Hi, this is Fred Wallace with ” Off the Wire “.
Yes, I watched the United States Presidential Election with interest.
But my interest was minimal, certainly not stoked with the passionate fever I witnessed from others on air and on social media, ……even though for the record I think Donald Trump is the biggest TURNIP in the history of North American politics !!…….and when you consider who’s at the helm of my country and who his father was, well, that’s quite a statement.
Regardless, what I found most interesting in the US Election was the lineup of celebrities from sports and elsewhere who aligned themselves with the respective candidates.
Jay Leno, Bruce Springsteen, Stephen Curry, The Chicks, The Rock and the guy who played George Costanza on Seinfeld all backed Biden.
Trumps celebrity supporters included Jack Nicklaus, Dennis Quaid, Dana White, Chachi from Happy Days, Brett Favre, and as illustrated in a full page newspaper ad, Bobby Orr.
Which really speaks volumes about the States, and to a certain extent, about North America in general.
We all seem to be captivated by shallow charisma; who has the best toys, who has the coolest friends. It’s really almost like being in elementary or high school, a time when our decisions aren’t always the best, a time when those decisions can be influenced by factors other than what is simply the best or the right choice.
Forget who backed who in 2020, when you look at the list of celebrity supporters above, there’s a handful of those names that I respect highly, on both sides. And in fairness, there’s a handful of people I could give a rat’s tailbone about when it comes to their choice or opinions.
And that’s the thing. Voting. Elections. Exercising your freedom to choose, is your choice. And if your choice can be influenced by the ” celebrities ” of the sports and entertainment world, I think you’re more suited to vote for Class President than a world leader.
I’m Fred Wallace