Caitlin Jenner and the Kardashian Fame Bubble

[MeDotOrg]

For a life journey, it's pretty hard to top Caitlin Jenner. A long journey begins with a balanced breakfast. Let's start with a bowl of Wheaties:



Before Keeping Up With The Kardashians, Jenner was the '76 Olympic Decathlon Champion, setting a world record high score in the process. I know this is old history, but because it is old, context is important. In the Valhalla of Olympic athletes, the Decathlon Champion is considered the complete package. Bruce Jenner was the handsome Apollo of that universe. After the the final 10,000 meter run, someone stuck an American flag in his hand, and a marketing legend was born.

For a long it looked like Jenner would follow F. Scott Fitzgerald's maxim that there are no second acts in American lives. Jenner seemed content to live in the reflected fame of the Kardashians, the old lion surrounded by his pride.

Then came the sex change. Now a run for Governor.

What motivated Jenner to seek the Governorship? Seeing people flee the state from their private airplane hangars:

The guy right across, he was packing up his hangar. And he says, ‘I’m moving to Sedona, Ariz. I can’t take it anymore. I can’t walk down the streets and see the homeless.'

Because Caitlin is probably the most famous transgendered person in the country, people tend to be careful of their criticisms. But this is Caitlin talking about the 2016 election:

It was voting day and I thought the only thing out here in California that I worry about, which affects people, is the propositions that were out there, and I didn't see any propositions that I really had one side or the other. And so it was Election Day and I just couldn't get excited about it. And I just wound up going to play golf and I said, 'I'm not doing that.'

So the person who wants to be Governor of the State didn't think any of the state propositions were worth giving up a round of golf.

But all of this begs the question: Why does Caitlin Jenner think she is qualified to be Governor? Why does a person who believed that there were no ballot propositions worthy of her vote in 2016, believe that people will vote for her?

The answer that makes the most sense to me can be described as the Kardashian bubble. Jenner has lived so long within the bubble of celebrity she can no longer really see the outside world. The plight of the homeless is not to be seen through the eyes of the homeless, but rather of a private plane owner moving from Santa Barbara to Sedona.

It's like having Marie Antoinette run for Governor.

*edited to correct the spelling of Kaitlin's Caitlin's name

[huckelberry]

Well it appears fame is a powerful intoxicant. If can affect the followers of fame perhaps even more intensly than the famous individual. look who became president a bit over four years ago. There are still crowds of peoplel strung out ,totally lit up, by his intoxicating visage.

Velvet Underground, " when I stick that spike into my vein it makes me feel just like......"

[MeDotOrg]

Here's an idea for a YouTube Video: Sell Caitlin Jenner for Governor T-Shirts in front of a Gaetz/Greene/Maga Rally. Let's see how big a Tent we have in the GOP.

[Gunnar]

I fear that what it had come down to nowadays is that whoever wins elections depends not so much on who has the best ideas, is the most competent, truthful and free of corruption as it does on who had the most name recognition. What the election and prominence of Trump has proved beyond reasonable doubt is that a celebrity with high enough name recognition or fame can get elected to high office no matter how demonstrably incompetent, dishonest or corrupt they are.

Today's most prominent Republican officials give lip service to supporting Trump, not because they really love or respect him, but because of his threats to split the Republican party and start a third party if he doesn't get his way. At best, even with Trumpists counted in, the Republican party already constitutes at most a slim minority of the electorate - perhaps a thin enough minority so that concerted attempts of voter suppression may still enable them to win, in spite of being in the minority. Trump would only have to siphon off a very small portion of current Republican voters to pretty much obliterate any remaining chances of Republicans winning elections, especially in the near future. This is why the truth no longer matters to them - only whatever will get them reelected, whether true or not.

Because of this, I'm sure Trump is confident that either way, he will somehow come out a winner and profit at least monetarily, whether or not he succeeds in getting himself elected again. I'm betting and fervently hoping he will eventually (the sooner the better) prove to be mistaken about that.

[Nomomo]

Caitlin Jenner is a gawdamned frickin' asshole of the highest degree. Anyone who doesn't know that need simply bone up on her statements and interviews of late to know this.

[Brack]

I don't know that much about Caitlin Jenner, but Gavin Newsom is likely going to survive the recall election. A Republican hasn't been elected to a Statewide office in California since 2006.

[Gunnar]

I don't know that much about Caitlin Jenner, but Gavin Newsom is likely going to survive the recall election. A Republican hasn't been elected to a Statewide office in California since 2006.

I hope so. I'm not going to claim that Newsom is an ideal governor or that he doesn't deserve any criticism. but he could easily be a lot worse. For example: California seems to currently be doing better than most, if not all, states in recovering from the pandemic. The percentage of Californians fully vaccinated is higher than the national average, and last time I checked no state has a lower number of new cases per 100k than California, and no state has a lower positivity rate. I don't think it reasonable to deny that Newsom's handling of the crisis had any part in that. Though it may well be that Newsom is not without flaws, I think there is very good reason to believe that any of the current, Republican contenders for his job would do far worse - especially if they are Trumpists.