Aside from The Cheneys, The Boss or Taylor, endorsements matter little be if for president or dog catcher

Politicians on all levels love receiving endorsements almost as much as they love getting their grubby little hands on campaign cash. But do they matter?

In this year's presidential campaign, there have been significant endorsements. They are the endorsements Kamala Harris has received from Taylor Swift, Bruce Springsteen, former Republican Vice President Dick Cheney, and his daughter, former Republican Representative Liz Cheney.

The power of Swift's endorsement cannot be overstated. Whether people like it or not, Ms. Swift has a legion of devoted followers, and when she directs her mostly young female followers to register and vote for Harris, they will oblige.

Although he doesn't have Swift's social media following, Springsteen's endorsement is significant for a mostly older, middle-class, and white following. With the Bosses' endorsement, he tells these wobbly voters it is fine to support the Vice President.

Unless you are a complete political neophyte, the Cheneys, who are rib-rock conservatives endorsing the moderately liberal Harris based on their concern about preserving American democracy, are telling fellow Republicans to vote for country over party. Their endorsement would be the future equivalent of Nancy Pelosi endorsing a Republican presidential candidate rather than some Trump-like Democratic equivalent presidential candidate.

Aside from these endorsements for Harris, is an endorsement of Donald Trump by Tucker Carlson or Rachel Maddow for Ms. Harris going to sway anyone to change their vote? Absolutely not - they are just empty, meaningless words without effect.

The same goes for legacy and large mainstream media organizations that select candidates. When most people see a formerly influential metropolitan legacy publication endorsing a candidate, do they think it matters?

Long-time Elk Grove residents will recall that several of Sacramento Bee's endorsed candidates in the city's first city council election in 2000 finished in the bottom five of a 25-candidate field.

Even before it became the incredibly shrinking news-gathering operation it is today, the Sacramento Bee's regional influence was kaput. The Bee positions itself as influential, but when it endorses candidates, most of whom are incumbents and sure bets, is it influencing anyone or trying to convince itself of its importance?

In our pay-to-play political environment, what matters most for electoral success is how much money a candidate can raise. The only endorsements that matter for our money are the person-to-person referrals for candidates, and almost every media candidate endorsement is just a political claptrap.