The Politics of Character and the Character of Journalism

Abstract

Was George Bush a wimp! Did Bob Dole have a dark side! Was Gary Hart a man of integrity! Whatever its other distinguishing marks, the presidential campaign of 1988 stands out as a contest in which these kinds of questions were in the forefront of press coverage and public discussion, seeming sometimes even to eclipse debate about the candidates' stands on substantive political issues. In 1988, the politics of character was ascendant. With John Tower, Barney Frank, and others, character questions remain in the forefront of the news. Many people have the vague sense that the rise of the politics of character is intimately connected with the critical and increasingly important role of the press in the American political system and especially in the campaign and election processes. But the precise nature of the relationship remains unclear. What role does the press play in the politics of character! What role ought it to play! Is the focus on character good for the quality of our political life! These are the questions I shall attempt to answer here. But before they can be tackled, we need to understand why the politics of character has come to assume such prominence, and what it is that we really want to know when we want to know about a politician's character.