Page 214 - Contemporary Political Sociology Globalization Politics and Power

200 Globalization and Democracy

enacted symbolically. Questions of appearance cannot be eliminated, and
judgments about politicians ’ appearances can be discussed and validated
in a range of ways. Especially under conditions where policy choices and

implications have become so complex and difficult to follow, trying to
“ read ” personality and trustworthiness from a television interview may
not be such an absurd way to get to grips with the politicians who are
supposed to represent us in democratic government (Street, 2004 ).
There is no doubt, however, that the personalization of politics does
have disadvantages for parties trying to build popularity. Castells argues
that it contributes directly to voters ’ disaffection with politicians and
alienation from party politics because it leads to obsessive “ digging the
dirt ” on individual politicians, targeting them with revelations about their
personal lives. “ Digging the dirt ” is built - in to party politics now, as
members of opposition parties, or indeed opponents within the same
party, can be effectively eliminated, especially during elections, with a
well - placed media story about their personal inadequacies. Investigative
journalism that reveals political scandals (uncovering links between fi nan-
cial donations to political parties and government policies that favor
donors ’ interests, for example) is a very important aspect of democracy,
crucial to making governments accountable once they are elected.
However, democracy is not necessarily well - served where the media
stories that gather the most interest concern the personal assassination of
political rivals (Castells, 2009 : 196 – 9).
As party politics has become more personalized, there has been rela-
tively little attention given to making media coverage of party politics
interesting to voters in other ways. Theda Skocpol argues that, without
necessarily intending to, the mainstream media has tended to disparage
group activities and representative politics, neglecting to stage the impor-
tance of differences, arguments, and decisions for ordinary people in favor

of expert opinion. It is, of course, much more difficult to make party
politics interesting when ideological differences between parties are neg-
ligible, or when politicians do their best to avoid making any commitment
that may alienate “ fl oating ” voters. In addition to a greater role for the
participation of members of the public in mediated political debate,
Skocpol also recommends the celebration of voting on election days,
building “ drama, group efforts, and collective effervescence ” into voting
for government to encourage citizens to participate (Skocpol, 2003 : 283 –
4). Election days in the past were much more carnivalesque – though they
were also then much more corrupt (Schudson, 1998 ). Skocpol ’ s point here
is, however, an interesting one: perhaps what is needed is not less but
more attention to the style and performance of engagement in formal