The high cost of political rent

Last night, during the debate among NY gubernatorial candidates, yet another Motley Fool climbed uninvited atop the media stage to claim his 15 minutes of fame. Today, the media is not discussing Andrew Cuomo, the prohibitive favorite for governor. Instead, the talking heads are giggling like little girls about the "Rent Is Too Damn High" Guy, the aforementioned Fool (pictured left).

For the record: The Fool’s name is Jimmy McMillan. He lives in Manhattan. He claims to be a karate expert (uh huh, right). He always wears black gloves. He’s a legal but fringe candidate for governor. Based on his debate performance, he’s both glib and a few screws short of a Bronx hardware store. His articulated positions were profoundly content free. That’s about all we know about him. And, trust me, I won’t be digging for more. (By the way, the "Rent Is Too Damn High" slogan is not a metaphor for anything lofty. McMillan is solely and literally talking about the high rents in New York City. Hope I didn't dash your hopes.)

Like his hapless predecessor, Alvin Greene, the "Rent Is Too Damn High" Guy is being relentlessly mocked coast-to-coast by the political media. It will continue into this evening, and then onwards through tomorrow’s dawning light. His name or voice is gracing every cable news show, almost every news website and as many blogs as there are stars in our galaxy. Naturally, McMillan is basking under the media Krieg lights, and intent on getting his full 15 minutes worth. And the “Vichy” press is only too happy to pick up the tab.

Alvin Greene, now a forgotten figure, got similar treatment from the media cool kids at Pundit Jr. High School. The mutton-chopped McMillan is the new kid on campus, horn-rimmed glasses askew. Oh, look – another weirdo to mock mercilessly in public. Giggle. Ask him to say “Da Rent Is Too Damn High” again. Giggle. Where do they come from? Giggle. Now, by coincidence of nature, both Greene and McMillan are black. While there is no racism involved here, it’s a bit disturbing to see how both Greene and McMillan so readily slip into minstrelsy (of a sort) while a mostly white audience so readily laughs.

But like I said, this isn’t about race. It’s about our present culture. Alvin Greene can perhaps be forgiven because, well, he’s a Brother from Another Planet, so to speak. The "Rent Is Too Damn High" Guy, on the other hand, is a classic product of our celebrity-reality-television obsessed culture, and a media news complex that happily encourages it for profit. Greene, McMillan, O’Donnell, Paladino, Angle, Palin, Beck, Limbaugh and aspiring dittoheads are what we have wrought. In terms of the political price we’re paying as a society, McMillan is right, ironically. The rent is too damn high, at least for this observer.