say things that sound good (though not necessarily factual).

Indeed, Palin made it clear that facts and history should be overlooked (“Oh Joe, there you go again bringing up history ... ”) as though an informed analysis of history is shameful rather than wise.

Facts do matter, history is important and experience and intelligence should be prerequisites for world leadership. The calamities we face (Iraq war, economic failure, global warming) are all due to decisions based on fabrications rather than facts.

The media suggests we continue to make decisions based on such faulty premises.

Perhaps, if we’re a nation of “Joe Six-Packs,” interested in beer over intelligence and attracted to perkiness over capability, we will. My guess, however, is that Americans are much more astute than either Palin or the media make us out to be.