Rocky Mount Telegram Forgets That Rachel Is Not A Celebrity Nor Sought Any Endorsement From Any Celebrities Except The Little Folks!
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From the Rocky Mount Telegram:

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Quote:

Our view: Why do celebrities' political views matter?

Rocky Mount Telegram
Thursday, May 25, 2006

By and large, celebrities are famous because they entertain us. They do fascinating things that command the public eye as movie stars, musicians, athletes or just successful people.

That said, why do we allow them to influence us politically?

Many voters may deny being victims of such persuasion. But candidates for public office know the power of celebrity endorsements. The latest proof of that turned up this week on the Web site of Rachel Lea Hunter, a candidate for N.C. Supreme Court.

Hunter recently met former University of North Carolina-Chapel Hill basketball coach Dean Smith and had a picture taken with him. She posted the photo on her Web site with a quote from Smith: "As a loyal Democrat to another loyal Democrat. Win Rachel! Win!"

Except, there was one problem. Smith said those words never came out of his mouth.

Connie Mack Berry Jr., Hunter's husband and campaign manager, responded, "If he doesn't (remember), that's fine. We're not going to sit here and argue with the greatest legend in college basketball." Hardly the vehement defense, it sounds like he's leaving the door open for Smith's future support.

By Wednesday, the "quote" had been removed from the site. But the incident proves that such endorsements carry clout — and that shrewd political candidates pursue them.

Smith won 879 games in 36 seasons at North Carolina — the most in NCAA Division I history. He became an icon in winning two national championships.

But does his coaching prowess make him any more of a public policy expert than the average Joe on the street? Hardly.

The George Clooneys and the Dixie Chicks of the world have said they speak out because of a passion for political issues. They say they feel an obligation to raise awareness by using their celebrity status.

There may be nothing inherently wrong with that. But at the end of the day, candidates warrant support because of their position on the issues — not because of how much glitz and glam they surround themselves with.