We live in a world where many people look to Hollywood starlets, macho athletes and hip-hop artists for their heroes. It’s no surprise, then, that our presidential candidates have tried to tap into that power.
At a grassroots level, Barack Obama has tapped into support at previously unseen levels. Local artists have been out in full force since the primary season, working on posters and graffiti to be posted in campaign hot spots. Fiber Artists for Obama, for example, brings together Obama supporters who sew, quilt, knit and crochet representations of their political beliefs. An art house crowd recently gathered to support Obama on the San Antonio River Walk, donating sales of organic coffee to his campaign and holding readings of Obama’s poetry and speeches. Writers and artists in New York City held several fundraisers for the Democratic hopeful — attended by literary icons such as Toni Morrison, Jonathan Safran Foer hosted one such event in late February to publicly endorse Obama.
Obama has also earned strong support from musicians. One of his more notable endorsements came from Black-Eyed Peas musician will.i.am. He composed a music video titled “Yes, We Can,” which featured music set to one of Obama’s speeches as various celebrities read along with Obama’s words. The video was a phenomenon on YouTube and Facebook, garnering more than 10 million hits. Elsewhere, musical acts as diverse as Bruce Springsteen, Jay-Z, Devo and Bright Eyes have hosted free shows in support of the Obama campaign. Still, as Obama has no doubt learned from his contentious political associations, not all endorsements are good ones. Ludacris’ “Politics as Usual” may have voiced strong support of the Democratic candidate, but the song’s controversial lyrics forced the campaign to scramble and distance Obama from the rapper.
McCain has also received his fair share of musical endorsements. In particular, country musicians such as John Rich have voiced support for the Republican candidate. Recently, reggaeton artist Daddy Yankee made a strong endorsement of McCain, citing work on immigration laws as the chief reason for his support. McCain’s campaign has run into controversy as well, though. It has been plagued by cease-and-desist requests from artists who do not want their music played at rallies.
When People magazine asked McCain which celebrity endorsement he would most enjoy, the candidate responded that he would most like to get the support of “24” star Kiefer Sutherland. If he doesn’t have Jack Bauer’s support yet, it could be because the McCain campaign has largely shown disdain for celebrity endorsements. These sentiments were spearheaded by the well-known “Celebrity” political ad, which criticized Obama’s “stardom” and negatively associated Obama with Britney Spears and Paris Hilton. Obama, on the other hand, has earned endorsements from dozens of celebrities and recently hosted a few high-brow fund-raising dinners in Hollywood to fuel his political campaign.
McCain’s daughter Meghan has gained notice for her work on McCain Blogette, a blog that examines the convergence of pop culture and politics on the campaign trail. Meghan, an aspiring fashion designer, hopes to write a satirical account of her experiences once the election is over. In many ways, her blog is a microcosm of the larger phenomenon we are witnessing – a collision of popular culture and the arts with politics. It is still unclear how these activities will affect the election’s outcome, but there’s no doubt that all this activity has raised enthusiasm and excitement for an already historic election.
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