I Pledge...

Today we inaugurated Barack Obama as the 44th President of the United States. It was wonderful moment for our nation. I am sincerely proud of our country, and of our new president.

And while I hate to be negative on such an overwhelmingly positive day, something was brought to my attention today that I simply cannot ignore. This is not the fault of President Obama or of any Democrat or politician. I do not blame them in the least.

I do, however, blame the participants in the below video (as well as the like-minded people they are representing) for being so self-congratulatory, self-righteous, narcissistic and immature. (It even dwarfs "Our American Prayer", though they are part of the same disturbing trend of Hollywood celebrities vastly overstepping their boundaries, and because of their wealth and fame, reaching -- and, frighteningly, probably influencing -- millions).

Let me make one thing perfectly clear about what I pledge. Unlike the men and women in the below video, I pledge to always do everything I can to be a better person and yes, a better citizen. It does not matter whether the man or woman for whom I voted occupies the White House, or whether the political winds are blowing my way. I am first and always a proud American, and just as I was a proud American witnessing Obama's inauguration yesterday, I will remain a proud American throughout the four or even eight years he remains my president, regardless of whether or not I agree with his policies and decisions. That is my pledge.

Apparently the same cannot be said for Ashton, Demi and friends, now apparently awakened to their newfound patriotism and commitment to the greater good. Where was this altruism over the last eight years? Could Laura Linney really not stop using the plastic bags at the grocery store while Bush was president? Why is it that only when getting their [political] way are they willing to use their bully pulpit for an inarguably good cause?

I encourage and welcome your thoughts and reactions.

Without further ado...

MySpace Celebrity and Katalyst present The Presidential Pledge

Speaking of Embarrassing...

Last month, I pointed you in the direction of "Our American Prayer", a video in which a variety of movie stars and pop stars were, it seemed, praying to Obama. I still think it's creepy, but today I came across something else that out-creeps "Our American Prayer". Take a look:



This strikes me as wrong on a number of levels. First and foremost, though, if you view this on YouTube and click on the "more info" link, you'll find the following description of what you have just watched:

Sing for Change chronicles a recent Sunday afternoon, when 22 children, ages 5-12, gathered to sing original songs in the belief that their singing would lift up our communities for the coming election. Light, hope, courage and love shine through these nonvoting children who believe that their very best contribution to the Obama campaign is to sing.

Sing for Change was a confluence of hard work, good will, and shared vision. Inspired by ideas raised at a grassroots Obama fundraiser, a music teacher, Kathy Sawada, and the children composed and rehearsed the songs in less than two weeks. Several musicians heard of the effort and volunteered to accompany the children. Parents and older siblings designed and provided the T-Shirts and the banner. There's a first for everything, but rarely do so many firsts come together at once: for the children and their parents, this is their first performance, first video, first banner, and first involvement with grassroots work on a presidential campaign.

As Sunday approached, a neighbor volunteered a home. Production wizards got wind of the project and offered their help in recording it. The likes of Jeff Zucker, Holly Schiffer, Peter Rosenfeld, Darin Moran, Jean Martin, Andy Blumenthal, and Nick Phoenix rearranged schedules to participate. When Jeff Zucker went to pick up the camera package, Ted Schilowitz happened to be there and offered a RED camera set up on a Steadi Cam.

What we accomplished in a few hours on a Sunday afternoon embodies the nature of the Obama campaign: its grassroots inspiration, its inclusiveness, its community building. People pitched in quickly for a cause that resonated with them. There were not many conditions: "Think this is a good idea? Want to help? Great. Sunday at 12:00." At the heart of the project were 22 children and their music. The willingness of all involved to come together for them was a testament to our hope, unity, courage, joy and belief in the future represented by these children.

So let me quickly indicate just a few of my issues with this:

1. Some of these children are as young as 5 years old. Is a 5 year old (much less the children here who are between the ages of 6 and 12) really able to make a conscious political choice for himself or herself? I would argue probably not, and if you grant me that, how are these children not being used as political pawns by their parents and others involved in producing and disseminating this?
2. Given that this can be found here on Barack Obama's official website, Obama and his campaign therefore shares the responsibility for promoting it.
   
3. Heavily involved in apparently every aspect of this was Jeff Zucker. Jeff Zucker also happens to be the President and CEO of NBC Universal, which encompasses not only NBC News, but also MSNBC. That strikes me as a blatant conflict-of-interest at worst -- a clear indication of the bias held by the man atop NBC News and MSNBC at best.
4. While I obviously cannot prove this point, I would be willing to bet an awful lot that if this video featured children singing for John McCain (or George W. Bush), the liberal community would be in an uproar about the exploitation of children, etc. And I would bet even more that the phenomenon would be featured prominently on Countdown with Keith Olbermann, an MSNBC primetime show. (Yes, Jeff Zucker's MSNBC).

I'm sure I could come up with more reasons why I find this offensive, hypocritical and (with apologies for the repetition) creepy, but I'll stop here. I'd be curious to hear via the comments function what you think. Let me know!

Barack Obama: "Our American Prayer" ???

Over the last few months there has been much discussion of the quasi-deification of Obama in popular culture. Primarily it has been tongue-in-cheek, and the McCain campaign even got in on the action, releasing a clever ad a few weeks ago called "The One" that humorously took on the phenomenon.

Today, however, I was directed to a YouTube video. I can't accurately describe it, other than to say it's just downright creepy, and so I would only encourage you to watch it for yourself:

What I can say with confidence is that this is not the sort of thing that will help Obama. Voters, I think, have some degree of fatigue when it comes to celebrities using their fame to promote their political views. This video, though, takes the "Obamessiah" phenomenon to an entirely new and arguably inappropriate level, tosses in a healthy dose of celebrity worship for good measure, and the end result is an extremely bizarre and, in my view, off-putting production. The more this video is seen, the better it is for John McCain.