Who does celebrity politics well?
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The phenomena of 'celebrity' politicians is quite strong in the US: Arnold Schwarzenegger, Paul Newman and Fred Thompson have all won elections after becoming known for their films. However, it is not only actors in the US who make the transition to politics, one can think of people like businessman Michael Bloomberg (New York city Mayor), Sportsman Bill Bradley (Senator and presidential contender against Al Gore in 2000) and army general Colin Powell (Though he never stood for elected office, he served as George Bush's Secretary of State from 2001-2005.)
There are some equivalents in the UK: Olympic gold medal athlete, Sebastian Coe (MP for Falmouth and Camborne 1992-97, ennobled 2000), Oscar winning actress, Glenda Jackson (MP 1992-present) and Award winning journalist Martin Bell (MP 1997-2001). Maybe in the UK you have to win a prize first.
There are also a related class of politician who actively court the same media attention as more traditional celebrities. Boris Johnson, Lembit Opik and George Galloway might have little else in common, but they have sought out opportunities to appear before the public in formats that do not normally show an interest in politics.
Are there any conclusions that can be drawn from looking at these people? Who has succeeded in the quest for celebrity, and which of them leave behind a successful legacy?
Re: Who does celebrity politics well?
Posted by
Anonymous
at
May 15. 2007
Not sure how much to read into this whole phenomena - politics has often been a 'second' career for people who have already succeeded in business, law or the military (and perhaps other sectors?). Perhaps celebrity has simply been added to that list. But I suspect the reason it is more common in the US is the more decentralised party system, combined with primary elections for party nominations. This means skillful individuals who can generate a base of support in the electorate as a result of their fame can gain the nomination of their chosen party without having had to spend years making connections with local or national party officials in order to be selected as a candidate.
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