As a proud Pennsylvanian, I have been following the upcoming, very important Democratic presidential primary election in my home state. The fact that Pennsylvania is going to get the opportunity to play a major role in this historic race is very special to me.
The biggest joy and cause for excitement for me was when Stephen Colbert broadcast his show from Philly, which is about 20 minutes from my house. I bring up this fact not just because it was funny and entertaining, but also because the show featured an actor playing the part of Benjamin Franklin, Philly's favorite son. I believe this groundbreaking primary, in which we will either see the first black or woman candidate to run for president as a major party's nominee, can take a few lessons away from the great Ben Franklin.
Franklin was convinced a moderate government is the only one that could accurately represent their constituencies. Being a philosopher, inventor, diplomat, writer, printer, politician, along with many other things, made him a remarkable renaissance man. All the time, he did not hide his personal life or put up a fake facade in order to make himself seem like a different person.
This occurs all too often in modern politics. Politicians put up fronts to hide their sexualities, vices or promiscuities. Ben Franklin did not work to hide this from the public spotlight. He was known for attracting many women when he worked as the U.S. ambassador to France.
Today, when you look at politicians, you no longer see a person; you see the result of focus groups, millions of dollars of advertising, days of training in debate and speech giving and words written by people hired for just that purpose. When you watch Clinton, Obama or McCain give a speech, you are no longer watching a person; you are watching a multimillion-dollar political Frankenstein. There is flesh there somewhere and you can see it every once in a while, especially when emotions begin to rise.
However, there are some politicians who are more personable than others. Though they are few and far between, they do exist and can be found if you listen to how they answer questions. One example was when Pennsylvania Gov. Ed Rendell was on "The Colbert Report." When Colbert asked him if he expected to get something in return for supporting Clinton, he plainly answered in the affirmative.
So, how can a person penetrate these fronts to get at the real politician? The first and most reliable way is to go with your gut. The second is to research the candidates' histories; generally, people will not change. If a candidate has stood for things you don't agree with in the past - but are saying they have changed it - it is probably not true. A person's beliefs and values are the hardest part of a person to change; people will die or kill for their beliefs rather than change them. The final way is to just examine the politicians for their issues and disregard the personal lives, comments and ads put out to influence the opinion of the voters.
So, the best thing I can say is to always remember that the politicians are not real people; they have handlers, speech writers and people who train them how to act like a politician. This makes the politicians actors: When Clinton attempts to take a shot of whiskey at a bar, she is acting; when Obama attempts to bowl, he is acting; when McCain portrays himself as part of middle-class America, he, too, is acting. And we are, of course, the ones they are deceiving.
Dave Stone is a junior in the School of International Service and the College of Arts and Sciences and the managing editor of design at The Eagle.
