As the Rio Summer Olympics closed in ceremony yesterday evening, the non-stop coverage and analysis of the games will also be ending. Along with the fascination of the general public. Over the past two weeks the nation turned its attention to the games; most major news outlets follow the games closely, and friends and family weigh in and keep track on social media. This general spike in attention for the games over a fleeting two-week stretch reminds me of another every-four-year institution we as a nation have been enthralled in this year: The Presidential Election.
In both pastimes there is a short-lived infatuation that lives on both cable networks and online, followed then by a not so subtle decline in interest after the winners have been presented and the ceremony concludes. Major news outlets like CNN, MSNBC, and FOX News sees their largest and most consistent viewerships during the months leading up to the general election with things like town hall meetings and live debates. During the months leading up to the 2012 election FOX News was drawing around 3.5 millions viewers, more than a million more than their average during non election years.* MSNBC gathered more than 500,000 more viewers during this time than normally and CNN enjoyed similar success in 2008 and to a slightly less degree in 2012.*
Sure, it makes sense that we would be the most engaged in politics during election years, the most tumultuous of times in the country where change feels the most palpable. With the Olympic games, having a two-week fling with the two-hundred-meter butterfly or table tennis is great and definitely entertaining to watch, but with politics, we can’t afford to let our interest wane as it may be easy to do. Fortunately and Unfortunately, the last few months of the election season also sees analysis of the week's political news coming not only from television reporters or other journalists, but also from our family, friends, family friends, and more of just Facebook friends on all sorts of social media platforms. Even from those who usually are not as outspoken about politics seem to want to give their two cents. Whether these people are on the far right, the far left, or like most of us somewhere in the gray space, this is by no means a bad thing. In fact, I think that it’s terrific that people want to have discussions and be frank about the issues that matter to each of us.
I just want to plead with these social media pundits to stay engaged after the Presidential election ends, whether who you want to win ends up on top or not. Donald Trump and Hillary Clinton, the major party candidates in this year's election, are exceptionally polarizing. Polls currently are showing that around 60 percent of voters find Clinton dishonest and untrustworthy and Donald Trump’s currently polling well over 60 percent and climbing.** If we as a constituency can stay in tune with the political climate and keep their opinions heard a bit more outside of election year maybe we can keep these politicians held better accountable to we the people. Because politics is not a once every four years affair. It’s an everyday practice. Politics is local. It’s town hall’s, state senate, and school boards. It’s making sure that the views and needs of yourself and your neighbor are being represented. So let's keep up and hopefully keep them honest. And also maybe keep up with table tennis.
*Cable News Ratings and Presidential Elections: A 2016 Love Story For MSNBC, FOX News and CNN by Christopher Zara. International Business Times. 7/24/15.
*Clinton Leading in Four Key Swing States, Polls Find. Patrick O’Connor. The Wall Street Journal. 7/15/16
