No, not the and-Garfunkel guy, I’m talking about former U.S. Sen. Paul Simon (who has such a great voice it’s a shame he didn’t become a talk radio jock), who used to own small newspapers in southern Illinois before he grew up and became a congressman. In an Editor & Publisher piece on profit-mad newspaper chains, he mentions how we crave the trivial while ignoring the substantive.
During my service in the state legislature, Paul Douglas, a great U.S. senator and my political mentor, called and asked me to introduce a resolution in the Illinois General Assembly urging the U.S. Congress to make the corn tassel the national flower. He would then introduce the measure in the Senate.
Because of my great admiration for him, I said yes. But as I reflected on it, I really did not want to do it. That night, I called the senator and asked, “Are you sure you want me to introduce a resolution on the corn tassel?” The professor-turned-senator laughed and responded with a lecture that taught me something about politics and journalism.
“Paul,” he said, “if you want to stay in public office you have to get media attention. The substantial things you do generally will not get attention unless they are involved in a major controversy. The media loves trivia. You have to do a certain amount of that to stay alive politically. No one will get angry with you because you want to make the corn tassel the national flower. And don’t worry, it will never pass.”
And we wonder why politicians are so craven about using the press. It’s like we’re walking around with a big “Exploit Me!” T-shirt on.