LET’S travel east of the Sun and west of “The West Wing” to the political-cartoon landscape. I caught the first episode of the Kids’ WB new fall show “Generation O!,” and I was concerned about the way it portrayed politicians and the civics lesson our elementary age schoolkids received from the show.
In the premiere, Sen. Shift recruits the show’s heroine, large-mouthed, pint-sized rock star Molly O. to sing “Favorite Son” at a political rally and allow the hit to become his campaign anthem.
As if the name didn’t say it all, Shift resembles an evil Jimmy Carter, as if the former president’s head had been drawn on a withered white balloon. In his ads, he describes himself as a “cornfed, white-bread, get-ahead kind of guy.”
Molly soon realizes the senator is no favorite son, although her harmless, Midwestern cheese-eating parents are bamboozled throughout.
Shift is mean. He mistreats the First Dog when beyond camera range. He makes marsupials fly in cargo. And, as Molly tells the senator, “You’re a big fibber.”
Not surprisingly, for any adult who has watched C-Span, this accusation has no negative impact on the senator. When Molly threatens to renege on her performance, Shift resorts to blackmail.
So Molly has a moral dilemma: Sing for the senator or be true to her political instincts and have the world know her dirty little secret.
But the underlying civics lesson beyond the feel-good finale seems to be that politicians do nothing but pose. It was once a matter of debate whether the personal is the political, but here is a politician who only exists on a personal plane.
The way “Generation O!” portrayed politicians concerned me. And then, Wednesday night, I watched Senate candidate Hillary Clinton waffle before NBC Moderator Tim Russert on the televised debate when asked about her fibs to the American people during the Clinton sex scandal and her “vast right-wing conspiracy” theory.
All I can say is: I’d vote for Shift over Mrs. Clinton in a minute. At least he only pulled on a dog’s ears. And that concerns me.