The problem with Politicon is that the villains and heroes are real – Tennessean
opinion
David Plazas Nashville Tennessean
Published 6:00 AM EDT Oct 24, 2019
Thousands of political junkies from 25 states are coming to Nashville this weekend to watch their “heroes” and “villains” of the political class spar at Politicon.
Former Trump administration spokeswoman Sarah Huckabee Sanders, ex-FBI Director James Comey, former Minnesota U.S. Sen. Al Franken, Fox News commentator Sean Hannity, and author and provocateur Ann Coulter are among the many big names coming to Music City Center on Saturday and Sunday.
That’s quite a mix, but Politicon is a convention that has successfully drawn big names in punditry, politics and politicking for the last four years. Until 2019, the event took place in the Los Angeles area. This year, it debuts in the heartland.
“We felt we wanted to change the story and grow — take it into the country and go see it,” said Simon Sidi, founder of Politicon. “We picked a great destination, a wonderful city — a very liberal city in a very conservative state. It has the right demographics, with lots of students, and it’s a growing city. It’s perfect for us.”
Cool concept, but will there be more than bluster?
The idea behind the convention is to mirror Comic-Con, the celebration of all things fantasy, science fiction, comic books and more.
However, instead of Superman versus Lex Luthor or Black Panther versus Erik Killmonger, you will see former President Bill Clinton aide’s James Carville interview Sanders and anti-Trump YouTube sensation Randy Rainbow perform.
“We treat our conservatives like ‘Star Wars’ fans and liberals like ‘Star Trek’ fans,” Sidi said. “A lot of people are in their own silos. You watch Fox News or MSNBC or read HuffPo or Breitbart. Politicon is where all of those people come together. You’ll get to see your heroes and your villains in the flesh.”
The event is hailed as a nonpartisan celebration of civil discourse and the First Amendment where “we don’t expect them to sing ‘Kumbaya,’ ” Sidi said.
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As a champion of The Tennessean’s Civility Tennessee campaign, I can get behind this idea in concept, but here is what bothers me about the convention.
We are in a highly polarized era where bluster has often trumped reason and where fearmongering has become the norm.
Some of the people featured at the event have disseminated disinformation and sometimes blatant lies instead of encouraging an informed citizenry. Some have preferred to sow distrust in U.S. institutions and democracy over encouraging empathy and good will.
Some may be coming to Nashville to capitalize on their fame, sell a book or attempt to stay relevant in the public debate.
I worry it will be more like World Wrestling Entertainment than the Lincoln-Douglas debates.
Hopefully, substance will win over snark
I credit Sidi for wanting to create a space where people can come together, get excited and leave without having to shift their positions.
However, unlike comic book or science fiction movie characters, the Politicon stars are real and have made decisions or influential statements with real world implications on issues such as election security, immigration policy and war.
We have real problems to solve, from rising socio-economic and racial inequality to climate change. Bigotry continues to rear its ugly head as we saw with Sevier County Commissioner Warren Hurst, who made racist and homophobic comments at a recent public meeting in East Tennessee.
The reality is that the Politicon stars have been good about raising the temperature of political debates.
Will they say anything of substance to move a debate forward or to enlighten citizens, or will this merely be self-promotion, snarky jabs and self-aggrandizement?
While I am glad the show is on the road in the heartland, it’s just that, a show.
For those who need a break from politics, there is plenty of live entertainment in downtown Nashville on a Saturday night.
David Plazas is the director of opinion and engagement for the USA TODAY Network – Tennessee and an editorial board member of The Tennessean. Call him at (615) 259-8063, email him at dplazas@tennessean.com or tweet to him at @davidplazas. Subscribe and support local journalism.
Published 6:00 AM EDT Oct 24, 2019
