Political, star-studded, ever-geeky Politicon draws thousands ahead of midterm elections
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By Ariella Plachta, Correspondent
Hankering to dive into a VR world where tyrannous leftists take over? Schmooze with your favorite cable TV star? Or geek out over battleground districts in North Carolina? If so, consider yourself a political junkie fit for Politicon.
Thousands of them on both sides of the aisle gathered Saturday at the Los Angeles Convention Center to kickoff the fourth-annual Politicon convention, where political punditry and entertainment meld in fiery, cable news-ready fashion.
All under the watchful eye of a giant balloon Baby Trump, pundits and media personalities deliberated stakes of the coming midterm elections and what they will mean for the president going forward. For their part, attendees witnessed impassioned debates about myriad issues in the national news headlines from North Korea to the Opioid crisis.
The event, dubbed the Coachella and Comic-Con of politics, was co-founded by Simon Sidi, a British rock show producer who saw an opportunity to turn America’s appetite for politics into an engaging assembly where panelists are referred to as ‘the talent.’
The thousands of people in attendance were welcomed to the main hall by sizable stages sponsored by MSNBC and The Washington Post, and roamed alleyways of booths run by art, civil society and non-profit groups. Tickets to the event ranged from $70 general admission to VIP passes for $400.
For sale on site? Posters of the presidents with octopi on their faces, political cartoons, leftist-themed jewelry and RBG-themed tea. History buffs surely enjoyed the official presidential travel limo in service from Lyndon B. Johnson to Jimmy Carter, and selfies with hired actors dressed as Abraham Lincoln, John Adams and Rosie the Riveter.
A jam-packed list of panels and debates featured political figures and famous people with little to do with politics at all, ranging from Chris Christy to former Bachelor star Ben Higgins. But a common thread running throughout the gathering was the coming midterm elections as a national referendum on the most divisive matter this Politicon: the Trump White House.
In an MSNBC panel dubbed ‘Making Sense of the Midterms,’ veteran political commentator James Carville stressed the influence women voters are expected to carry in this election and anticipated a high voter turnout that will confirm predictions of a so-called blue wave to gain Democratic control of the House of Representatives come election day.
“If a million people show up at the National Mall to march the day after the fact, they probably got something to say,” he said to applause in reference to the Women’s March.
Right wing firebrands like Ann Coulter and Youtube personality Roaming Millennial slammed the “fake news” media and praised Trump’s immigration policy. Left-leaning stars like MSNBC’s Ari Melber cracked more than a few Trump jokes and foreshadowed spikes in political participation by voters of color this November.
Comedian Kathy Griffin, infamous for photographing herself holding a severed Trump head, headlined Saturday evening’s panel with anti-Trump crusading lawyer Michael Avenatti under the headline “How to Beat Trump.” On Sunday, right-wing firebrands Tomi Lahren and Ben Shapiro are slated to take one of the event’s many stages.
In a staunchly Democratic city like Los Angeles, the likes of Sebastian Sadowski, 38, are somewhat rare outside convention walls.
“What’s great about things like this is that people can come here with all kinds of opinions,” he said. “I can wear my Trump hat and not worry about getting harassed.”
In past years, Politicon was held at the smaller Pasadena Convention Center, where it drew more than 10,000 people. This year it’s difficult not to notice hundreds of empty chairs behind the crowd at most panels.
That was the case at “Slam Dunk Diplomacy,” an offbeat conversation with Dennis Rodman about his eight journeys to North Korea. Diplomacy, per se, wasn’t seriously discussed. A debate broke out on the question of whether Trump is racist, and he touched on Kim Jong Un’s media consumption habits. Apparently he watches a lot of movies.
Yet Sidi is ever-confident he has tapped into strong demand for cable-style politics and punditry in person. He points to sky-high TV news ratings and online newspaper subscriptions as proof.
“Politicon gives folks the opportunity to interact with these players instead of reading their pieces and seeing it on television. Everyone thinks we’re all in our own silos but at least at Politicon you can have an opportunity to interact with one another,” Sidi said.
“The original goal was to entertain people. People are fascinated and addicted to politics now more than ever before. We’re just giving people what they want.”