Senator spector
From Superhero to Superdelegate?
In what now seems to be the ever-lasting story of an actor looking to seek public office, we have a recent installment from New Mexico: Jim Morrison, i.e. Val Kilmer, wants to be Governor.
Running for office is expensive and as such creates an entry barrier for a lot of people. Hollywood actors don’t always have this problem which is why it’s enticing for people with high name recognition to jump into a race and self-finance a run - but that doesn’t necessarily mean that they should.
In California we’ve seen Clint Eastwood, Sony Bono and more recently Arnold Scharzeneggar all make their mark in politics - for better or for worse (usually worse). Governing is not an easy job. And when dealing with a position that affects so many people’s lives, actors - including the Ice Man, i.e. Val Kilmer, should seriously consider their credentials before jumping into the fray.
Though it’s true that actors play an important part in our system of public affairs - they can catch the attention of the public and draw focus on important issues. George Clooney’s extensive advocacy for Darfur is one example, Bono’s work on behalf of Africa is another. Robert Redford’s current publicity work on behalf of national park space in America is another.
Yet given the current economic situation in this country, it’s important that we also look at how important, and how fragile, our state of affairs are and how the process of governing affects things.
The counter argument to this usually goes along the lines of “if an actor surrounds himself with good people, he’ll do fine.” To which I’d like to point out that surrounding yourself with good people doesn’t make one a better actor. So why then do people think it will make one a good governor? The previously stated examples show that it actually doesn’t.
Let’s take a look at where New Mexico is and where it’s been. As beautiful as this state is, it fell on tough times for several decades. Slow growth and a lack of new industry stifled the state’s ability to pay competitive wages to state employees and improve the education system. It wasn’t too long ago that the state lingered near the bottom in most job growth and economic state rankings. These are the kind of foes that even Madmartigan never took on.
In more recent years, the state has seen an improvement in the economy, education standards, teacher pay and new business development. With the arrival of Bill Richardson and Diane Denish, the state has seen the changes that not only improve the standard of living, but created incentives that foster new industries to invigorate the economy. Tax cuts to help create middle class jobs - at one point being as high as 6th in the nation for job growth. A thriving movie industry. Tax credits for wind, solar and biofuel companies. In addition to creating jobs, this has also helped $600 million in the classroom, the state went from 46th in teacher pay to 29th.
Incumbent Lt. Governor Diane Denish has served the state for eight years and is in a position to continue the success of the state from 2010 onward. She’s been a part of one of the most accomplished state administrations in recent memory and has a demonstrated track record to keep things moving in the same direction. These are the kind of leaders we need managing our affairs.
origin line: while nick rivers right away served his nation well, val kilmer is in all likelihood better suited to advocate for change at the conditions and national level than he may be to manage the shape as governor.
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