Anyone with a shred of common sense can tell you that celebrity endorsements have about as much influence on elections as the rantings of your average nobody blogger (yours truly included), which is to say, very little effect at all. In fact, you could probably argue that celebrity endorsements are actually counterproductive, since conservatives tend to react to the opinions of Hollywood personalities like bulls react to red blankets flapping in the breeze, and as a result the endorsement sometimes backfires and ends up becoming a cudgel that’s used against the endorsed. That’s one reason why I tend, as I usually do, to avoid the whole subject of who endorses what and any possible confrontations that may arise from talking about it.

However, sentimental slob that I am, I can’t resist passing along this odd little clip, in which director Ron Howard reprises his most famous acting roles with his old buddies Andy Griffith and Henry Winkler in the name of getting out the word about their preferred candidate. The video is kind of lame and kind of embarrassing, but it’s obviously heartfelt, and, well, it’s just nice to see these beloved characters again, even if they’re in the service of a partisan statement. Given Andy’s advancing age, it may well be the last time we see them:

One little sidethought: Have you ever considered how truly extraordinary Ron Howard’s career has been? A child actor from the age of five or six, he breathed life into two iconic characters in two hugely successful television series — Opie Taylor in The Andy Griffith Show and Richie Cunningham in Happy Days — not to mention playing a significant role in George Lucas’ American Graffiti, then went on as an adult to direct a string of money-making films. Truly an amazing record. Ron’s directorial work has its detractors, but you can’t deny how exceptional it is for a former child actor to still be in the business at all, let alone making movies that the public likes…