I read this article, and looked at the slide show of political endorsements in the past. Seriously look at it, it's kind of eye opening to see who endorsed who and in most cases, what little effect it had.
Celebrities have been endorsing candidates since the early 1900's, but in some cases, they had little effect. Kerry, Gore, McCarthy... they still ALL lost. Even with high powered people backing them, it was not enough to boost their support level and win the presidency.
Researchers are also split on how endorsements affect the public, some saying they have a big effect, others saying very little.
Still, the article cites that "Positive or negative, the exact weight that a celebrity carries for an individual voter is difficult to ascertain"
But I still can't help but wonder what affect endorsements this election will have. Will youth voters look past the overwhelming pop culture figures supporting Obama? Or will they be led by them, swayed to vote for a candidate not on the issues but because of who likes them?
I wrote an article this week about parents swaying their children's political beliefs and one student said something that was right on the money.
He said something like if I don't know anything about the election or the issues, I don't vote.
So.. I encourage people to become educated on the issues and not just vote for someone because they are "cooler."
I mean how much does Paris Hilton know anyways?
1 comment:
Paris Hilton's ad was hilarious and actually seemed to be a good idea. But yeah, I don't know how much she knows.
This election, endorsements are critical. If Oprah did not endorse Barack Obama, then Hillary Clinton most likely would be the next President of the United States. Now, Obama most likely will be the president.
Kerry got major endorsements -- but so did Bush (the one that emulates Commodus). I am happy that most endorsers are right on the money for this election, and Obama, the far superior candidate, is in a great position to win. But you never know.
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