Celebrity Endorsements...

"Why don't these celebrities just shut their mouth on politics?" I've heard many say recently. Well folks, like it or not, this is America and these people have the right to say whatever they like, when they like. It seems to me a lot of people get quite offended when their favorite actor or musician comes out and endorses a certain candidate for office. Why? For example, Billy Corgan (America's greatest living musician) recently accepted an invitation for breakfast at the White House. Does this mean because he's there he endorses Bush for re-election? My answer is, WHO CARES? I don't care either way. Billy's my favorite of all time and I will continue to love his music regardless. I've based my political philosophy through reading things from different sources, questioning why I've acted certain ways during certain periods of my life, a sense of what I believe is right and wrong, things I've experienced in life. I don't care who Bruce Springsteen thinks is the better candidate for President. I respect Bruce incredible amounts. He's made his living by championing middle class virtues and values through his art for years. While saying this, I will not be basing my vote for Kerry on the fact that "The Boss" says he's the better option. I've done the research and I think Kerry's the choice when compared with Bush. I hope all (and I know for a fact this is not the case) people would do the same. Vote for the person they think better represents their viewpoint. At the same time, I would see these people as extreme hypocrites if they shut their mouth when they think things that are important to them are being discarded by an unnamed administration. Another example is Dave Matthews, he's been championing environmental causes for years through his company "Bama Rags". I would lose so much respect for him if he would not speak out against Bush and his incredibly destructive policies on air, water, forests, conservation in general. Ted Nugent is a huge conservative republican. I love the guy! He says what's on his mind and doesn't care if it alienates fans of his. Ron Silver is another example, I think he's a good actor who's a republican. Loved him on "West Wing". We as fans need to base our opinion of actors and musicians on the work they do. Don't let their political beliefs temper your love of their art or let it influence you to act or speak or vote a certain way. Be yourself.