Tevi Troy examines for Weekly Standard readers the importance of celebrity to modern-day presidents. Troy’s comments focus on a new book from Kenneth T. Walsh.
In the current landscape, Walsh is effectively pitting Republicans against Democrats in a contest that the GOP has little chance of winning. America’s cultural elite is notoriously liberal, and conservatives will always have a more difficult time competing on this playing field. This is not just some conservative mantra or talking point. Journalist Jonathan Chait, no fan of conservatism, has noted that one need not “be an especially devoted consumer of television .??.??. to detect a pervasive, if not total, liberalism” in the popular culture. Walsh makes this point as well, observing that George H.?W. Bush “was unpopular (as modern Republican presidents tend to be) with many in the entertainment industry, which seems increasingly populated by liberals.” The treatment of Bush 41 was mild compared with the treatment of his son, who was vilified by the purveyors of popular culture.
Walsh’s analysis is particularly important as we embark on a new presidential campaign. Republicans have not done well in recent presidential elections—in the last six, they carried the popular vote just once—and the relentless cultural critique of Republicans is one of the key Democratic advantages on this battlefield. Celebrity in Chief can provide a useful road map for how Republicans can proceed in this election on the cultural front.
The first piece of advice would have to be that Republican candidates should avoid low culture. Voters may want a candidate that relates to them, but they also want their presidents to maintain certain standards. Barack Obama, it should be said, does not try to maintain said standards—appearing, for example, “on Zach Galifianakis’s insult-filled parody interview program on the Web, Between Two Ferns.” As Walsh notes, “what would have once been called ‘low culture’ dominates the White House as it does our entire society.” Still, Obama gets a sort of blanket of protection from the mainstream media for his cultural dalliances, something GOP candidates should by no means count on getting for their own endeavors.
In addition, Republicans can pursue support in corners of the culture where they do have advantages. Walsh points out that one exception to the media disdain of Republicans is “country-and-western artists, who tend to be more conservative.” Beyond country-and-western, the GOP can also make inroads among NASCAR fans and Duck Dynasty watchers. Granted, these are not as all-pervasive as, say, superhero movies; but they can prove important in select areas. The endorsement of the Duck Dynasty stars helped Vance McAllister win an unexpected victory in a 2013 congressional primary in Louisiana.
Finally, Republican candidates and presidents alike can benefit from eschewing pop culture and focusing on reading. This can show a seriousness of purpose that voters appreciate.