Idol Buzz: The Politics of the Game

ABC has a nice little read about the politics of American Idol. In a refreshing turn of events, they don't blame the departure of Chris Daughtry on phone fraud, voting manipulation, the judges, or on busy lines. (Yes, people blamed the busy phone lines for his departure.) Instead, the article points out that Chris Daughtry was the "Howard Dean" of the competition; popular, able to stick out in a crowd, but couldn't broaden his base.

The article points out similarities between Taylor Hicks and Bill Clinton, which, really we hope that there isn't that much in common with Taylor. (We've got to keep those southern morals intact, after all.) However, with the campaigning that goes on, it isn't unfair to involve Clinton's name when talking about the grey-haired singer.

So, if it's truely political, do the blue state votes go to Taylor? Or to Kat? Is Taylor the John Kerry, or the George W. Bush? We'll find out with the final two American Idol performance shows on May 29 and 30, starting at 8 pm ET.