Sean Penn supports Dennis Kucinich. Oprah likes Barack Obama. Curtis “50 Cent” Jackson is all over Hillary Clinton, and Chuck Norris has thrown his considerable celebrity weight behind Mike Huckabee.

Well thank God! It was a little scary there, not knowing where our celebrities stood on the important political issues. Let’s be sure to find out where Sarah Michelle Gellar stands on nuclear proliferation, what Will Ferrell thinks of the viability of alternative fuels, and where, oh, I don’t know, Ryan Seacrest stands on the immigration issue.

This is the dilemma of modern American politics. In an age when we face increasingly complex issues, Americans seem less concerned with investigating the nuances of policy, but rather, are fascinated with the shiny, glitzy, glamorous side of politics (and that’s not the actual politicians, but the stars that attach themselves to them).

Don’t get me wrong, celebrities should have the right to weigh in on political issues.
In the case of Kucinich, the star power is absolutely necessary to draw even the faintest spotlight to the under-funded, under-publicized (doesn’t have a chance in hell) Kucinich. And yes, I guess it’s good that celebrities are putting their time and money towards causes, instead of buying mansions and cars.

Voting is a right, a privilege, and a duty, according to the going rhetoric. On election day, after spending three-and-a-half minutes in the booth we proudly pin stickers on our lapels (I VOTED!), and maybe feel a little self righteous for doing our civic duty by having participated in the American political process.

This election season has started earlier, with more candidates having more debates and spending more money, but saying surprisingly little—now candidates tailor criticism of each other according to the polls. On NPR this morning I heard Mitt Romney will step up his criticism of Mike Huckabee for being too soft on immigration, probably because Huckabee leads the polls in Iowa. After slinging mud, all these candidates will, of course, end up slapping each other on the back and endorse the winner.

The point?

If you want to feel like you’re doing your civic duty, my fellow Americans, then invest more than three-minutes. Can you name your representative in Congress, your Senators or your city representatives? (I can’t, by the way). Regardless of our politics, we should all be getting involved at the community level.

And if you want to endorse something my dear celebrities, endorse foreign policy think tanks, community issue forums, environmental advocacy, and maybe throw some money at our crowded public schools.