A Public Poll on Romanian Idols Shows Idol Equal Famous

Jurnalul National started a series of debates on various topics at Casa Capsa [famous restaurant were 19 century artists and politicians were regulars]. This time the talk was about Romania’s "idols."

A public poll conducted by CURS polling institute brought up a few surprises, not in the least for the people nominated by the respondents to the top of the various categories.
Mona Musca, the minister of culture, was at the top of the category "who I would like to be like." She said she does not believe in idols, and admitted that in order to be a model worth following one has to not believe in idols at all.

President Traian Basescu, also present at the event, said in the same vein that he did not believe in idols. "When you reach them and start knowing them the aura is gone as is the podium on which you placed them," said Basescu. Three people share, with almost equal number of votes, the title of "cultural personalities loved by Romanians." They are: Andrei Plesu, Mircea Dinescu and Irina Loghin.

Mircea Geoana [ current president of the Social Democrat Party and former minister of foreign affairs], said that he was "curious to find out which are the things that make Romanians pride with who they were and what was needed to aggregate the positive energies."
Basescu and all the other guests put their signatures on the Cow Parade cow guarding the entrance of the Casa Capsa, with only poet and parliamentarian Adrian Paunescu making it a point of signing smack down between the horns of the cow.

Basescu and other guests nibbled on peanuts and chocolates, but TV hostess Andreea Marin did not, quite understandably guarding her figure, as an occupant of the third place in the ranking of most liked personalities. The Romanian president was also perceived to be "the happiest man in Romania" by 24.3% of the respondents, though 13.5% of them said they will not trade places with Basescu.

Though Basescu was adamant that he had no idol guiding his career, Marius Tuca, editor-in-chief of Jurnalul National, managed to make him admit that Popeye the Sailor could had been one [Basescu’ job for some time was that of a sea-captain].