Please don't try to contact me on March 14th. I will be unavailable. My phone will be turned off, I won't respond to emails, I won't check Facebook, I won't post anything to Twitter, and I won't reply to messages on MySpace. To be fair, I haven't replied to messages on MySpace since 2006.
Why am I cutting off all contact on March 14th? Am I getting married? Am I going in for surgery? Am I interviewing for a job with the New Yorker?
March 14th is the season premiere of The Celebrity Apprentice 3. It is safe to say that I would miss the funeral of my own mother before I miss another opportunity to see Rod Blagojevich say things to people on television.
Rod Blagojevich is starring on The Celebrity Apprentice 3. Sarah Palin is 'working' as a 'pundit' on Fox News. Tom Delay competed on Dancing With the Stars. The flood of politicians who have flowed from the political world to the entertainment world in the past few years make it appear as if the thin line dividing politics and entertainment is thinner than the books on Sarah Palin's night stand. Historians like to point out how unprecedented it was that William Howard Taft, after serving as U.S. President, became the Chief Justice of the Supreme Court. That's only because reality television hadn't been invented yet.
I think he would have done great on Big Brother.
Does the politician who leaves the political world to become an entertainer reflect poorly on the office once held by the aforementioned politician? Rod Blagojevich one governed the populous state of Illinois, which has the third largest city in the United States. Governors, much like presidents, set the agenda for their state and an example for their citizens. Now he stars on a reality show hosted by Donald Trump where he embarrasses himself – along side Sharon Osbourne, Bret Michaels, and Sinbad – in order to pay his legal bills.
Yes. Sinbad.
Sarah Palin once governed Alaska, a state half as large as the country itself. She was one of only fifty people, in a country of over 300 million, who had the kind of executive influence and power that most people only dream of. And she gave it up – halfway through – to go on television and update her Facebook status. If a U.S. Soldier quits early, the military calls it Dereliction of Duty. If Sarah Palin quits early, her supporters call it patriotic.
Should the divide between politics and entertainment be much wider than it is now? Obviously people have their own free will, and are welcome to embarrass themselves as much as the First Amendment will allow them. Nevertheless, should not politicians have more respect for the office they once held by refraining from jumping into the murky entertainment pool with both feet? One cannot imagine former presidents Jimmy Carter or George Bush or Bill Clinton competing on a reality show or going on television once a week to talk to Bill O'Reilly. But apparently governors are a different story.
Although many politicians who transition to entertainment end up embarrassing themselves and the office they once held, some entertainers who transition to politics end up having a very successful political career. Take Ronald Reagan for example, who often ranks in the top 10 of the greatest American presidents. Regardless of whether you agree with the policies of this former actor, many would admit that he was a very successful U.S. President, who helped the country out of a recession and ended the Cold War.
Former Saturday Night Live actor and writer, Al Franken, has found success in the short time that he's been in the Senate. The first bill he co-authored, the Service Dogs for Veterans Act, was passed unanimously by the Senate in 2009. Many have noted his civility and seriousness, despite his lengthy background in comedy, when speaking with political opponents about issues such as health care. Although only a freshman Senator, Franken seems poised to have a successful career in politics.
Some entertainers have had moderate success when transitioning to politics, such as Fred Thompson and Arnold Schwarzenegger. Nevertheless, they've proven that they have the temperament and the demeanor necessary to take seriously their obligations at hand. Regardless of their backgrounds in entertainment, they've shown respect for the political offices they've held – something which can't be said of Rod Blagojevich and Sarah Palin.
On the other hand, maybe former politicians should be on reality tv. Otherwise, I won't have anything to watch on March 14th. I'm certainly not watching The Celebrity Apprentice 3 to see Sinbad.
