Celebrity in Chief?

Celebrity and politics are becoming increasingly intertwined. Arnold Schwarzenegger (and Ronald Regan before him) is governor of California. John McCain appeared on "The Rachel Ray Show," Barack Obama on "The Late Show With David Letterman," Joe Biden on "The Today Show," and, of course, Sarah Palin on "Saturday Night Live." Of course, these TV appearances have become necessary if candidates want the public's attention, and whoever has the larger "celebrity status" will likely win the election. It's a matter of name recognition - completely uninformed voters will often vote for the names that they recognize, regardless of the agenda behind that name. However, when Heidi and Spencer of The Hills endorse John McCain's presidential campaign and Christina Aguilera, P. Ditty, and Justin Timberlake (as well as many other celebrities) participate in ad campaigns for Rock The Vote, one has to wonder if politics is being dumbed down or trivialized to appeal to the American people. "It's not that the candidates have entirely given up serious speeches, solemn debates and aggressive political attacks. It's that their dance cards also are thick with appearances and events designed to entertain us. Sometimes, the contrast is jarring" (1).
"With the rise of new technologies such as cable television, talk radio, and the internet, the news business has become very competitive and more likely to focus on gossip and prominent personalities." (2) In addition, campaign costs have skyrocketed over the past decade, making celebrity endorsements/appearences on the campaign trail an efficient way to raise funds without spending much. "This need for cash forces politicians into alliances with athletes, actors, and artists who can headline fundraising events. In order to guarantee a large turnout at a fundraising party, it has become common to feature comedians, singers, and other celebrities who can attract a large crowd" (2). Celebrities and politicians have developed a reciprocal relationship - celebrities have the media's attention, and politicians have credibility. Both need each other to get their views out to the public.

After the Vietnam War and Watergate scandals in the 1960's, both the public and news media became far more skeptical of politicians. Elected officials lost the trust of the people they needed most: voters and the media. The voters to keep them in office, and the media keep their PR up by printing good things about them. "In many cases, celebrities are seen as white knights who can clean up the political establishment and bring new ideas to public policymaking. They are not tainted by past partisan scandals or political dealings. They are seen as too rich to be bought" (1).



Works Cited:
1) Marla Puente
2008 Hail to the Chief Celebrity? That's Politics Mixed With Entertainment. USA Today, October 12.
2) Darrel M. West
2003 Celebrity Politics. Electronic Document. www.insidepolitics.org/HedgehogReviewCelebrityPolitics.doc. Accessed December 2, 2008.
Images:
1) http://www.fashionphile.com/blog/tag/kim-kardashian/
2) http://images.eonline.com/eol_images/Entire_Site/20071210/293.obama.winfrey.121007.jpg