The real political party

Last Wednesday, it seems more or less everyone got the same message from a friend: There was a free Dave Matthews concert and a huge line to claim tickets to the event. No one really knew more than that, nor seemed to care. And even though it would eventually become clear to the general public that this concert was a generous gift from the Barack Obama campaign, it’s safe to say that the good senator was far away from most of the crowd’s thoughts as the show began. \nIt’s precisely at this time of year that undecided voters become everyone’s new best friends. Lured with flashy ads, lucrative promises and now a parade of celebrities, we all seem eager to indulge in the guilty pleasure of reveling in the excitement of campaign gimmicks, even though we know those things really shouldn’t matter in choosing a president. Even at IU, we’ve seen Chelsea Clinton, Bill Clinton, Jeremy Piven, Kal Penn and now Dave Matthews just in this past month. Their messages are political, yes, but in regard to candidates with platforms that are already well established. Piven could have been selling aluminum siding – it was his presence that filled the seats. And anyone with a dial–up modem could have dissected Obama’s stance on healthcare, but from a famous mouth, it just sounds better. \nThat might be the problem – sounding better isn’t the same as being better. Fortunately, in the case of celebrity endorsements and alluring giveaways, it isn’t going to matter. \nThat’s the problem with democracy: everyone has a voice, even the people who don’t make informed choices. For all the educated voters who have weighed the pros and cons of the candidates’ positions, there are others basing their decision off more frivolous criteria. Sure, there are those who wouldn’t vote for Obama based on his middle name, but there are also those who would vote for him based on his ability to cultivate an image that appeals to young people but has nothing to do with leading the world’s most powerful country. We think it’s unethical to treat voters as the means to an end, trying to gain their nominal support without earning their faith in policies. But can it really be that a free concert or celebrity endorsement will turn into more votes? \nSure, the fans showed up at the concert. They were probably treated to a host of campaign flyers and rousing promises for “change” throughout the night. And they probably couldn’t have cared less. People whose support can be won this easily tend to be the types who give extremely weak support. Students would have pledged allegiance to Joseph Stalin if he’d been the one to give the concert, but that doesn’t mean anyone would necessarily vote for him. If your support comes from gifts or celebrity endorsement, it means that support ends when those things dry out, and there’s no free concert at the polls. So if Obama really wants to buy support, he could save a lot of money by buying a loaf of bread and feeding some ducks at a pond. At least the ducks wouldn’t mask their apathy about the sponsor of the feast.