Right-Wing Celebs - The Dull and the Restless

There's a reason why the majority of folks in the entertainment industry tilt toward the Democratic Party.  It's because most creative types, by their very nature, are able to empathize with others.  This natural empathy compels them to speak out against social injustice and advocate for worthwhile causes.  While we may not always agree with their approach to progressive politics, we seldom doubt their sincerity. 

And then there are those GOP lovin' celebrities whose personal interests are best served by attaching themselves to the dimming Republican bulb, entertainers who donate their time and money to the Conservative Agenda: Pro-war, anti-choice, anti-gay, and more tax cuts for the wealthy.  These lackluster celebs generally arrive in four distinct flavors: Born Again Fanatics like Mel Gibson, Kirt Cameron, Kim Alexis, creepy Stephen Baldwin; Macho He-Men like Clint Eastwood, Chuck Norris, Tom Selleck, Dwane "The Rock" Johnson; Musical Flag Huggers like homophobe John Rich, The Oak Ridge Boys, Trisha Yearwood, gun-toting Ted Nugent; and Objects Of Pity such as Tony Danza, George Hamilton, Heather Locklear, Marie Osmond, and Bo I-Am-Still-A-Babe Derek.

Is it surprising that Republican fundraisers are so bland?  If the best you can scrape together to plead your cause is Gerald McRaney and Kathy Lee Gifford, with an opening act of Christian rockers, it is time to pause and ponder. Back in 2004 Rob Long at Slate wrote, "This may be why you rarely, if ever, see George Bush in a celebrity photo op. True, he probably has no idea who most of the beautiful people at the DNC were anyway, but there's also a political strategy to it, a certain faded-European-royalty logic at work: Always be the most powerful and famous person in the room, and if you're not going to be, get another room."

We'll be waiting to see which room John McCain chooses.

Comments

[Matt]

omg... your four types are perfect (Born Again Fanatics, Macho He-Men, Musical Flag Huggers and Objects Of Pity). I love watching Marie Osmond sell her dolls on the shopping network (apparently she's made a fortune with them).