Celebrities in politics--Effective lawmakers?

I resent even being told to vote for any candidate endorsed by a celebrity. I resent the implication that their insight is somehow greater than mine because they have name recognition in sports or showbusiness or any other field totally outside of politics. It's egotism in the extreme and defies logic. But for a celebrity to assume that he or she can actually run a country is not just ridiculous, it's dangerous.

I don't think we can or should generalize on this question. Obviously, ALL celebrities aren't suited to be effective lawmakers but that doesn't mean NONE of them are. I know many here on myLot don't approve of celebrities even voicing their opinions on political matters and I don't think it's wise to base our own voting choices on what some movie star has to say but the truth is there are some celebrities who are quite articulate when discussing politics and current events. Obviously, there are also some who have no value what they're talking about and some who only speak out on some issues to get attention. Both of these examples apply to some from both the left and the right. Annie

They have name recognition on their side. Most celebrities should stick with acting/singing and keep the politics to others.

Celebrities are just that. Celebrities. People complain that politicians steal your money and lie to you. People who worship movie stars, actor and so on, easily give them their hard earned money without thought. They buy their high priced movies, CDs, clothing, etc. They never complain. They are happy to do it. Movie stars lie all the time about their lives, and many people believe them. Thus, they are very much a like. Most celebrities are not qualified to run our country. You notice that Oprah helped Obama get elected. If Oprah had been running, she would have won.

Well they do have the edge over others most especially in countries were people based their votes mostly on popularity rather than background and performance. Lets face it, how many political celebrities have made a great impact in our country... Not that many... But I am not saying that all of them are not good. There are also that are capable of delivering. Well, I hope that with the current situation that our country is facing right now, with the current debts, and other social economic problems, we will be able to make it through no matter who is there sitting their in position.

I don't think so that they can make it. Most of the celebrities are always looking for attention. they want to be famous and to have power. They are really good actors they can act well. so they can easily fool us during the campaign. Moreover they usually use their popularity whenever they want to change their fields. However, if they really want to be an effective lawmaker, they should study first or take a short course of Political Science to fully understand the flow of politics. In politics, there is no take two. Everything should be done with great preparation.

I think celebrities have two very big advantages in politics. One is that every aspect of their lives is already known so there are no real surprises that get dug up by the press. Even if they had something really bad, it might be brought to the surface but no one really cares. The second is that they are already know how to deal with the press. They know precisely the press traps to avoid. So in that sense, they have the upper hand against their opponent. On the other, celebrities are seen as very materialistic and light-weight on political issues. Oftentimes, they are viewed as being way out there on some of their views. So it that sense, they are not taken or seen as a serious candidate.

I believe that there are some celebrities who are prepared to hurdle the world of politics. In fairness, there are those who started from the lowest positions--being councilors for consecutive terms, to being vice mayors or mayor of their respective province. These celebrities will undoubtedly be an asset because of the education in politics that they gained based from experience. However, there are also those who does not seem to understand what they are getting themselves into. These are the celebrities who took advantage of their popularity in order to win the elections and be politicians. I don't have anything bad to say against such celebrities. But if they backslide and failed to serve the people because of their inexperience and cluelessness, then it's safe to say that they are the kind who gives celebrities-turned-politicians a bad name.