Kevin Bacon’s Fame Test: Insights on Power and the 2nd District Race

Iconic actor Kevin Bacon recently shared an intriguing story about himself. The star of movies such as “Footloose,” “A Few Good Men,” and “Tremors” wanted to experience life outside of the spotlight. To achieve this, he hired a makeup artist to disguise his identity with prosthetics and then ventured out to mingle with the public.

However, Bacon found the experience unpleasant. He told Vanity Fair magazine, “Nobody recognized me. People were kind of pushing past me, not being nice. Nobody said, ‘I love you.’ I had to wait in line to, I don’t know, buy a f—ing coffee or whatever. I was like, ‘This sucks. I want to go back to being famous.’”

In the world of politics, there can be a similar dynamic. Fame, adulation, access, flattery, and deference often come to officeholders. Along with these, sometimes incredible power is involved, which former Secretary of State Henry Kissinger once described as “the ultimate aphrodisiac.” With all that attention, it’s only natural that many political leaders come to believe they are unique among mortals and, indeed, irreplaceable.

We often see this in both past and present dictatorships. Leaders like Joseph Stalin and Mao Zedong led revolutions to free their people from undemocratic regimes but clung to power at all costs. Currently, Vladimir Putin and Xi Jinping have successfully changed leadership term-limit rules in Russia and China to ensure they never have to leave office.

Even in democracies, we can see glimpses of this tempting aphrodisiac. The two nominees of America’s major political parties — who have enjoyed power and fame for over half a century — have no interest in relinquishing it to a new generation and still strive to be No. 1 well into their ninth decades.

This brings us to Kansas’ 2nd District congressional seat. On April 18, the incumbent, Jake LaTurner, announced he wouldn’t be running for re-election. LaTurner is only 36 but has held various public offices since 2013. He has four young children and expressed a desire to spend more time with his family, an endeavor he wanted to be “more present for.”

His remarks are reminiscent of something former Kansas congressman and Gov. William Avery once said when reflecting on his life. He credited his wife for the character of his children, saying, “I was home on weekends, blah, blah, blah, and the kids were glad to see me and take them for a horseback ride or something, but that’s not being a parent.”

Jake LaTurner may eventually return to politics, but for now, he’s giving up power. He’s acknowledging his humanity and recognizing that Kansas and the U.S. Congress will survive without him.

This brings us to the primary elections on Aug. 6 to choose LaTurner’s successor. The Republican primary features former Kansas Attorney General Derek Schmidt, cattle feed operator Shawn Tiffany, and former Trump official Jeff Kahrs. Meanwhile, the Democratic side has former congresswoman Nancy Boyda and community developer Matt Kleinmann.

For those planning on voting, information on all these candidates, including their TV ads available on YouTube, is readily accessible. A little research might yield some answers to what each candidate intends to do with the power they seek.

This article originally appeared on Topeka Capital-Journal: What Kevin Bacon’s fame test tells us about power, including 2nd District race