Celebrities have become used to thinking of themselves as voices for political and moral right thinking. You'd think that they might have wised up and realized that nobod is listening after the 2016 presidential campaign when the candidate they relentlessly supported suffered a historic loss. But no.
They're at it again with the celebrity-studded campaign to persuade electors to dessert Donald Trump when the Electoral College votes on Monday. You may have seen the celebrity advertisement on TV–"A Message for Electors to Unite for America."
The celebrities aren't identified–presumably you're supposed to know them, but I only recognize two. Is it just me or are some of these old faces less enduringly famous than they imagine?
Ian Tuttle of NRO describes the campaign:
The video features actors Martin Sheen and Debra Messing, and more than a dozen other celebrities you may (but probably won’t) recognize, waxing solemn about the wisdom of the Founding Fathers, quoting from the Federalist, and encouraging Republican members of the Electoral College to embrace “the constitutional responsibility granted to you by Alexander Hamilton himself” — which isn’t how the Constitution works, but, hey: details.
The celebrities urge electors to "vote your conscience," not having paused to hire somebody to think this through for the poor dears: voting your conscience can, Martin and Debra, mean voting for the candidate who won a significant Electoral College margin. But "vote your conscience" sounds considerably more benign than "steal this election," or some other slogan that might hint at the radical nature of what they are asking, so you can see why they went with it.
But then Tuttle gets to the real and happy meat of the matter: nobody cares anymore what these air heads think:
Being no enthusiast of Donald Trump’s, and being open to the idea of electors exercising independent judgment in dire circumstances, I don’t find Unite for America’s aim — in principle — offensive. But one has to wonder: Was anyone there watching this election? Because if there is one indisputable takeaway from 2016, it’s this: No one gives a West Wing box set what Martin Sheen thinks about politics.
Hillary Clinton, trying desperately to project an image in which she did not seem to be a high-school assistant principal from Terre Haute, enveloped herself in an unceasing haze of A-listers: Bon Jovi serenaded her on her campaign jet, and Katy Perry was a regular presence on the campaign trail, at one point performing alongside Elton John (who declared Clinton America’s “only hope”).
The Democratic National Convention, slim on up-and-coming political talent, relied on red-carpet glamor: Speakers included Meryl Streep, comedian Sarah Silverman, actresses Chloe Moretz and America Ferrera, singer Demi Lovato, and a gaggle of others. Broadway star Idina Menzel and actress Elizabeth Banks joined dozens of Hollywood and Billboard types to record an a cappella version of Rachel Platten’s “Fight Song” (the Clinton campaign’s theme song), which they unveiled at the convention . . . following a performance by Lenny Kravitz. Early in the cycle, Clinton appeared on an episode of the Comedy Central sitcom Broad City.
In the final days before the election, Beyoncé and rapper husband Jay Z performed at a Clinton rally in Cleveland. In other words, the Clinton campaign was one star-studded photo-op after the next. And it wasn’t enough.
It's time for celebrities to start singing a different tune: Let us entertain you.
Movies might get better and Oscar Night might even become watchable if we can convince celebrities that we don't care about their idiotic opinions.