It had a multi-billion dollar budget, lavish sets, and featured some of the biggest names in the entertainment industry. So why did the Democratic Party's latest presidential campaign descend into chaos at the polling places?
Yes, there was that desperate last minute casting change. But new lead actress Kamala Harris has had some notorious problems despite her predecessor's unwillingness to abandon her previous role and co-star Tim Walz's troubling and erratic public behavior. It seems like this work has gotten off to a good start.
Megan Thee Stallion, Lady Gaga, and Charli XCX were not up to the task of rescuing Harris from herself.
The proven star power of Gen Z favorite Alex Cooper (“Call Me Daddy”), as well as Will Ferrell, Rihanna, George Clooney, Jennifer Lopez, and even Oprah Winfrey, makes it a huge success. It seemed like a guaranteed hit.
pay to play
Winfrey's glorified cameo is said to have cost millions of dollars. And, perversely, a number of artists who appeared in non-singing roles, from Beyonce and Taylor Swift to Eminem, are rumored to have earned seven-figure salaries.
Whatever the exact line items, one thing is certain: a campaign that still had more than $100 million in deposits in October is now $20 million short.
Looking back, maybe that's it. Glorilla performance As it turns out, it wasn't such a good idea.
Or maybe the days of big-budget, mass-market fourth-quadrant blockbusters are over.
joy division
Where were the big-name actors and actresses who might have rescued Harris from her troubled campaign?
A tear-jerking viral post, instantly recorded by Lady Gaga, finally lets the public in Pennsylvania and North Carolina know that Harris is truly the answer to their prayers and not just a POC puppet on Polly. Can you string two sentences together without cackling like a convinced banshee or waxing poetic about the joy of abortion rights?
Indeed, what happened to the days when influential celebrities used to publish videos warning about “fascism” and “democracy”? Did they stop uploading videos or did no one Have you stopped watching?
shooting star
The answer seems to be both. In a recent YouGov poll, Only 10% of Americans They say that celebrities' opinions have made them vote or reconsider their votes. Another poll by USA Today and Suffolk University found that political support It was far more influential in swaying Democratic votes than celebrity endorsements.
The study also found that conservatives are largely uninfluenced by either, including influence from within the conservative movement's leadership. (The impact of Hulk Hogan's gut-wrenching pro-Trump howl remains for future historians.)
Perhaps this is why the standard-issue Democratic support Harris received from Obama and Clinton didn't help her much. They were not delivered with great conviction. It probably didn't help that the Democratic National Committee's brand was tarnished by the still-fresh memory of Joe Biden being stabbed in the back in public.
Megan Thee Stallion, Lady Gaga, and Charli XCX were not up to the task of rescuing Harris from herself. Even people who enjoy music in one way or another seem to have a hard time getting excited about their political opinions.
Box office poison?
Celebrity supporters of Ms. Harris did so with smug confidence, but that didn't do much for independents. Their earnest appeal to “get out and vote” (with the obvious insinuation that they meant voting for Harris) clearly backfired. Trump wins over men under 30 by 14 points And Harris won by just 18 points over a young woman under 30. Gen Z voters weren't pulling the levers for the Democratic Party the way celebrities and pop culture puppets told them to.
Jimmy Wierkind as Aaron Zitner point outHarris' result among young women was “down from Biden's 32-point lead in this group in 2020.”
Trump's mastery of social media and popular podcasts like Joe Rogan's show also clearly strengthened his already well-known brand and placed him at the center of the hearts of many lost people. It happened.
triple threat
But the fact remains that Trump didn't really need anyone's support — at least not like Harris. Our former and future presidents are consummate entertainers. He sings, tells jokes, and even does his own stunts. He also dances. No one needs celebrities as much as possible Interact with the candidates themselves?
Expensive disasters tend to end in a lot of condemnation, and the Harris campaign is no exception. Democrats might also want to use this opportunity to do some housecleaning, starting with the Democrats who blame their voters.
If Donald Trump's incredible comeback has taught us anything, it's that fewer and fewer people are waiting for the media to tell them what's worth their time and attention. After years of having their tastes underestimated and ignored, Americans are finally confident enough to celebrate genuine once-in-a-generation talent when they find it. . If you want to convince people, that's a good place to start.
