The support of Chuck Norris and Arnold Schwarzenegger, the smile of Oprah Winfrey, the songs of the Grateful Dead, are all examples of famous icons influencing the election process in whatever way they can. These endorsements have been crucial in the way the Presidential campaign has been run, and the outcome of the primaries thus far. The endorsement of Oprah Winfrey for Senator Barack Obama seemed to be a great asset to his campaign. In other words, Oprah’s decision to support Obama ultimately swayed thousands of female voters who might have otherwise voted for Hillary to do the same.In order to understand what these endorsements truly mean to these candidates, it is necessary to observe the public and their views of those icons who endorse candidates. A Gallup poll conducted in October showed that "37 percent [of Americans] said endorsements from prominent Americans are a 'very' or 'somewhat' important factor in helping them decide on a candidate. Sixty-one percent said endorsements are of little or no importance to them." As candidates continue to drop out of the race because of a lack of funding or a lack of support, these endorsements have begun to play a much larger role in the Presidential race. The range of endorsements vary from celebrities to present day and former politicians. These endorsements generally seem to gain more importance as the Presidential race progresses. Without money or support presidential candidates stand little to no chance of winning the favor the public. Endorsements of particular importance are those of former candidates who are no longer in the Presidential campaign. There are examples of this currently happening amidst both the Republican and Democratic candidates; senators Obama and Clinton are vying for the endorsement of John Edwards, while Mitt Romney has chosen to endorse Senator McCain in the run for the White House.
An endorsement that held the attention of many was that of Senator Ted Kennedy and the daughter of John F. Kennedy,Caroline Kennedy, choosing to endorse Barack Obama. Senator Kennedy's decision to endorse Obama has made a large difference in the Obama campaign on a num
ber of levels. Although Senator Kennedy does not have the best track record, the Kennedy name has always been revered in the United States and internationally. The Kennedy endorsements add a great deal to the Obama ticket because Obama has been referred to as the "New Kennedy." On the other hand, President Bush recently spoke out about the race for the Republican nomination and implicitly endorsed Senator McCain. According to President Bush, “the stakes in November are high. Prosperity and peace are in the balance. So with confidence in our vision and faith in our values, let us go forward, fight for victory and keep the White House in 2008." Although President Bush did not come out and explicitly endorse McCain, the choice words he uses to address his audience speak out for Senator McCain. This endorsement is interesting because President Bush and Senator McCain battled in 2000 quite seriously for the Republican nomination. This endorsement is one that is not very likely to hold much weight, as a result of the very low approval rating of President Bush at the moment across the United States.Endorsements not only help to raise support for Presidential campaign but also help to raise monetary donations in order to keep the respective campaigns going. Monetary endorsements help to keep the campaigns of those in the Presidential race going. Campaign funds are becoming more and more important as time goes on. Senator Hillary Clinton is having trouble funding her own campaign. Last week, Senator Clinton was forced to loan her campaign 5 million dollars in order to keep it going. Contrarily, Senator Obama's grassroots campaign has helped to gather a large number of small contributions, which keep the campaign going strong monetarily. As the race for the overall nomination for each party becomes more intense and heated, monetary and spoken endorsements increase in number and in their importance.
The 2008 Presidential election has been one in which the American people have been very involved and endorsements have played a very large role in swaying the vote of the American public. The voters in America can be placed in two camps, one that scrutinizes the issues surrounding the election and educates themselves on the candidates respective stances on the issues prevalent in the election and the other that votes for the person whom they like the most. In the end, the true question is whether or not the American people will heed the words and support of these prominent people and vote for the candidate their favorite talk show host favors or if they will examine the policy issues and state of the economy at hand. A fusion of these two camps would ultimately be the best for the future of the United States. Time will tell if the stance taken by these icons in the United States will make a lasting impact on the 2008 Presidential election.
1 comment:
I enjoyed reading your well-written post. You mention in your second paragraph that in October, only 37 percent of Americans thought that endorsements from prominent individuals were important to their personal decisions of selecting a candidate. I would be interested to know if that number has since changed now that many of the candidates have dropped out of the race. On a separate note, the link to the picture of Obama and Kennedy seems to have a technical problem. You wrap up the post very well in your concluding paragraph, and I hope that the American voters will take the initiative to find the facts and different stances that each remaining candidate holds, and in turn, make their own decisions on who to vote for.
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