BFFs: Presidential Candidates and Hollywood Stars

If you have been keeping up with the news at all regarding the presidential race, you'll notice that most of the presidential candidates have some heavy hitters backing them up. And these heavy hitters aren't just other politicians; they are Hollywood heavy weights who are putting their money and their name behind the candidate they believe in.

Since the days of Frank Sinatra and John Kennedy, Hollywood and Washington have been close friends despite the geographic distance. Money, power and fame go hand-in-hand with being a movie star and a political star. Hollywood actors and actresses who become stars want more influence, credibility and name recognition outside of the movie business. Political figures are drawn to the glitz and glam of Hollywood and the sex appeal of being associated with a hot actor or actress. It is only natural that these two worlds have collided on so many occasions.

Barack Obama has Oprah Winfrey. Oprah has been supporting Barack for quite some time now, having Barack and his wife Michelle on her show at least a couple times. Oprah has even hit the campaign trail with Barack, giving speeches on why she believes that Barack is good for our country. I find it not surprising that Oprah chose to support a Democrat and the only candidate that is African American. It almost makes me tune this duo out completely. Now, if she had chosen to back Edwards or Richardson, I might have said to myself, "What? Interesting. I wonder why" and then I probably would have tuned in to her show. To me, she chose the obvious candidate to support, and thus I really don't give any credibility to her decision.

Hillary has Barbara Streisand. And Bill Clinton. Let me first address Bill, who is a political rock star in his own right. As much as I am NOT a Democrat and don't support Bill or Hillary, I can't deny the fact that Bill is the "come-back kid" and is a super star in American politics. I am convinced that Bill could run for president now and destroy all the other candidates, including his wife. The public loves Bill, and this bodes well for Hillary. And Barbara Streisand has been longtime friends of the Clintons for years. Babs is an icon in American music, and she is going to belt out her support of Hillary all the way until November.

Mike Huckabee has Chuck Norris. Now, I like me some Mike Huckabee. He is a good, Christian man who I think has the best interest of the American people at heart. Although the more I learn about his political stances on important issues, I'm not quite so sure his politics are in line with true conservative principles. But that is another post for another day. Mike has Chuck. If you are a YouTube connoisseur, you'll see the ads featuring the duo, and I think they are great! And Mike is smart. Chuck is a super star on the Internet, and we all know what group is savvy with the Internet - the coveted 18-34 year olds, the group who doesn't have a very high voting percentage but a group who is desirable nonetheless.

Check out other Hollywood heavy weights supporting presidential candidates. You'll instantly notice that the Dems have a lot of stars backing them up. Not surprising. Hollywood is so liberal and out of touch with reality, it makes sense that they throw their weight to the Democratic party. (list courtesy of TheHill.com):

Clinton
Candice Bergen
Christie Brinkley
Chevy Chase
Hugh Hefner
Christine Lahti
Barry Manilow
Marla Maples
Rosie O’Donnell
Jerry Springer
Barbra Streisand

Obama
Jennifer Aniston
Jackson Browne
Morgan Freeman
Tom Hanks
Dennis Haysbert
Tobey Maguire
Barry Manilow
Branford Marsalis
Eddie Murphy
Ed Norton
Ben Stiller
Gene Wilder
Edie Brickell
Michael Douglas
Steve Martin
Lorne Michaels
Paul Newman
Elisabeth Shue
Paul Simon
Joanne Woodward
Edwards
Larry David
Seth Green
Don Henley

Kucinich
Mark Ruffalo

Richardson
Michael Douglas
Rosie O’Donnell
Rob Reiner

Giuliani
Kelsey Grammer
John O’Hurley
Adam Sandler
Ben Stein