President Rock?

[Little Raven]

America is a fractured country ... but there might be someone who can heal the nation from inside the Oval Office -- Dwayne "The Rock" Johnson!!

That's according to Johnson's longtime friend, WWE legend The Undertaker ... who tells TMZ Sports he'd fully support Johnson running for the highest office in the land -- and won't be surprised if he actually throws his hat in the ring.

"That man works his tail off and he dives in wholeheartedly in everything that he does and if he gets his mindset that he wants to make a run at politics, ya know what? I think he'll do it," Taker says.

We live in strange times.

[Isgrimnur]

I look forward to seeing Chris Rock and Kid Rock in the cabinet.

[Little Raven]

I look forward to seeing Chris Rock and Kid Rock in the cabinet.

Jokes aside, though, I wonder - how vulnerable is either party to celebrity takeover at the moment?

Obviously, the GOP was VERY primed for such an action - but I don't think Trump is the sharing type, so presumably that ground is off limits for the moment. But could a similar thing work on the Dems? Bernie tried, but ended up falling well short. But Bernie's star power is obviously quite limited next to someone like Johnson.

[Daehawk]

Yes exactly what we need is another person with no idea how things work.

[malchior]

I'd easily agree to higher taxes if I got to see Johnson drop the People's Elbow on Rand Paul.

[Defiant]

There's always a risk of a celebrity takeover, simply because of their name recognition. Before 2016, though, I would have thought some amount of political background (or possibly managerial background) would have been necessary to survive a primary and general election. Now, though, I have no such illusions.

When do we get President Oprah?

[Octavious]

I'd take the Rock over pretty much any other Republican... So ya... Totally could happen.

[Little Raven]

I'd take the Rock over pretty much any other Republican... So ya... Totally could happen.

Well, sure. But we got Trump because a significant number of Republicans preferred him over any other Republican. So the question is...would you take the Rock over Yang, or Harris, or Buttigieg?

[El Guapo]

A big key to Trump's success was his willingness to say the quiet (racist) parts out loud after years of GOP dog whistles. Plus the GOP "winner take all" primary structure and a fractured field. At least the first two of those probably wouldn't be true in 2028 (which is the soonest year he could plausibly run). I'm not sure what large group of under-targeted Democratic voters there are that he would be appealing to.

I guess I'm assuming that he'd be running as a Democrat - do we know?

I'm also assuming that this is talking about him running straight for President, instead of like running for governor or something first. If he ran for governor or the Senate with the goal of running for President later - that could plausibly succeed (see, e.g., Reagan).

[malchior]

I guess I'm assuming that he'd be running as a Democrat - do we know?

He spoke at the RNC years ago but came out big time for BLM last year...so Democrat or Independent. It doesn't seem possible to win the GOP nod without casting off BLM.

[Octavious]

I always had the vibe that he was more towards the right, but shrug. There really should be requirements for the most powerful job in the world. Like I don't know at least SOME experience in government. It's freaking harder to qualify to be an IT dude in a state job for NJ.

[Octavious]

I'd take the Rock over pretty much any other Republican... So ya... Totally could happen.

Well, sure. But we got Trump because a significant number of Republicans preferred him over any other Republican. So the question is...would you take the Rock over Yang, or Harris, or Buttigieg?

Yang I honestly don't know much about. The other 2 no I would prefer someone that has actual experience like they have, but I wouldn't be curled in a ball like I was the last 4 years.

[Jaymon]

Its like we are forcing this to some true

[Jaymann]

[Kraken]

I look forward to seeing Chris Rock and Kid Rock in the cabinet.

Jokes aside, though, I wonder - how vulnerable is either party to celebrity takeover at the moment?

Obviously, the GOP was VERY primed for such an action - but I don't think Trump is the sharing type, so presumably that ground is off limits for the moment. But could a similar thing work on the Dems? Bernie tried, but ended up falling well short. But Bernie's star power is obviously quite limited next to someone like Johnson.

I don't think Bernie counts as a "celebrity takeover." He's a prominent Senator, and he's technically not a Dem, but he's very much inside the power structure. A takeover would have to be by an outsider, and probably a non-politician.

I won't say the Dems aren't vulnerable; Arnold and Franken come to mind as celebrities who gained office, so I can imagine some other entertainer making a dark-horse run at the presidency, and even gaining some traction. It's harder for me to imagine the Dem electorate rallying behind a charismatic outsider because Dems are more diverse -- they won't fall for the same kind of charisma.

So the question is...would you take the Rock over Yang, or Harris, or Buttigieg?

At one point there were, what, 24 Dems seeking the nom? And it finally went to the old white careerist. I'm not sure what that says about Dems...maybe that seniority and experience matter? *I* wouldn't take the Rock over any of those that you mentioned, but I'm always looking for the smartest, hardest-working, most authentic of the lot...which led me to Warren, who would've lost bigly to trump, so maybe I don't know best. I suppose I'd let the Rock (or any other celeb) make his case the same as anyone else, and if he convinces me he's the smartest, hardest-working, most genuine of the lot, I'll choose wrong again.

[Pyperkub]

I look forward to seeing Chris Rock and Kid Rock in the cabinet.

Jokes aside, though, I wonder - how vulnerable is either party to celebrity takeover at the moment?

Obviously, the GOP was VERY primed for such an action - but I don't think Trump is the sharing type, so presumably that ground is off limits for the moment. But could a similar thing work on the Dems? Bernie tried, but ended up falling well short. But Bernie's star power is obviously quite limited next to someone like Johnson.

I don't think Bernie counts as a "celebrity takeover." He's a prominent Senator, and he's technically not a Dem, but he's very much inside the power structure. A takeover would have to be by an outsider, and probably a non-politician.

I won't say the Dems aren't vulnerable; Arnold and Franken come to mind as celebrities who gained office, so I can imagine some other entertainer making a dark-horse run at the presidency, and even gaining some traction. It's harder for me to imagine the Dem electorate rallying behind a charismatic outsider because Dems are more diverse -- they won't fall for the same kind of charisma.

So the question is...would you take the Rock over Yang, or Harris, or Buttigieg?

At one point there were, what, 24 Dems seeking the nom? And it finally went to the old white careerist. I'm not sure what that says about Dems...maybe that seniority and experience matter? *I* wouldn't take the Rock over any of those that you mentioned, but I'm always looking for the smartest, hardest-working, most authentic of the lot...which led me to Warren, who would've lost bigly to trump, so maybe I don't know best. I suppose I'd let the Rock (or any other celeb) make his case the same as anyone else, and if he convinces me he's the smartest, hardest-working, most genuine of the lot, I'll choose wrong again.

Neither Arnold nor Franken ran for President. They ran for a lesser office first (and Arnold couldn't). IMHO, Franken would have been a solid candidate in 2020. Arnold was a business Republican, but solid on environmental and most social issues.

[Holman]

A big key to Trump's success was his willingness to say the quiet (racist) parts out loud after years of GOP dog whistles. Plus the GOP "winner take all" primary structure and a fractured field. At least the first two of those probably wouldn't be true in 2028 (which is the soonest year he could plausibly run). I'm not sure what large group of under-targeted Democratic voters there are that he would be appealing to.

I guess I'm assuming that he'd be running as a Democrat - do we know?

I'm also assuming that this is talking about him running straight for President, instead of like running for governor or something first. If he ran for governor or the Senate with the goal of running for President later - that could plausibly succeed (see, e.g., Reagan).

Trump's takeover was also predicated not just on open racism but on Republican contempt for governing. Trump's pitch that "Washington is broken and only I can fix it" wasn't successful because anyone believed Donald Trump could actually make government effective but because of the Reaganite faith that government is the problem and that it should be short-circuited.

The Dems are less likely to make a celebrity into a politician than to make a politician into a celebrity. (This is where the Bernie example is relevant, but AOC is more likely to pull it off.)

[Tao]

Not sure if this was disclosed but Johnson has a new sitcom about to air that is based on his real life at different periods and at some point in the show he decides to run for President. This has gotten folks ruminating but it was intended to be funny.

[Kraken]

Neither Arnold nor Franken ran for President. They ran for a lesser office first (and Arnold couldn't). IMHO, Franken would have been a solid candidate in 2020. Arnold was a business Republican, but solid on environmental and most social issues.

I only offered those examples as evidence that Dem voters sometimes get stars in their eyes, not as presidential material. Hell, I'd vote for Amy Poehler based on what she did for Pawnee.

[pr0ner]

Not sure if this was disclosed but Johnson has a new sitcom about to air that is based on his real life at different periods and at some point in the show he decides to run for President. This has gotten folks ruminating but it was intended to be funny.

Some point in the show = the opening scene.

[The Meal]

Makes no sense, but this (XTC song/video) is all I can think of when I see the subject line.

[Dramatist]

I still can’t believe that no one has posted the SNL “The Rock Obama” sketch.


Sent from my iPhone using Tapatalk

[Paingod]

I, for one, hope you never have to update the thread title. I mean, I generally like the guy, but I don't want him running the country unless there's a whole lot about him I don't know that would change my mind.

[Smoove_B]

It's pretty clear the United States needs a figurehead position - someone elected by the people every few years to just act as a USA brand ambassador. They can show up to major corporate functions (like a ground breaking ceremony), major league sporting events and maybe have a pet project they focus on. Here, they're using their celebrity to draw attention. They're not using their celebrity to encourage insurrection or influence politicians to pass hate legislation in Congress.

And then we can all get depressed that by some significant order of magnitude, more people vote for this position than the President.

[ImLawBoy]

Neither Arnold nor Franken ran for President. They ran for a lesser office first (and Arnold couldn't). IMHO, Franken would have been a solid candidate in 2020. Arnold was a business Republican, but solid on environmental and most social issues.

I only offered those examples as evidence that Dem voters sometimes get stars in their eyes, not as presidential material. Hell, I'd vote for Amy Poehler based on what she did for Pawnee.

That's really only one example, though, as Arnold was Republican (don't know if he still identifies as R, but I'm guessing he may have changed).

[pr0ner]

Neither Arnold nor Franken ran for President. They ran for a lesser office first (and Arnold couldn't). IMHO, Franken would have been a solid candidate in 2020. Arnold was a business Republican, but solid on environmental and most social issues.

I only offered those examples as evidence that Dem voters sometimes get stars in their eyes, not as presidential material. Hell, I'd vote for Amy Poehler based on what she did for Pawnee.

That's really only one example, though, as Arnold was Republican (don't know if he still identifies as R, but I'm guessing he may have changed).

AFAIK, Arnold still identifies as Republican (an anti-Trump Republican, at least).

[Holman]

It's pretty clear the United States needs a figurehead position - someone elected by the people every few years to just act as a USA brand ambassador. They can show up to major corporate functions (like a ground breaking ceremony), major league sporting events and maybe have a pet project they focus on. Here, they're using their celebrity to draw attention. They're not using their celebrity to encourage insurrection or influence politicians to pass hate legislation in Congress.

And then we can all get depressed that by some significant order of magnitude, more people vote for this position than the President.

[Smoove_B]

Hmmm, maybe more like Emperor Norton, Protector of Mexico.

[Pyperkub]

Neither Arnold nor Franken ran for President. They ran for a lesser office first (and Arnold couldn't). IMHO, Franken would have been a solid candidate in 2020. Arnold was a business Republican, but solid on environmental and most social issues.

I only offered those examples as evidence that Dem voters sometimes get stars in their eyes, not as presidential material. Hell, I'd vote for Amy Poehler based on what she did for Pawnee.

That's really only one example, though, as Arnold was Republican (don't know if he still identifies as R, but I'm guessing he may have changed).

AFAIK, Arnold still identifies as Republican (an anti-Trump Republican, at least).

Well aware, and while he was Gov, he definitely showed those colors - it wasn't all sunshine and roses and cigar tents. Specifically, he had a package of initiatives to "clean up" political donations, except it was solely targeted at Unions, and did nothing about other donations and primarily existed to cripple Democrats rather than make the systems better. Additionally, it wasn't until Gov Brown took over that CA fixed the financial issues it was having, and which had led to Arnold's ascension. He also spearheaded an effort to sell Gov property and lease it back under the guise of balancing the budget. Rent-seeking giveaways FTW!

But, he was solid on the Environment and some other areas that the GOP generally isn't (and wasn't at the time), and as best I could tell, ran a clean administration.

[gbasden]

That's really only one example, though, as Arnold was Republican (don't know if he still identifies as R, but I'm guessing he may have changed).

I doubt he has further political ambitions, but assuming he did the problem is probably more that the R electorate has moved so far to the right that they no longer consider him one.

[pr0ner]

That's really only one example, though, as Arnold was Republican (don't know if he still identifies as R, but I'm guessing he may have changed).

I doubt he has further political ambitions, but assuming he did the problem is probably more that the R electorate has moved so far to the right that they no longer consider him one.

Arnold is pretty limited in what his ambitions would be - he could go to Congress, but he couldn't be POTUS.

[pr0ner]

Neither Arnold nor Franken ran for President. They ran for a lesser office first (and Arnold couldn't). IMHO, Franken would have been a solid candidate in 2020. Arnold was a business Republican, but solid on environmental and most social issues.

I only offered those examples as evidence that Dem voters sometimes get stars in their eyes, not as presidential material. Hell, I'd vote for Amy Poehler based on what she did for Pawnee.

That's really only one example, though, as Arnold was Republican (don't know if he still identifies as R, but I'm guessing he may have changed).

AFAIK, Arnold still identifies as Republican (an anti-Trump Republican, at least).

Well aware, and while he was Gov, he definitely showed those colors - it wasn't all sunshine and roses and cigar tents. Specifically, he had a package of initiatives to "clean up" political donations, except it was solely targeted at Unions, and did nothing about other donations and primarily existed to cripple Democrats rather than make the systems better. Additionally, it wasn't until Gov Brown took over that CA fixed the financial issues it was having, and which had led to Arnold's ascension. He also spearheaded an effort to sell Gov property and lease it back under the guise of balancing the budget. Rent-seeking giveaways FTW!

But, he was solid on the Environment and some other areas that the GOP generally isn't (and wasn't at the time), and as best I could tell, ran a clean administration.

He certainly wasn't perfect, but you did feel like he gave an honest effort at the job. Unlike plenty of other R's we know these days.

[Pyperkub]

That's really only one example, though, as Arnold was Republican (don't know if he still identifies as R, but I'm guessing he may have changed).

I doubt he has further political ambitions, but assuming he did the problem is probably more that the R electorate has moved so far to the right that they no longer consider him one.

His sword video after the Capitol Invasion led me to hope that he will be working to fix the GOP. Thus far, that has been limited to supporting vaccination efforts, as best I can tell. I hope he'll do more (specifically, bringing sanity to CA GOP strongholds that elect Nunes and McCarthy), but we're still waiting on that. However:

When Los Angeles announced people 65 and older were eligible, Governor Schwarzenegger called his doctors at both Cedars and UCLA. They told him they weren’t ready yet but he could try the county.
He went on the county website. I don’t want to pretend this part is easy. This was so frustrating he called me to see if I would have any luck. I did not. The website is not easy to use and an embarrassment for a county that is home to Snapchat. But after an hour, he called back: it worked. He had an appointment for 8:50 the next day at Dodger Stadium. It was not close to easy, but he would tell you it was worth it.
I knew he planned to film his vaccination as a social media PSA, so I asked him if he’d like his security guy or me to reach out to the officials at Dodger Stadium ahead of time. He said no, he wanted to see how the process went for everyone.

This shows far more character than most GOP voices with regards to the vaccine.

[Kurth]

It's pretty clear the United States needs a figurehead position - someone elected by the people every few years to just act as a USA brand ambassador. They can show up to major corporate functions (like a ground breaking ceremony), major league sporting events and maybe have a pet project they focus on. Here, they're using their celebrity to draw attention. They're not using their celebrity to encourage insurrection or influence politicians to pass hate legislation in Congress.

It’s funny: That’s kind of how I view the President now!

[Kraken]

Neither Arnold nor Franken ran for President. They ran for a lesser office first (and Arnold couldn't). IMHO, Franken would have been a solid candidate in 2020. Arnold was a business Republican, but solid on environmental and most social issues.

I only offered those examples as evidence that Dem voters sometimes get stars in their eyes, not as presidential material. Hell, I'd vote for Amy Poehler based on what she did for Pawnee.

That's really only one example, though, as Arnold was Republican (don't know if he still identifies as R, but I'm guessing he may have changed).

Hah, my bad. I thought he was a D because of his unkind words for Florida Man.