|
|
|
|
|
|
Hollywood Steps Up as Election Looms
|
By
Dilshad
D. Ali
|
28/10/2004
|
|
|
|
Was
there ever a time when Hollywood and the U.S. political system
were two separate entities?
|
With
the US Presidential election less than a week away, Republican incumbent
President George W. Bush and Democratic hopeful Senator John Kerry are stumping
more than ever for the coveted position of “leader of the free world.” And
though Hollywood is campaigning for both sides, its over-the-top presence in
this year’s election has significantly blurred the line between government and
entertainment. It’s the rise of “gover-tainment” like we’ve never seen
before.
But
was there ever a time when Hollywood (and the entertainment industry in general)
and the U.S. political system were two separate entities? Not really. From the
late Ronald Regan who crossed over from actor to California governor to US
President, to the current California (“Kah-li-fornia,” as he says it)
Governor Arnold Schwarzenegger—a former body builder and action-movie
hero—Hollywood has a deep relationship with politics.
But
in this election, where the stakes are higher than ever as the nation stands
undivided and mired in Bush’s “War on Terror,” Hollywood is working harder
than ever to sway voters and bring various issues to light. And though Bush has
his supporters from the movie, television, music, and book industries, it is
Kerry and the Democratic Party that is getting the biggest help from
entertainers. The following is a short chronological rundown of the latest
stumping tactics from entertainers:
-
Various
music artists and actors are taking part in a “Vote or Die” campaign.
Placards featuring celebrities like P Diddy, Paris Hilton, Queen Latifah,
and Jimmy Fallon wearing T-shirts with the slogan are plastered all over New
York City and other major cities. The message is to get out and vote. The
underlying push is to vote for Kerry.
-
President
Clinton, after recuperation for six weeks from heart bypass surgery, joined
Kerry on the campaign trail nine days before November 2. Though Clinton is a
politician and not an entertainer, his affable personality and rock-star
connections have elevated him to an iconic status. Many pundits believe his
vocal backing of Kerry at this late stage in the game is a serious blow to
Bush.
-
Actor/comedian
Dennis Miller continues to hit the talk show circuit with his
potty-mouth-infused support for Bush. Recently on HBO’s “Real Time With
Bill Maher,” Miller responded to another panelist’s complaint that Bush
was making Iraq into another Christian vs. Muslim crusade with a snappy
retort against former President Clinton. Miller has made it his business to
get his pro-patriotism, pro-Bush, anti-liberal message out to as many people
as possible in the form of comedic and angry speechifying.
-
The
“Vote for Change” tour wrapped up in Washington DC in mid-October in
front of 20,000 screaming fans. The tour, featuring artists like R.E.M., the
Dixie Chicks, Pearl Jam, The Dave Matthews Band, Bruce Springsteen and John
Mellencamp, roared through 11 battleground states drumming up money and
support for Kerry’s campaign. Artists spoke against Bush and urged fans to
vote on November 2. Springsteen at one concert told fans, “America is not
always right. That’s a fairy tale for children.”
-
Michael
Moore charged ahead with his tirade against Bush by promoting the DVD
release of his anti-Bush, anti-War-on-Iraq movie, Fahrenheit 9/11.
Moore, along with a slew of other politically-minded documentaries, has
paved the way for a new genre of films that aim to sway voters and shape
the issues at hand.
-
And
rising up in defense of Bush, a number of Hollywood actors, including
Kelsey Grammer, and Robert Duvall, spoke against Moore and his brand of
liberalism by condemning celebrity anti-war activists.
|
|
|
Legendary
rock group Pearl Jam performed at the ‘Vote for Change’
concerts, urging people to not vote for Bush in the coming
elections.
|
The
list goes on and on. For years, the entertainment industry has taken an active
part in the political arena. But its proliferation in this election speaks of
two worlds colliding and merging. And though presidential decisions still are
made with disregard to what Hollywood purports, the industry’s
voter-persuasion tactics is forging a new direction in the campaign process.
In
this brave new world actors are pundits, musicians are activists, celebrity
authors are experts, action heroes are governors, aging former TV stars are
mayors, and politicians achieve rock star status. A “Rock the Vote” campaign
that started in 1992 and helped propel Bill Clinton to the presidency has
snowballed into an all-out blitz by entertainers to push their candidate of
choice into the White House.
Of
course, the influence of Hollywood and the music industry in this year’s
election truly cannot be ascertained until the votes are in next week. But this
much is known—whether entertainers feel they know more about politics then the
general public, or if they just want to use their star power to get their
political agendas across—they are a potent force.
More
and more actors and musicians are using their popularity to highlight issues and
point fingers. Actor/activists like Susan Sarandon and Tim Robbins have always
been at the forefront of entertainers taking up humanitarian and political
causes. But now we’ve got everyone from Sean Penn (who visited Iraq to prove
his distaste for the war) to reality fluff actress Paris Hilton (who urges you
to “Vote or Die!”) getting on the activist bandwagon.
The
merging works in both directions. Politicians have historically aligned
themselves with big-name entertainers in attempts to influence the youth vote
and other voter types. And some politicians, like Clinton, have leapt from
public servant to a bone fide entertainer by way of writing books, giving talks,
and hobnobbing with Hollywood-types.
It’s
a murky marriage that’s changing the way politicians campaign and voters vote.
Will US voters go by what they heard in the presidential debates and what the
candidates are actually saying in their numerous stump speeches? Or will they be
swayed by stinging documentaries, rock concerts, and Hollywood blathering? As
the nation stands on the brink, only the results of November 2 will tell who did
the influencing and who was influenced.
|
|
|
|
|
|
