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Iowa Politics with Jeff Stein — Tue. Nov. 19, 2024

By Jeff Stein Nov 19, 2024 | 5:15 AM

Sort of Like Wrestling

Professional wrestling has a certain reputation for being…spoiler alert for some of you…not exactly real. Oh, they’re real people, and very athletic, but there’s evidence to suggest that the winner of a match is predetermined. These folks take on a character and live that character out in the ring.

But in the locker room before, and probably in the hotel restaurant or bar after, they’re buddies and know it’s all part of the show.

National politics is starting to resemble that, and not for the better.

One side says the other is a danger to democracy, a fascist, a would-be dictator. The other says those in power are corrupt, suffer from dementia, and Marxist.

They say it during an election cycle like its gospel, and implore you to believe what they say.

The voting comes and goes…and now everyone is all nicey-nice, to use a technical phrase.

Don’t get me wrong, the first step toward working together on truly bipartisan measures to help the American people is for both sides to get along. But recent meetings in the Oval Office…and between the future president and two of his on-air nemeses on MSNBC…invariably makes one wonder how much of the vitriol was real and how much was a show to sell tickets—or in this case, get ratings. It would appear those on the political left are the worst ones at this whiplash-inducing about face, but there are plenty of examples on both sides.

If, in fact, it’s just a game and those speaking don’t really believe everything they’re saying…how can we possibly be expected to listen to them next time?