oprah for president
by Emma Onom
Published: January 11, 2008
This is my first column, and as such, I think I should make one thing perfectly clear to start off.
I love celebrities.
Celebrities, by their very nature, demand respect and allegiance. If Brad Pitt and Angelina Jolie will only adopt children from foreign, underprivileged countries, then by golly you’d better get those American kids away from me. And heaven help me if I’m exposed to Suzanne Somers on Home Shopping Network for too long, because I just may buy that exciting Sequin Superstar Dress of hers.
Okay, I’m being facetious and overly exaggerative. But I don’t think this is too far off from what politicians actually believe about the American public! That we’re suckers for celebrities and their infinite wisdom and will always do what they think is best.
As much influence as celebrities do have in this country, it’s not all that surprising that candidates have turned to Hollywood for support. However, the weight and attention given to celebrity supporters instead of political and business endorsements is a bit much. Granted, Oprah can convince anyone with estrogen to buy a new bra that has ever so much more lift and support, but how exactly does that qualify her to help us decide the next President of the United States? Just because she was right about that bra doesn’t mean Barack Obama should be the next man in charge.
I realize similar endorsements have gone on for ages, but do people really base their vote on who has the most popular person behind them? I hope this isn’t the case, but this year’s election seems to be all about the biggest and best celebrity.
As much hype as Oprah brought to Obama’s campaign, the downward trend of celebrity endorsements hit home last week. I watched the results pour in in Iowa, with Mike Huckabee coming in first over Mitt Romney, and was not too overwhelmed. I’ll admit, I was kind of drifting off during Huckabee’s “Congratulations to Me” speech, up until I saw Chuck Norris and his freakishly white teeth grinning right behind Huckabee.
At this point, I was forced to wonder: Does Mike Huckabee know the truth of wrong from right, that the eyes of the ranger are upon him? From the size of Chuck’s smile, I wasn’t sure at first if he was going to deliver a swift roundhouse kick to Huckabee’s opponents or to ol’ Mike himself.
Despite Chuck Norris’s obvious powers of persuasion, I’m a little confused at why Huckabee chose to acknowledge his endorsement. His show was finished sometime in the late 1970s, and he wasn’t much of a star even then. Maybe celebrity endorsements are hard to come by, but I never knew someone would settle for Chuck Norris. His endorsement would most likely have an adverse effect on any discerning voter - I wanted to buy a Total Gym once… but it was endorsed by Chuck Norris. On the other hand, if Huckabee is looking to corner the market on evangelicals and the Walker, Texas Ranger fan club, he may just have succeeded.
It’s one thing to pick the richest, most influential woman in the world as your favorite celebrity. But to pick Chuck Norris just because he writes for … I don’t know who he writes for. I heard it once, but I just don’t care. Even if he wrote for the New York Times, I have a hard time believing Norris has the expertise to advise the country who to vote for. I just don’t understand how American voters could possibly make their decision based on a celebrity, no matter the caliber. The fact of the matter is, celebrities don’t know any more about the issues or candidates than you or I do, and maybe less.
When it comes to endorsements for a candidate, why not stick to the old way and get support from people in your field. A senator might want the backing of, say, another senator. Mitt Romney, who bases much of his campaign on his ability to turn the country around financially, has the support of senators and businessmen alike. They may actually know something about his legitimacy of a candidate, rather than just being the same race or the only A through C list celebrity left.
The wisest words from a celebrity of late have come from a very unlikely source. Pat Sajak, host of Wheel of Fortune, recently responded to celebrity endorsements, saying,
“If any group of citizens is uniquely unqualified to tell someone else how to vote, it’s those of us who live in the sheltered, privileged arena of celebrityhood. It’s one thing to buy an ab machine because Chuck Norris recommends it or a grill because George Foreman’s name is on it, but the idea of choosing the Leader of the Free World based on the advice of someone who lives in the cloistered world of stardom seems a bit loony to me.”
Sajak’s words should be heeded by those who find themselves sitting on their couch, trying to glean political information from talk shows. If you need help deciding on the best candidate for office, try researching their history and views. Or, if you absolutely have to follow a celebrity’s advice, go with Howard Stern and vote for Ron Paul. After all, what would our country be without a Texan in office who doesn’t make a lick of sense?
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