Democrats must finally divorce Hollywood

Last Tuesday, Democrats demolished Republicans in just about every single contested election, Oscar winning actress Jennifer Lawrence said something very un-Hollywood. She questioned whether celebrities speaking out against President Trump actually moves voters closer to him. She was openly wondering whether she should continue to speak out. 

Of course, since she is a celebrity, this made national news instead of just being relegated to the entertainment section. But Lawrence did show a remarkable amount of self-awareness that many celebrities don’t have.

Democrats can easily simplify their message for the next year and focus on the economy and only the economy, as James Carville famously advised. And in doing so, they need to show just how much they are in touch with people who are hurting from food shortages, tariffs, debt, unemployment, shutdowns, and health care costs.

And here’s the punch line: The best way to do that is not to trot out millionaire celebrities who don’t experience these things. People don’t care what celebrities think.

While Trump is building a ballroom at the White House, having costumed galas, remodeling bathrooms, politicking for NFL stadiums to be named after him, and prepping for his gift airplane from Qatar, Americans are suffering. The last thing they want is people who are equally out of touch with Trump telling them what to do.

The Democrats might well catch celebrity fever once again and trot out Taylor Swift, Beyonce, Bruce Springsteen and others to convince Americans that the Democrats know best. But the evidence that celebrities actually help the politicians they endorse is weak at best.

Yes, Taylor Swift drove a ton of voter registrations. Oprah Winfrey helped Barack Obama overtake Hillary Clinton in the 2008 primaries. But Trump has proved to be a different beast. His populism has appealed to many working Americans, even if its benefits have been meted out more to the rich and famous. But the MAGA movement has positioned itself as fighting against elitism in Washington, Hollywood and universities. It has worked. So why bring out elites and solidify Trump’s message?

Honestly, celebrities often don’t walk the walk, either. Hollywood types lectured Americans on sexual assault while knowing about and covering up for Harvey Weinstein. They will lecture us on the environment and then fly in private jets to shoot commercials for crypto. They will wag their fingers at Americans over guns while their industry recklessly promotes gun violence. And they will lecture us on social justice and racism while being the industry that often created those negative stereotypes in the first place, or at least reinforced them.

Celebrities will lecture us on the wage gap while promoting projects for Amazon, Apple and Disney. I mean, celebrities will probably be shilling for AI in Super Bowl commercials in February and then warning us on how AI is bad next fall. An industry that loves to spend $300 million to make a mediocre movie will tell us that we need to give more money to the poor. 

The Democrats have been labeled as out of touch for some time now, whether that’s fair or not. But when the Trump administration is fighting to stop SNAP payments, having military families needing food assistance, and having people resorting to dumpster diving, the last thing you need is Matt Damon telling you how bad we all have it.

What is worse is that liberal celebrities almost never actually pause their lives to get involved. Trump, in addition to other things, was a TV celebrity and put aside a lot of opportunities to run for president. Arnold Schwarzenegger left Hollywood while he was still a box office draw to become governor of California. Ronald Reagan was the Hollywood star who became president. Meanwhile, George Clooney wrote the op-ed that derailed the Biden 2024 campaign, then sat around waiting to tell us what we did wrong a year later.

Theodore Roosevelt famously called out celebrities like Clooney in his “Citizenship in a Republic” speech, for pointing out everything wrong while refusing to be the “man in the arena.” Yes, celebrities have every right to voice their opinions. But as the lyrics from “Hamilton” put it, “When you got skin in the game, you stay in the game. But you don’t get a win unless you play in the game.”

The Democrats are in a very good position to dominate the midterms. Empathy, understanding and relatability will go a long way to helping Democratic candidates resonate with a struggling American population. The last thing they need to do is trot out people who aren’t experiencing these struggles, wagging their fingers and telling them how to vote.

Jos Joseph is a recipient of the Military Reporters and Editors award for Best Commentary/Opinion. A graduate of Harvard and Ohio State University, he is a Marine veteran who served in Iraq. He currently lives in Anaheim, Calif.