By MARK BLEVINS
Princeton Times
April 25, 2008 10:20 am
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I haven’t been getting much sleep lately. I’ve been tossing and turning nightly in anticipation of some news that finally came out this past week. I can now finally get some rest since I found out that Bruce Springsteen is backing Barack Obama for president.
Do celebrity endorsements actually help a candidate? That’s something I’ve wondered for some time because so many celebrities, from Oprah Winfrey to Chuck Norris, have wanted to tell the rest of us who they think should be the president of the United States. Now The Boss has stepped into the fray and let us know who he’ll cast his vote for come Election Day.
I won’t knock Springsteen too much because he’s entitled to his own opinion, but who he votes for matters little to me. He did come out with a good album last year, so that’s one thing in his favor. Oprah might be the biggest name to throw her weight behind a candidate because, until now, she hasn’t been vocal in political matters.
Many invite her into their homes every day, so she might have some pull that someone like Chuck Norris, who hasn’t had a hit movie in years, might not. He did have “Walker, Texas Ranger,” but it’s been off the air for a few years, except in reruns. It didn’t seem to help Mike Huckabee much, anyway.
What makes a person decide that their choice in a candidate is going to sway voters? Just because someone enjoys watching Sylvester Stallone or Susan Sarandon in a movie doesn’t mean they want to know who they’re going to vote for.
A friend once told me that two things you shouldn’t bring up with people you don’t know are politics and religion. You shouldn’t ask people how old they are either, but that goes without saying. I’m inclined to agree that politics and religion are not topics to be discussed in company one is unfamiliar with. People can get hurt in these sorts of arguments.
I follow politics rather closely, but I’m not a rabid Republican or a true blue Democrat. I have seen those two types get together and, when they do, it’s not exactly what I’d call a debate. Last week, I wrote about civility or the lack thereof in society. Debating politics is a prime example where people can’t seem to see another point of view.
Rather than debate rationally their viewpoints, people tend to get upset, which leads to screaming matches, which can lead to punches being thrown. That can lead to an arrest, and that’s not a good thing.
Even on television, political pundits usually just end up shouting at one another. They never have celebrities on most news programs to discuss their political views, though. Some might be thinking why would a news program have a celebrity on their program? If the news program wants to discuss issues, they probably wouldn’t have some starlet trying to pontificate on why she thinks Hillary Clinton or John McCain is the best choice.
Most stars are most used to answering questions about their latest movie or some book they’re pushing or about how their stay in rehab has totally changed their life. Ask them a question about policy or economics and one would probably get a blank stare. Ask me abut policy and economics and you might get a blank stare if it’s a Friday afternoon.
Ego is the only reason I can find why so many stars feel a need to let us know who they are going to pick in an election. Sometimes when people are considered “stars” (even if they haven’t been in hit movie for several years), they start to think their fans or the public at large want to know about them.
It’s obvious from all the tabloids and television shows following celebrities that there is some truth in that. But there also seems to be some delusion that stars think they’re more important than they really are. Most movies are designed to entertain, and if they have a message, then so be it.
All any person has to do to become informed on the candidates is watch a debate or find out what the candidate stands for by reading and doing a little research.
The Electoral College notwithstanding, the vote of any movie star or singer packs no more punch than the average person on Election Day.
I find some comfort in that.
Mark Blevins is a Princeton Times reporter. Contact him at mblevins@ptonline.net.
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