David Burke Burke is a third-year
political science student. E-mail him at dburke@
media.ucla.edu.
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A little over three years ago, former WWF wrestler Jesse Ventura
used his celebrity to become the governor of Minnesota. Two weeks
ago, Magic Johnson expressed interest in running for mayor of Los
Angeles in the next election. A few days ago, current NBA star Karl
Malone said that he may want to become the next governor of
Arkansas when he retires. During the last presidential election,
there were rumors that both Warren Beatty and John Cusack were
considering entering the race ““ am I the only person who is a
little bit bothered by this frightening pattern?
I’m not sure when it started, but in the past few years,
there has been an influx of athletes and actors who seem to think
that it would be society’s gain for them to move from the
entertainment or athletic elite to occupy the highest political
offices in the land.
I’m not usually critical of people’s ambitions and I
would love to read headlines in the future like “Mailman
Delivers in Election” and “Magic Slam Dunks the
Competition in Mayoral Race,” but I have two important
messages for Magic, Karl, John, Warren and any
athlete/actor/celebrity before they enter the political arena.
Before running for an extremely powerful political position,
celebrity candidates should objectively examine whether or not they
are the most qualified candidates for the job. Elected offices were
intended by the founders of our government to be occupied by only
the most intelligent, thoughtful, and capable citizens. Without the
mental equipment or necessary experience to qualify as one of those
citizens, celebrity candidates will become ineffective politicians
doing a great disservice to the communities that they profess to
love.Â
Malone says that he “wants to help Arkansas prosper
through population growth and development.” But isn’t
there somebody else who is exceedingly more qualified to do that,
like, say, somebody who has been in civil service for many
years?
It’s likely that someone recently out of acting or
basketball isn’t particularly qualified to assume a high
political office like governor or mayor. Most mayoral or
gubernatorial races feature candidates with experience in the
political world that enables them to serve their constituents well
if elected. Many politicians work for over 20 years before they
feel they have the expertise and ability to run for offices as
highly situated as those Magic Johnson and Karl Malone are
considering.
I’m not sure why people who devoted the majority of their
lives to bouncing a ball up and down or to memorizing lines and
reciting them in front of a camera would think that they could do a
better job than people who have been serving their communities for
the majority of their lives. I would never try to become the head
coach of the Lakers without coaching at lower levels of basketball
first.
By the same logic, athletes who want to get into politics should
not try to become the highest elected officials in their respective
communities without gaining some experience at lower levels of
government. This brings me to another point: if these celebrity
politician hopefuls really want to get involved in politics,
there’s nothing wrong with running for a lower office. Unlike
higher elected offices, many state assembly or city council
positions do not require vast amounts of experience.
These lower offices do not come with as much responsibility or
as many consequences. They can provide the opportunity to get
acquainted with the political process and to learn how to serve the
needs of the citizens that they represent.
Starting at a lower office is not only better for the
constituents, it is better for the candidate too. Politics are not
for everyone and I’m sure that many people who get involved
in politics want to leave it just as quickly as they entered.
Celebrities should find out if they actually enjoy working in
politics before they commit themselves to a highly stressful and
influential political offices.
After building a foundation for themselves in public service,
these celebrities would be qualified to run for a higher office,
and will have a better idea of what they are getting into and how
to do their jobs well.
So celebrities, listen up. Before you throw yourself into the
political arena, consider where you’re qualified to start,
and be willing to take a few years to learn the process. You
won’t get my vote if you do it any other way.