Beware of Celebrity Political Endorsements
Celebrity pitchmen might help you choose your deodorant or lipstick, but why should you heed their preference for the next leader of the free world?
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On his MySpace page, actor Tom Hanks recently posted a video titled “Beware: Celebrity Endorsement.” As he led up to whom he is endorsing for president (guess who?), Hanks said in the video, “As an official celebrity, I know my endorsement has just made up your mind for you.”
While I appreciate the tongue-in-cheek attitude of this talented actor, at the end of the day he remains … a talented actor, someone who makes millions of dollars entertaining others. Like any American, he is entitled to shout his political preferences to the rooftops. But only in Hollywood can it be that someone who is not an expert in anything, but makes a living pretending to be an expert in everything, would think that his endorsement might actually sway the opinions of the masses. And you know he hopes he will — otherwise, why bother posting the video at all?
We’re used to seeing celebrities endorse everything from soft drinks to deodorant to denture paste. Certainly their familiar faces catch the eye of unwary consumers (Drew Barrymore wears Cover Girl makeup? Quick, I have to get to CVS!) and may possibly convince them to give the product a try. Unfortunately, voting for president isn’t the same as buying a new lipstick. If you don’t like him, you can’t just toss him into the trash or pass him on to someone else while you try another brand. You and America are stuck with him — and his policies — for at least four years.
“Caveat emptor” takes on an entirely new meaning.
What’s also interesting is that while celebrities have no problem endorsing a wide variety of products as long as the price is right, that love of variety takes a sharp nosedive when it comes to politics. There should be a new sign put up under the famous “Hollywood” sign: “Liberalism or Else.” And those Tinseltown luminaries who might harbor conservative tendencies tend to keep them under wraps if they want to get hired for anything other than an infomercial for the next useless exercise machine-cum-clothes rack.
There are some celebrities who aren’t afraid to speak out as conservatives: Bruce Willis, Dennis Miller, Chuck Norris, and the late great Charlton Heston, to name a few. But for the most part, they keep mum about their political views for fear of being shunned socially and professionally. Hey, even those who prefer caviar to store brand macaroni and cheese still gotta eat!
A recent quote from Robert Downey, Jr., whose new movie Iron Man is already box office gold, touches on what may perhaps be a relatively new political outlook for him and the reason behind it:
I have a really interesting political point of view, and it’s not always something I say too loud at dinner tables here, but you can’t go from a $2,000-a-night suite at La Mirage to a penitentiary and really understand it and come out a liberal. You can’t. I wouldn’t wish that experience on anyone else, but it was very, very, very educational for me and has informed my proclivities and politics ever since.
Does he really consider himself a conservative now? Or is he just a tad to the right of someone like Michael Moore? The jury’s still out. But the fact that he doesn’t like to mention his newfound “proclivities and politics” while dining at Spago is certainly telling about the stifling political atmosphere in Hollywood.
“You will assimilate. Resistance is futile.” Sorry, had to throw that in there.
Do bear in mind that many of these folks constantly refer to the days of “blacklisting” and “McCarthyism.” (Read this interesting Libertas post from 2005 for a bit more on this topic.)
In an op-ed column written in the days after the 2004 election, George Will declared:
In 2000, Americans were reminded that electoral votes select presidents. In 2004, Democrats were reminded that Bruce Springsteen does not.
John Kerry had the Hollywood vote wrapped up: Michael Moore, Whoopi Goldberg, Ben Affleck, Martin Sheen, Chevy Chase, Barbra Streisand, and Sean Penn were among the big names gunning for Kerry. But in the end, those high-flying endorsements didn’t add up to a hill of beans. Americans went with their gut and re-elected George W. Bush.
So when it comes to celebrity endorsements — no matter who they’re shilling for, liberal candidate or conservative — appreciate them for what they are. But do your own homework on the candidates and vote your gut. After November 4, those same pampered actors, singers, and television hosts will go back to their lofty perches, far from the madding crowd whose opinions they seemed to care about for a few short months in 2008.
Pam Meister is the editor of FamilySecurityMatters.org (the opinions she expresses here are her own), and her work has also been featured on American Thinker.
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20 Comments
Barney:Americans have made well to elect great Bush and not Mr Hamburger Kerry, Mrs Ketchup’s husband.
May 11, 2008 - 2:07 am American Interests:Resistance is futile. We wish to improve ourselves. We will add your biological and technological distinctiveness to our own. Your culture will adapt to …
May 11, 2008 - 4:29 am Ciscokid:Sorry, had to throw that in here…
Enjoyed the post thanks
Laura Ingraham, summed it up well in the title of her book – Shut up and Sing.
May 11, 2008 - 7:47 am Tony:Yep, just because they get paid huge sums of money for it the fact is that actors don’t actually work, they play. When most of us grew up we took on the jobs and responsibilities that make the economy and society function. Actors just continued to play like they did as children and live their life in a cosy fantasy world - and good luck to them for persevering down that route.
However, in a democracy, nobodies opinion or belief is deemed to be more important than anyone elses. It must be difficult for actors and “celebrities” to come to terms with the fact that, outside of their little cocoon of pandying sycophants, nobody is particularly interested in their political views.
May 11, 2008 - 10:10 am Al Fin:Barack Obama is impressive in the way that impresses celebrities. He speaks well, he gives the impression of intelligence and bold vision. He seems to be a born leader and is capable of projecting a commanding presence.
These are all skills that celebrities themselves covet and are most impressed by.
Genuine know-how, and the ability to perform in the clutch–to get the job done on time and under budget–the nitty gritty details of real challenge and accomplishment, well, those things are taken care of by somebody else. They’ve got “people” to do those things.
But the “people” who actually have the know-how to get things done sometimes choose to do other things–when Atlas Shrugs. At times like that, image turns out not to be everything.
May 11, 2008 - 10:13 am John Samford:Talent can, Genius must.
May 11, 2008 - 10:37 am transcended:It doesn’t take much in the way of mental ability to be a actor. Just good looks and ruthless ambition.
Both are things Ohh…BAMA has in quantity.
While Madison Ave. is till effective, it’s not as much as they would have you believe.
The TV remote is a weapon Madison Ave hasn’t found a counter to.
The actual technique is called “the Authoritative Close”. It works well, the problem is that everybody has a different authority figure, which means you need a lot of people staying on message and not forgetting their lines. See why the campaign managers like Hollywood types? They are all for sale and practiced at reafding scripts.
What I find amusing is that the Islamists will kill the stars second thing after they take over. Right after the media types. After all, with a government controlled media, you only need 1 anchor for each slot. Might as well get rid of the rest before they cause trouble.
The only people celebrity endorcements influence are the mindless.
why would these people’s opinions any more important to me in my decision-making from my neighbor next door? How ridiculous.
If anything, Tom Hanks making his “infomercial” (like I give a damn what he thinks) is nothing if not completely narcissistic, but hey, that’s Hollywood. Narcissist Capital.
Someone filled his head with too much importance.
May 11, 2008 - 11:10 am Dark Helmet:All very well and good people, but let’s take it a little bit farther up the food chain. The celebs are a product of a machine, now, who controls that machine? That’s your homework for tonight. There isn’t a read book between the whole lot of them, they are parrots for…… anyone?
Reading sbout the obama un bill that turns over our courts and freedoms and money to the un will help give you all a big clue.
Good night my little comrades.
May 11, 2008 - 2:55 pm Michael Canzano:Hollywood shows it “True Blue City” colors at every opportunity it is presented with including some of the films they produce. The “Hate Bush / Hate America” attitude emitted and applauded by the “Industry” with allowing Michael Moore to use the Academy Awards podium for political ranting is a prime example of “Be Liberal or Be Unemployed”.
May 11, 2008 - 2:57 pm Dark Helmet:Notice that none of the “America Haters” ever choose to leave the country permanently.
American Christian Infidel
Michael,
jabba the butt moore doesn’t ‘use’ they academy awards, it uses him.
Come on kids….. try….
May 11, 2008 - 4:51 pm Dark Helmet:Sorry, the for they… It’s late here in Wopastania
May 11, 2008 - 4:52 pm ElliotNC:I was really glad that Barack Obama was endorsed by Tom Hanks, because he starred in my absolute favorite movie of all time, The Polar Express. I think that he also produced it.
In the movie, Tom Hanks plays the conductor on the train that goes to the North Pole and he punches the tickets really fast with words like “HOPE” and “CHANGE” and… best of all… “BELIEVE.”
The little boy who gets on the train and isn’t really sure that he believes in Santa Claus, but then he is selected to receive the first-gift-of-Christmas and he gets this sleigh bell that you can only hear if you really believe in Santa. So, of course, none of the adults can hear it.
That bell is like the perfect symbol for Barack Obama. None of the young people can understand why all the old people can’t hear the bell. It’s because they don’t BELIEVE because they are TOO OLD!
Tom Hanks also starred in Forrest Gump, so I know that he can identify with poor white people who are not too educated. Forrest is barely one step above retarded and even though he has no education, he turns out to be one of the most successful people in America. I realize that sounds more like a Republican story than a Democrat one, but even so, he didn’t endorse John McCain. He endorsed Barack Obama.
He also starred in a movie called “The Money Pit” about a guy who spends way too much money fixing up his house, so he definitely understands the mortgage crisis. I think that if Barack chose Tom Hanks as a running mate, it would be a DREAM TICKET. This guy has played an astronaut, an Army Colonel, a Cowboy hero in Toy Story… he has even played ABRAHAM LINCOLN.
With all that experience, he kind of overshadows Obama though.
May 11, 2008 - 8:51 pm Tom W.:Tom Hanks also fell in love with a mermaid and went to live at the bottom of the ocean.
Maybe he’ll convince Obama to do the same.
May 11, 2008 - 9:57 pm Dark Helmet:Come on, is it that hard to recognize a forest when you’re in the middle of a bunch of trees?
(Forest Gump was a republican by the way……)
May 12, 2008 - 5:47 am politicalreacharound:(Forest Gump was a republican by the way……)
May 12, 2008 - 7:01 am John Samford:You are right he was! He was also boarder line retarded. Makes sense!
The solution is a boycott of Hollywood. Since their opinions are bought and paid for, hit them in the wallet.
May 12, 2008 - 4:52 pm Dark Helmet:Forest, PRA, was able to focus on one thing and what ever that one thing was he did it exceptionaly well.
Without worrying about what other people thought.
Brilliant and humble without a liberals ego that needs to be constantly fed to keep up the illusion they are better than everyone else.
Does that pretty much sum it up for you?
Now, I’ll ask once more for any of you to look past the smoke and mirrors and to try and figure out who is pulling the strings on these puppets.
Any takers or are we just going to dance around the details rather than the ral story here?
May 12, 2008 - 9:38 pm Dark Helmet:It’s a rally rally rally good shoooo tonight folks…. see Gump would of used spell check…..
May 12, 2008 - 9:40 pm NB:“You are right he was! He was also boarder line retarded. Makes sense!”
I think you mean border, not boarder. Before referring to a group as “retarded” you might want to learn the nuances of the English language. Ya know, little things like spelling or the usage of the proper word in the proper context. It really hurts your credibility as mentally/intellectually superior.
May 16, 2008 - 12:24 am