Political candidates upstaging celebrities

Political films could play a role
Republicans will also soon get the rare chance to view a film that lampoons the left. On Oct. 3, “An American Carol” will be released, in which Kevin Farley plays an obvious parody of Michael Moore.

Moore is releasing his own election year film, “Slacker Uprising,” for free online on Sept. 23. Moore has said that the film, which examines young voter involvement in the 2004 election, is meant to rally support for Obama: “This film, really isn’t for anybody other than the choir,” he said.

The most anticipated political film this fall, though, might be Oliver Stone’s “W.” Josh Brolin plays a young President Bush in the film, which is expected to be highly critical of the administration.

But will any of these movies, endorsements or celebrity fundraisers alter the results in November?

Conventional wisdom holds that they won’t, but one study suggests it’s possible.

Released this month by the University of Maryland, the study found that Oprah Winfrey’s endorsement of Obama may have netted him approximately 1 million additional votes in the Democratic primary. It also notes that few celebrities have the influence of Winfrey, but that her impact was somewhat quantifiable because of her history of boosting sales for endorsed products.

Economics professor Craig Garthwaite, who conducted the study with professor Timothy Moore, said he suspected celebrity endorsements would have a lesser effect in the national election, where policy differences between candidates are more pronounced. But he does think celebrities have more influence than they’re often credited for.

“I would kind of say they’re underrated,” said Garthwaite. “It’s hard to think of a reason why politicians would take the time to gather these endorsements if they’re likely going to have no effect.”

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