How do "issues" die? Based on this article, issues "die" when they don't work as Democratic Party hacks hoped. Thus, celebrity endorsements have died. The Kennedy mystique has died. Abortion — as a political issue — has died. The explanations may amuse you — or just annoy you. The lack of self-awareness is about exactly what you'd expect. For example, on the topic of celebrity endorsements:
In 2024, Vice President Kamala Harris’ campaign took that to the next level, siphoning up much of the Hollywood and entertainment A-list, from Arnold Schwarzenegger to Bad Bunny. Vogue at one point compiled a list of 37 stars who endorsed Harris. President-Elect Donald Trump tried to counter with endorsements from the likes of Jason Aldean or Kid Rock, but he couldn’t keep pace. “We don’t need a star because we have policy,” Trump said at a rally in Pittsburgh. In some ways, he wasn’t wrong: Trump won without the elite sheen of Harris’ fleet of surrogates. If anything, her star-studded backers may even have hurt her campaign, giving credence to conservatives who cast her as an out-of-touch California elite. In a fractured country, with the monoculture all but gone, and with anti-elite sentiment building, it’s getting harder and harder for any celebrity — even Taylor Swift — to move enough voters to sway an election.
Are Joe Rogan and Elon Musk not celebrities? I guess to Politico, "celebrities" are only in the acting and popular music category. Politico won't admit that these people flocked to Kamala Harris because they needed to for their own selfish reasons — not because KH's campaign operated at some especially high "next level"! Their endorsements, unlike the endorsements of Trump by Joe Rogan and Elon Musk, did not represent any kind of knowledge or thoughtful judgment about the candidates. Maybe the way celebrity endorsements work on us is changing, even improving. But they didn't work for Kamala, even in massive abundance, so, to Politico, they died!
पोस्ट्स
७९ टिप्पण्या:
If you pay me $2 million dollars ... as Kamala did to Oprah Winfrey ... I will endorse whatever you want.
Especially if that $2 million dollars was raised from small donation Democrat idiots.
Are we talking about paid endorsements? Were any of Kamala’s endorsements not paid? I can imagine Taylor Swift wasn’t, since she doesn’t need the money, but not sure she wasn’t paid.
If Taylor Swift can't swing an election ... well, I guess we should play "The World Turned Upside Down."
I also notice that "Equal justice under law" has "died" ... because Trump isn't in jail or something.
No awareness on the part of Politico and no discussion of the Hunter Biden pardons - or the 1,500 other pardons he's granted to his criminal family and buddies in the last 4 years.
Forget the pundits, I want to hear from genuine advertising executives about the declining effectiveness of celebrity endorsement of products, be it politicians or soup.
The KH celebrities were all on the wrong side of the issues or didn’t care about them as long as they were paid. There’s only so much nonsense they can sell.
I quibble with the word “issue”. Celeb endorsements are a tactic, not an issue. Same with Kennedy mystique. Abortion is an issue, of course.
The continued focus on Taylor Swift is interesting given that neither Obama nor Beyonce appears to have moved the needle for Harris with non-whites, and the Beyonce non-appearance at the convention and non-performance at that rally now looks like net negative.
They are choosing to say the endorsements weren't effective because the idea that they were effective and kept Harris from losing by much, much worse is unthinkable to them.
In 2024, Vice President Kamala Harris’ campaign took that to the next level, siphoning up much of the Hollywood and entertainment A-list, from Arnold Schwarzenegger to Bad Bunny.
"Siphoning up," like "scooping up," connotes overstepping. Let's use it in a sentence. The party went to hell as soon as Joe and his friends siphoned up all the booze.
So it's telling that Politico thinks of A-list celebrities as a scarce resource for which the campaigns compete. And they're probably right about that. Recruiting "celebrities" whether for show business projects or political campaigns is somebody's job and I'll bet it pays good money.
Or soup. I like that, Michael.
I know that the dictionary definition of a celebrity is “a famous person”, however, in colloquial usage, ‘celebrity’ seems to be strongly associated with someone in entertainment, or literary/fine arts. For people well known in areas like healthcare, business or politics, ‘celebrity’ seems like overkill. I can’t think of a good general replacement noun for these other areas, but something more like ‘luminary’ seems to be a better fit.
Celebrities read lines that other people write for a living. Why would they sway me on anything. Much like democrat media. Trumps surrogates were all rugged individuals and self made. What a difference.
" in colloquial usage, ‘celebrity’ seems to be strongly associated with someone in entertainment, or literary/fine arts...."
Even in the restricted usage, it would include Joe Rogan. He's a standup comedian with Netflix specials in addition to being a podcaster.
And Musk is entertaining us with rockets and amusing automobiles and being crazily rich. Still, he's mainly a businessman. So exclude him from your limited definition, but Rogan is still in.
For those that don’t click the link, the first “issue” is “Equal Justice Under the Law”, and it is what you might expect from Politico. That Trump faced multiple lawsuits across the country, it is that he went to trial but never ended up in jail that suggests to them that Equal Justice no longer exists. It doesn’t matter that the lawsuits all included novel ways of interpreting the law that nobody else has faced or penalties that could not be supported by precedent. The article is a dimly lit gaslight.
In a fractured country, with the monoculture all but gone …
“All but gone?” It disappeared at least a decade ago.
Are Joe Rogan and Elon Musk not celebrities?
Yes and no. In some quarters we respect people who build things and make them work. To Lefty extremists, it’s “How dare they?!?”
Another “issue” is “Trusting the Experts”. I think people trust experts just fine. They do not trust people that claim expertise simply from an appointment rather than demonstrated skill. Prove to me you’re an expert.
This seems to me to be a cogent insight. It hasn't been that long since Gwyneth Paltrow could (apparently) drive sales of stuff via her GOOP lifestyle thingy, and Oprah via her traditional media empire - but is it still working? I know my kids' buying patterns are remarkably heavily influenced by online personalities - you know, "influencers" - whose names I don't remotely recognize. Maybe if the Harris camp had considered who is successful at selling, say, skin care products, they might have realized that times were changing.
The Kennedy mystique bit the dust? To the extent it still existed (very little), it was arguably enhanced by RFK Jr's joining the momentously successful Trump campaign and new administration. But of course to Politico and their ilk that's a failure.
If Kim Kardashian endorsed a beauty product or athletic workout shoes (which she has) it might be worth it for me to take note in case I need to shop for one of those things.
But if Kim K were to endorse a specific brand of toner cartridge (which she hasn’t), I would be like “Huh?”. That is not in her area of expertise.
So when politicians seek celebrity endorsement, it tells me they view politics less as good governance and more as, well, celebrity gossip and status.
Kamala + Megan Thee Stallion + Cardi B = Presidential Gravitas, plus black women lying in the sand surrounded by snakes and twerking in a pool. The Party had to get out their core voters.
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=hsm4poTWjMs
Under 'unequal justice under the law' they weirdly forgot to mention Joe pardoning Hunter- going back years.
To paraphrase Jack Nicholson in "Chinatown": Forget it, Ann. It's Politico.
Christopher B said…
“The continued focus on Taylor Swift is interesting given that neither Obama nor Beyonce appears to have moved the needle for Harris with non-whites, and the Beyonce non-appearance at the convention and non-performance at that rally now looks like net negative.”
I always thought that a celebrity endorsement of a politician merely increased the excitement level (but not necessarily the enthusiasm level) amongst the people who were going to vote for said politician anyway.
"Are Joe Rogan and Elon Musk not celebrities?" They are not approved celebrities. Unspoken, but implicitly front-and-center, is the devalued nature of those approvals, long overdue. The cool kids still have their own table in the lunch room, but nobody cares.
Among the demographic he won over Theo Vonn and Dana White are about as big as celebrities get. The Dems do not even know who these men are. Still don't. They have no idea why they lost and that's hilarious.
"Their endorsements, unlike the endorsements of Trump by Joe Rogan and Elon Musk, did not represent any kind of knowledge or thoughtful judgment about the candidates."
One of the funniest scenes of this year's election cycle was a joint interview with Jon Hamm and Lucas Kunce. Kunce is (now) a thrice-time loser who was running against Josh Hawley and Jon Hamm had endorsed him. Jon was apparently blissfully unaware that Lucas injured a reporter in his gay little firearm photo-op, only to have the fluffer-reporter bring it up during the interview. The look on Hamm's face was priceless as he basically looked at Kunce inquisitively with this "whoa you actually shot somebody!?!" look on his face.
Hollywood Kunce aren't just scum, they're blissfully uninformed scum.
"Politico won't admit that these people flocked to Kamala Harris because they needed to for their own selfish reasons "
their own selfish reasons being: THEY WERE PAID MILLIONS TO DO IT.
Seriously, of the celebs that "flocked" to Kammy; how many WEREN'T paid?
Even Obama was pissing in the wind trying to help Kamala.
George Clooney forced Biden to quit. So celebrity can still flex some power.
This celebrity endorsement stuck out to me.
President Biden has shown what true leadership is... He’s saving democracy once again. We’re all so excited to do whatever we can to support Vice President Harris in her historic quest.
- George Clooney in a statement on July 23
Trump himself is as big a celebrity as anyone.
The penultimate dust-biting "issue": "The 'Misinformation' Industry"
The paragraph on the ultimate issue then mentions JD Vance's "couch thing" (emphasis in original). I know each issue had a different author, but they really should have editors to notice the contradiction and either cut that throwaway line from the last paragraph or at least rearrange the issues so they weren'r next to each other.
And that was just the first issue...the rest were equally 'lit' by previously debunked 'gas'.
Editors are a thing of the past.
And those that do assume editorial duties are probably just as young and dumb as the writers.
I doubt that “canvassing “ is dead. The Republicans upped their game this election and had large numbers of canvassers on the ground in the swing states, such as Pennsylvania. They also had many, many more “poll watchers” and lawyers in the field. It paid off handsomely and I expect that result will encourage an even greater presence in 2026 and 2028.
To understand why celebrity endorsements didn't seem to work, look at Trump's closing ad. The sheer diversity of political and cultural talent is what mattered. Even now I can't watch that ad without getting emotional and I'm not a huge RFK or Vivek fan!
The issue is never the issue, certainly not at Politico.
What is interesting here, are the 9 issues quoted in the article, and how their position might have been true for Democrat's electoral results, but less true, or maybe less applicable in light of Republican results.
1. Celebrity endorsements. Out: Oprah, Taylor, Beyonce. In: Elon, Junior', Tucker Carlson.
2. Equal Justice under the law. Is it a dead issue, or is Trump winning? How many cases have been dropped now?
3. Traditional Canvassing. I've read that Republicans had a much better ground game this election round. True or False?
4. DEI Programs. Lots of 'Oh No's' here on program cancellations on campus.
5. Relying on Abortion to turn out voters. Lots of 'Oh No's' here, too.
6. Trusting the Experts. Well.... who's experts? 'Sometimes, it’s the vibes that matter' .
7. The Kennedy Mystique. ..."but this year, it seems like the buzz is finally wearing off — and the hangover is starting to set in...." Ha ha ha. Looking like a 4-year hangover, then?
8. The 'Misinformation' Industry. ..."Misinformation — or lying, as it was once called — had a banner year....", yes. Yes, it did, but not how one might think.
9. Politics on SNL. For the first time in years, Althouse has been drawing attention to SNL becoming funny for the first time in years.
I'm sure Inga and others might disagree, but the article is quite unintentionally funny in its partisan way, because it can be read in its entirety as a double-entendre, depending upon one's political views.
Winston Zeddemore : "Ah, if there's a steady paycheck in it, I'll believe anything you say."
I read an article somewhere on Charlie Kirk's version of canvassing and it is completely different than knocking on doors. As I remember, they had people make contact at a large gathering that was likely full of Trump curious people and then they developed a relationship over text, then used that existing relationship to get those voters to the polls. Less people contacted, but a higher percentage of people who went to vote.
The Celebrity endorsement out. In? The All-Celebrity Ticket! Oprah/Bey in 28. Think of the packed rallies, when you might walk away with a car.
The problem is we no idea how many dumbos voted for Harris because some singer/actor/sports star endorsed her. It wasn't enough, and it was more than one. But the actual number can't be determined.
People being influenced by celebrities didn't happen in the past. Marilyn Monroe didn't endorse Stevenson, and if she had, no one would've cared. Reagan had to take a lot of flak for being "just an actor".
Then things changed. I can remember when Arnold got elected Governor of California, just because he was a popular actor and people hated the current Governor. Wouldn't happen today. If the monoculture is dead, and we no longer give celebrities so much clout, well good for that.
Exactly. Trumps endorsements were from people that WERE on the left and see that their party has gone nuts.
Inga . lol.
We’ve long known that Trump was getting special treatment in the courts.
"Special treatment" (Sonderbehandlung), sure but not in the way the Politico hack thinks. Crimes were invented just to charge him with. And how can you talk about equal justice under law dying and not mention Joe Biden's pardons?
But over the last few years, political humor on SNL entered a downward spiral that hit rock bottom in 2024.
No, that would be 2009, when Lorne Michaels said he couldn't find anything to make fun of in Obama. Likewise, the "Kennedy mystique" died years ago. If Teddy and all of the crimes and stupid deaths didn't kill it off, um ... like ... Caroline ... you know ... did.
One thing I'd put on the list, is the idea that the Establishment media -- or academia, or the Washington insiders -- represent our "institutional memory." Maybe that idea died a long time ago, but reading a list like this only confirms that most people paid to report on national politics are only repeating the messaging of the day, and that outsiders with good memories and search engines can have a longer and wider perspective on what's happening.
I can't figure out why the election wasn't decided the moment Queen Latifah endorsed Harris!!!!
Are Joe Rogan and Elon Musk not celebrities?
Rogan fits more into the category of "the cocky bro podcasters" and influencers that another of the contributors demeans. Is it quite accurate to see him as a celebrity or an influencer (like Benny Drama and the other TikTokers who endorsed Biden and Harris, often for cash)? At his best, he was a rare source of information in a media environment that otherwise avoided facts and went with joyful vibes. If he was only responding to or putting out a vibe himself, that didn't distinguish him much from other reporters, pundits, and media types.
Musk is a celebrity of sorts. Presumably some voters thought that he knows something about the economy and were swayed by his support for Trump. He became more a part of the Trump show, part of the entertainment, but he's also been a source of ideas for Trump's team. What could Taylor or Beyoncé deliver in that department?
Anyone remember "the Republican war on women"? Or "Trump is an existential threat to our Democracy"? How did *they* work out?
Trump is his own celebrity.
Republicans really upped their ground game this election. They had canvassers on the ground in all the swing states, plus thousands of poll watchers and lawyers keeping an eye on the votes. Lara Trump should get huge kudos for setting this organization up.
Actually Republicans put tens of lthousands of volunteers on the ground in the swing states and they went door-to-door. They were equipped with political apps that showed (1) voter names, (2) affiliation, if any, and (3) voting history, for primaries, general election, etc by party if applicable. The mission wasn’t to necessarily convert voters, but rather to get the party faithful to be sure and vote.
I find myself wondering what happened to her. Did she crawl into the bottle? Did she take more drastic action? I find it impossible to believe that she just chose to unplug from the world of internet commentary.
I hope she just decided to cocoon herself at bluesky or some such.
I know, right?!
If only Carrot Top had come forward....
Endorsements no longer convey the sense that the person endorsed is genuinely better. Instead, they convey the message that the endorser is publicly displaying the opinion that the endorsee will benefit the endorser. If you don't regard yourself as similar to the endorser, the impact of the endorsement is zero, or less. Why would I think that an administration that benefits Taylor Swift would also benefit me?
CANCEL HOLLYWOOD
BACK A FULL DECADE, to encapsulate Hunter's family bag-man deals in Ukraine - that the corrupt media dutifully ignore.
The horrid left on MSNBC are so vapid. They actually think that
flawlessness is derived from rich out of touch celebrities !
When they talked about celebrity endorsements, one thing that they missed was that THE celebrity this election was Trump. By god, he got RFK, Jr to pretend to eat a Big Mac. It’s not something new - 22 years ago, the movie 2 Weeks Notice had him in cameo, playing himself, the most famous person at a party, offering to double Sandra Bollock’s salary if she would come work for him. Then he brought us Celebrity Apprentice… He’s just amped it up a dozen or two notches.
Trump is not only the most famous and influential celebrity in this country right now, but in the world. Easily. World leaders, around the world have been flocking to jump on the Trump Train. How many jumped on the Biden train? The Harris Train? Or even the Obama or Clinton(s) Trains?
It’s interesting. My partner grew up in Las Vegas, and can’t count the number of times she was asked “Do you know who I am?” Her inevitable response was “No - Do you know who I am?” Pretty much every star of the 1970s then still performing or visiting there. Of course, there were those like Elvis who didn’t ask, because they didn’t have to. She was a 12 on a 10 scale in a town filled with beautiful people.
But Trump is the only person, since Elvis, that has impressed her as a celebrity (Elvis always tried to tip her, she always refused, but got front row tickets and back stage passes instead. Always the perfect gentleman, he never made a pass at her). So, we have a place at Trump’s hotel in Vegas, and before the election he would pop in on occasion. First time she saw him, she was on a walker (she had just had surgery) and Secret Service pulled up front. She claims that he asked who that French looking woman up front was. And supposedly when we have seen him later, and he has turned and waved - supposedly at her. One of those times was when she had refused to tell me that he was going to be in the lobby, so I dawdled, and we were kept by security in the elevator bay, until he was done there taking selfies and talking to the people lucky enough to be in the lobby when they shut everything down. When he was done, he and his entourage headed towards the service elevators, walking quickly. When he saw us, he stopped, waved, and then started up again (walking faster than most men a decade younger than he). She is, of course, convinced, that he stopped and waved at her, and her alone. It was worse, I think, than when she was in the front row at an Elvis concert (later, she did get the scarf he was wearing on stage).
My point is that Trump didn’t need celebrity endorsements, or the like, because he is a bigger celebrity than any of them. It’s not celebrities endorsing him, but his endorsing them, bringing them along for a plane ride, or inviting them to MAL. I think that the picture of RFK eating McDonald’s says it all.
Leland, it's more than just "prove your expertise". The bigger scam is claiming one's expertise transfers to other fields. For example, Fauci's expertise in bureaucratic ladder climbing does NOT inherently give him any expertise in virology, public health, or above all risk management.
Anybody else remember King Tut in the old TV version of Batman? The professor would get bonked on the head and turn into King Tut, the villan, and then get bonked again and snap out of it.
Am I the only person wondering who the hell "Bad Bunny" might be?
Musk doesn’t count as an endorsement because he’s Trump’s de facto running mate.
Politico is mad than SNL didn't lie about and smear JD Vance enough.
Left Back on the Charles, the elections over. Vance will be the Senate President, not Musk. Vance is next-in-line if Trump dies, not Musk. Those are not only de jure differece, they are de facto as well.
(But thanks for revealing you are making tiny little Fists of Fury in your pockets over Musk's role in Trump's administration.)
The complaint about Trump's "lies" not mattering really cracks me up.
How many years were the Dems and the media conspiring to lie that Biden was in good health, sharp as a tack, etc.?
THERE's "the Mother of All Lies".
Problem with Kamala's list of supposed celebrity endorsements was she bought those celebrities with her $1.4 billion campaign budget, and failed to realize that few adults value product endorsements from Beyonce, Taylor Swift, Lizzo, et al.
No. And that's one reason why celebrity endorsements are failing, too many of them are niche figures.
Whenever I see "bite the dust," I first think of the Queen song, and then immediately think of Wierd Al's "Another One Rides the Bus."
Which I think could be a campaign song. Not sure for which party.
"Hey - he's gonna sit by you!" is what Dems say when deplorables get close, so maybe it could be a D song.
JSM
"the Hollywood and entertainment A-list, from Arnold Schwarzenegger to Bad Bunny."
First off, I have no idea who Bad Bunny is, but what I'm really wondering about- is Arnold Schwarzenegger really "A-list" these days? With his petulant "Screw your freedom!" rant during covid, he seemed rather "girly-man"- not what one would expect from an A-lister action hero, if you ask me.
Althouse's comment highlights the issue: Why does a "celebrity" endorsement help a political candidate -- specifically a candidate for President -- win an election? If Tweedle-Dee is running against Tweedle-Dum, maybe it doesn't help or hurt. Maybe it only helps if the public (or a segment of the public) doesn't much like either candidate, but they like one candidate's celebrity supporter. Suppose in 1992, Astronaut Mae Jamison had endorsed Pres. GHW Bush over Gov. Clinton? Wouldn't that have helped Bush?
Yes, much like Eisenhower, TR, and Obama.
The reason Harris lost is because sexism and racism. She ran a perfect campaign, she had endorsements from all the right people, she was on the right side of history, and she had joy! He Haw.
It's not really a celebrity endorsement if you have to pay them in order to get it.
Doesn't say anything good about Harris's candidacy when she has to pay people who are almost certainly Democrats to publicly announce their support.
Anybody know how much Trump paid Musk or Kennedy?
Oh good grief. I choose to absent myself from this place full of Trump cultists and life is more pleasant for it. I’m looking forward to grocery prices going down now that VP Trump won the election. It’s all good, everything will be ok now that we have President Musk.
But then those who have been adults a bit longer are more set in their voting habits. The real action this election was for the youngest voter, who seem to have shifted further to the right than expected. My theory here is that the Dems concentrated on a slightly older demographic, with their choice of celebrities and influencers, possibly to fortify their base (that they have been accused of doing overmuch in this election).
Bingo!
In the 2024 election Trump was the uber-celebrity against which the entertainment celebrities seemed wan. Not least because the Democrats did every single fucking thing they could to keep him in the news every day since 2015. I’m amazed that wasn’t the first comment in this thread. Or noted in Althouse’s post.
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