Should George Clooney run against Ahnold in the 2006 election?

[Nikki Stone 1]

As a Californian, I think it would make the race interesting. Of course, there's always Gary Coleman. :)

[Freddie Stubbs]

1. The filing deadline is Friday

[Captain Hilts]

2. No. The world needs George Clooney.

Well, okay, I need George Clooney and don't want him all the way on the other side of the country.

[msongs]

3. arnold is up for election THIS year nt

msongs
www.msongs.com
batik & digital art
mugs and shirts

[Nikki Stone 1]

13. Oops.

:(

[goclark]

38. I'll run against the groper!

I'll bet I could wear him out in a debate! :)

[Wilms]

4. Did you ask Clooney if he want to run? n/t

[mike_c]

5. as another californian, I think it's particularly demeaning...

...that we've reached the point of wondering which "Celebrity Squares" panelist gets to be governor this time....

[valerief]

6. You can choose a movie/TV actor or a fundraiser actor (pol).

They're cut from the same cloth.

[Nikki Stone 1]

14. Another great evil started by Ronald Reagan

:)

[mcscajun]

27. He wasn't alone. California had elected its first "show-business"

Senator the year before Reagan's election as Governor.

The actor is question was an old song-and-dance man and movie actor by the name of George Murphy, elected as a Republican to the United States Senate on November 3, 1964.
http://bioguide.congress.gov/scripts/biodisplay.pl?index=M001092

The satirist Tom Lehrer even wrote a song about it, here is his opening monologue and the entire lyric:

During the last election we had a good deal of fun back east following your Senatorial contest out here. I’m from Massachusetts and I feel we have a certain right to gloat over the other states; Massachusetts is after all the only state with three Senators.* anyway, here’s a salute to your new junior senator.

"George Murphy"

Hollywood’s often tried to mix
Show business with politics,
From Helen Gahagan
To Ronald Reagan,
But Mister Murphy is the star
Who’s done the best by far.

Oh gee, it’s great,
At last we’ve got a Senator who can
Really sing and dance!
We can’t expect America
To win against its foes
With no one in the Senate who
Can really tap his toes.

The movies that you’ve seen
On your television screen
Show his legislative talents at a glance.
Should Americans pick crops? George says no,
’cause no one but a Mexican would stoop so low.
And after all, even in Egypt, the pharaohs
Had to import
Hebrew braceros.

Think of all the musicals we have in store.
Imagine: "Broadway Melody of 1984"
Yes, now that he’s a Senator, he’s really got the chance
To give the public
A song and dance!

http://www.lyricsfreak.com/t/tom-lehrer/138392.html

And before George Murphy, there was Helen Gahagan Douglas, who was a Congresswoman from California from 1944 to 1950.
http://www.ou.edu/special/albertctr/archives/exhibit/hgdbio.htm

Oh yeah...Murphy was a Republican; Douglas a Democrat. :)

* refers to the 1964 election of Robert F. Kennedy as US Senator from NY.

[Nikki Stone 1]

31. Ah, good ol' Tom Lehrer....

You made me smile with this one. :)

[Beelzebud]

7. They elect their hollywood stars. We watch ours.

And that's how I'd like to keep it.

How about California elect a responsible leader to do the business of the people?

[blueknight]

9. george spends most of his time

in italy. he is only in the states to work and for a occasional visit

[WI_DEM]

8. It would be nice, but as far as I can tell he isn't doing it.

[Crankie Avalon]

10. Californians could have avoided all this...

...if they had just elected someone more sensible than they did when they had the chance back in the recall election, like Gary Coleman.

[pocket]

11. YES!

I would pay to see that.

[tularetom]

12. Ahnold is running this year

Ther ain't no goobernatorial election in '08 and I doubt if Clooney would be ready to run this soon.

[NV Whino]

15. No. n/t

[catmandu57]

16. No more actors please

I don't mean to degrade actors as people, they just have a poor track record at politics.

[NYCGirl]

17. No. Clooney should write and direct more movies.

If Arnold never made another film, that would be a good thing.

[jim3775]

18. No, he should keep making movies

California needs a good progressive politician, i'm sure there are plenty of them in CA.

[devilgrrl]

19. No

:eyes:

[Nikki Stone 1]

20. But Clooney could get all those frustrated freeper women to vote their

orgasm.

:)

[Yollam]

21. Hell yeah - I'd vote for him.

He's every bit as qualified as Arnold was, and then some, and talk about easy on the eyes...

Only problem is, if he did a lousy job, he could get the voters to forgive him every time just by batting his eyelashes on TV. :)

[Cleita]

22. I wish he would or Warren Beatty.

Since there are a lot of stupid Californians, who will vote for star power, like they did for Arnold, at least they would be on the liberal side of the ticket.

[mcscajun]

23. Nope. And he wouldn't, anyhow.

"I spent six months doing Failsafe in Washington with politicians, following them around," he says. "And even the politicians I really liked, I thought I would never do this in a million years. Too many deals you have to make. It's more fun directing."

Better he keeps making good movies, the occasional political film, and donating to the left causes. :)

[cascadiance]

24. I think Richard Dreyfuss might be better...

Clooney is still in his prime making movies. Let him continue to do that. Dreyfuss gave a GREAT speech on CSPAN a while back that presented a great persuasive argument for impeachment. I'd like that kind of voice in government, though personally I'd rather he ran for Feinstein's seat rather than the governor's slot. Angelides I think will do fine!

[TNOE]

25. George Clooney can run for ANY THING he wants

Personally - I wish he'd come back to Kentucky - they screwed his dad out of the race here.

26. he is not the type to run for office

He likes the laid back life.

[Kerrytravelers]

28. No. We don't want politics to become a battle of the celebrities.

We've had enough of that, especially here in CA.

[librechik]

29. Clooney will run for governor right after he has sex with me.

so, if you want him please arrange for that, k?

:rofl:

besides he admits he is way too much of a rogue to pass the Sunday School examination (although why they would pass Arnold but not Clooney is a mystery to me.)

[Nikki Stone 1]

32. Maybe if you write and offer, he'll run.

:P

[librechik]

39. my adorable hubby insists that george is gay,

so I guess he won't mind, huh?

[Nikki Stone 1]

40. Does the aforesaid adorable hubby have inside sources?

Enquiring minds....
:evilgrin:

[librechik]

41. no--just the conviction that all other males are gay

compared to him--what a caveman! (strangely, he's most adamant about the gaydar in regard to males I show an interest in. It's a running joke with us.)

:eyes:

[immoderate]

30. Leave governing to the politicians. Artists have their place though.

People like Clooney have a role to play. Artists, philosophers, and activists work best outside the government. They hopefully keep the process moving toward the ideal. Don't burden them with management duties for which they may not be suited. Let them think and communicate and spread the ideas.

--IMM

[K8-EEE]

33. Yes And HE WiILL NEED A SPECIAL ASSISTANT...MEEEE!!!!

Baby!!

[Bryan]

34. Competent Dems who can run for Governor are a dime a dozen

People who consistently make good movies, however, are thin on the ground. We really can't afford to lose Clooney.

Rob Reiner, by comparison, hasn't made a good movie in ten years; let's get him to carry the ball!

[Cleita]

35. I could go for Meathead. He might do a fine job.n/t

[adigal]

36. Absolutely

but then he would not be able to spend a lot of time at Lake Como, in Italy, and who can blame him???

[fujiyama]

37. No

He's a talented actor and director. I look forward to seeing his movies.

Once you get caught in politics, you just don't look the same. Hell, even politicians that get to higher office don't look the same (look at Obama).

Also, once you run, you pander to raise money. There's so much ass kissing. Clooney doesn't strike me as the type to be into that.

You can be an effective voice for change without being a politician.