Sajak on Oprah, Obama, Streisand and Candidates

Every election season I get ticked off again by hearing some insecure, self-important celebrity telling me how to think and feel about issues and who to vote for! For many years I was Barbara Streisand's biggest fan. Then she decided I cared not only about her awesome talent as a vocal genius, but also about her views on issues and candidates. (It wasn't just that she was supporting a candidate I didn't like, either.) So, now instead of owning every Barbara Streisand LP, Cassette, and CD, they are all in some recycle bin and she will never get another nickel from me!

Now this year Oprah Winfrey has decided people, like sheep, will follow her to Obama Land just because of her celebrity! Oh, puhleeze! I quit watching her show years ago when she began preaching "the gospel according to Oprah"!

If Chuck Norris endorses an exercise machine, I will at least listen to him. The man is built so he has some credibility! But if he starts telling me who to vote for, he's crossed my boundary line. That's why it was so refreshing to hear what Pat Sajak (Wheel of Fortune) said today.

First, he pointed out how celebrities gain media attention for putting themselves out there on behalf of a candidate. [In other words, they ain't being altruistic!] The motto in Celebrity Land is, "It doesn't matter what they're saying about you, as long as they're talking about you."

Then he made this statement: Does anyone decide which candidate to choose based on the recommendation of a TV talk show host or a singer/actress? If any group of citizens is uniquely unqualified to tell someone else how to vote, it’s those of us who live in the sheltered, privileged arena of celebrityhood.

The idea of choosing the Leader of the Free World based on the advice of someone who lives in the cloistered world of stardom seems a bit loony to me.

The idea that a gold record, a top-ten TV show or an Oscar translates into some sort of political wisdom doesn’t make much sense to me. Trust me, one’s view of the world isn’t any clearer from the back seat of a limo.

Then he pointed out that O.J. Simpson is one of the best known celebrities in the world, but who would follow his lead in the voting booth? Wow! A celebrity without self-importance speaking common sense? A sane guy in Hollyweird? Now that's something around here!

(c)2007 April Lorier Perspective