Unfortunately, the George Clooney Op-Ed Was Really Good

🌈 Abstract

The article discusses how the involvement of a celebrity like George Clooney can sometimes make a news story feel more "real" for the public. It focuses on Clooney's recent op-ed piece in The New York Times, where he urged Joe Biden to step aside as the Democratic presidential nominee, and analyzes the potential impact and significance of Clooney's intervention.

🙋 Q&A

[01] Clooney's Op-Ed Piece

1. What are the key points made by George Clooney in his op-ed piece?

• Clooney directly states that Biden needs to step aside as the Democratic nominee, without mincing words
• He argues that Biden's performance, including his ability to handle unscripted questions, has Democrats collectively holding their breath
• Clooney, as a prominent Democratic fundraiser, provides an insider's perspective on Biden's apparent decline

2. How does the article assess the potential impact of Clooney's intervention?

• The article suggests that Clooney's involvement could reinvigorate the momentum for Biden to drop out, as it shows that powerful people still want this outcome
• However, the article also questions how much influence Clooney's star power may have, given that he has receded from the public eye in recent years

3. What is the Biden campaign's response to Clooney's op-ed?

• The Biden campaign has questioned Clooney's stamina, noting that the president stayed for over three hours at a recent fundraiser, while Clooney "took a photo quickly and left"

[02] Broader Context

1. How does the article situate Clooney's intervention within the broader context of the Democratic party's discussions around Biden's candidacy?

• The article suggests that Clooney's piece comes at a time when Democrats are "scrambling and squabbling" over whether Biden should stay in the race
• It notes that the article's author was starting to feel the momentum for Biden to drop out was losing steam, and Clooney's intervention could reignite that momentum

2. What does the article suggest about the role of celebrity involvement in political discourse?

• The article explores the idea that a "celebrity cameo" can sometimes make a news story feel more "real" for the American public, even if it reveals a certain shallowness in the country's political discourse
• It suggests that Clooney's intervention, with its "film-style dramatics," may be an attempt to bring that kind of attention-grabbing approach to a real-life political moment