There are many reasons to choose some one for President. Whether it be there voting record, their stand on issues that are important to you, or just because you like how they fix their hair (I’m looking at you, John Edwards), there’s a lot factors that go into pulling that lever in the voting booth. But favorite TV shows? Sure, it might be a way to choose your friends, but is "what’s on a candidate’s DVR" going to influence you? Well, TV Guide seems to think so.
TV Guide asked some of Presidential hopefuls what are their favorite shows. They were asked about what shows they watch now, as well as some of their all time favorites. The issue comes out this Thursday, and here are some of the highlights, with a little commentary from me:
Hillary Clinton: She says she enjoys American Idol, Dancing With the Stars, which doesn’t surprise me, since she has been involved in popularity contests since Bill Clinton first ran for Governor of Arkansas. She also says she likes the makeover shows on HGTV, which is probably where she got the designs for the White House curtains she’s already picked out.
Barack Obama: He says his favorite character of all time is Spongebob Squarepants, which he watches with his daughter, and his favorite shows are MASH and The Wire. These are smart answers, because it manages to cover practically every age demographic, as well as showing his concern for what happens in the inner city, the issues that soldiers face and his ability to relate to parents with young children. So basically his answer has very little to do with actual television.
John Edwards: He says he’s a fan of Boston Legal. I can imagine why he would enjoy a show full of charismatic lawyers who usually win, and one of them has a name that he's turned into a catchphrase (If John Edwards said his name like “Denny Crane!” he go up in approval points). He also says his guilty pleasure is to watch Fred Thompson on Law And Order, and with the way Thompson is running his campaign, old reruns might be the only place Edwards will find him on TV after November 2008.
Dennis Kucinich: He says he likes comedy like The Daily Show, SNL, and the late-night talk shows. And in this strike-plagued time we live in, he gives a very PC answer. He told TV Guide, “Those shows have brilliant writers. It's just great to watch them." Nice way to show your support for unions in the face of big corporations. He also says he doesn’t mind that they make fun of him. I wouldn’t care either, since most of the jokes are about how hot his wife is.
John McCain: McCain says he enjoys Prison Break because "as a fellow prisoner, I always dreamed and plotted how I would break out of the Hanoi Hilton." The only thing I will say about this one is that the only thing more unrealistic that some of the plots on Prison Break is a McCain Presidency in 2008.
Mitt Romney: He says he’s a fan of Lost because “if you live a busy life, escape is always welcome." If there is one thing I learned from this answer, it’s that Mitt Romney has a DVR. No one running for President could have the time to follow a show as complicated as Lost. Lost is one of my favorite shows, but sometimes I have to go back and review it a few times to know what’s going on, much less someone who might be a little busy running the free world. Maybe that’s his secret to winning me over: Not only will he have a plan to he end the war in Iraq, but he can also tell why there’s a four-toed statue on the island. Nice move.
Fred Thompson: Actor/candidate Thompson, picked Sportscenter, so he can keep up with his Tennessee teams. This was also a political answer, so he can show that he’s just like one of the guys, who can hunker down at a bar and tell you about Vince Young as well as the national debt. But can you get emotionally involved with a show that only shows your team’s updates for 5 minutes out of the hour. If he said a show on his regional Fox Sports Network, I would have believed that. After all, if you asked me what network I watch the most between April and October, I could easily tell you it’s YES (Yankees Entertainment and Sports).
Sure it’s a goofy way to reach out to voters, but those candidates are smart. They know that millions of Americans read TV Guide every week, and maybe that Hillary Clinton is aware who Jordin Sparks is, or that Mitt Romney might be bummed about Charlie could get people in their camp. As long as it’s not the only thing people are using to pick their Chief Executive.
