American Idol Winner Kelly Clarkson says Congressman Ron Paul’s got her vote if he wins the Republican nomination. The only problem is, she doesn’t think he will win the nomination. “I love Ron Paul… I liked him a lot during the last republican nomination and no one gave him a chance. If he wins the nomination for the Republican party in 2012 he’s got my vote. Too bad he probably won’t.”
When she quickly came under attack from some of her undoubtedly politically savvy fans for supporting a candidate that’s been accused of reportedly having racist and homophobic inklings, Clarkson responded by saying,
“I have never heard that he’s a racist? I definitely don’t agree with racism, that’s ignorant.”
“I love all people and could care less if you like men or women… I have never seen or heard Ron Paul say anything against gay people?”
“I am really sorry if I have offended anyone… Obviously that was not my intent. I do not support racism. I support gay rights, straight rights, women’s rights, men’s rights, white/black/purple/orange rights. I like Ron Paul because he believes in less government and letting the people (all of us) make the decisions and mold our country. That is all. Out of all the Republican nominees, he’s my favorite.”
A few thoughts and some unsolicited advice for Miss Clarkson. First off, never never never apologize for expressing your support for a candidate. This is America Miss American Idol Winner. You’re entitled to your opinion. So what if some of your Tweeps get offended by your selection. Let them sort that out. Next time they’re singing along to one of your songs let them decide if your support for Ron Paul is enough to make them change the channel or delete their iTunes purchase. I’d be willing to bet their “objection” to your endorsement won’t even be worth wasting the 99 cents.
As to the whole Ron Paul’s a racist homophobe (and don’t forget Anti0-Semitic too) thing, you can go here if you want to read a defense of the man from a Ron Paul supporter; or here if you want to see the “compassionate” side of Congressman Paul in a campaign ad. From where I sit, I supremely believe I am ill-equipped to cast judgment on a political figure – let alone a man – as to whether or not he is racist, homophobic, or anti-Semitic. Until sufficient evidence is placed before me, I cannot make such an accusation and believe it is completely reckless to do so under any circumstance without said sufficient evidence. And no, newsletters that may or may not have been written or approved by Congressman Paul do not meet the standard.
But back to the celebrity endorsement aspect of this “story”….
Celebrity endorsements, as a general rule, are just about as worthless as the Twitter space their typed frequently typed in. I can’t say they’re all absolutely worthless because, I suppose, their could potentially be one worth having somewhere along the line – at some point in history – from someone that legitimately “mattered” in the grander scheme of things. That said, this isn’t that endorsement.
I like Kelly Clarkson – by that I don’t mean I listen to her music – but I do think she seems like a genuinely “nice” person. That said, this story is a story for two reasons. The first being that it is a rather slow news week and negative fan reaction to a Republican celebrity endorsement is always good content for a desperate MSM; and the second is the fact that her song “Miss Independent” is just way too Ron Paul-ish not to weave it into a blog post. After all, it is just a matter of time before he joins Governor Gary Johnson in the ranks of the former Republicans-turned-libertarian-INDEPENDENTS.
I applaud Miss Clarkson for speaking her mind. I only wish she’d had the conviction to go in with both feet. A measured, walked-back, endorsement is only good for so much; and coming from a celebrity, it wasn’t that much to begin with.
I searched your site and could not find any place where you defended Ron Paul. What I did find were a number of articles where you bashed him and belittled him and his supporters. The mere fact that you won’t condemn these “racist” accusations is “evidence” enough that you agree with them. It’s RINOS like you that remind me why Ron Paul is the only candidate that can save this party and this country.
Christopher T – love the name.
Not sure that I “asked” you to search the site for my defense of Ron Paul. I probably could have saved you the time and told you that you wouldn’t find it. I have offered words of praise for Paul when I thought it was warranted; but you are correct in your assessment that praise has probably been outweighed by criticism and maybe even a bit of ridicule. He and I share many things in common – ideologically – but where we differ, the divide is substantial.
“The mere fact that you won’t condemn these “racist” accusations is “evidence” enough that you agree with them.”
I said am ill-equipped to sit in judgment of another man regarding such things. I said I did not have sufficient evidence to believe the accusations are legitimate. What more do you want from me here? Of course, “I condemn” any attempt to marginalize a candidate by calling him a racist, a bigot, or whatever. I’m just not going to go unhinged “defending” or “condemning” given the facts that have been presented and the rebuttal he and his camp have offered. I think it’s unfortunate that it has become a distraction to this race. Period.
“It’s RINOS like you that remind me why Ron Paul is the only candidate that can save this party and this country.”
Really? You had to drop the RINO to make your argument?
I wish you and your candidate nothing but the best. If he is “the only candidate that can save this party and this country”, I sincerely hope he is up to the task. I happen to have a little more faith in both the party and the country, but if you’re right; I’ll certainly be rooting for him.
I want to thank you for being willing to link to my post defending Ron Paul, even though you are not supporting him. Not a lot of blogs would do that and I appreciate your effort to remain fair.
It’s my pleasure LD. I may not be a Ron Paul supporter, but that doesn’t mean I stopped reading your site or trying to understand what reasonable and intelligent men like yourself see in the candidate. You’ve sided with Paul, and I’m not particularly fond of any of them. While I don’t see my mind changing on the Texas Congressman, I’d be rather foolish to close my mind to anyone sharing in my desire to unseat Barack Obama.
And for what it’s worth, I genuinely hope some of my readers make their way over there. It could do them “some good” to hear what a level-headed Ron Paul supporter has to offer as I do believe a small faction of his supporters has played at least some small role in alienating potential voters. In fact, I think I see one in this comment feed mocking my name and calling me a RINO.
Always a pleasure LD