How America’s Politicians Got Dumber and Dumber
When I first saw the title of this book in the New York Times bestseller list I was intrigued as to what might me the content. Profiles in Ignorance was written by Mr. Andy Borowitz.
BIOGRAPHY:
The winner of the first-ever National Press Club award for humor, Andy Borowitz has been called a “Swiftian satirist” (The Wall Street Journal) and “one of the country’s finest satirists” (The New York Times). Millions of fans and New Yorker readers enjoy his satirical news column “The Borowitz Report.” Now, in Profiles in Ignorance, he offers a witty, spot-on diagnosis of our country’s political troubles by showing how ignorant leaders are degrading, embarrassing, and endangering our nation.
Borowitz argues that over the past fifty years, American politicians have grown increasingly allergic to knowledge, and mass media have encouraged the election of ignoramuses by elevating candidates who are better at performing than thinking. Starting with Ronald Reagan’s first campaign for governor of California in 1966 and culminating with the election of Donald J. Trump to the White House, Borowitz shows how, during the age of twenty-four-hour news and social media, the US has elected politicians to positions of great power whose lack of the most basic information is terrifying. In addition to Reagan, Quayle, Bush, Palin, and Trump, Borowitz covers a host of congresspersons, senators, and governors who have helped lower the bar over the past five decades.
Profiles in Ignorance aims to make us both laugh and cry: laugh at the idiotic antics of these public figures, and cry at the cataclysms these icons of ignorance have caused. But most importantly, the book delivers a call to action and a cause for optimism: History doesn’t move in a straight line, and we can change course if we act now.
THE BOOK:
Mr. Borowitz has done an excellent job in researching the book with forty-eight (48) pages of references. He had done his homework relative to accuracy. He discusses the three stages of ignorance; 1.) Ridicule, 2.) Acceptance and 3.) Celebration. He discusses the missteps of the following elected politicians:
- Warren Harding
- Ronald Reagan
- Dan Quayle
- Dwight Eisenhower
- George H.W. Bush
- George Bush
- John McCain
- Sarah Palin
- Gerald Ford
- Richard Nixon
- Rick Santorum
- Donald Trump
Do you notice any trends here? Yes, they all are Republicans. Now to Mr. Borowitz’s credit, he does make the following statement:
“Solidly Republican cast of this tragicomedy might prompt you to ask (especially if you are a Republican): Haven’t Democrats done a lot of dumb crap? Yes, bucketloads. Democrats have been caught on tape smoking crack (Marion Barry) and trying to sell a U.S. Senate seat (Rod Blagojevich). And we shan’t forget the Four Horndogs of the Apocalypse—John Edwards, Eliot Spitzer, Anthony Weiner, and Andrew Cuomo—who, though seemingly endowed with functioning brains, let a differ body part do their thinking. But while Democratic dopes have wreaked their share of havoc, the scale of their destruction doesn’t equal that of their Republican counterparts. “
Now, please let me state that I am politically Independent. I’ve voted Democrat and Republican. I vote for the person I feel can do the best job for our country. I do think we are seeing and have been seeing a dumbing down of elected politicians over the past few decades. The American public seems to go for the glamor candidate; style over substance; presentation instead of policy and programs. With this being the case, I wonder how many voting Americans actually look at a candidate’s record? I’m sure we know about the latest TV commercial touting the benefits of voting for a specific candidate. “I’m _______ and I approve this message”. Well, you cannot think a politician would criticize his or her own record or mention any failings recent or otherwise. It just is not done. I voted in the recent elections and noticed that many of the positions on the ballot were uncontested. Very few people really want any job up for grabs. Too much criticism if not from the media from Internet postings. Another recent issue—safety. Politicians get death threats every day with protesters in their front yards. Who would want the job? The days of public service seem to be over, at least in this explosive climate.
As always, I welcome your comments.
cielotech
Cielotech Online 
PROFILES IN IGNORANCE
November 21, 2022
How America’s Politicians Got Dumber and Dumber
When I first saw the title of this book in the New York Times bestseller list I was intrigued as to what might me the content. Profiles in Ignorance was written by Mr. Andy Borowitz.
BIOGRAPHY:
The winner of the first-ever National Press Club award for humor, Andy Borowitz has been called a “Swiftian satirist” (The Wall Street Journal) and “one of the country’s finest satirists” (The New York Times). Millions of fans and New Yorker readers enjoy his satirical news column “The Borowitz Report.” Now, in Profiles in Ignorance, he offers a witty, spot-on diagnosis of our country’s political troubles by showing how ignorant leaders are degrading, embarrassing, and endangering our nation.
Borowitz argues that over the past fifty years, American politicians have grown increasingly allergic to knowledge, and mass media have encouraged the election of ignoramuses by elevating candidates who are better at performing than thinking. Starting with Ronald Reagan’s first campaign for governor of California in 1966 and culminating with the election of Donald J. Trump to the White House, Borowitz shows how, during the age of twenty-four-hour news and social media, the US has elected politicians to positions of great power whose lack of the most basic information is terrifying. In addition to Reagan, Quayle, Bush, Palin, and Trump, Borowitz covers a host of congresspersons, senators, and governors who have helped lower the bar over the past five decades.
Profiles in Ignorance aims to make us both laugh and cry: laugh at the idiotic antics of these public figures, and cry at the cataclysms these icons of ignorance have caused. But most importantly, the book delivers a call to action and a cause for optimism: History doesn’t move in a straight line, and we can change course if we act now.
THE BOOK:
Mr. Borowitz has done an excellent job in researching the book with forty-eight (48) pages of references. He had done his homework relative to accuracy. He discusses the three stages of ignorance; 1.) Ridicule, 2.) Acceptance and 3.) Celebration. He discusses the missteps of the following elected politicians:
Do you notice any trends here? Yes, they all are Republicans. Now to Mr. Borowitz’s credit, he does make the following statement:
“Solidly Republican cast of this tragicomedy might prompt you to ask (especially if you are a Republican): Haven’t Democrats done a lot of dumb crap? Yes, bucketloads. Democrats have been caught on tape smoking crack (Marion Barry) and trying to sell a U.S. Senate seat (Rod Blagojevich). And we shan’t forget the Four Horndogs of the Apocalypse—John Edwards, Eliot Spitzer, Anthony Weiner, and Andrew Cuomo—who, though seemingly endowed with functioning brains, let a differ body part do their thinking. But while Democratic dopes have wreaked their share of havoc, the scale of their destruction doesn’t equal that of their Republican counterparts. “
Now, please let me state that I am politically Independent. I’ve voted Democrat and Republican. I vote for the person I feel can do the best job for our country. I do think we are seeing and have been seeing a dumbing down of elected politicians over the past few decades. The American public seems to go for the glamor candidate; style over substance; presentation instead of policy and programs. With this being the case, I wonder how many voting Americans actually look at a candidate’s record? I’m sure we know about the latest TV commercial touting the benefits of voting for a specific candidate. “I’m _______ and I approve this message”. Well, you cannot think a politician would criticize his or her own record or mention any failings recent or otherwise. It just is not done. I voted in the recent elections and noticed that many of the positions on the ballot were uncontested. Very few people really want any job up for grabs. Too much criticism if not from the media from Internet postings. Another recent issue—safety. Politicians get death threats every day with protesters in their front yards. Who would want the job? The days of public service seem to be over, at least in this explosive climate.
As always, I welcome your comments.
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