From Deseret News archives:
My celebrity can beat up your celebrity ...
None of the above. It was martial arts guru Chuck Norris on the stump for Mike Huckabee.
But long before that, daytime talk show phenom Oprah Winfrey went on the campaign trail with Barack Obama, and poet Maya Angelou, who has an enduring relationship with Bill and Hillary Clinton, declared Sen. Clinton "her girl."
Not to be outdone, Dennis Kucinich just announced that he has received the endorsement of actor Viggo Mortensen.
In the end, does any celebrity endorsement matter? Few people can generate as much buzz as Oprah. She turns books into best sellers and has launched the careers of Dr. Phil McGraw and Rachael Ray, to name two.
But in the privacy of the voting booth, is a voter more inclined to cast a ballot for Huckabee because they liked "Walker, Texas Ranger"? Or vote for Kucinich because they're "Lord of the Rings" fanatics?
But some endorsements appear to have some heft, such as those of former Federal Reserve Bank chairman Alan Greenspan, one's respective governor and clergy.
Greenspan hasn't endorsed anyone, but it makes sense that people would listen because during his tenure as Fed chairman, the financial world hung on his every word. In a "60 Minutes" interview in September, Greenspan endorsed no one. He spoke positively of his working relationship with President Clinton, describing him as the smartest president he had served. When asked if Hillary Clinton could handle the presidency, he said, "Certainly, I think she's unquestionably capable. The question is, is she the best person for the job?"
When pressed if she was the best person for president of the United States, Greenspan said he tended to vote Republican. What was that? A tepid anti-endorsement?
Sadly, the Pew poll, released in September, showed endorsements by local newspaper editorial boards were a wash. Fourteen percent said they would be more likely to vote for a certain candidate based on a newspaper endorsement. But another 14 percent said they would be less likely to vote for the candidate.
Comments
- Obama: Troop drawdown gradual 9:29 a.m.
- Exports up 6th straight month 9:24 a.m.
- Austria passes gay civil unions bill 9:18 a.m.
- EU seeks united front on climate 9:16 a.m.
- Nobel returned to Iranian laureate 8:46 a.m.
- Stocks rise on trade deficit, jobs data 8:45 a.m.
- Gay-friendly curriculum phased out 8:43 a.m.
- Spanish gov't to change abortion bill 8:41 a.m.
- IOC OKs cycling, tennis changes 8:28 a.m.
- BCS = power conference monopoly 8:15 a.m.
- Crash landing next to I-15
- Palin signs books, chats with fans
- Psychologist: Mitchell schizophrenic
- Panel passes BCS playoff bill
- Nude bathers cited for lewdness
- Hot Rod behind mic for Lakers
- Max Hall wants to look ahead
- Cougars use depth to beat ASU
- Non-BCS schools not given fair shot
- Jazz fall apart late at L.A.
- Letters: Global warming a lie
233 - TCU to play Boise in Fiesta Bowl
206 - BYU football: Bronco weighs in on Hall
185 - Cougars going back to Vegas
150 - Utah/BYU rivalry can be more civil
147 - Andersen apologizes for Jordan hoax
138 - Max Hall wants to look ahead
120 - Palin signs books, chats with fans
115 - Revive full food tax?
101 - Panel passes BCS playoff bill
97
Love him or hate him, Utah Sen. Orrin Hatch knows how to get attention.
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