Obama is my Homeboy! Her story is my story!, Politicians = New Celebrities Options

[Comptine]

Does it bother anyone that our politicians are now celebrities worthy of gracing the covers of Ok! and US Weekly?

So many women jumped on the Palin bandwagon and are supporting her (despite that fact that I think she's absolutely lacks the credential to be VP) because her 17-year-old daughter is pregnant. Their slogan is "Her story is my story" They like her because they can relate to her.

I understand you want someone who shares your views. But really, to support someone because you can relate to them?

The last time that happened, Bush was elected (a large percentage of people said they voted for Bush because he was the one they thought they could share a beer with).

What happened to voting based on their stances? What are the pitfalls of people voting based on who they can relate to? What are the advantages?

I'm just grabbing for a debate.

[fameONE]

I'm going to echo a sentiment I expressed in another topic...

From being in Japan, Kuwait and now Iraq, I talk to a lot of people from outside the U.S. who keep a watchful eye on American politics. I met a contractor from Kazakhstan and he made it perfectly clear to me that American politics is viewed as an entertainment event. It's a spectacle which lacks nobility. That was his opinion and I brushed it off because he's more than entitled to it. While in Kuwait, I happened to be smoking a cigarette a few random people, a couple from Poland, and they said practically the same thing. Last night, I was having an email conversation with my ex (Japanese) about who she would vote for is she were a US citizen, and she said that there is no honor in American politics.

Hmmm.

Perhaps we have created this. JFK didn't exactly keep a low profile. Richard Nixon's hilarious attempt to connect to the youth put him in the public eye. Bill Clinton was a celebrity himself. So maybe we, as a society, created this.