Published on February 1, 2024, 12:35 am

With the 2024 election already on everyone’s mind, there are specific points both Republicans and Democrats should consider in their strategies. For the Democrats, it’s time to acknowledge one harsh truth: Celebrities cannot be your ticket to victory.

Commonly used as a strategy in recent elections, Democrats have leaned heavily on celebrity endorsements in support of their prime candidates with hopes of gaining an upper hand. They reminisce about times when celebrity appearances had significant political weight – Marilyn Monroe serenading JFK or Bill Clinton playing saxophone on late-night television comes to mind. Nevertheless, reliance on such star power often results in lackluster success.

The New York Times highlights this desperation reporting that President Biden is injecting energy into his re-election campaign. He has initiated numerous rallies across competitive states reminding voters about the stake of democracy at hand for 2024, while deploying his top White House aides for his campaign operations. But shockingly enough, there are rumors of soliciting Taylor Swift’s endorsement being amongst Biden’s wish list of possible advocates.

The science behind celebrities impacts is blurry at best. While polling sometimes suggests famous figures’ endorsements affect voters’ choices – Newsweek poll reports about a fifth of voters may back a candidate if endorsed by Swift – the actual outcome doesn’t seem promising. There seems to be an immaturity attached to votes based solely on celebrity persuasions, whether they come from Kanye West supporting Republicans or Taylor Swift favoring Democrats – this is not how politics should function.

It’s interesting then that statistics show nearly equal division between those who said they would vote for a candidate supported by Swift and those who disapproved – suggesting perhaps celebrities should stick to their music and stay less involved in politics.

Importantly enough though, when pop culture relevance affects politics, it is mainly when the politician themselves hold significant recognition as was true for Barack Obama and Donald Trump.

Hillary Clinton tried implementing the strategy of exploiting her celebrity supporters during her run in 2016 – but guess what, she lost.

Moving our attention to the Republicans, we need to drill down on one critical point: Not everything is a carefully orchestrated conspiracy. A lot of conspiracy theories that circulate widely are often flawed, because they demand an unrealistic level of dedication and expertise to be believable.

One dangerous implication of such theories is the sense of despair and lack of control it instills upon believers. They feel their actions will not lead them to success due to mysterious powers intervening with results – inserting lethargy into political activism and engagement.

As an example, President Trump had not been able to sufficiently prove his claim that he was deprived of his re-election victory through maliciously planned voter fraud. While it is true some processes were concerning during the elections — such as social media platforms acting perversely on behalf of Biden, or media outlets opting for biased coverage — none equalled the amplification created by well-thought voter fraud strategy.

Such manipulation brings forth dangerous implications. If such grand-scale theft could occur undetected, why would people drone out to polling stations? A similar premise resulted in sparse turnouts for the run-off election at Georgia – which turned out two Democratic Senators from an otherwise strongly Republican state. This control fallacy creates desolation within potential voters leading them into believing factors determining their success are beyond reach – resulting in electoral defeat.

To conclude with a Christian worldview perspective woven underpinning this discussion, it’s clear that real news holds precedence over speculative narratives or star-laden spectacle. The emphasis must remain on policies, candidate competencies, democratic principles and engaging a broader voter information base – rather than ephemeral celebrity endorsements and paranoia about plotting behind closed doors.