'There's Too Much to Lose': Chris Pratt, Elon Musk Face Off Against Obama, Biden with Political Endorsements
Like candy and cavities, few things in life are more annoyingly linked than celebrities and modern Democrats.
Yes, celebrities have always had some association with politicians throughout history. Ronald Reagan was an actor before becoming president, for instance. (On the Democratic side, John Wilkes Booth was one of the most famous actors of his day before heading to Ford’s Theatre to shoot Abraham Lincoln.)
But in recent years, particularly beginning with the ascent of the Barack and Michelle Obama in American politics, that relationship between celebrity and politician has mutated into something much grosser and more sycophantic.
Taylor Swift. Andy Cohen. Jennifer Lawrence. Oprah Winfrey. Kathy Griffin. LeBron James. And those are just the loud and annoying ones.
So it should really speak to the general state of California that when it comes to the next mayor of Los Angeles, some big name celebrities are actually breaking from the establishment.
Republican-turned-independent-turned-Democrat Rick Caruso is facing Democratic U.S. Rep. Karen Bass for the mayoral seat currently held by Democrat Eric Garcetti (he has termed out).
Yes, that’s a lot of Democrats. But here’s the catch: Only one of them has the backing of the establishment.
That would be Karen Bass. Look at this gleeful pinned tweet she has touting former President Barack Obama’s endorsement:
I’m humbled and honored to have the support of President @BarackObama because he understands the gravity of the crises in Los Angeles.
We must bring unhoused Angelenos inside immediately and make this city safer and more affordable for all.
Join us: https://t.co/536QOyOzG3 pic.twitter.com/Gvb2nAHbEZ
— Karen Bass (@KarenBassLA) October 29, 2022
Here’s Bass touting the endorsement of President Joe Biden and Vice President Kamala Harris:
It is a true honor to have the endorsement of President Biden and Vice President Harris — two leaders that I respect and admire very much. 1/https://t.co/k5DT7Fj3dZ
— Karen Bass (@KarenBassLA) August 2, 2022
But while Bass may have the establishment behind her, that hasn’t stopped Caruso from garnering counter support from some well-known Californians.
Chris Pratt, of Marvel superstardom and a proudly outspoken Christian, took to Instagram Stories to throw his support behind Caruso. And while there’s a certain “safety net” for Pratt since Caruso is still a listed Democrat, look carefully at his reasoning for why Caruso is a better fit for Los Angeles than Bass.
WARNING: The following tweet includes an image that includes language some readers may find offensive
Chris Pratt endorses Rick Caruso for LA Mayor. pic.twitter.com/kC6OkUq4Rh
— TheBlaze (@theblaze) November 7, 2022
“I’ve lived in LA for over 20 years. It’s been great to me. In that time I’ve seen what many residents here have seen, the city’s gradual decline into pain and utter disarray,” Pratt wrote on Instagram. “If you live here, you know exactly what I’m talking about.”
Full disclosure: I lived in Los Angeles for over five years from 2011 to 2016. Even in that scant time, it was hard not to notice the sharp rise in crime and homelessness there. But I digress.
“I don’t normally support political candidates. But in this election, there’s too much to lose,” Pratt wrote. “If you’re an LA voter, I urge you to vote for [Rick Caruso]. He’s a builder. He knows how to get s*** done. He’s the guy for our city. Rick Caruso for LA Mayor.”
While Pratt stopped short of blaming leftist establishment Democrats for the “pain” and “disarray” that Los Angeles has fallen into, he’s clearly acknowledging that the status quo is failing the City of Angels and it’s time for a change.
Elon Musk, the new CEO of Twitter, also threw his support behind Caruso. Musk also noted that he typically doesn’t endorse candidates, not unlike Pratt.
“It is rare for me to endorse political candidates,” Musk wrote in a June 3 Twitter post, before the June 7 primary that sent Bass and Caruso to face off against each other in Tuesday’s voting.
“My political leanings are moderate, so neither fully Republican nor Democrat, which I am confident is the case for most Americans.
“Executive competence is super underrated in politics – we should care about that a lot more!”
It is rare for me to endorse political candidates.
My political leanings are moderate, so neither fully Republican nor Democrat, which I am confident is the case for most Americans.
Executive competence is super underrated in politics – we should care about that a lot more!
— Elon Musk (@elonmusk) June 3, 2022
While Musk may currently be so antagonistic to the far left that it may not be much of a surprise he’s going counter to its candidate of choice, Musk and Pratt are hardly the only ones to throw their support behind Caruso.
In fact, if you consider Musk and Pratt “fringe” liberals who’re likely to throw their weight behind the anti-establishment candidate, how about this short list of (largely anti-Trump) celebrities who’ve supported Caruso: Katy Perry, Gwyneth Paltrow and Snoop Dogg.
It should be a loud alarm for leftists that their typically monolithic celebrity support is splintering on the most public of stages in the LA mayoral race.
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