The enthusiasm for the McConaughey candidacy captured by the pollsters is less an endorsement of his mashed-up politics than it is an exercise in name recognition and evidence of the power of charisma. The Texas governor election wont be held for another 18 months; asking voters who they would vote for that far out from Election Day is like asking somebody what theyre going to have for dinner two weeks from Thursday. They might give an answer, but they wont feel bound by it.

This is not to suggest that McConaughey wouldnt make a viable candidate. But if he does, hell start having to do the kind of things that alienate peoplelike deciding whether he was a Democrat or a Republican. Hes been a little mum on the topic, although he did declare in 2017 a need for us to unite around President Donald Trump. Name recognition can carry a novice candidate a long way in a competitive contest, even if their positions and affiliations are a little fuzzy. Other famous performers, including Jesse Ventura, Al Franken, Arnold Schwarzenegger, Sonny Bono and this guy named Trump you might have heard about, silenced the doubters by winning office in their first tries in part because they were known quantities, so theres hope for the McConaughey candidacy (or even Caitlyn Jenners rumored campaign for California governor) if its genuine.

But is it? Howard Stern hoaxed his way into and out of the New York governor race in 1994, and Charles Barkley is forever doing the same in Alabama. In 2017-18, Kid Rock got in trouble with the Federal Elections Commission for a U.S. Senate run that bore some of the real markers of a genuine campaigna campaign slogan, a Kid Rock for Senate website, campaign merch, and his political speeches at his concerts. (The Kid escaped FEC wrath by asserting his campaign was just a publicity stunt for his new album.) McConaughey, as mentioned, has a memoir out, so any publicity is good publicity for him right now.

We shouldnt be entirely dismissive of entertainers running for president. Actor Cynthia Nixon ran a decent, and serious, campaign for New York governor in 2018. Song-and-dance man George Murphy didnt embarrass himself in the U.S. Senate after winning a seat from California. Performers such as Bono, Bob Dornan, Fred Grandy, Ben Jones, Schwarzenegger, Helen Gahagan Douglas and John Davis Lodge, a Hollywood star of the 1930s and 1940s, pulled their weight after winning elections.

Given their combined track record, perhaps every major election should have a celebrity candidate on the ballot to provide voters with periodic relief from the professional politicians who monopolize public office. Besides, the Texas chief executive has traditionally been weak compared to other states, so McConaugheys ego trip to the governors mansion cant do that much damage. Instead, it should remind us of how forgiving and accepting the political process can be. America is a blessed place where even those with little political talent, less political knowledge and no political horse sense can win elections as long as they have a memorable name. May the best-known candidate win!

In Texas, the best-known candidate has got to be Matthew McConaughey. So is he really running? Thats anybodys guessbut so far it looks more like a middle-aged morning jog than a real run.

******

I deliberately avoided Ronald Reagan in this piece because he was a committed politician and campaigner long before he ran for California governor in 1966. That said, name recognition played a big role in his political victories. Send your campaign-finance filings to [emailprotected]. My email alerts use facial recognition to vote. My Twitter feed thinks Clinton is still president. My RSS feed still backs George Papoon for president.

Go here to read the rest:

Opinion | The Empty Vessel of Matthew McConaughey - POLITICO