Michael Brus Joe Klein, a1968 College graduate, spent his college years as a hippie -- protesting, ignoring his studies and trying to "liberate himself." The once-anonymous author of Primary Colors and a current New Yorker political columnist, Klein returned to his alma mater yesterday, telling students at the Annenberg School for Communication that American politics has become "dangerously placid." "According to Machiavelli, indulgence was the greatest threat to a republic," Klein said. Machiavelli's word for indulgence was ozio, after which Klein named a character in Primary Colors who seemed modeled on former New York Gov. Mario Cuomo. Klein's political novel -- based on Bill Clinton's 1992 primary campaign -- was published under the pseudonym "Anonymous." After months on the bestseller list, The Washington Post uncovered the book's authorship and Klein became the focus of journalistic controversy. Entitled "The New Consensual Banality: Overwhelming American Politics with Bite-sized Ideas," Klein's lecture focused on the perils behind the country's current peacetime stability. Klein said politicians have become complacent and put aside the responsibility of challenging the public. But he cast some blame on his own generation for creating an atmosphere of constant persecution of politicians. "The '60s affected my generation much more than it should have," he said. "I and my colleagues have created a truly noxious atmosphere in this country." Irresponsible journalism in turn encourages bland leaders who are willing to put up with constant abuse from the press, Klein said. But he added that he recognizes that as politicians fail to deal with long-term issues like balancing the budget, journalists have nothing else to write about but petty scandals. Still, enduring his own "mini-scandal" after being revealed as the author of Primary Colors has helped Klein experience the pain of media scrutiny from the receiving end. "I don't know how people can think straight under that kind of pressure," he said of his experience of losing anonymity. Klein said that at the press conference several months ago where he was revealed as the author of Primary Colors, he found himself saying things without thinking. And the author noted that at the time, he went so far as to parallel the media's tendency to attack politicians' personal lives to the 17th-century Salem witch trials. He added that in his articles he frequently tries to defend those whom he sees as victims of the media. "For 10 years, I've taken the side of the quarry rather than the pack because the phenomenon of the scandals is far more damaging to the public square than every one of these charges," he said yesterday. Klein has overcome the temptation to be cynical and overly simplistic as a journalist "by reporting, by going out into the streets and finding out about reality." Part of that reality, he said, is that government works best when staffed by volunteers rather than bureaucrats. "True change happens not when bureaucrats hand out welfare checks but when inspired people -- young people -- make one-to-one contact with those who need it," he said. Klein added that today politicians' responsibility is not to answer to the media, but to challenge the people and inspire them to help those in need. College sophomore Rachael Goldfarb said she appreciated Klein's views on life both as a journalist and a public figure. But she did not afford the American public as much credit as Klein did. "Most Americans don't want to heart about scandals, but they also can't digest what's really happening in D.C.," she said. "Most of the legislation is too complex for a layman to understand."
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