Dick Morris, political consultant and author, discussed the relationship between mass media and politics in the United States as the third speaker in the 2005 Milton S. Eisenhower Symposium lecture series.
Morris began his lecture with a brief overview of the history of American politics, citing as far back as Thomas Jefferson and James Madison and noting their conflicting views on the framework of effective democracy.
With the progression of technology in the modern era, "television swept in and took over politics completely," Morris said.
From 1972 to 2004, as a result of the infusion of media into politics, a small group of people became the most influential component of the political process -- the editors, publishers, reporters and political consultants.
A change occurred in 2004, however; a turn to "a far, far healthier political process," Morris said.
Americans now seemed to go back to the ideals of the 60's and 70's, in favor of the grassroots political movement -- where average people effected a change in their community, Morris said.
The influence of talk radio and books proliferated in 2004. Morris noted Richard Clarke's book, Against All Enemies, as an example of how books could become a strong source of political debate even if written while the event was still occurring.
"What was formerly controlled by a small group of people now became accessible to a massive number of people," Morris said.
"The elite don't control things; the average person and voter do," he added.
This change came about when "we stopped watching television," Morris said.
Media is now 20 percent more politically effective than in previous eras, the short term effect being an increase of five times in the amount spent by politicians on advertising to reach the masses.
However, Morris warned, "advertising will be gone in ten years because people will be sophisticated enough to evade it ... What will exist is the public relations industry and content in movies."
In another words, Morris said, this means that for the first time in politics, "[the people] are in charge."
Morris also pointed out that campaign strategies have changed from those of past elections, and now candidates are more of a figurehead for party lines, rather than individuals who must sway public opinion.
"The old rules [and] the old methods of winning are gone," Morris said. Today, a political candidate is really "a guest at his own campaign," providing topics for spontaneous dialogue more than anything else.
"Spontaneous combustion of grassroots politics is the future," Morris said.
Shifting slightly in topic, Morris spoke about former president Bill Clinton and Senator Hil-lary Clinton.
"I like Bill Clinton," Morris was quick to note.
He credits him with the elimination of crime as a political issue, a change that was brought about due to legislation that doubled the inmate population and consequently cut crime in half.
Morris then drew a comparison between husband and wife, noting Bill's lack of ideology and specific methodology and Hillary's clear vision and set objectives -- "a true, true liberal."
Morris then went on to make a series of claims, predicting what would take place in the 2008 presidential election.
"I do not believe Hillary would be a good president," he said. However, "I go further than that and say I believe she will be the Democratic nominee [and] I believe Hillary will win the election if the Republicans nominate one of their white men."
However, Morris said, there is only one thing could stand in Hillary's way -- Condoleezza Rice.
Quoting Shakespeare to describe Rice's possible run for the presidency, Morris said, "Some are born great, some achieve greatness, and some have greatness thrust upon them."
Morris used this as an analogy to describe Rice, as she is urged to run for the presidency while reluctant to do so.
A woman with "an extraordinary, unbelievable record," Morris believes that Rice is a more effective Secretary of State than Colin Powell because of her ability to "educate the president rather than lobby him. They just are far more intimate," Morris said.
Morris went on to praise Bush and Rice's "fundamental decision" to go after not only terrorists but the countries that sponsor and harbor them.
"The scoreboard's pretty good ... I think it's been an enormously effective period," he said.
In response to the debunked claim of hidden weapons of mass destruction, Morris said that "Saddam Hussein is a WMD" and is therefore glad to have seen his defeat.
Morris concluded his bid for Condoleezza Rice as a presidential candidate by noting the election of president John F. Kennedy -- the first Roman Catholic president. According to Morris, Kennedy faced heat because of his religious background.
It was during his campaign that Kennedy gave his famous speech in which he proclaimed, "I am not the Catholic candidate for President. I am the Democratic Party's candidate for President."
Morris drew a parallel between Kennedy's situation and Rice's. He concluded that once Kennedy was elected to office, discrimination against Catholics decreased sharply.
Thus, Morris contended that, "if [Condoleezza Rice] is elected, racism [and] sexism will go just as quickly."
Student reactions to the lecture were generally positive. "He was a very thorough speaker with a wide range of knowledge," said freshman Shivaani Prakash.
"He wasn't shy in expressing his views."
