Actors in the 11th Democratic Debate

In Mast’s work The Performative Presidency, he says, “Actors take on meanings in relation to other actors in the drama, and in relation to the settings, plots, and vagaries of everyday life that can be picked up by a video camera” (Mast; 2012). This is to say, that actors can be in control of their meaning, but only to a certain extent. 

Looking at the quote above, I thought about former Vice President Joe Biden and his performance in the 11th Democratic debate. As a former member of the Obama administration, a huge part of his identity as a politician revolves around the events that happened in that era of politics. He constantly references things he did in the Obama administration, and seems to want a return to that era and the policies of those era, rather than the ‘revolution’ that he believes Senator Bernie Sanders wants; “We don’t need revolution, we need to improve the system.” (Biden; 2020). Biden tends to align himself with the past in order to reinforce his authenticity as an actor, providing reassurance to the audience by basically saying he will bring the United States back to ‘better times.’ 

On the opposite side of this, we see Senator Bernie Sanders, who wants to usher in an era of change for the United States. Sanders is often criticized for his identity as a democratic socialist, as well as his ‘radical’ policies and ideologies surrounding things such as healthcare and higher education. Sanders, like Biden, also calls on the past to reinforce his authenticity by recalling his path as a politician and giving examples to show that he has been consistent in his policies and beliefs from the get go. In this debate, Sanders even calls out Biden for changing his stance on higher education to match what Bernie had been advocating for long before it became a mainstream and accepted idea, and in this questions Biden’s authenticity; “Leadership is about having the guts to take on the unpopular vote.” (Sanders; 2020). Sanders has demonstrated throughout his career that he is willing to stand up for what is right, even if he is the only one standing for it, and this is something that reinforces his authenticity as a politician because it comes across as genuine and truthful. People want a leader that they can believe in, and Sanders’ honesty and consistency really persuades the audience to put their trust in him to bring about the change he speaks so passionately about.

“‘Authenticity’ is prized, but it is an interpretive category, not an ontological state.” (Mast; 2020). There is no ‘secret recipe’ for authenticity, there are a multitude of factors that can affect the way an individual actor is perceived. In the democratic debate, Bernie Sanders and Joe Biden both demonstrated different tactics to try and convey a sense of ‘authenticity’ to their audience. While both called on the past to do this, some might say that Biden’s constant references to his time in the Obama administration show a lack of ability to have his own vision of what the American people want; not Obama’s vision. Sanders on the other hand, has a unique vision for the future of America, and his past as a politician reflects this vision and shows that he has stayed true to his views.

Works Cited

Anon. 2020. “Part 1: Entire CNN-Univision Democratic Debate - CNN Video.” CNN. Retrieved May 11, 2020 (https://www.cnn.com/videos/politics/2020/03/16/part-1-entire-cnn-univision-debate-washington-dc-sot-vpx.cnn/video/playlists/full-cnn-univision-democratic-debate-march-15-2020/).

Mast, Jason L. 2012. The Performative Presidency Crisis and Resurrection during the Clinton 

Years. Cambridge, Ma: Cambridge University Press.