COMPORTMENT CRITERIA

2016 ELECTION CRITERIA

COMPORTMENT

.

The role of Comportment in the 2016 election.

. 

Persuaded that everything is a lie, voters must select the fiction that best fits their own notion of reality.  When politics, itself, becomes a fictional endeavor, the only choice voters have is the fiction that best suits their taste.  In his latest article, Phantasmagoria, Ned Resnikoff concludes that politics has been, “…devoured entirely by personal aesthetics.”  Because everyone assumes the candidates are lying, voters are forced to suspend their critical faculties and choose to believe the unbelievable.  Therefore, Trump supporters tolerate him lying, about such things as his Cuban dealings, and Hillary supporters tolerate lies, which include her Emails.  A voter observing the 2016 campaign, knowing it is a work of fiction, resort to political narcissism or cultural affiliation.  As a result, the criteria degrades to which contestant expresses their own point of view or promotes their personal self-interest, rather than which one is best suited to the job.   

.

Resnikoff, blames Trump, but both candidates call into question the existence of any political reality.  Ned’s article says, “By telling so many confounding and mutually exclusive falsehoods,” Trump has created a sense of unreality in which, “Truth is little more than an arbitrary personal decision.”  So what is wrong with backing someone who advocates your own sense of reality?  That is the way democracy works…right?

.

The problem is when both candidates shave the truth, voters must structure a reasoned political decision based on something other than “their word.”  It might follow that the innate wisdom of a candidate would surface as the default qualifier.  Unfortunately, neither aspirant ranks high in the opinion of the electorate in the wisdom arena.  Wisdom reflects “the soundness of one’s action or decision with regard to the application of experience, knowledge, and good judgment.”  Our dynastic-politician candidate has extraordinary governmental knowledge but questionable judgment.  On the other hand, her opponent, an entrepreneurial-showman, possesses strong capitalization and marketing judgment, but little political knowledge.  In the “application of experience”, the records of them both reveal gaps in ethical, moral, and principled decisions.    

.

Usually, when other criteria fail to identify the best person for the office, voters turn to party ideology as their alternative selection criteria.  However, there is no certainty that either presidential candidate will adhere to their party’s platform.  Funding sources normally provide clues about which entities will be favored when the candidate takes office.  Unfortunately, a shrewd self-funded businessperson knows he can use the power of the presidency to recover and advance his own financial interests.  Examples of this are Berlusconi of Italy, Putin of Russia, Marcos of the Philippines and many others.  Even if they honored their constituencies’ preferences, given the provocative exclusivity of one, and the enmity gendered by the other, it is unlikely ether will gain legislative support necessary to implement those preferences.  It is certainly unreasonable to hope either will strengthen and unify the nation.  Nonetheless, one of them will be the next president of the United States of America.     

.

That is why I, for one, have chosen another reference point for this year’s political deliberation.  In my opinion, the only reality-gauge applicable to this election is the candidates’ comportment …his or her “personal bearing or conduct; demeanor; behavior.”  Comportment is different from “temperament” in that it deals with the manner in which people conduct themselves, not a person's nature, character, or fitness.

.

It is sad that the only reality-based quality left to formulate a reasonable presidential selection is so superficial.  Comportment refers to the way people carry themself — their general manner.  “A queen's comportment is usually regal, a bit stiff, and dignified.  The comportment of a bunch of little kids at an amusement park is very different.  The Middle French root is comportment, ‘bearing or behavior,’" In an environment filled with fiction, it is a real quality…free from deception.  Either they behave themselves properly or they do not. 

.

Faced with the truth bending candidates of this 2016 election, I plan to put aside guesses of their character or intentions.  My focus, free of spin, will not be caught up in who the candidate claims he or she is, how sincere they claim to be, what deeds they claim they will accomplish, nor how despicable their opponent claims they are.  In so doing, I will be free from the fantasy, so I can make an informed decision based on something real, their comportment…conduct and manner.