There is nothing quite as exciting as the race to become President of the United States or "King of the World" as is its proper title. It makes the UK election look like a regional heat in a beauty contest where only two contestants showed up, but they forgot all about hair, make-up and the personality part of the show.The Americans will always go LARGE. They super size their politicians portions and they bring out the big shots, their big hitters and their biggest stars.
This race was no different. Romney brought out the old stalwart, the old faithful, the man with his hand on everyone's shoulder, the great bearded one we all know and fear as GOD.
Obama on the other hand, brought Cher to the table.
When a celebrity endorses a product, I never buy what they are selling but when they endorse a politician, I will always listen. The mix of politics / religion and show business is a delicate cocktail. The God stuff works if you're preaching to a nation full of fear, keen on intolerance and frightened of change but if you sprinkle your political message with a handful of stardust then you're reaching far beyond the confines of the church walls. In an all consuming society, we like to know what the famous are thinking, what they are eating, who they are sleeping with and whom they are voting for. The religious voters are well aware of Gods view, if they are good they go to heaven, if they are bad they get hellfire and damnation but for the unsure, the "swing" voters and even just the plain old atheists amongst us, we're more interested in who's box Beyonce will be ticking. God hasn't had a number one record and he hasn't yet appeared on a reality show so he's missing a huge demographic when it comes to the voting public. Politicians who constantly talk about upholding family values, about never straying from the path of the righteous and whom are keen on taking the moral high ground are missing the point. Showbiz legends & prepubescent pop stars preaching new found political beliefs however, are preaching to the unconverted.
I followed the election in the US intently, in as much as every time a star made a "public service announcement" I tuned in. It fascinates me to see what the mega rich and hugely famous have to say about who should be running their country. Let's not forget these are the people "living the dream" and with cash to splash so when a star says that Mitt Romney will take away the right for a woman to have an abortion, for a gay couple to marry or for a poor person to receive medical aid a lot of the public are going to sit up,listen and believe them. Politicians are not pop stars and it's said that politics is show business for ugly people but you don't need to be a Justin Bieber fan to tell that Mitt Romney is the bogey man.
God doesn't endorse any candidate, he's not given his stamp of approval to any Democrat or Republican so if you're going to bring the big man out you need to back him up, he's not going to perform at your inauguration / birthday / fundraiser. The Kennedy's had Marilyn Monroe, Bill Clinton had Michael Jackson and Barack Obama had Cher. I can't think of three people who strike more fear into god fearing, morally upright individuals but I know who'd wear more sequins. Sometimes the mix of celebrity and politician is laughable, sometimes it can be enough to derail a career (of both) but more likely it's going to get a political message across to people who are not aware of policy, who do not think their vote will count or who are just too damn shallow to even care about politics.
Barack Obama got a second term on the strength of his convictions, his policies, his celebrity endorsements and the fact that America needs him as leader. Mitt Romney lost the election because of his convictions, his policies and because it was "God's will" and to that I have only one thing to say:
"God Bless America, God Bless Barack Obama and God Bless Cher and her Showbiz Pals".