We had a story last Thursday that brings a question to mind that again raises concern about our ability as a society to govern ourselves. Kid Rock is running for the US Senate. What do you think about that?It gives me pause for one reason. While Kid Rock is entirely within his right to run, is it a good sign or a bad one? When most will tell you that getting elected is as much about name recognition as it is about policies and positions, don't celebrities have a distinct advantage? Kid Rock is certainly not the first, and he won't be the last. Reagan, Schwarzenegger, J. C. Watts, Fred Grandy (Gopher), Steve Largent, Jack Kemp, Bill Bradley, Jim Bunning, Tom Osborne, Jesse Ventura, Clint Eastwood, Fred Thompson, Shirley Temple Black, Sonny Bono and others have made the transition from their fame to politics. They can energize an electorate much easier than some established politician who talks politics and policy. Even President Trump parlayed his celebrity into the biggest of election wins.
When you look at our society and how celebrity driven so many people are, celebrities have a running start to a nomination or election. When younger demographics get what they believe to be news from Comedy Central, I'm concerned that celebrity candidates could awaken a sleeping part of the population when it comes to voting. Given the leanings of many celebrities, can this bode well for our society? Or, are we in the first stages of losing the republic to a wave of idol worship of those who have proven their ability to entertain? The thought is scary. While I value entertainers and athletes for the diversions they provide, I fear they won't have the skills and abilities to responsibly govern. But will the newly energized voters even care? I detest the movie Idiocracy and would not recommend wasting the two hours of your life it would take to watch it, but if this trend goes the way it could, Idiocracy is very well where we could end up.I much prefer the days where entertainers provided music or laughs for a campaign event. They can even donate parts of their earnings to candidates they support. We all can do that. But, riding a wave of celebrity worship into elected office seems relatively easy. And the easy way is rarely the best way. Let's hope we can all recognize our particular skill sets and excel at whatever they are. I can sure call a curve ball a strike, but I could never hit one!
I hope the celebrity would-be candidates can be as honest in their own self evaluation.