Posted on 01/12/2009 6:02:14 PM PST by publius321
In past discussions of potential IL senatorial candidates, I've read some acrimonious responses about how terrible it is that some have proposed -"celebrities" - like Coach Mike Ditka or Illinois native Gary Sinise as potentially great candidates.
I too have usually been skeptical of celebrities wanting to turn politician (aside from Reagan). Yes Arnold is a phony, useless RINO. Yes, Ventura is a kook.
However, many have jumped to conclusions about those posts suggesting that we "draft" actor Gary Sinise for the Republican nomination for the IL Senate seat in 2010 - for example. http://www.SiniseForSenate.com
There is an ENORMOUS difference between supporting this idea versus a wack job communist who has done NOTHING beneficial for his country like Al Franken running for Senate.
If you read the columns at SiniseForSenate.com and MikeDitkaForSenate.com, the point is that we NEED people who don't -want- the job. The scoudrels we have now are too ambitious. We need to "draft" great men who will serve without the ulterior motives, who won't perform the job with the constant question being asked - how will this affect my political future?
Some of the responses have been dogmatic and irrational. The reasons for propounding the prospect of drafting Sinise or Coach Mike Ditka were because they are great HUMAN beings and great Americans FIRST- not BECAUSE they are "celebrities". The celebrity is ancillary. People don't tend to vote for someone whom they don't know unless they make a great speech and have the media + 99% of academia to brainwash students into voting for them. Guess what - that isn't going to happen to the Republican nominee - so let's get real.
Why not some Republican already active in IL politics? If that's what you want, support such a candidate. Haven't we been doing that for the past 100 years? That's the way it has been TOO LONG - ambitious, career politicians "work their way up.. hope some day to be president - DO NOTHING but worry about how every "controversial" choice they will make might influence public perception... As a result we get the same old lukewarm, compromising GARBAGE representing us.
Keep banging your skull off the brick wall if you please but the POINT - the whole POINT - is to get great people who don't WANT to be there but can be pushed or shamed into going there and serving for their COUNTRY - NOT their LEGACY.
I know that no matter how much I try to elucidate this point - I will get the responses from those who jump to conclusions, take themselves quite seriously and assert that this is a result of some kind of "unhealthy" celbrity enchantment.
In reality - it's NOT. I have never even viewed a single friggin episode of CSI NY or whatever the show is. I am so removed from pop culture, I never watched a single episode of "Friends" or "Survivor" or any of the other moronic shows out there.
I put forward this because of what I have seen of Gary Sinise as a man. YES - there are many non-famous individuals doing great things out there but they don't stand a chance of winning a US Senate campaign. He happens to be well known, which is another part of the equation.
Everyone is talking about how to "fix the economy". It's time to FIX WASHINGTON. Read the sourced column and if you agree, sign the petition at the end of the column.
God bless.
The best candidate to run as a Republican is one who used to be a Democrat. They know best how to deal with them.....
Celebrity candidates are usually full of surprises, and not many of them good.
It takes time in the public spotlight to really bring out the character and policies of an office-holder politician — regardless of what good things they’ve done as a celebrity.
Gary is certainly cool. But just as a primary battle makes a candidate better, so too does lower office make a leader better.
Heck, if the GOP can’t find someone suitable for that office, we are in more dire shape than I thought.
Washington didn’t want his second term.
He probably won’t take the pay cut.
But, I’ll vote for him if he carpetbags in CA.
“Washington didn’t want his second term.”
- wastedyears
Exactly. That’s in the source column (SiniseForSenate.com)
“...We would be better served by representatives who are there AGAINST their will, who were badgered or even shamed into taking the job. In a way, I’m describing what happened to George Washington. He refused the overture toward making him a monarch and he did not want a second term as President. He was persuaded by his colleagues to serve a second term because they were afraid the union might not survive without him at the time.”
“It takes time in the public spotlight to really bring out the character and policies of an office-holder politician — regardless of what good things they’ve done as a celebrity.”
-edit35
That has worked REALLY well as evidenced by the awesome government we now have!
As the column reads: “...The problem with the scoundrels we have now is that their ambition makes them weak. They do not want to risk their “careers” by making waves, exposing those who are corrupt. I want a representative who will not be bullied. When one of the Senators threaten to take him off of an important committee if he refuses to support some moronic scheme that he knows is bad for this country, I want the representative who will go out on the floor, in front of the cameras and tell the world exactly what is going on behind the scenes...Every 2-4 years we see new parasites “working their way up” from state legislatures telling us how THEY are going to CHANGE Washington - YET - we keep getting the same results. Then we wonder WHY! We wonder WHY they keep selling us out with these ridiculous schemes of theirs.
It’s because of the way we have been conditioned our entire lives to accept that this is “the way it is done”. They start out running for the homeowners association, then City Council, then the state legislature, then US Congress, then Senate, then President. Each time they graduate to a higher office by getting “experience” at kissing lots of ass and selling us out.
At the crux of my entire dissertation is this: If we want a revolution - we will only get it by DRAFTING the people who DON’T WANT THE JOB.”
As if celebrities don’t spend most of their life worrying over what their public perception is?
“As if celebrities don’t spend most of their life worrying over what their public perception is?”
Her we go again. They are worried about perception of how well their show does. I don’t recommend we nominate narcissists who display it with their behavior. I don’t recommend Russel Crowe for Senate.
Again, this is about drafting those who don’t WANT the job and don’t WANT to be President some day.
...What a great reason, just as good as “I’ll never watch a movie with an actor that might be in a different political party” than you.
...That’s all this country needs, more puerile, fandome, hero worship...
It’s called “humor.”
(and eye candy)
You are correct in that lifetime politicians usually become petrified in the ways of beaurocracy .....
But there are very few examples of a celebrity who starts at the top — and suddenly is a good political leader, whether conservative or not.
Reagan at least had political experience as the union president govt. liason for the Actors Guild, and then two terms as California Governor.
,,,Humor? OK, apologies to yer. Eye candy, Not for this “hetero” male...;-)
What has Gary Sinise done that is beneficial for country besides visiting for the troops and performing there, which Al Franken has done numerous times?
LOL!
For all the lady freepers only!
(And before any guy calls us superficial I'll refer them to the thousands of posts on FR regarding Gov. Palin ;).)
I wouldn’t call him a “hunk”, but that is great photography.
Yes, he is the ultimate “anti-Hollyweird” (ala Tom Cruise/Brad Pitt—gaaaagggg). A true American.
Disclaimer: Opinions posted on Free Republic are those of the individual posters and do not necessarily represent the opinion of Free Republic or its management. All materials posted herein are protected by copyright law and the exemption for fair use of copyrighted works.