A Rare Post About Politics! (And Kelly Clarkson)

Original American IdolKelly Clarkson made a surprise endorsement in the 2012 Republican presidential race last night, throwing her support behind Ron Paul.

This did not go over well with some fans.

“I love Ron Paul. I liked him a lot during the last republican nomination and no one gave him a chance,” she wrote of the candidate. “If he wins the nomination for the Republican party in 2012 he’s got my vote. Too bad he probably won’t.”

Many of Clarkson’s 925,000 followers took issue with her support for the Texan, citing the alleged racism and homophobia of Paul’s old newsletters.

“That’s because you willfully ignoring his voting record, his statements, interviews, newsletters, and policy positions,” one follower Tweeted at her.

“You are obviously living under a rock. I don’t even live in the United States and hear about his stupidity,” Tweeted another fan from abroad.

Clarkson tried to maintain calm, responding:  “I am about progress. Ron Paul is about letting people decide, not the government. I am for this.”

The Hollywood Gossip

The Weekly Argus Says:

I usually try to stay out of politics because that’s not what people come here for. People come here to laugh and read about me giving back rubs to homeless people, not to read about my political points of view.

In spite of this, I do enjoy debating politics with people I know, but that’s where it stops–with people I know. I refuse to debate politics online because nearly every political debate on the Internet inevitably ends up with one person doing one of three things: straying from politics and harassing someone’s personal life, threatening to kick the other person’s ass, or making broad, sweeping generalizations about what an entire party is about even though most people in that respective party don’t actually feel that way. For example, I doubt all liberals care about polar bears more than humans and I doubt that all conservatives hate gays and blacks.

The thing is, when I debate politics with people I know, it always ends well. Sure, things get heated sometimes, but when you end the night by giving deep tissue massages on each other’s thighs, it really brings you back together. No matter how mad you get at someone, it’s impossible to stay that way when he or she is is making your thighs feel like they died and went to Heaven.

To tell you the truth, I actually follow politics somewhat closely, and, shockingly, I’ve had many a friend/acquaintance say that I should consider getting into politics. I immediately give an emphatic “no,” and I do that for two reasons: One, I have too many skeletons in my closet. That is not a figure of speech, and I will not elaborate any further. I’ll just say that there are a lot fewer hobos downtown than there used to be. Two – and this is the real reason – I’d find it eternally depressing that no matter how good you are at what you do, half the country will still hate you. I understand there will always be people who don’t like you, but if you’re a great doctor, or a great accountant, or a great chef, half the people you meet will not have a predetermined opinion about how terrible of a person you are. However, if you’re a great politician – and for all intents and purposes, I’ll just assume that when he is elected, the President would have to be considered the best politician in America. That may not be true, but let’s go with it. With that in mind, you can be the absolute best at your profession, and roughly 45-55% of the country will still wish you retired and never came back. What other job carries that much depression and hopelessness? Being Rosie O’Donnell’s trainer is the only one that comes to mind.

With that said, it seems almost futile to talk about politics. People already have established opinions of the way things should be, and most people don’t like to change, so you’re not going to convince anybody of anything simply by writing your opinon.

And I don’t want to convince anybody of anything. I just want to make an observation. Take it for whatever it’s worth. You may hate it, you may love it.

Here it is:

I remember way back in 2008 when McCain and Obama were running against each other. I also seem to remember several celebrities like George Clooney and Sean Penn coming out and openly supporting Obama while people like Kelsey Grammar and Bruce Willis supported McCain. Good for them. Who cares?

I don’t think it’s a big secret that most people in Hollywood and most famous musicians/artists are liberals. Again, good for them. Who cares?

So why is is such a big deal that Kelly Clarkson likes Ron Paul? I mean, don’t get me wrong, as a Republican, I think Ron Paul is about the worst candidate possible, but am I going to criticize Kelly Clarkson for endorsing the person she legitimately believes is the best person for the job? Absolutely not. Truth be told – and this is a shocker – I don’t listen to Kelly Clarkson’s music for her political views. When I want an opinion on politics, Kelly Clarkson, Sean Penn, Ted Nugent, or insert celebrity’s name here are the last people I’d go to.

I don’t get why people can’t separate politics from performance. Or politics from person. I think George Clooney’s political views are as wrongheaded as they come, but I still think O’ Brother Where Art Thou? is one of the best movies I’ve seen. To go a step further, it seems like people think Kelly Clarkson is a bad person because she likes Ron Paul. How does that make her a bad person?  She didn’t drug and rape anyone in a hot tub and she didn’t build a theme park in her back yard so she could entice little boys to her house, so what’s with the attacks on her as a person?

There’s a lot more to life than politics, and as surprising as it is, there are actually some decent people who don’t share your political views. And if you don’t agree with me, you’re Joy Behar.