George Clooney is back, and this time, he’s fronting an ad campaign for Vice President Kamala Harris that urges men to vote for her—while keeping it a secret from their buddies. Yes, you read that right. The ad, produced by the progressive evangelical group Vote Common Good, takes a covert approach, suggesting that men can “sneak” in a Harris vote under the radar, almost as if they’re buying an off-brand pair of jeans to wear in the house when nobody’s watching.
The ad itself is quite the spectacle. Picture a group of rugged, denim-clad guys marching into a polling place, all high-fiving each other as they talk about “making America great again.” Clooney’s voiceover, in his usual suave tone, interrupts with, “Before you cast your vote in this election, think about how it will impact the people you care about the most.”
Subtlety, apparently, has left the building. As the ad unfolds, one of the men meets his young daughter outside the booth, and Clooney gently reminds him that “you can vote any way you want. And no one will ever know.” The message is clear: Vote Harris, and don’t tell a soul.
It’s time to put your love of your family over your love of Trump. No one has to know what you do in the voting booth. #liberal #progressive #progessivechristianity #voteblue #HarrisForPotus2024 pic.twitter.com/LFdyho2nTQ
— Vote Common Good (@VoteCommon) October 30, 2024
This strategy seems to take a page right out of the Hollywood playbook of backhanded patriotism. It’s almost like they’re saying, “Look, we know voting for Harris doesn’t sit right with you, but go ahead—just don’t let the boys know.” It’s as if they believe conservative men can only be swayed by a cloak-and-dagger act. The line, “What happens in the booth, stays in the booth,” makes the whole process sound more like a Vegas night out than participating in a civic duty. Nothing says confidence in your candidate like whispering, “Just keep it to yourself, okay?”
And Clooney isn’t the only Hollywood star doing this routine. Julia Roberts narrated a similar ad aimed at women, slyly encouraging them to vote Harris-Walz without cluing in their husbands. “In the one place in America where women still have a right to choose, you can vote any way you want, and no one will ever know,” Roberts narrates, drawing a strange parallel between voting and abortion rights. The ad ends with the ever-so-subtle reminder: “What happens in the booth stays in the booth.”
In the voting booth, women still have the right to choose.
Thank you to Julia Roberts for helping us make the choice clear – November 5th, let’s all choose a new path forward.#progressive #progressivechristianity #voteblue #harris2024 #prowomen #evangelicalsforharris pic.twitter.com/fchO3yj1na
— Vote Common Good (@VoteCommon) October 28, 2024
This approach raises a question: if Harris and Walz are supposedly the candidates who represent unity, strength, and all that progressive America stands for, why is Hollywood pitching them as something to hide? If they’re the champions of “the people,” why the need for secrecy? The ads seem almost designed to prey on voters’ hesitations—subtly acknowledging that a Harris vote might be something they’d rather not broadcast.
The Clooney and Roberts ads say more about the state of the Harris-Walz campaign than any press release ever could. When your pitch is, “Vote for our candidate, but keep it quiet,” it’s hard not to wonder about the confidence (or lack thereof) that the campaign has in its own message.
Instead of encouraging voters to proudly support Harris, they’re suggesting people keep it on the down-low. It’s a message that’s ironic, maybe even a little desperate, for a campaign supposedly all about transparency and truth. And, frankly, if your candidate’s selling point is “just don’t tell anyone,” maybe it’s time to rethink the message.
