Celebrities as Politicians

Celebrities are as average as you and I in their talents and flaws*, and so are politicians. The (broad) goal of a politician is to appease his or her supporters, and similarly, so are the goals of successful celebrities. The area in which they differ come down to positioning. Celebrities are generally likable before they are known to be political. Politicians are often seen as humble bureaucrats with little personality or interpersonal charisma but firm goals.  When a celebrity is decides to run for political office, they often find themselves with a captivated audience waiting to hear their point of view. Whether the audience's own opinion sways to the side of the celebrity is hard to say, but they definitely listen. Our society finds the political voice of celebrities more relevant than the voices of actual politicians as a defining characteristic of American life
 
Would an Austrian-born steroid infused strongman be able to win the governorship of any state if it wasn't for the fact that he is an Emmy award winning actor and a symbol of strength in post-apocalyptic films?
The success that celebrity-politicians see is inherently tied to their status as celebrity before their rise in political notoriety. The truth of the matter is that the public likes familiar faces, and will vote for a celebrity they like for their persona before the celebrity chose to become a politician.
The same goes for Governor Jesse Ventura, the iconic 'bad guy' figure from the WWF whos signature move was "The Body Breaker".
Ventura, a political underdog with no prior experience, beat out a 25 year mayoral incumbent  in a small Minnesotan town, just a few years before he won the governorship of Minnesota with a small budget and witty advertising campaign ("My governor can beat up your Governor").

Al Franken, one of Saturday Night Live's founding writers and current junior Senator of Minnesota also found success in the field of politics. (Maybe its something in Minnesota's water?) Franken used his popularity and notoriety to propel his career as a political commentator, writing satirical books such as "Why not me" before the 2000 presidential election. Franken's position as a credible funny man does wonders for his PR tilt: he is witty in his personal history and captivating in his unexpected political goals.

The cult of celebrity is a is a double edged sword in the realm of politics. On one hand, a celebrity politician will likely work to represent his fan base and his constituents in a manner that makes both happy. As much as people are tied to celebrities, celebrities are also tied to their fans and can provide a more approachable alternative to normal representatives. On the other hand, celebrity politicians can beat out more qualified politicians simply because they are popular and people think its funny to vote for a celebrity. Celebrity Politicians are usually unfamiliar with the actual structure of the political system and can slow down the political process just because they are getting used to a life in politics. If the facts are telling, look at Arnold Schwarzennegger's approval rating: 23% (1). Similarly, Jesse Ventura found his Governorship to be boring and took up side jobs commentating football matches and wrestling with the WWF (2). Those moves lost him the reelection in 2002.

Even when a politician attempts a shot at celebrity, it doesn't seem to work out

Look at Micheal Steele, former Republican National Committee Chairman. After attempting to popularize the republican party with funny facebook pictures and his own brutally honest opinions on the situation in Afghanistan, he lost the reelection this past January.

All in all, I think celebrities should keep their day jobs, and so should politicians. The truth is, audiences decide who's elected whether its a celebrity or not. The overall outcomes tend not be favorable for celebrities, but politicians are rarely as popular when they leave office. Celebrity appreciate and political appreciation are two different things and celebrities are unlikely to receive the same level of notoriety after a political career.

I realized that I steam rolled through the topic of celebrity politicians without discussing the role of celebrity endorsements for politicians. Hopefully I can come back to this point in a future entry.


*Thats a loaded statement, but think about it! Does Paris Hilton hate waking up in the morning? Will Patrick Swazye go for a run or just stay in and watch TV? Samuel L Jackson had soup for lunch. Did Frankie Munez brush his teeth this morning, will he do it again tonight? Kanye is calling his mom to wish her a happy valentines day as you read this. -- The only difference is that we recognize their names as somebody and not your next door neighbors. Interestingly, I moved into a home 2 years ago a few doors down from the keyboardist of Ghostland Observatory, a popular rock group with a cult following. I noticed that we spent a majority of our time doing the same things: taking out the trash, listening to music, and drinking beer on the porch with friends.

1: Armstrong, Warren. "Popular Politicians?", ABC 30 Blog, Fresno California (http://abc30.typepad.com/abc-30-blogs/2010/09/popular-politicians.html)

2: Jacobson, Louis. "Independents making noise on gubernatorial scene", Stateline, (http://www.stateline.org/live/details/story?contentId=516074)