President Barack Obama’s December wish list didn’t include what he hoped to get from Santa Claus. Instead, he listed big names whose endorsement he hopes to secure before Election Day in November.
The star-studded list, dated December 5 and published on Wednesday by The Tennessean, contains past and current “surrogates” who Obama hopes will support him this year.
In all, the list of Hollywood heavyweights, professional athletes and Washington power players is seven pages and 194 names long.
It includes entertainers like Jay-Z, the Counting Crows, Tina Fey, Tom Hanks, Lea Michelle, Robert Cray, the Jonas Brothers and Oprah Winfrey — alongside business and public policy leaders like Warren Buffett, Minnesota Gov. Mark Dayton, Sen. John Kerry, film producer Harvey Weinstein and HBO co-president Richard Plepler.
Obama also wants the support of sexy A-list actresses like Mila Kunis, Anne Hathaway, Eva Longoria and Blake Lively.
Also on the list, Canadian alt-rock band Arcade Fire. The Grammy-winning band played at one of Obama’s inaugural balls in 2008.
Embattled Attorney General Eric Holder is on the list, but a prominent cabinet member is missing: Hillary Clinton.
The Secretary of State is visibly absent, but her daughter Chelsea is listed as a hopeful supporter.
Another big name missing from the list? Matt Damon. The actor was a big supporter of Obama in 2008, Elle magazine quoted him in the fall saying “a one-term president with some balls would have been better [than Obama].”
Some of the so-called surrogates were not aware that their names appeared on the list until it was published.
A spokeswoman for the country group Lady Antebellum told The Tennessean that the band is surprised to see the their name on the list.
“The members of Lady Antebellum did not submit their name for inclusion on the surrogate list for Obama’s campaign,” Mary Hilliard Harrington said in a statement. “[T]he band has never commented on their political affiliations nor do they plan to in the future.”
Watch: President Obama Talks Pop Culture on The View
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=nT12F9Gujcs&feature=player_detailpage