July 23, 2007

Michael Vick Enters the Dangerous Court of Public Opinion

The federal indictment of Michael Vick, star quarterback of the Atlanta Falcons football team, revealed once again the inherent danger in the court of public opinion. I am not asserting Vick’s guilt or innocence, but even though the indictment says that enough evidence has been found to go to court for a trial, many people in the court of public opinion have already pronounced him guilty without a trial.

The danger of making such a premature judgment is the same danger inherent in public policy opinion polls, media-generated perceptions of the war in Iraq, and campaign-generated perceptions of presidential candidates.

One would think that people would be more cautious after the recent revelations in the Duke University lacrosse players’ case. The lives of three young men were nearly ruined because of a dishonest district attorney, a discredited alleged victim and the exuberance of two prominent civil rights activists. Some Duke University faculty members even signed a petition to the university’s president demanding that the lacrosse team’s coach be fired. Subsequently, the coach was fired and lost his home, being unable to find another job while the case was yet to be tried in court.

Although the truth was finally revealed, no amount of apology will ever repair the permanent scars to those directly affected by a rush to judgment.

Our justice system is certainly not infallible, but it has been right many more times than it has failed, and it is designed to assume innocence until guilt is proven. The court of public opinion tends to assume guilt until innocence is proven, because of media hyperbole, emotions and an insatiable appetite to rush to judgment. And when these dynamics are coupled with political motivations, the dangers to public policy and our nation’s well-being are compounded.

Many people have bought into the Democrats’ assertion that the “economy is headed in the wrong direction”. This is despite the overwhelming economic evidence to the contrary. These same believers have no logical response as to what would constitute a right direction, as they blindly believe the sound-bites of their political leaders.

With an increase in U.S. troops in Iraq as part of a different strategy and new military leadership, many people believe that “the surge is not working” according to supposedly reputable public opinion polls. This is despite not having first-hand information, and certainly not all the information necessary to make an informed assessment.

More and more people are giving in to the belief that we can simply walk away from Iraq, sing “kum ba ya” with our enemies and everything will be peaceful and bliss. They fail to remember the incidents against us before Iraq, and before that tragic day of September 11, 2001.

The court of public opinion blames big oil companies for high gasoline prices, while not recognizing the impotence of Congress to allow responsible oil exploration and the development of refinery capacity to reduce our dependence on foreign oil. It blames rich people for the plight of the poor. It blames government overspending on businesses for not paying enough in taxes. And it blames workers’ low wages on CEOs making too much money.

And when all else fails, blame the president for everything else.

Our nation is starved for great leadership. But as expected, the race for the presidency is being driven more by public perception than by proven-leadership ability. The candidates who best manage their respective party politics, the political primary process and public perception (a.k.a. the most campaign money) will most likely win their party’s nomination. To paraphrase Tina Turner’s popular classic song, “What’s leadership got to do with it?” Not much.

Michael Vick might be innocent or guilty of the charges being brought against him. The courts will decide. The metrics on the health of the economy are irrefutable, even though the Democratic leaders have chosen to ignore them. And the knowledge that most of us have about the war in Iraq is insufficient at best, but many people continue to believe that the war is already lost.

The proliferation of 24/7 news, media, entertainment and Internet access is a two-edged sword. So far, the edge that slants, skews, panders and manipulates public opinion is winning. The danger is not clear and present to most people. It is vague and distant. Dangerous politicians know this.