ALYSA PERRERAS | staff writer

Celebrities are stealing the presidential spotlight.

If you can’t be a rock star you might as well be seen with as many as possible. In a generation where who you are takes a back seat to who you know, how are the celebrity endorsements affecting the race? Much like my high school competition for prom queen, the 2008 presidential sadly resembles my contrived popularity contest.

“There has been so much media coverage regarding celebrity endorsements, it really seems all that matters is which candidate can get the richest and most famous people in their corner,” junior business administration major Andrew Faour said.

Although the reasons for which celebrities from A-list to D-list endorse certain candidates may vary, there is no question this race has a significant celebrity presence. Republican candidate John McCain has big name producer Jerry Bruckheimer and action star Sylvester Stallone carrying the banner for his campaign. Maybe Mitt Romney would still be in the race if he pulled names more noteworthy than the Osmond’s?

In the awfully close democratic race, the celebrities are coming out of the woodwork. From basketball legends to stars of the silver screen, prominent names have vocalized support for presidential hopeful Hillary Clinton. Jack Nicholson, Angelina Jolie, Magic Johnson and Barbara Streisand are just some of the names that have gone on record endorsing the New York senator’s campaign.

Not be outdone, presidential candidate Barack Obama also has quite the celebrity roster. A recently released music video entitled “Yes We Can”, has stars that rival a red carpet movie premiere all showing there support for Obama; Scarlett Johannson, Will-I-Am and John Legend to name a few.

“[The ‘Yes We Can,’ video] seems to me a very creative way to advertise himself and pull in a younger vote, which may be the whole purpose of celebrities backing certain candidates. Our younger generation is so much more apt to listen to someone who plays the guitar well and hold greater value to what celebrities say regardless of whether or not they are politically savvy,” junior global studies and psychology major Jenna Moll said.

If the polls for president opened tomorrow, I confidently believe Barack Obama would be the next leader of our nation. Transfixed by the star power the Illinois candidate brings to his campaign, Obama seems to already have been crowded by the media.

With the media and the masses behind him, the presidency can’t be far behind. If he is good enough for Oprah Winfrey, he must be good enough for America. Right?
But what about the issues? What about the war in Iraq? Or immigration? Or health care? Commercial success is not synonymous with knowledge of political, domestic and world affairs. Guess what? Celebrities are regular people like the rest of us.

Artistic accomplishments alone do not imply these stars are informed enough or qualified to determine what other Americans decide.

Despite all the unmerited elation of celebrity endorsements the media has recently concentrated on, this phenomenon is nothing new. John F. Kennedy’s 1960 campaign for the presidency definitely benefited from crooner Frank Sinatra’s endorsement.

Even as a huge Sinatra fan, if old blue eyes returned from the dead and told me to vote for Obama it would still carry less weight than doing my own homework would. Many of the celebrities currently dabbling in the political arena are accomplished, intelligent and completely entitled to their own personal opinions.

Celebrity endorsements do serve positively to bring attention about the race to many different demographics and hopefully people to the polls. However, shirking off the responsibility of informing ourselves onto some media personality is flat out civic irresponsibility.

“I can appreciate celebrities getting involved in the politics of their country. But as an international student I feel lucky to be in this country and I think all American citizens should appreciate the fact that they can vote and make decisions on their own, ” sophomore youth ministry major Samuel Sung said.

Endorsements by definition are not pointless, but seeking a second opinion on anything is a beneficial move in making important decisions.

When an endorsement comes from someone active and involved in the issues, for example a current politician–probably one that aligns with your own political belief- endorsements can be helpful. Just be sure to differentiate from political knowledge and political celebrity. The lines can easily be blurred with people like the Kennedy family or Arnold Schwarzenegger.

Maybe we could use the obscene amount of money celebrities donate to a political campaign for more substantial issues than which candidate is cooler.

It is only a few billion dollars in celebrity money that we could use to give back to the people, feed the homeless or address the issues in the economy. That’s a novel idea.