Politics as Performance. Vaclav Havel on its Downside
One debater vigorously delivered one lie after another, but the other spoke with a raspy voice and a tentative manner.  (debate transcript.) So Republicans gloat and Democrats panic. It's a crisp demonstration of the downside of politics as theater. Vaclav Havel, a playwright who became a president, saw many and essential connections between theater and politics, which he...