Tuesday, January 29, 2008

Apparently, The Average American Voter Is Stupid...


As the presidential campaign winds down…oh…wait a minute, we’re still five or six months away from having nominees from the two major parties, let alone the beginning of the “official” fall campaign.
So, it occurs to me that there’s something a little premature about the latest burst of celebrity and political power player endorsements of candidates.
Just this past weekend, both Caroline Kennedy and her uncle, Sen. Ted Kennedy publicly announced their support of Barack Obama.
Caroline’s cousin, Bobby’s kid, Kathleen Kennedy Townsend has already publicly endorsed Hillary.
And, if I felt like spending the time to research it instead of putting the quick finish on this so I can catch Wheel Of Fortune, I would offer you a comprehensive list of the various celebrities and politicians of note who have come out in favor of this candidate or this candidate by now, with the conventions still half a year away and the election itself still a cold winter, an Easter bonnet spring, and what I expect will be a long, hot summer away.
At this point, you might be saying to yourself, “here comes blog boy’s lament about how the election process seems to get started earlier and earlier in each election year..”
You might be saying that.
If you were, you would be incorrect.
Well, Johnny, what do we have for our departing contestants?
No, this lament isn’t about that at all (which isn’t to say that I wont get around to it sooner or later…cause, truth be told, it falls into the same category as the whole “why are we seeing ads for great Christmas gift ideas before the Halloween pumpkin is even starting to get all black and fuzzy?)
Rather, this time around I’d like to offer you my opinion about the concept of endorsement.
I’m against it.
And while I don’t know what you think about it, for the sake of this discussion, let’s say that you, unlike me, don’t have any particular problem with the concept.
You don’t?
Frankly, I’m surprised at you.
Has it ever crossed your mind that the whole concept of a celebrity or a politician endorsing another politician is, when you get right down the pit of the peach, an insult to your intelligence?
It’s crossed my mind.
And I’m here for you.
See, it seems to me that what gets lost in all the foofah and hoohah that accompanies any endorsement is the unspoken implication that you are either too unaware, unenlightened, uninformed, ignorant or too damn stupid to decide whose lever you should pull behind the curtain on Election Day.

“Hello. I’m Caroline Kennedy. I think Barack Obama is really cool. Well, in fact, my kids tell me that he’s really cool, so I took a good long look at him and realized that with the exception of the fact that he is from Illinois, not Massachusetts, the product of a public housing family, not a rich kid being shoved into a political career by his overbearing daddy, a happily married man, not an incorrigible skirt chaser, and black, not tan from living the good life on Hyannis Port, he is just exactly like my father was in 1960. Oh, except it’s 2008. And since I’m an accomplished author and attorney, not to mention a member of the only family ever referred to as American royalty and lord only knows who or what you are, not that there’s anything wrong with that, I’m saying that you should do what I’m going to do on election day. Vote for Barack Obama. I’m Caroline Kennedy and I endorsed this message.” (actually, I made all that up..Caroline had nothing to do with it...okay?...now get off my back, legal department...)

I like Caroline. I like Ted. I like Kathleen. And I probably would like 99% of the assorted “famous” people who have, or will, come out publicly in favor of one candidate or another. I’m willing to believe without knowing them that they are all very nice people. But I have a problem with somebody suggesting that I don’t have enough sense to listen to what the candidates have to say and then make up my mind for myself.
I think you should have a problem with that, too.
I don’t know you.
But I’m willing to give you the benefit of the doubt on the make up your own mind thing.
And I’m not going to imply that you need me to tell you who you should vote for.
So, as you might have guessed, I wont be endorsing anybody here.
I do my endorsing in private.
Just as soon as that little curtain closes behind me.

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