Kelly Clarkson Takes Heat Over Ron Paul Endorsement

It's fact-facing time, folks: even the most low-key and inoffensive of the rich, famous and talented will seemingly never grasp that there are some things to which the adoring and ever-scrutinizing public need not be privy.

Quite possibly chief among those things? Voting habits.

Pioneer "American Idol" winner learned that the hard way Wednesday night, Entertainment Weekly reports. The lovely singer took a sharp right turn from tweeting about some quality baking time with niece into declaring that she happily endorsed Texas Libertarian Congressman Ron Paul's 2012 White House bid.

“I love Ron Paul. I liked him a lot during the last republican nomination and no one gave him a chance,” she tweeted. “If he wins the nomination for the Republican party in 2012 he’s got my vote. Too bad he probably won’t.”

The first post-Christmas polls in Iowa headed into the state's first-in-the-nation caucus next month show the controversial Paul leading former Massachussetts Gov. Mitt Romney by four percent and former Speaker Of The House Newt Gingrich by 11 percent among Republican candidates.

That being said, more than a few of Clarkson's 925,000-plus followers saw fit to educate the Texas pop star on Paul's alleged shortcomings. Comments focused particularly upon alleged racially charged remarks made years ago by Paul in his newsletter, "The Ron Paul Political Report."  Those comments included, among others, one New York Times-quoted passage stating that during the early '90s Los Angeles Riots, "Order was only restored in L.A. when it came time for the blacks to pick up their welfare checks." Another passage suggested that since Paul believed AIDS patients should not be allowed to eat in restaurants, since the disease could possibly be transmitted by saliva.

Clarkson replied that those weren't facts that had been brought to her attention.

“That’s because you willfully ignoring his voting record, his statements, interviews, newletters, and policy positions,” EW reports that one follower tweeted. Another added, "You are obviously living under a rock. I don’t even live in the united states and hear about his stupidity."

After maybe saying a little bit too much about her political leanings, Clarkson kept a level head and tried calming the storm.

“I am about progress. Ron Paul is about letting people decide, not the government. I am for this," she tweeted.

Another shot back, "Its good that you dont want women to have the right to choose & think ppl should die in the ER.”

This apparently dragged on a while longer. As other followers came to her support, Clarkson made one last-ditch effort at placation.

“I am really sorry if I have offended anyone," she tweeted, probably wishing she'd just kept talking about cinnamon rolls. "Obviously that was not my intent. I do not support racism. I support gay rights, straight rights, women’s rights, men’s rights, white/black/purple/orange rights. I like Ron Paul because he believes in less government and letting the people (all of us) make the decisions and mold our country. That is all. Out of all of the Republican nominees, he’s my favorite.”

Later, away from the chaos of her timeline, Clarkson got in some last words on the lack of decorum shown by some of her near-million followers.

"Man my eyes have been opened to so much hate tonight," Clarkson wrote. "If y'all ever disagree with something I say please don't feel the need to attack me. I will listen to what you say and any articles or viewpoints you have when you say it with respect. Being hateful is not a healthy way to get people to see or hear you. I was raised to respect people and their decisions and beliefs and I hope you will grant me the same decency. If you don't agree with me simply unfollow me. It's really that easy. I hope you don't because I would love the chance to hear what you have to say but if you're so blinded by hate you can't seek peace and progress then that is your unfortunate prerogative."

It's been the law of wise men for ages: don't argue with fools - from a distance, people can't tell which is which. Which candidate one supports should be among the very last criteria upon which a person is judged.  Doing so will turn some against otherwise reasonable, respectable, upstanding individuals. That being said, once the toothpaste was out of the tube, Clarkson did an admirable job keeping a cool head and not lowering herself to such petty, spiteful levels.

Unfortunately, she'd also do well to learn that such is the way of the internet in general. Everyone becomes 10-feet-tall and bulletproof when seated behind a keyboard, but many would lose some spine pretty quickly if expected to actually look another human being in the eye and say some of the hateful things they do with otherwise great anonymity.