Dude, let's totally like rock the vote!

Blogger, Dennis Miller guest, and occasional Playboy defender Cathy Seipp has a great Wall Steet Journal article up about the stupidity of Rock The Vote and other youth get out the vote drives, especially of the type spearheaded by celebrities.

She includes a great quote from the winner (imagine what the losers must have written) of MTVU's rock the vote contest:

"Sometimes I feel that no matter how I vote, there will still be war, crime and poverty," ... "And I have other things on my mind. I am worried about skin cancer, drunken drivers, eating disorders . . ."

Sounds like a libertarian in the making - she understands that government doesn't, and can't, solve all problems. Well, she doesn't really seem to understand it, but she kind of realizes it. It makes me wonder if I was that dumb in college. I don't think I was - I mean, I was dumb in a "get drunk and knock down doors" kind of way, but I think I was a little better in my understanding the role of government thing.

There are a few things I've never understood - first of all, why people listen to the viewpoints of celebrities when it comes to politics - these are people whose talent comes from acting or singing. They have no better - and frequently worse -understanding of politics than the average plumber, doctor, lawyer, or PC technician. The second thing is the emphasis on voting - not on voting well, or thinking before you vote, but rather just making sure to vote for someone.

The last thing is that celeb get out the vote campaigns usually operate under the assumption that all youth, or most youth, vote Democrat. This is not always the case, and may backfire on the get out the vote types.

My biggest beef with Rock the Vote, though is their insistance on playing up the rumors of the draft from the "internets" has been totally discredited