Oscar-winner George Clooney lent his voice to President Obama's campaign for a video introduction Thursday night to close out the Democratic National Convention, but it was a trio of leading ladies — Kerry Washington, Scarlett Johansson, and Eva Longoria — who gave the DNC a rousing jolt of star power in Charlotte, NC.
Washington, who manages political crises on ABC's Scandal, introduced herself as "not just as an actress but as a woman, an African-American, a granddaughter of immigrants who came through Ellis Island, a person who could not have afforded college without the help of student loans and as one of millions of volunteers working to re-elect President Obama."
Her rallying cry was an embracing of the Constitutional phrase "we the people," delivered in a passionate three minute speech at the DNC podium. "I love that phrase so much," she said, "because throughout our country's history, we've expanded the meaning of that phrase to include more and more of us. And that's what it means to move forward. And that is what this election is all about."
(Funny enough, Washington has a movie out next year called We the Peeples. Coincidence?)
Taking a more personal approach, Johansson appealed to the emotionally-charged shared experiences of America's middle class, citing her own family's upbringing and dependency on public and nonprofit programs. "I grew up in New York City, I grew up with four siblings, my father barely made enough to get by. We moved every year and we finally settled in a housing development for lower middle income families."
"My girlfriends from high school to this day still depend on Planned Parenthood and often Medicaid for important healthcare services," she continued, urging young voters to register and commit to voting on November 6. "Whether we can get healthcare, go to college, be guaranteed equal pay — all of these things are at great, great risk, and that's why I'm here today, to use whatever attention I'm fortunate to receive to shed the spotlight on what's at stake for all of us."
I had no idea Desperate Housewives star Longoria was such a political firebrand, but she brought it in her five-minute speech. The Texas native, a co-chair of the Obama re-election campaign, spoke about taking out student loans to pay for college, the President's accomplishments, and the evils of Mitt Romney's platform.
"The Eva Longoria who worked at Wendy's flipping burgers, she needed a tax break," Longoria said.
"But the Eva Longoria who works on movie sets does not."