By Brent Bozell III
Published: 02-11-09
Beware celebrities getting involved in politics. In a 2007 CBS News poll 49 percent of the public agreed with the notion that Hollywood celebrities are inexperienced about politics and should stay out of politics. When asked if celebrity endorsements would make voters more or less to support a candidate 78 percent said it wont matter to people on way or the other.
I can only conclude that 51 percent of Americans have never heard Hollywood celebrities speak out. Lets take Cher the singer who cant honor her promises to retire. Upon Barack Obamas inauguration Cher told CNSNews.com that she loved the new president.
I just think hes totally the right person at this time in our history she said. He brings something more in his spirit than maybe another president could be even with the same intelligence. Theres something about him that brings more with his spirit and thats what Americans need right now.
OK Im totally cool with that. But why then add the next sentence: Republicans almost killed me.
Asked how Republicans somehow killed her Cher wasnt specific. She just couldnt understand why people would lower themselves to voting GOP. You know what? I have so -- I try to be charitable and there are some really good Republicans but I just dont understand how anyone would want to be a Republican she said. If youre poor if youre any kind of minority -- gay black Latino anything. If youre not a rich -- I dont know. If youre not a rich white born-again-Christian I dont get it.
Those are the crucial words I dont get it. Celebrities arent expected to make sense theyre only expected to be famous. Cher doesnt seem to have any stronger ideas on how to run the country other than she hates Republicans. Why would anyone let Cher help them decide what they think of political issues? Celebrities like Cher live inside a bubble that doesnt let any reality seep through.
Heres another example. Hollywood people think Republicans are dividers but when Democrats come to power and shove their agenda down our throats they can be plausibly defined as healing people. Heres Cher on NBC in October: The country is so divided. And its still gonna be divided. But I honestly think there are some people that are healing people and there are some people like this president we have right now that are just you know he says hes the Big Decider but I think hes the Big Divider.
Totally.
Clearly Hollywood people think their kind of people are healers because theyre peacemakers who dont start wars. But how would celebrities keep the country safe? How would Hollywood respond to 9/11? They dont have to have a clue. All you need is love is about all they have to offer.
With the affairs of man so neatly resolved its time to extend this healing crusade to animal rights. Chers also been active recently in trying to end any elephant exhibits at the Los Angeles Zoo alongside other celebrities like Lily Tomlin and Bob Barker. They want to move a longtime resident elephant named Billy out of the zoo.
Im not a fanatic. I just love animals like most Americans she told the city council. They say its always been done this way theres always been elephants in zoos. But it doesnt make it right because weve had other things were ashamed of -- like slavery.
But the stars desperate protests -- and Chers devastating logic -- werent enough to convince L.A. officials who voted 11-4 to finish the $42-million Pachyderm Forest elephant enclosure for Billy and others. Zoo professionals were not impressed with the celebrity activists: No disrespect but if you want to know about a concert talk to Cher zookeeper Joshua Sisk told council members. If you want to know about the zoo lets talk to professionals at the zoo.
Like many a Hollywood liberal Chers sympathies for animals dont extend to human babies. She starred and helped direct a pro-abortion film for HBO in 1996. She told Newsweek at the time she was passionate from personal experience: Our mother almost died from an illegal abortion when I was little. Our grandmother had a desperate coat-hanger abortion when she was young. I had four miscarriages before I got pregnant with my daughter. I had two abortions. Legal. She was upset there was still an abortion debate. If men had babies we wouldnt be having this conversation. It would be a done deal.
Celebrities like Cher are rarely pressed to reconcile their arguments. How is it inhumane to keep an elephant in captivity but humane to murder an innocent human baby? The media merely want to exploit their star power so it doesnt matter to them whether celebrities are making sense. Hurray for the hollowness of Hollywood.
Founder and President of the Media Research Center Brent Bozell runs the largest media watchdog organization in America.
