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[quote=Anonymous][quote=Anonymous][quote=Anonymous][quote=Anonymous]The people you mention are no more widely-known entities, only third-tier reality personalities on shows very few people watch.

President Obama, Mark Zuckerberg, Hillary Clinton, Warren Buffett, Angela Merkel, Bill Gates, Fidel Castro, Kate Middleton, Beyoncé and Jay Z, Tom Cruise, Oprah Winfrey, Lionel Messi, Jeff Bezos, Tiger Woods, Angelina Jolie and Brad Pitt, Vladimir Putin, LeBron James, Taylor Swift, Michael Bloomberg, Cristiano Ronaldo, Ellen DeGeneres, Sergey Brin, Roger Federer, George Soros, Serena Williams, Jerry Brown, Marissa Mayer, Jamie Dimon, Carlos Slim, Shakira, Jack Ma, President Clinton, President Bush, Gisele Bundchen and Tom Brady, Prince William, Jerry Seinfeld, Leonardo DiCaprio, Al Gore, Pope Francis, Malala Yousafzai, Janet Yellen, Larry Ellison, Katie Perry, Jerry Jones, Edward Snowden, Madonna, Kobe Bryant, the Kardashians (though I hate to say it, they have managed to transcend their third-rate reality show that no one watches to become part of the popular zeitgeist), etc., et al.[/quote]
1. I get that the people on your list are more widely known to the average TV viewer than the Solicitor General crew.  But what's your point?: That only people with a Q-rating higher than 10 can properly be called "celebrities"?  If so, then you're just quibbling about semantics.  [b]Should we instead call them "notables" or "people with power in DC"?[/b][i]

2. I'm pretty confident Vladimir Putin and Pope Francis are not valid examples of people who might be submitting applications to private schools in DC, or anywhere in the US for that matter.  Should we include Abraham Lincoln and Mozart on the list too?[/quote]

If you are the poster who offered Neal Katyal, Elena Kagan, and Paul Clement, then I would acknowledge that they are clearly highly-accomplished individuals who hold an especially high status within the pecking order of the Washington, DC, power ranks.  That is especially true of Justice Kagan, as she is the former Dean of Harvard Law School and an Associate Justice (but is can also be said of Neal Katyal, a former Acting Solicitor General, and Paul Clement as former Solicitor General, and both clearly power lawyers).

I think that most well-informed people everywhere in this country (and perhaps around the world as well) understand a Supreme Court Justice to be a Washington celebrity, even if they did not know his or her name, by virtue of the importance and high regard in which their positions are held in this country.  That would be true of the offices of President, Vice President, Secretary of State, Attorney General, Defense Secretary, Treasury Secretary and the Cabinet, the Senate Majority and Minority Leaders, our Senators, the Speaker of the House and many of the House Representatives.  Even if the general population do not know these people by name, they can nevertheless recognize and respect the importance of their positions.  Add to these Government superstars the incredibly elite group of very accomplished, and very wealthy, founders of certain household, brand-name companies or private equity groups, the certain owners and athletes of professional sports franchises, and perhaps our very most famous NYT Bestselling authors. These are the truest Washington celebrities.

When you get beyond those ranks, to the political appointees, the special advisors, the Undersecretaries, the Assistants and Deputy Assistants, the Acting Such-and-Such, the Former This-and-That, the power lobbyists and  super lawyers, the senior executives of private sector companies and directors of non-profit institutions, the famous local artists and powerful directors or artistic institutions, then perhaps you are correct in best describing them as "notable people in Washington."  That is a large category and class of people in Washington, made unwieldy large - I suspect - by the fact that so many people consider themselves a part of that club.  If so, I am not sure how much of an advantage being a notable person confers in the Big 3 admissions.

The same is likely true of any large metropolis, mid-size city, or small town, you have your household names and/or positions, and then an entire subset of notable people beyond that group. [/quote]

I would also add to the list of true Washington celebrities the Editor of the Post; major media personalities such as the big Cable or Network anchors (though most of those are in NY), big Cable or Network morning show hosts (again, most of whom are in NY), and the hosts of the major Sunday Morning political programs.  From time to time, maybe a breakthrough Post journalist or NPR personality will make the ranks if Washington celebrity.  Otherwise, most of the people we are talking about here are notable people in this town.[/quote]

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