The Power of Celebrity

I am completely fascinated by the Presidential campaign of Senator Barack Obama. The reason I am fascinated by his campaign is because it is so unique. It is the first presidential campaign, that I have ever witnessed, that is driven mainly by the power of celebrity. Certainly there are important political issues that are influencing the campaign and will influence the election. In addition, there is a significant amount of Bush hatred that motivates millions of left leaning voters to participate very enthusiastically in this presidential cycle. However, the issues and the Bush hatred would have existed even without Obama and one could make the arguement that other democratic candidates would have been better suited to exploit the democratic advantage on particular political issues.

So, what is it that drove Barack Obama to the top of the democratic ticket and has him siting as the odds on favorite to be our next president? The answer is celebrity. Sure, John McCain is famous and so is Hillary Clinton but there is a distinct difference between their fame and the fame that Senator Obama currently enjoys. John McCain is famous because he has been a senator for a couple decades and he has previously run for president. He also has been a regular guest on political radio and T.V. shows for the last decade. Hillary Clinton is famous because she is the wife of Bill Clinton and Senator of New York. Barack Obama is famous because he is one of the "beautiful people". Barak Obama is famous because he is handsome and has an attractive wife. He's famous because he puts on a great show at political rallies. He's famous because he's new, young, and black. In other words, he's not famous because of what he has accomplished in the past. He's famous for what he is and what people imagine him to be. He has taken on the type of fame that is enjoyed by A list Hollywood celebrities like Brad, Tom, Angelina, and Katie. Young girls faint at his rallies and scream for his autograph when he passes by. He has appeared on the cover of magazines usually reserved for movie stars and models. His life has even become a regular subject covered in the tabloids. Even movie stars themselves adore him. Like a movie star, he also has throngs of fans that know very little about who he really is but think they know him because they project on to him the qualities and characteristics they want him to have.

(As I am writing this post, Barack Obama is giving a speech before thousands of adoring fans in Germany.)

Upon closer inspection, it really isn't all that surprising that Mr. Obama has reached A list movie star type status. He has quite a lot in common with them. He's young, handsome, performs well in front of an audience, and reads his lines beautifully from the teleprompter. The real question is can a candidacy driven by celebrity/cult of personality win the ultimate political prize on the planet? And, that question is precisely what makes Senator Obama's campaign so fascinating.