Who knows if the Material Girl's endorsement of Wesley Clark last week will have any material effect on the primaries. But you've gotta give her points for creative use of capitalization and boldface.
"I know that people seem to pay attention to everything I do. Big or Small. Ridiculous or Sublime. So I am hoping they pay attention to this," she wrote in a note posted on her Web site. "I am supporting General Wesley Clark for President."
Madonna's endorsement got us thinking about other rallying cries from celebrities on behalf of presidential hopefuls over the years. Here are a few worth remembering:
Cher, in Playboy, endorsing Michael Dukakis in 1988: "He has all the things I really admire in someone. I don't give a flying fuck if he's charismatic or not."
Jann Wenner, stumping for Bill Clinton and Al Gore on "This Week With David Brinkley" in 1993: "I mean, these are guys who love rock 'n' roll."
Pat Boone, who endorsed Ronald Reagan for president in 1984: "There are no human solutions only divine solutions."
Jon Bon Jovi on a fundraiser he hosted for Al Gore at his New Jersey estate in 2000: "It was quite a thrill. If you think a rock band has a big entourage, you should see what a presidential candidate has. There were cops and police dogs everywhere, and they had escape routes mapped out."
Pearl Jam's Eddie Vedder at a rally for Ralph Nader in 2000: "I've never had anyone I could believe in before."
Willie Nelson, endorsing Dennis Kucinich in the current election: "I normally do not get too heavily involved in politics, but this is more about getting involved with America than with politics ... I plan to do concerts to benefit the campaign."
Danny Glover, another Kucinich supporter: "I have sat and dialogued with him and watched him learn from others, and of all the candidates he stands the closest to my conscience, and I must go with my conscience."
And Ani DeFranco likes Kucinich, too. She also likes to use the word "whore": "I was just instantly struck by how different he is from any politician I've ever met ... He's not a self-aggrandizing strategist or corporate whore."
Hootie and the Blowfish "individually and collectively," however, like John Edwards: "We believe John Edwards represents everything that is great about America."
Peter Yarrow, of Peter, Paul and Mary, is a John Kerry man, though how much of a help that is for the presidential hopeful remains to be seen. Witness this report from CBS News.com: "Kerry aides were shaking their heads after a Yarrow-inspired scene turned out a little weird. At a house party thrown by Story County Democrats, Yarrow summoned Kerry to the living room where he had just started playing 'Puff the Magic Dragon.' At one point, as Yarrow sang the word 'puff,' Kerry quickly gestured as if he was smoking pot."
Rob Reiner for Howard Dean: "I'm throwing my entire support behind Governor Dean this early in the campaign to send a strong message."
Meathead would be proud.
(From salon.com)
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