Celebrity Politics

With the direction that politics is heading in, I believe that more and more the seperation between politicians and celebrities will fade. For example, Arnold Schwarzenegger is a celebrity turned politician, and Sarah Palin is a politician turned celebrity. The two genres of public figures are slowly becoming one. Weisberg states in his article that “as celebrities get more involved in political causes—and threaten to run, or actually do run for political office—politicians are acting more like celebrities.”

The more that this develops, the more politicians will be required to promote themselves as celebrities in order to win elections. A major factor in Obama’s successful campaign was the power of his celebrity. He is a good looking guy, he dresses well and he presents himself well, in much the same way that many celebrities do to garner a strong fan base.

Sarah Palin recently started a reality TV show. Is this geared at making her an even bigger celebrity in order to help her win an election in the future? Probably! Politicians must play the game and make themselves out to be celebrities in today’s modern society. People like celebrities and therefore they will vote for that individual that they like and recognize.

I think that this will raise many problems in the future of American politics. If these celebrity-like politicians are more focused on maintaining their public image then solving problems, this could lead to a weakening of our government. Similarly, if the American public votes for their leaders based on celebrity, will they be voting for THE BEST person for the job, or just the one that is most likeable? American needs to be governed by the strongest and most intelligent individuals, not necessarily those with the most well known name and best public image.