Most of the time when you ask people who their fave candidate is in the presidential debate they’re going to be all like “Barack is my man” even if they didn’t watch the debate at all. It’s all about loyalty.
Jimmy Kimmel decided to put this theory to the test by asking random streeters: “Who won last night’s debate?” The trick is, the day Kimmel asked, there was NO DEBATE the night before. Sadly, people still managed to make up answers to either save face and look smart or to give a point to their candidate of choice.
During this presidential election, Kimmel has been doing hardcore journalism. A couple weeks ago he started a discussion group with young children whose opinions are usually overlooked. Go Kimmel!
Watch it here:
A list of promises celebrities want in the next election:
Selena Gomez: If you talk about babies, it has to be a REALLY good story.
Zac Efron: Keep tigers out of schools.
Joseph Gordon-Levitt: Dubstep
Benicio Del Toro: Vote yes to cats.
Okay, so most of those things won’t happen because they’re just ridic, but these celebrities are just trying to prove a point! Selena Gomez, Zac Efron, Joseph Gordon Loves-it Levitt all participated in the “Vote 4 Stuff” campaign, which encourages people to participate in the upcoming US presidential election.
If you tell the organization what you’re voting for on Facebook, Twitter (#vote4stuff) or YouTube then they’ll incorporate it in their next video!
Unfortunately, I think most of the commenters on YouTube missed the point. See what they’re voting for below and tell us in the comments what’s important to you.
1. “I vote for Zac Efron naked” — itslikeperfect
2. “I vote for making a Hollywood movie set here in glorious nation Uzbekistan. We have best horses in all Asia, and best prostitutes too” — Varodunham92
3. “I vote for ppl to be rich so I can stop going to fucking school” — john90124
4. “JUSTIN BIEBER NAKED” — Maja Kobal
5. “LIGALIZE MARIHUANA !” — 10Venax
Watch it here:
Singer Wyclef Jean is recovering after being shot in the hand in Delmas, Haiti on Saturday, March 20, 2011.
According to Us Magazine, the 41-year-old recording artist was shot just after 11 p.m. in Delmas near Port-au-Prince on Saturday. In the hours after shooting, Jean’s management took to his Twitter account, to let his followers know he was doing okay, “We have spoken to Wyclef, he is ok. Thank you for your thoughts and prayers.”
His spokesperson also confirmed that after the injury, Jean was, “immediately taken to the hospital, treated for a minor graze to his hand and released.”
Happy to hear that the Haitian-born artist is, in fact, doing well. Though details about the shooting have yet to be reported, Wyclef was in Haiti to support Michel Martelly in the presidential runoff elections on Sunday. Martelly, like Jean, is a Haitian recording artist and activist, and is running against the former first lady, Mirlande Manigat.
Something you may not have known? Jean himself, announced in 2010 that he was to run for president of Haiti, but was ruled ineligible in August because his primary residence is in New Jersey. His rep said that, “Wyclef’s commitment to his native country and to his people is unparalleled. He is therefore undeterred by this incident.”
Good on Wyclef. Though the injury no doubt stopped any last-minute campaigning, it’s admirable to see internationally-born artists taking pride and responsibility for the future of their homelands. Though many recording artists choose to shy away from politics, Jean’s involvement and concern for Haiti remains evident. Even more commendable is his participation considering the fact he isn’t a permanent resident.
The results of the election between Manigat and Martelly will be released on April 16, but don’t expect Wyclef to be on bed rest until then – the man is staying alive.
My roommate has a subscription to The Atlantic, a political issues magazine that covers everything from the American election to China’s environmental policies. In that magazine, I found a fantastic article about Barack Obama’s fund raising campaign, entitled ‘The Amazing Money Machine’.
Basically, according to the article, a couple of Silicon Valley executives loved Obama and what he stood for. They decided to pull their skills and resources together to create an innovative and effective fund raising model for Obama’s campaign. Traditionally, presidential nominees get the majority of their funds from key, and very large, single donations from individuals. The heads of the Obama campaign, however, decided to instead tap into the social networking phenomenon that has taken over the Internet.
My.Barack.Obama.com is essentially a social networking site that revolves entirely around the candidate. It gives you about a million options on how you can participate in his campaign, from registering to vote online to downloading an Obama news widget to ring tones. There is also a ‘Make Calls’ button that provides you with a list of phone numbers to which you can spread the good Obama news to from your home.
But here’s what got me, and what has clearly been the most successful part of this website – there is an application that is dedicated entirely to personal fund raising. You can simply make a donation by clicking a button, and there is a subscription model you can sign up for that lets you donate a little every month. You can even set up your own fundraising homepage, pick a target amount, email your friends with request for donations, and watch the status of your own personal ‘fund thermometer’.
What astounds me – as a journalism student with a politics minor and as a tech enthusiast – is just how well it works. In March alone, Obama had 1,276,000 donors, according to the article in The Alantic. And while they weren’t all giving massive amounts, everything added up. In February, Obama had raised $55 million through the website – meaning that nearly $2 million a day was being donated online.
Even if you can’t stand all the hype around Barack Obama, I think you really need to appreciate how he is not afraid to embrace technology and current trends. I think the United States has the potential to elect someone who isn’t afraid of change, and is, in fact, championing for it in more ways than one.
