Celebrities and famous people are involved in politics, and are particularly involved in the ongoing battle between the Democrats and the Republicans. To some of the famous people, becoming involved in politics is just an ego trip. But to many of the celebrities, there is a sincere desire to get into politics to help their fellow citizens. They want to do some good for their country.
During the presidential election campaign of 2004, the midterm election campaign of 2006, and the 2008 presidential election, U.S. voters were bombarded by American celebrities and famous people - political officeholders, media celebrities, and Hollywood celebrities - seeking support for themselves or theiir political favorites. Additionally, although the elections of 2004, 2006, and 2008 are over, the battle between Democrats and Republicans goes on. I have compiled a list of some of these famous people in politics. Most of the celebrities are so well-known, they need no introduction, however, I have added a few notes when appropriate.
Note the large number of TV newscasters and radio talk show hosts who have become celebrities. They outnumber the political candidates by far and this is nowhere near a complete list.
Former President George W. Bush - The world's most famous political celebrity (maybe, next to Obama now!) Won reelection relatively easily in the election of 2004 but had become very unpopular by the presidential election of 2008.
Mr. Bush has been repudiated in the midterm elections of 2006 and the presidential election of 2008 as Democrats took over the presidency and both the House of Representatives and the Senate.
Former Vice-President Dick Cheney - Probably the world's second biggest political celebrity and a controversial one at that. Many wanted him removed from Republican ticket in the election of 2004, however, he prevailed.
At least, he hasn't shot anybody else lately!
California Governor Arnold Schwarzenegger - One of the most famous people (celebrity!) in the Republican Party. He is a moderate Republican who appears to be doing a pretty good job in California where he has been reelected to a second term. He needs to get constitution amended so he can run for president. He even has quite a few liberal Hollywood stars supporting him. Schwarzenegger has also earned distinction as an environmentalist.
Senator John McCain - Another moderate Republican. Could have been on either Democratic or Republican ticket in 2004 and was the Republican Presidential nominee in 2008.
In my opinion, McCain had to repudiate both the fanatical conservatives of his party and also President Bush to have has a chance for election. He eventually moved in that direction....but too late!
McCain's support for the Iraq War did not help him much in the general election although his support for the war might have helped him get the Republican nomination.
However, McCain's biggest problem in the general election was how he looked when matched up against Senator Obama. An old, politician vs. a young rock star with unlimited money, 100 % of the black vote, most of the young vote (and they actually voted this time!), and a majority of women voters! McCain did well in states like Mississippi and Louisiana. Obama did well in California & New York. Guess who won?
Ex- Mayor Rudy Giuliani - Mayor Giuliani would also have made a good replacement for Cheney in 2004. He campaigned hard to head the Republican ticket in 2008 but Senator McCain overtook him and he had to drop from the race. Giuliani is a "pro-choicer" and was partially blackballed by the conservatives for that reason.
Giuliani would have had a fair chance of being elected if he had gotten the Republican nomination.
ex-Massachusetts Governor Mitt Romney. Ran hard for the Republican Presidential nomination. An attractive candidate with a good record but he could not overtake Senator McCain. In my opinion, Romney would have made a strong Vice-Presidential nominee for McCain, certainly better than Sarah Palin. Particularly, with the economic melt-down.
Governor Sarah Palin of Alaska. John McCain chose Governor Palin for his Veep candidate and she has stirred quite a bit of excitement in the Republican Party and among the American people. She was not quite ready for prime time in 2008. However, she could be a factor in 2012. Palin vs. Obama?......Obama will win in a walk.
Louisiana Governor Bobby Jindal. Jindal is the first U.S. governor of India descent. He appears to be running hard for the Republican nomination in 2012. He has a great resume, but he made a big boo boo recently when he opposed volcano monitoring as wasteful spending while holding out his tin cup to Washington for help for Louisiana.....then the Alaska volcano erupted!....talk about timing!
Also, another negative for Jindal is that the same people who gave us George W. Bush for president and Rush Limbaugh for unofficial propaganda minister, appear to be behind Jindal. Do we really want another "Bush" or "Rush?"
Former Secretary of State Condoleezza Rice - Could also have replaced Cheney on Republican ticket in 2004?. Gets along well with President Bush (according to Globe magazine, maybe too well!). She is a good "yes" person. For a brief time, she was talked up as a possibility to be on the Republican ticket in 2008? That talk ended with the failures in Iraq, etc. Also, her infamous slip of the tongue when she called President Bush her husband!
Former Secretary of State Colin Powell. Could have been president! After destroying himself politically by lying to the world about WMD's in Iraq, Powell is finally trying to make make up for his terrible lies. He joined the fight against Bush's torture proposals. At last!
Mr. Powell, you could have been president! How could you let someone like Bush talk you into destroying your good name? Please continue your efforts to make amends. Despite your faults, you were the best of the Bush bunch!
In addition to his rejection of torture, Powell endorsed Obama for president. Payback time for what they did to him! How sweet it is!
Secretary of State (and former Senator Hillary Clinton) - Early-on, she exposed "vast right wing conspiracy!" while we all laughed at her. We're not laughing any more! No, Rush Limbaugh, she wasn't on the 2004 Democratic ticket despite all your predictions that she would be! But she fought like a tiger to be on the 2008 Democratic ticket. She would have helped herself more if she had campaigned harder for Kerry in 2004.
Clinton was President Obama's choice for Secretary of State. I think she will do a good job.....but who is going to watch Bill when she is out of the country.
President Barrack Obama of Illinois - An instant political celebrity! A rock star! The Democrat fought hard and got lots of good press. Was key-note speaker at Democratic Convention in 2004 and has showed himself to be an excellent organizer. Obama won the Democratic nomination and has now won the presidency. But, is the country ready for a black president?
Michele Obama. Not really a politician but she will have to learn. I predict she will make a great first lady!
Former Illinois Governor Rod Blagojevich - Who says all the political crooks are Republicans? Blagojevich is a Democrat. He allegedly try to "sell" President-Elect Obama's senate seat to the highest bidder after Obama was elected president.
Chairman of the Democratic National Committee (and Former Vermont Governor Howard Dean) - His organization revolutionized the American political scene during the election of 2004. The media screwed him royally but he is now being heard from again. Governor Dean was made Chairman of the Democratic National Committee and, in my opinion, did a great job.
Senator Ted Kennedy - Old Democratic war horse. Not afraid to speak out. Right-wingers hate him so he can't be all bad! Kennedy is now in the fight of his life with cancer. Good luck, Senator!
Former President Bill Clinton - He and Hillary are both rapidly becoming wealthy with book, speeches, etc. It couldn't happen to a nicer guy. Campaigned for Senator Kerry, and in 2008, campaigned hard for Hillary. Rush Limbaugh and other right wingers still love to attack him.
Speaker of the House Nancy Pelosi - She has more enemies than any Democrat except maybe Hillary Clinton but she serves as a lightning rod to keep some of the Republican attacks away from President Obama.
Treasury Secretary Timothy Geithner. The man with the plan to get credit rolling again. Wall Street liked the plan but the Republicans are not too fond. Of course, the Republicans have such a guilty conscious, they can't think clearly now.
Chairman of the Federal Reserve Ben Bernanke. Is he trying to inflate the economy?
Ray Nagin - New Orleans mayor. Had to resort to some tough profanity to get the feds off their asses and provide assistance to his devastated city after Katrina. Will the bible thumpers ever forgive him? They think the Tribulation is at hand and Nagin is taking the Lord's name in vain! And being mayor of New Orleans - sin city, USA!
The bible thumpers want to really reform New Orleans - make a Tyler, Texas out of it!.........but New Orleans is not Tyler, Texas!
Nagin won reelection as mayor over Senator Mary Landrieu's brother, Lt. Governor Mitch Landrieu. And surprise! Surprise! The Republicans backed Nagin. The Republicans may not like Nagin too well but they were ready to do anything to hurt Senator Landrieu. She put an old fashioned butt-whipping on them in 2002 and they had sworn revenge in 2008 when she was up for reelection. She whipped them again in 2008!
Republican support of Nagin and the slow federal response to rebuilding New Orleans, Senator Landrieu's home town, seemed to be part of the "get Mary Landrieu" scheme.
So far, the plan to "get Mary Landrieu" is not working.
U.S. Representative Barney Frank of Mass. Merciless towards those who got us into our present economic situation. I am with him on that score.
Ex-Vice President Al Gore - Ever so often, he emerges from his cave to gore a few Republicans then he retreats back to his cave. Gore recently won the Nobel Peace Prize for his efforts on global warming. He has now made a highly rated global warming documentary, An Inconvenient Truth, which I recently viewed.
Gore should have let President Clinton campaign for him in 2000. The disaster of 2000 would not have happened!
Senator John Kerry - Presidential candidate on Democratic ticket for election of 2004. Got his butt handed to him. Good man but not tough enough to handle the conservative street fighters. Kerry should never have conceded the 2004 election just hours after the election was over and with reports of irregular voting pouring in.
Senator Joe Lieberman of Connecticut. Lieberman has become unpopular with many Democrats and lost the Democratic primary election in Connecticut for senator to challenger Ned Lamont. However, he ran as an independent and defeated Lamont in the general election.
Senator Lieberman seems determined to maintain his middle-of-the-road positions, no matter what. I kind of like his position.....we need more moderates in politics.
Rush Limbaugh - King of conservative talk radio. His talk show is carried on many radio stations. Limbaugh is the heart and soul of the conservative movement and of the Republican Party. The Democrats, in 2000 & 2004, made a fatal mistake underestimating the influence of Limbaugh. There are a lot of ditto-heads around the country who listen to his every word. The Democrats should have gone after Rush. He might have cracked.
Rush Limbaugh reached his lowest point ever, just before the 2006 midterm elections, when he mockingly accused Parkinson's-disease victim, Michael J. Fox, of exaggerating the disease in a TV political commercial.
The conservatives and Republicans suffered a major defeat in the 2006 elections, partly as a result of Limbaugh's antics. But Republicans still love the big fellow!
Will Limbaugh be able to hang on to his lucrative job? He should keep an eye on Ann Coulter who is coming up in his rear view mirror.
Don Imus - Outspoken TV and radio talk show host. Lost his job for making racially-tinted remarks about the Rutgers girl's basketball team. Imus often ridicules virtually all public figures so he has many enemies. Imus is not all bad - he does quite a bit of charity work.
After a period of well-deserved punishment, Imus is back. He is a good host, far better than right-wing nut, Rush Limbaugh. Limbaugh can say virtually anything and get away with it - he is the darling of the conservative-Republican ruling party.
Bill O'Reilly - FOX TV News number 1. TV's 'Rush Limbaugh'. Got caught in sexual harassment in 2005 and had to pay up big-time.
Chris Matthews - TV commentator - MSNBC. Fairly neutral in politics.
Ann Coulter - One of the most famous women political figures. Conservative-Republican author and frequent FOX TV commentator. Watch out Rush! She wants your job. She is in your rear-view mirror!
Coulter is more of a right-wing fanatic than Rush Limbaugh ever dreamed of being.
Maureen Dowd - Princess of the liberal political columnists. She does not like the Bush administration. Excellent writer. Conservatives hate her and with good reason. No one - except maybe Hillary Clinton or the late Molly Ivins - has been better at exposing their weaknesses and scams.
Neal Boortz - One of the main challengers to take over the reins from Rush Limbaugh if Rush has to be replaced due to his antics. Like Limbaugh, Boortz takes no prisoners. According to Boortz, he is a "conservative" and not a Republican! He can be pretty insulting but interesting to listen to.
Sean Hannity - Another of the right-wing commentators after Rush Limbaugh's job!
Michael J. Fox - Prior to the 2006 midterm election, Fox made some TV ads supporting Democratic Senatorial candidates who support stem-cell research. Rush Limbaugh mockingly accused Fox of exaggerating his Parkinson's illness for the purpose of the ad.
Keep up the good work on stem-cell research, Michael!
Oprah Winfrey - Great celebrity interviewer! Always involved in the political or social scene. Helped elect Obama!
Barbra Streisand - Actress and singer. Strong Democratic activist.
Michael Moore - Film maker. Strong anti-war activist. Under attack from Republicans for the documentary Fahrenheit 9/11. His documentaries are a revolutionary concept and have made him a rich man!
Tom Cruise - Star of "War of the Worlds." Independent thinker and strong believer in Scientology. Recently married to actress Katie Holmes and he is initiating her into Scientology. The religious fanatics behind the conservative movement are not going to like his promotion of Scientology. The prescription drug folks are not going to like him either because he is against most prescription drugs.
T. Boone Pickens. Billionaire oilman. Not really in politics at this time but his efforts in regard to the energy crisis are so important that they will affect the political landscape. Pickens got tired of people sitting around and talking about the energy crisis while doing nothing about that he became determined to plot a course of action. Hence, the "Picken's Plan." Under the Picken's Plan, the nation would turn heavily to compressed natural gas for automobile fuel while alternative energy sources are being developed. The alternative energy source that he is pushing is wind power and his company is building the largest wind farm (windmills) min the world in Texas. Pickens is putting his money where his mouth is. He is even paying for the publicity campaign he is conducting for the Picken's Plan.
Pickens is 80 years old and is not running for any political office. I wish he would run for president!
Bernard Madoff. This investor claims to have pulled off a $50 billion Ponzi scheme and is under house arrest as the investigation goes forward. He is not directly involved in politics but his scheme will have political ramifications.
President of Iran, Mahmoud Ahmadinejad. President of Iran is stirring things up by supporting nuclear energy projects for Iran and stating that Israel should be destroyed. Keeps thumbing his nose at the U.S! Are Ahmadinejad and Iran on a collision course with the United States?
In the 2006 Hezbollah - Israel clash, Ahmadinejad was able to showcase Iran's homemade rockets. Iran is fast developing a capability for building first-class conventional weapons. They were caught short in their 1980's war with Iraq when the U.S. & Mid-East countries supported Iraq and prevented Iran from obtaining weapons. Iran apparently has plans to sell their home-developed weapons to other countries. That brings them into competition with the U.S., France, and others.
I suspect orders for rockets are pouring in.
Hugo Chavez. Left-leaning Venezuelan President who Pat Robertson recommended be assassinated. Not too long ago, there were rumors that Venezuela was slated for "democratization" by the Bush Administration. That effort may have been put on hold due to the extended war in Iraq!
Chavez is funny and a more than a little screwy. He reminds me of the dictator in the Woody Allen movie who mandated that his citizens wear their underwear on the outside for easy inspection.
Fidel Castro. Former Cuban Communist dictator. Just resigned due to illness. Ailing. Will his brother set a new path for Cuba?
Osama Bin Laden - Still hiding and sneering and smirking at us. But is he being supplanted in Al Qaida by young, new leadership? Stay tuned.
Vladimir Putin - The former Soviet boss keeps acting independent, not at all like an American stooge should. Is he trying to resurrect the "evil empire"?
The elections and politics of 2004, 2006, and 2008 featured famous people from various fields - government, business, media, Hollywood, etc, - campaigning for Republican and Democratic candidates. These celebrities and famous people are involved in the politics of the election of 2008.
Last Updated: 05/24/09
e-mail me @ vanc13@cox.net (Author: Van Cook)
444Famous People - Politics333