Will Obama be Star-Struck?

George Clooney thinks it's risky. Sean Combs (P. Diddy) thinks it's urgently important.

Every celebrity feels differently on the question of political advocacy -- whether a star should campaign for a candidate and whether that effort helps or hurts.

That argument has taken on a different perspective now that John McCain has made celebrity a key campaign issue. His new ads depict Obama as a rock star, a kindred spirit of folks like Paris Hilton and Britney Spears. He's not a serious man-of-the-people like John McCain.

Political strategists are fascinated by this McCain ploy. Here is one of history's most uncharismatic candidates attempting to capitalize on his blandness by stressing the celebrity of his rival.

On the one hand, the tactic seems too transparent to succeed. But the strategists behind the McCain campaign were mentored by the team that sold George Bush as a man-of-the-people, even though he was a rich Yalie who'd never held a job.

The strategy nonetheless brings into question whether stars will be helping or hurting Obama by rallying behind him. Only last week, a group of Obama backers in Hollywood were prepping another "star-studded gala" with an honorary board including Jessica Alba, Don Cheadle, Ashley Judd, Lucy Liu and others.

Indeed, it's hardly a secret that the show-business community favors Obama -- political contributions from Hollywood total $4.4 million for Obama vs. $757,546 for McCain.

Obama's tacticians reportedly are pondering a ploy similar to that used by Arnold Schwarzenegger a few years ago -- namely, stepping away from Hollywood backers and reinventing himself as a non-celebrity crusader for his political ideals.

Only in American politics would a strategy this surreal even be contemplated. The guys who plot campaigns clearly have become more akin to Hollywood screenwriters than to traditional politicos.

Obama, a black guy who fought his way through Chicago politics, is being reinvented by the Republicans as Bono. John McCain, who spent virtually his whole life working for the government in the military, is reshaped as a man who is intimate with the problems of the working man.

Since politics has become more Hollywood than Hollywood, should stars get mixed up in this mess? I can understand why a Clooney would say, "Careful, we may reinforce the stereotypes if we campaign for Obama."

I would argue the opposite. The dialogue is so surreal that the presence of the true stars may remind voters that, in politics as in the arts, reality and unreality are constantly colliding. Hence, star power still counts.

Besides, why let the Karl Roves of the world have all the fun?

If stars are wary about backing Obama, Jon Voight has showed no such inhibition in his support for McCain. Writing an op-ed piece in the Washington Times, Voight warned that an Obama win would trigger "a socialist era" in America.

Voight reminded readers that he had endured the sixties in this country when, he recalled, "The radicals undermined our Vietnam initiative" and "were successful in giving the communists power." Voight predicted that others in Hollywood would soon rally on McCain's behalf.

Personally, I appreciate Voight's fervor, but worry about his intellectual equipment. I remember that moment in the early '70s when Paramount offered Voight the lead role in "Love Story," opposite Ali McGraw. Voight had just achieved stardom thanks to "Midnight Cowboy" and suddenly had his choice of roles.

As a young production executive at the studio, I was trying to push "Love Story" forward and joined colleagues in trying to interest Voight in the part. However the more we prodded, the more reluctant he became.

He finally blurted: "The character in this movie is a Harvard student. He's bright. He reads books. I could never be believable as that smart young guy."

Reading Voight's op-ed piece these many years later, I realize how right he was.

Crossposted from Variety.com.

Comments

[OpusIsUnderTheBed]

Yup. I saw Voight's piece. Wasn't worth much. Not a real smart guy. He oughta' record it and play it to himself repeatedly. He'd enjoy it.

Clooney is a smart man. Good guy.

[applebutter]

The McCain ad was clever, and part of the design may have been to force Obama to try to cut back on celebrity induced media attention. But judging by the success of gossip rags and programs like "Entertainment Tonight", "Average Joe" is watching entertainment shows on television, reading the national enquirer in the supermarket check-out line, and watching movies. Celebrities like George Clooney can do a lot for the campaign to reach those voters who aren't political junkies like those of us reading about the campaigns every day on the internet. I wish more celebrities would come out on prime time television and talk about who they are voting for, and why.

[DevilAdvocate]

LOL On Voight's ... he has the nerve to talk about Obama when his own family won't even talk to him for being suck a loser of a dad...whatever I hope hat man never sees his grand babies, and I will never watch another movie of his ever again... Loser, loser loser...

I saw, do right by Obama and say it loud and proud, I'm a Obama Supporter.... He worked for Kennedy!

[WFV]

Any day we get to see George Cloony is a good day.

[OpusIsUnderTheBed]

Yup.

[Fairfloss]

He is the Star.

[larstein]

Celebrity is not what it used to be, and Obama is smart for being wary. Celebrities are people your average, overweight, bored and stressed out suburbanite loves to hate even while they can't get enough of hearing and reading about them. The more Obama is identified with the tabloid classes, the more marginalized he seems. Better he emphasize his South Side roots, and let the celebrity class stay on the supermarket tabloid rack. Friends like Ludacris Obama does not need.

[Melissa]

It would be a big mistake!

[josephbua]

Peter Bart makes reference to another star studded Obama gala, but his own publication fills in the blanks that there is not one member of the Obama campaign involved in the organization of this.

http://www.variety.com/article/VR1117989847.html?categoryid=13&cs=1

"The plans for the fete were initiated and formed independently of the campaign and finance staff in Southern California by a group of Obama supporters who include entertainment industry publicists and event planners, although contributions go to the candidate's Obama for America committee. An exact location has not been announced, but it will be at a venue in Beverly Hills, organizers say.

"It's uncertain whether the candidate himself will be there as the event comes just a few days before the start of the Democratic National Convention on Aug. 25. As the clock ticks on the campaign, it's naturally been all that more difficult to secure the candidate's time."

In fact, I bet he doesn't.

Certainly you're not saying that Obama is starstruck in the conventional sense, and if people are organizing fundraising events outside his auspices, how can that be a negative for the campaign?

Unless Mr. Bart thinks the Hollywood community shouldn't be allowed to donate to the candidate.

Regarding the amount of money coming from Hollywood to both campaigns, if you place those totals against the national fundraising totals, it's not such a discrepancy. More people want to give money to Obama, period. Not just those pesky liberal actors.