• Home
  • Archive
  • Media Kit
  • Contact Us
  • May 30, 2025

The Madison Times

The Paper That's More Than Black and White

  • News
    • Local News
    • National News
    • International News
    • Sports News
    • Education News
  • Columns
    • Columnists
    • Editorials
    • Letters to the Editor
    • Life Lessons with Alex Gee
  • Events
  • Health
  • Finance
  • Lifestyle
  • Classifieds
  • Community
    • Middle Spread
  • Milwaukee
EXCEPT WHERE INDICATED, THE OPINIONS EXPRESSED ON THIS PAGE ARE NOT NECESSARILY THOSE OF THE MADISON TIMES

Share this:

  • Tweet
  • Click to email a link to a friend (Opens in new window) Email
  • Click to print (Opens in new window) Print

Presidential Debate: Style Over Substance

July 6, 2024

Say Something Real

America’s Obsession with Shiny Objects

By Michelle Bryant

Michelle Bryant

Working in politics, you learn a lot about people. If you are paying attention, you learn to read a room, when to speak, and when to keep your powder dry. You figure out what resonates and what falls flat in messaging around your issues. You also learn the inconvenient truth about too many people…shiny trumps substance. We are a superficial species, that elevates others based on beauty, money, status, or perceived perfection. Let me give you an example of what I mean.

A few years ago, there was a candidate for office in Wisconsin who had a speech impediment. After meeting with him, I remembered thinking “Great guy, solid credentials, not going to win”. His speech pattern required the listener to be deliberate and patient while talking with him. You had to lean in to understand his words. If you overheard him speak, you could mistake the verbal disability for a cognitive delay. The ugly truth was that he would not be evaluated for his many accomplishments or qualifications. He would be judged by much more superficial measures. As an electorate, we can be indolent, unforgiving, and easily persuaded by shiny objects or people. The recent Presidential debate is a perfect example.

By all accounts, the much-anticipated match-up between President Joe Biden and Donald Trump, was alarming. While Trump was on script…dishonest, effusive, delusional, etc., Biden’s slow and befuddled moments set the country and Democratic Party on fire. Questions of age and competency were falling from the lips of political pundits, party acolytes, and of course the haters. In 90 minutes, all of these folks were willing to look away from a three-and-a-half-year record of historic accomplishments. But if you leaned in and were deliberate in your listening, you would have heard the most substantive comments of the entire debate.

The topics included abortion, the January 6th attack, the economy, Trump’s criminal conviction, and more. Biden laid out the fact that he was left with a mess, as the nation battled COVID-19. Biden reiterated the work to reduce everyday costs for Americans and bring needed financial resources to address everything from infrastructure to small businesses. He was the strongest, (vocally, for sure) on the issue of protecting democracy and it is this subject that requires the toughest review.

Our democracy, as we currently know it, is shifting. Like quicksand, the ground is ceding and the victories of the past are slowly dissolving. As a nation, we can’t continue to be drawn to carnival barkers, bright shiny objects, or grandiose promises. We must resist the urge to be lazy voters. We must honestly investigate and evaluate the work records of candidates. Social media posts can not be our only source of information. It is in a true review of what’s at stake, that we will make choices based on the collective needs of our country. William Shakespeare once said, “All that glitters is not gold”. While less elegant, I’m saying “All that stutters and stumbles ain’t wrong”.

Share this:

  • Tweet
  • Click to email a link to a friend (Opens in new window) Email
  • Click to print (Opens in new window) Print

Popular Interests In This Article: Donald Trump, Joe Biden, Michelle Bryant, Presidential Debates, Say Something Real

Read More - Related Articles

  • America for Sale? Luxury Over Leadership
  • Acquittal of Officers in Tyree Nichols’ Beating Death Hits Differently
  • First COVID, Now Tariffs: Black Businesses Need Us to Show Up!
  • Chaos, Confusion and Delusion —100 Days of Lies and Insanity
  • Barkley Needs to Buy a Clue


Connect With Us

Become Our Fan On Facebook
Find Us On Facebook


Follow Us On Twitter
Follow Us On Twitter

Editorials

Karma Chavez
Amanda Zhang
Julianne Malveaux
Benjamin Chavis
George Curry

Journalists

Jacklin Bolduan
Brianna Rae
Aarushi Agni
Rob Franklin
Claire Miller

Topics

Brown Girl Green $
Young Gifted & Black
Universally Speaking
Ask Progress
Civil Rights

Topics

Police Shooting
Police Brutality
Black Lives Matter
NAACP
Racism

Politicians

Barack Obama
Hillary Clinton
Gwen Moore
Paul Soglin
Scott Walker

Contact Us

Phone:
414-449-4860

Copyright © 2025 Courier Communications. All Rights Reserved.
We use third-party advertising companies to serve ads when you visit our website. These companies may use information (not including your name, address, email address, or telephone number) about your visits to this and other websites in order to provide advertisements about goods and services of interest to you. If you would like more information about this practice and to know your choices about not having this information used by these companies, click here.