Celebrity endorsements: Do they matter?

I hate to admit this, but I enjoy reading what celebrities have to say during the election season. Whether it's tabloid trash or intelligent conversation with news reporters, any endorsement or words of praise can go a long way for candidates in today's society.

The other day, my brother sent me a link to a Politico story about eight celebrities endorsing Republican candidates running for president.

Megadeth singer Dave Mustaine is a supporter of Rick Santorum for President.

The story included endorsements of Ron Paul from pop singers Kelly Clarkson and Michelle Branch, Aerosmith guitarist Joe Perry, and singer/actress Juliette Lewis. It also included a light-hearted endorsement of Mitt Romney from Kiss bassist Gene Simmons.

At the bottom of the article was what seemed like an endorsement for Rick Santorum's campaign from Megadeth singer Dave Mustaine. Politico cited a Feb. 14 article on MusicRadar.com in which Mustaine said, "… You know, I think Santorum has some presidential qualities, and I'm hoping that if it does come down to it, we'll see a Republican in the White House... and that it's Rick Santorum."

But the following day, he sent a statement to Billboard saying he was not ready to vote for any candidate just yet. "Contrary to how some people have interpreted my words, I have not endorsed any presidential candidate," he said in the statement. "What I did say was that I hope to see a Republican in the White House. I've seen good qualities in all the candidates but by no means have made my choice yet. I respect the fact that Santorum took time off from his campaign to be with his sick daughter, but I never used the word 'endorse.'"

That's an interesting reversal from Tuesday and that he chose to hone in on the key word "endorse" as his excuse to un-endorse Santorum. But it was newsworthy nonetheless and made me wonder if celebrity endorsements truly make a difference in any election.

Not so, according to a 2010 study from North Carolina State University. In the university's news release, researchers did two separate studies involving more than 800 college students and evaluated whether endorsements from celebrities would affect voting behavior if they endorsed a political candidate. The studies concluded that celebrity endorsements do not help political candidates - but they can hurt them and the celebrities themselves.

However, researchers also noted that celebrity endorsements can help candidates distinguish themselves from a crowded field of candidates during the primary season. That prompted me to look up celebrity endorsements of current Republican presidential candidates for the upcoming election in November.

Singer Barry Manilow is a big Ron Paul fan, but is backing Obama in 2012.

I spotted a handful of endorsements on Wikipedia for each of the remaining candidates, along with others who supported former candidates like Michele Bachmann, Herman Cain, Jon Huntsman, and Rick Perry. I was amused and even puzzled by some endorsements of political candidates. They included actor Kelsey Grammer's endorsement of Bachmann, singer Barry Manilow's praise of Paul (although he has since clarified his remarks and plans to support President Obama's re-election campaign), and country singer and self-proclaimed "Jewish Cowboy" Kinky Friedman's endorsement of Perry.

The same Google search resulted in a Facebook page detailing endorsements of Paul. I doubt the Ron Paul campaign has anything to do with the site, but at least it gives his supporters more excitement about his candidacy.

In the photos section, there is an album titled "Celebrity Praise, Support & Endorsements" listing 51 photos of celebrities from numerous backgrounds and links to support that claim. It's broad enough to fool even the most naive of Paul's supporters to believe these are endorsements of his candidacy. Unfortunately, the photos and even subsequent links show the problems of exploitation of celebrities words to fool those who can't distinguish praise from endorsements.

Take, for instance, "endorsement" from David Letterman. Sure, Letterman said he was going to vote for Paul in 1988. But how about now?

There's also praises from the likes of actor and martial artist Chuck Norris (who wound up endorsing Newt Gingrich) and Bachmann, who hasn't even endorsed anyone yet. Sadly, some Paul supporters took those as endorsements and the site gave them false hope that their candidate had a shot at winning the Republican nomination.

Finally, there was Paul's endorsement from the late Ronald Reagan. The site's creator pulled a Reagan quote in 1978 stating that,“Ron Paul is one of the outstanding leaders fighting for a stronger national defense. As a former Air Force officer, he knows well the needs of our armed forces, and he always puts them first. We need to keep him fighting for our country.” An article that accompanied the photo has a video boasting Paul's candidacy and mentions praise from "The Gipper" for extra support to his congressional candidacy that year.

What's interesting to know is that Paul essentially cut ties with Reagan and the rest of the Republican Party in 1987 over what he saw was growing deficits and little effort reducing the size of government, according a Washington Post article. I doubt Paul would receive such an endorsement from Reagan if he were alive and healthy today.

Now I don't factor in endorsements from celebrities and hope you don't either. But if you do, make sure the celebrity is informed on all the issues and instead of reciting catch phrases like "hope and change", "take our country back", and "vote for freedom". 

Also, make sure you look at websites like the Facebook page with a critical eye. Just because the creator says there is an endorsement or support for a particular candidate doesn't necessarily mean it's true.

Editor's note: I commented on the Michele Bachmann picture pointing out she hadn't actually endorsed anyone and asked when the video was made. The site's administrator replied that it didn't matter when the video was made, but that she had already spoken very favorably of Paul. So much for integrity.