Republican presidential contender Marco Rubio is out with a new ad featuring glowing words from Rick Harrison.
Now, this wouldn’t be terribly notable — except for one small fact: Harrison is the star of the History Channel’s reality TV show “Pawn Stars,” and you don’t often find entertainment-industry types siding with any GOP candidate. In fact, coming out so publicly for a Republican can cost your career among the Hollywood liberals.
But here’s the kicker: Harrison doesn’t seem to care. “If you’re a celebrity, and you endorse a Republican, it’s sort of like career suicide,” he told The Daily Caller back in October, not long after throwing his support behind the Florida senator. But “I’m a well-off guy, and I care about my kids.”
The TV star is so concerned about the nation’s future, in other words, he’s willing to risk his own job opportunities by speaking out about it. Indeed, already, he says, he’s lost endorsements for his show.
Harrison’s sense of patriotism and independent thinking are as commendable as they are rare among the glitterati. But his concerns also reflect the broader public’s worries over the state of the nation and the direction it’s headed in — from fears of terrorism to the still-lackluster economy.
As for those who don’t fall into that group, consider this: If a celebrity feels the need to make high-profile ads for a Republican candidate — even though it harms his career and incurs the hatred of his peers — well, maybe it really is time to reevaluate your views about America and who you want leading it.