America Wishes Upon a Star

Appreciating Obama’s Star Power, FQR’s Liberal at Large Matthew Modine asks whether the new president’s being called a “celebrity” is really such a bad thing

Some of Hollywood’s most famous hair plugs stood on end when John McCain launched his “celeb” ad comparing Barack Obama to Britney Spears and Paris Hilton. Hollywood magazines and newspapers like a great scandal. McCain’s celebrity assertion shocked, slapped and gob-smacked Tinseltown and its golden boy Obama, the new-democratic-political superhero. McCain’s tawdry accusation had tarnished their shiny new penny. Unfair or not, McCain’s gossip-style grenade got the flashbulb culture to back off for fear the smear might gain traction or, worse, stick.

But why the concern about this particular campaign insult? Did Hollywood society fear that real or actual similarities could be found between Mr Obama, Britney and Paris? Was McCain unfair to depict such a comparison? Had he hit a delicate nerve? If you missed it, the ad quickly flashes an image of Britney and Paris, then shows Obama, after which the announcer says: “He’s the biggest celebrity in the world, but is he ready to lead?” What was McCain’s point? What is the criterion for leadership? Was retired General Wesley Clark wrong to disparage McCain’s military service and say that being a prisoner of war does not prepare a person to become a president?

Mr Obama’s meteoric rise to international fame was not the result of appearing and/or performing fellatio in the sickly green “night vision” documentary One Night in Paris. Mr Obama has never been a pop star, and I don’t think he has ever been in rehab, arrested for drugs or driving under the influence. Britney and Paris both share those credits. Obama does wear his hair short, or “tight” – as Ms Spears chose to for an uncomfortable moment. He also shares Paris’ wry sense of humour, which she keenly demonstrated in her You Tube response to McCain’s dreaded comparison. Britney has shown her pluck and ability to rebound from enormous amounts of criticism. The masses loved her when she was a child star and now admire her tenacity as a young adult. Similarly Obama survived Reverend Jeremiah Wright and Sixties radical Bill Ayres with intelligence and savvy.

So why would Mr McCain say such a thing? Because even he recognised Obama’s undeniable Star Power. John McCain is not a “star”. At best, he is a supporting player, the actor who dies in the third reel after sacrificing his life for the film’s main star. McCain’s military service wasn’t as exploitable as, say, Audie Murphy’s. Murphy was one of the most highly decorated soldiers of the Second World War and became a global celebrity. The humble Texan was adopted (exploited) by Hollywood and starred in 44 movies. Most people had never heard of McCain or his military service until he ran for president. Those who had heard of him didn’t think he’d get past the primary elections. He just wasn’t a leading man and he didn’t possess the ability to “act” presidential. His television appearances were awkward and boring. Richard Nixon was undone on television because of a sweaty upper lip. McCain wandering around the stage during a town-hall-style debate with Obama made him appear lost and perhaps even experiencing early signs of senility. McCain’s choice of running mate, Sarah Palin, affirmed his lack of Star Power. Palin “popped” off the TV screens and completely overshadowed McCain. If Palin had possessed an iota of useful intelligence, she might have become vice president of the United States of America.

People who pursue stardom quickly discover that Star Power is not something you can obtain. It is something innate. You can pursue celebrity or stardom, but it is the public who choose or decide who they want to adore. A successful ad campaign can help raise public awareness, but it won’t make the people buy a ticket and get them to tell their friends. Hollywood sometimes calls Star Power the “It” factor. “It” is a sexy mixture of intelligence, charm and charisma. Obama has “It” in abundance – a Julia Roberts kind of smile, the confidence of John F Kennedy and the oratorical skills of Martin L King, Jr. Was it any wonder that Hollywood wanted to get behind him and cast him in the role as president? Barack is a casting director’s dream. He not only looked like a politician, he acted like a good one. He was starring in the remake of Mr Smith goes to Washington. Politicians must be able to “act” like politicians. They need to find a way to make people lean a little closer and listen to their message. And the message they deliver must be infused with a deep understanding of the issues they speak about. If an actor doesn’t understand his lines, he will most likely fail in his interpretation. The trick is not to appear to be “playing” but “being” the character.

McCain suggested that there is a connection between celebrity and Obama because it is true. Obama, Spears and Hilton are celebrities, granted, but for different reasons. McCain just isn’t a celebrity. He is a background artist or, perhaps, an independent filmmaker trying to make some noise about his little film the same weekend as a tent pole like Batman is opening. McCain’s service to his country, his Purple Heart and his time spent in a Vietnamese prisoner of war camp is commendable, but you don’t want to go on a date, buy soda and popcorn and listen to that story. Batman is going to be a lot more fun. The image of John McCain in his Vietnam-era Navy pilot suit reminded many Americans of George W Bush’s warplane landing onboard the USS Abraham Lincoln and W’s embarrassing “Mission Accomplished” proclamation. W looked Top Gun-lite.

By contrast, everyone who witnessed Obama’s speech during the Democratic Convention of 27 July 2004 heard a young person who seemed to understand the confusion the nation was sharing. Here was a young man who was intelligent and full of positive audacity. Barack’s impassioned speech to a nation and to a world suffering from starvation, poverty, greed and war was the sermon a parish wants to hear from its pastor.

Here arrived a person with understanding of the common people. A person who could allow the ordinary person, the citizenry, to become political beings. Who reminded us of responsibility, and that the fulfilment of hopes and needs requires effort. Obama was empowering the citizens and telling them to take the reins and guide him. We saw in Obama the occasion of genuine democracy.

Obama mentioned hope in the 2004 speech almost a dozen times. Like a good actor in an audition, Barack knew his lines. He was confident and congenial. He was also an unusual fresh face. Unusual because he wasn’t “black” and he wasn’t white. He was mixed race, and I am sure he experienced racism from both whites and blacks growing up.

Shakespeare couldn’t have imagined the stage of the 21st-century world. The profound manipulative power of television or the World Wide Web. Television and its undeniable ability to transform an image of a human-being with a close-up. That unblinking electronic eye which exposes and reveals a human’s smallest, slightest gesture or blink. “All the world’s a stage, and all the men and women merely players…” A stage where a mere gesture is fed and digested in a news-bite nanosecond.

If the world were a stage and the men and women merely players we would have to clarify and say that perhaps 98 per cent of those players are really extras. Background artists. The masses. The mob. The silent majority. While that two per cent says they serve the needs and desires of the 98, the mob knows this is generally lip service and empty promises. Promises of hope and a better life are just promises unless we all make efforts to attain them.

America is a country that loves hope, so it’s wonderful to hear Obama talk about it. More importantly, the US is a country made up of immigrants. When we look at Obama, a man of mixed race, he reminds us that America is a melting pot. After a decade of separatism and confusing “political correctness” (that succeeded in making a more fair and just playing field), Obama declared, “There’s not a black America and white America and Latino America and Asian America; there’s a United States of America.” You could feel the US exhale and sigh a collective “Yes!” Once again there’s a feeling that it is possible for America to be united in cause and once again have hope and the promise of a better life.

Obama also reminds us of the Jeffersonian idea that all people are created equal. Obama is the dark horse Americans can get behind and believe in. He’s the new, young, ingénu who Hollywood has cast to star in the most important movie of the next four years. An actor who has put an end to the George W Bush two-term sequel. Hollywood loves underdogs. Here’s the rub. For a politician or an actor to stand above the crowd and be heard, they must rise above the scripts they’re given. Obama has inherited a terrible script that is full of plot holes and bad characters. Now, he not only has to act the part of president, he also needs to rewrite the script.

-Matthew Modine is the founder of Card Carrying Liberal (CCL), www.cardcarryingliberal.org, a grassroots movement that is demonstrating how a group of thoughtful individuals can organize and grow into a voice for human rights.

Postscript 20 January 2009.
Who would have missed the opportunity to stand on Washington’s National Mall as Barack Obama was sworn in as the 44th President of the United States of America? Not me. I happily joined the humungous crowds – which some estimated at more than two million.

Together we stood in the long lines. For hours we laughed and grinned and enjoyed each
others warmth. It was cold, but the sun was bright and the sky was wonderfully blue, full of promise for the warmer days that lay ahead. With spring comes the promise of new life. For those gathered, this was a resurrection of hope and the American Dream.

Large projection screens showed the future first family as they got closer and closer to the capital.
Each time we saw the Obama’s, cries of joy would echo across the mall. It was a giant wave of joyful sound.

On the other hand, when those same screens projected images of the Bush family or the arrival of Vice President Cheney the gathered mass fell into a hushed silence that was deafening. It’s remarkable how loud the sound of silence can be. There was no applause or cheers of thanks for the departing first families. Just silence. I did hear an occasional, “boo” which could not find another person to join in. That lone “boo” would hang flaccid on the cold air and simply dissipate. On this occasion there was no room in the air for condescension. This was, after all, a movement of hope and only the positive.

It’s easy for us to point the finger of blame. Easy to fault Bush and his cronies for the mess the world is in. If you do, consider this: If you’re reading this you most likely live in a democracy. We have elected officials that are voted into office and are supposed to represent the will of the people. When those representatives abuse their privilege, it is our responsibility as citizens to call them to task and when necessary, replace them. They cannot be above the law or think they can break the set of laws that rule us all.

We are all a party to the mess the world is in. We have all got to recognize how we may have contributed to the environmental and economic mess we are in. Acknowledgement is the first step toward solution. So before we point the finger, have a look in the mirror. Through recognition, we can change. Yes we can.

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