Romney’s Mile High Endorsement
The wisdom of recent elections has taught us that celebrity endorsements of political candidates don’t matter. A poll released yesterday confirmed this fact. Who cares what the lead singer of Creed or Eva Longoria — or Clint Eastwood, for that matter — thinks about the presidential election?
But on the same day that new poll was released, Mitt Romney scored a major endorsement, which I am convinced does matter. For those of you not from the Rocky Mountain region, let me explain.
“Mitt, we’ve got ‘em right where we want ‘em!”
Imagine that you are an undecided voter in a toss-up state. (I know, hard to imagine, but try.) It’s October of an election year, and a very smart and reasonable person that you trust makes a strong case for a candidate. You’ve known him for almost 30 years, ever since he graduated from Stanford. You’ve been through tough times together, ups and downs, and through it all he has been steady, opinionated but not partisan, classy, the kind of person who takes home a big paycheck but looks out for the common good. This person encourages you to vote for Romney.
For almost everyone in Colorado — and we might as well throw in New Mexico, which follows the Broncos — that person is former Denver Broncos quarterback, John Elway.
All politics is local, and celebrity endorsements even more so. John Elway is the undisputed king of Colorado. The governor may have legal authority over the state, but, to use a Weberian term, Elway has the charismatic authority — the auctoritas. Legal and institutional authority wield power that must be followed for fear of punishment. Charismatic authority exercises power that compels people to follow because of the person and not the office; and they follow seemingly of their own accord. If John Elway says something is right, Coloradans who thought they disagreed suddenly think, “Maybe I’m wrong.” After all, John Elway got rid of one of the most popular people in Colorado (Tim Tebow), and Colorado said, “OK, Elway must be right.” And, of course, he was. As always.
Governor Hickenlooper is among the most popular governors in the country, with a 60% approval rating in a swing state, but even he knows that Elway holds the cards. Before becoming the executive of the state, Hickenlooper only ran the second most important thing in Colorado (microbreweries). Elway is the executive of the most important thing in Colorado (the Broncos).
Let me explain this another way. Yesterday one of my best friends posted a photo of himself and his family at a Mitt Romney rally in Colorado. I was pretty surprised. I knew he was unsure about how the Affordable Care Act was going to affect him, as a small business owner. I knew he wasn’t thrilled with President Obama and might vote for Romney. But a rally? It seemed so unlike him. Then I found out that John Elway was there, endorsing Romney, and my confusion immediately vanished. Elway’s presence eliminated the cognitive dissonance.
This sounds crazy, I realize. I don’t know how to explain it to people who didn’t grow up in Colorado. I don’t know about charismatic figures like Elway in other swing states. But I am convinced that I personally don’t know anyone in Colorado who does not respect John Elway. If ever a celebrity endorsement were to matter in a presidential election, this one could be it. Romney has scored the support of the highest charismatic authority in the state of Colorado, someone who could tomorrow say ten inappropriate things in an interview (he wouldn’t, of course), and the state would still trust him to lead.
Does this make Coloradans foolish or feckless? Maybe. But remember, we’re talking about undecided voters in October. They are feckless. And only 5% of them have to fall into this “Elway said so” category. Believe me, it’s possible — at least as possible as was “The Drive” in January 1987 (grainy video here).
Does the Elway comeback magic work in electoral politics? We’re about to find out.
No.
I’m with Bill. Nope.
Elway endorsed McCain in 2008, and McCain lost Colorado by 8.6%. Not that that means anything, of course.
I may worship the relic of Curt Schilling’s bloody sock, but his endorsement of John McCain (and perhaps Romney– not sure???) did not then nor now sway this temporarily disillusioned Sox fan.
Here is the cognitive dissonance: this exaltation of American football to a mystical level, or Footbolatry, which is described so well here, is a well-known Red State phenomenon (think Texas, Alabama, Tennessee). That being the case, how can Colorado even be a swing state?
“Red State phenomenon”? Like Wisconsin, Michigan, Ohio, and Pennsylvania? One could even make the argument for Washington and Oregon.
I’m not much of a Saints fan, but I’ll grant you that two of its quarterbacks, Archie Manning and Drew Brees, have been very intelligent and apparently moral men who have been very committed to the good of the city. Brees in particular has taken an interest in the kids and has give of his time, talent and treasure (including a whole playground in a bad neighborhood). So there is nothing silly, I think, about taking their political opinions seriously. The same might be true of Elway et al. But allowing their opinions to tip the balance would probably be silly in most cases, though one could do worse. Yes, it’s tribal thinking at its purest, but sometimes tribal thinking accidentally works. Sigh. Unfortunately, such thinking has turned American politics into tribal warfare.
The difference, if it exists, would be in tenths of a percent. So, in a very close election, it could make a difference. BTW, I’m not sure Elway’s endorsement will have a larger impact among the general electorate in Colorado than Eva Longoria’s does among Hispanic voters. Regardless, it’s at a level comparable to a newspaper editorial endorsement, or less.
If the endorsement of a FOOTBALL player sways voters, then this country is in worse shape than even I imagined.
Aw, c’mon, Jim, not all football players are just brutes. Quarterbacks have to have the brains to be sort of generals, and if they’re extremely good quarterbacks they have to know a good bit about human nature. I would listen to what Drew Brees says about the local politicians, since he knows some of them. Shakespeare started out as “just an actor”, and God knows he understood ambition and politics. Of course, I saw an actor-governor on TV last night whom I wouldn’t vote for, but I certainly wouldn’t call Arnold dumb.
Sure, other people are better qualified to make recommendations. But better Drew Brees than Rush Limbaugh.
On this I agree with my lefty comrades–no impact. Plus, I’m an Eagles fan, why would Elway’s opinion sway me?
Ann: I’ll agree with you in one respect. I’d rather follow the endorsement of a football player than a bishop in the RC church. They do provide good advice on what NOT to vote about. I’ll just do whatever they advise against.