Hollywood Conservatives threatening to "come out of closet"...

[HardWorkingDem]

A few days ago I read a headline where certain people were urging Hollywood Conservatives to "come out of the closet"...

To that I say.....to even be afraid to make your political views known shows what a chickenshit you people are. Who gives a shit if you are conservatives or not? Afraid of losing jobs? Oh, boo hoo, you fantasy life chickenshits.

I work in an occupation that is overwhelmingly conservative and it is well known what my leanings are and I pay for it every day, so quit your fucking whining you chickenshit asses.

As Neil Young sings, it's not a privilege to be on TV.

[wryter2000]

1. Haven't you heard?

They're persecuted for their ideas? :sarcasm:

[Cha]

18. Right, all 10 of them

needed to hide in the fucking closet.

[tridim]

2. All 5 of them?

Ooooh, scary. :eyes:

[AndyA]

3. I used to really love "Two and A Half Men" until I learned that

the actor who plays Alan (Jon Cryer) is a big Republican supporter. I don't remember what it was specifically that he did, perhaps it was donate money, but I just don't like that show as much now. I'd rather support shows where I know the actors and actresses support progressive causes, instead of regressive.

[soleft]

8. Ducky? Say it isn't so!

[donco6]

19. I used to like Frasier and Everybody Loves Raymond, too.

Can't even watch it anymore.

[Joe Chi Minh]

33. I've never watched Frasier since hearing matey was effectively a Neocon.

[Left Is Write]

54. David Hyde Pierce and John Mahoney more than make up for Kelsey Grammer.

[Cha]

21. It was during the GE that I

found out. And, I react the same as you..I will not support anyone who is so ignorant they put our country at risk.

[Rebubula]

34. Well...

...then it seems to me that they are right about being covert.

Many people in the thread have said similar things....guess the OP was wrong - they may lose jobs or ratings.

That said...I still have not forgiven Charlton Heston - but I still like Planet of the Apes....guilty pleasure.

[Mayberry Machiavelli]

53. Fundrace/Huffpo says no:

http://fundrace.huffingtonpost.com/neighbors.php?type=name&lname=cryer&fname=jon&search=Search

[Orangepeel]

58. You can like it again.

He's only given money to Obama and a Democrat named Dooley. Did you read he supported Ahnold? I don't know if he did or not, but a lot of otherwise liberal celebrities did.

http://www.newsmeat.com/celebrity_political_donations/Jon_Cryer.php

[blm]

4. What a load of horseshit. Cons have been spreading their views around LA film scene for decades.

Persecuted and hidden, my ass.

[Cha]

20. Typical cons...poor little me victims who

who can't handle reality.

[SidDithers]

28. Exactly. Watch "This Film Is Not Yet Rated"...

to see how the conservatives control the film industry with their iron grip on the MPAA.

Sid

[SidDithers]

29. delete - replied in wrong spot. nt

[dflprincess]

5. Some of them were in an anti-Franken ad toward the end of the campaign.

I can't even remember who was in it, but I'd say at best, they were "B" listers - probably not even that.

[devilgrrl]

6. There aren't many Conservatives in entertainment because they have absolutely NO TALENT!!!!

A few decent actors and that's all folks!!!!

[Arugula Latte]

79. Robert Duvall is one of the very few talented ones.

[HardWorkingDem]

7. The surprising assembled photographs included....Robert Downey, Jr...

When I saw the headline, there was five or six small thumbnail photos of the usual suspects, but the one that surprised me was a photo of Robert Downey, Jr.....

[soleft]

10. Apparently it has to do with his time in prison

“I have a really interesting political point of view, and it’s not always something I say too loud at dinner tables here, but you can’t go from a $2,000-a-night suite at La Mirage to a penitentiary and really understand it and come out a liberal. You can’t. I wouldn’t wish that experience on anyone else, but it was very, very, very educational for me and has informed my proclivities and politics every since."

http://kylesmithonline.com/?p=1205

[Naturyl]

13. I'm not very liberal on justice issues, either.

But what he fails to understand is that liberal *economic* policies would diminish crime vastly to begin with.

[Fozzledick]

15. So he's saying you can't be a criminal and a liberal at the same time?

Makes sense to me! :dilemma:

[merh]

16. what a moron

Does Downey think because he was a liberal with a drug problem all liberals have drug problems?

I cannot fathom how his doing time as a member of the throw away class has given him insight that makes him a conservative.

I'd definitely like to have a political talk with him to try to understand his madness.

[TK421]

24. I would like to know more about what happened to him in prison

as that statement made by him saddens me deeply ( he has always been one of my favorite actors of all time ) and I don't know what it is but there is just something about this guy I've always liked. That is, of course outside of his talent for acting...

[merh]

27. I have my suspicions but would hate to put them out there.

I like the man too and would seriously like to talk with him about how he could change or more importantly, what made him change.

[Cha]

22. So you come out a regressive? That's just

nuts. Yeah, it's all about him and his prison time.

[fishwax]

57. most folks in the pen don't have the luxury of starting out in (or returning to) a $2k/night suite

"you can’t go from a $2,000-a-night suite at La Mirage to a penitentiary and really understand it and come out a liberal"

Kind of a weird statement :shrug:

[KamaAina]

42. A cokehead who's a repuke? C'mon. Get outta town!

oh, wait a minute...

[Joanne98]

9. Out? I hear them whining everyday.

[Jack Rabbit]

11. Come on out, guys

It's not like we're going to censor you or send you off to Gitmo of suspend Habeas Corpus.

Frankly, I pay little attention to what Hollywood liberals say. They usually don't know any more than most people who haven't had their fifteen minutes. I don't suppose Hollywood conservatives know any more than Joe the Plumber or Sarah Palin. So I won't pay much attention to them, either.

[Caliman73]

51. I agree

I have never put stock in what celebrities have to say about the issues. Granted there are those who take the time to become well informed about issues that are dear to them, but most are just spouting what they pick up and are no better informed than the average person. Too many people equate having a pulpit from which to speak with actually having a valid message. It is up to us to distinguish between an actor's ability to act and their personal political views. I think it is sad to censor , hire, or fire anyone based on their views rather than their abilities in their field. I don't watch actors to get my political information just like I don't view politicians for their dramatic talents.

[VA4Moran]

12. yeah

"in the closet" sums it up nicely.

[JohnnieGordon]

14. The cast of "An American Carol" lists most of them

It was a bomb, so you may not have heard of it, but it was a 2008 movie made by the guy who wrote and directed the classic satire "Airplane" (1980). American Carol was an alleged comedy making fun of liberals, especially Michael Moore. It had a very large cast and most of the Hollywood reich-wingers are in it. You can check the cast listing on IMDb, anytime you want to be reminded of who they are.

http://www.imdb.com/title/tt1190617/fullcredits#cast

[nxylas]

23. I guess that really only applies to the ones you've heard of

For those lower down the cast list, there's no way of knowing whether they agreed with its politics or whether it was just a job for them.

[Cha]

25. I read one guy in there changed his mind..

at least I think Dennis Hopper was in that bomb. But, he did come out and say something positive about Obama.

http://www.starpulse.com/news/index.php/2008/03/12/republican_dennis_hopper_considers_a_vot

[tpsbmam]

59. He said he voted for Obama because of Palin. n/t

[Cha]

77. Lovely ..mccain was brought down

by a woman.

[ellenfl]

26. james woods and david allen grier surprise me. eom

[merh]

32. ever since 9/11 james woods has been right next to dennis miller

on the extreme right.

He has given interviews where he admits to looking out for terrorists every time he flies. He apparently flew on plane with terrorists a month before 9/11 and reported their suspcious behavior to the pilot and FBI.

For the record, I explained, I had never heard of the James Woods incident either. with four men.”]

Standing in my kitchen, one of the agents said, “What I can tell you is this: Mohammed Atta was one of the passengers on that flight with James Woods.” (Apparently, this information has never been made public.)

http://michellemalkin.com/2005/04/24/report-mohammed-atta-was-on-flight-with-actor-james-woods/

[Chemical Bill]

67. What that idiot Woods doesn't get...

is that the fact that he reported on people (possibly Atta) and nothing happened should tell him how bad the repukes in charge are. It doesn't matter if it was MIHOP, LIHOP, or just plain incompetence. Woods is championing the repukes when they dropped the ball (or worse). If he actually thought about it he would get behind the party of the Big Dog, who jailed the people who attacked the WTC on his watch.

Bill

[merh]

68. I couldn't agree with you more.

[KamaAina]

43. David Alan Grier?!

Hard to believe. Could it be they ran out of black RWs after Gary Coleman? :shrug:

Oh yes, I'm sure you'll be thrilled to know that it is now available on DVD. In case you're running low on coasters or Frisbees.

[JHB]

78. It also proved several things...

1) Hollywood conservatives overestimate their numbers in the same way they overestimated the audience for this movie;
2) They are just as vapid and shallow in their views as any "Hollywood liberal", if not more;
3) They don't know damn about history.

[Cha]

17. I heard of a few of them when bush was

in his hey day and when mccain ran ..there were fundrasiers and the usual suspects were there.

There aren't that many and why would you "threaten to come out of the closet"? It's not like bush was a fucking conservative..just a miserble failure..something to be proud of for repukes, I guess.

[SidDithers]

30. The late Jack Valenti and the MPAA...

you don't get a group much more conservative than that. And it's the rating association that has real influence in Hollywood.

Sid

[tpsbmam]

62. Valenti was no raving conservative -- Valenti gave 63% of his political

contributions to Democrats. He was a mover & shaker who played with Dems and Reps, I suspect as he thought it would benefit him. He gave to some incredibly slimy Rethugs (e.g., Sensenbrenner & DeWine) but he gave lots to individual Dem candidates (e.g., Dodd, Frank, Leahy, Boxer, etc.) and to the Dem Party in general.

[spiritual_gunfighter]

71. Valenti worked in the Johnson administration n/t

[applejuice]

31. Everytime I hear some Hollywood conservative saying "There are lots of us, we just don't speak out"

I get the feeling they are just trying to bamboozle us into thinking there are more of them there than there actually are.

[PurityOfEssence]

37. There are lots of them

Trust me on this.

[applejuice]

40. Oh, I believe you. Wishful thinking more than anything probably.

Many of them will be self-centered and rich. Two qualities that play right into the GOP mindset.

[devilgrrl]

47. Actors or on the business side of the industry?

The reason I ask is because I find that conservatives on a whole lack creativity to begin with.

[PurityOfEssence]

65. And actors are uniformly creative?

There are many people who pursue acting for the noble reason of being a conduit of human feeling and bridge the gap in life. They care about what projects they take on and they honorably sacrifice themselves in an often emotionally harrowing quest to serve their fellow man. MOST actors, however, are narcissistic, surfacy and useless types more interested in themselves than anything else. It spoils the whole feel of the profession after an intimate dealing with it, but like everything else I can see in life, it's mostly dictated by one's attitude.

Of the various crafts in the industry, I rank actors rather low on the scale of percentage of true artists. I'd rank Producers, Directors, Writers, Art Department, Wardrobe, Camera/Electrics/Grip, Audio all higher on that account. There are many actors who truly do care, and most care somewhat, but for many, the soul of the project is just a vehicle. Truly, that's the case for everyone to a certain degree, and the marriage of art and commerce is an uneasy one at best.

I don't find conservatives inherently lacking in creativity; I find them lacking in empathy, unwilling to share, loathe to accept uncertainty, resistant to change and selfish, but many are VERY creative. Many are pissed off at being slowed down by what they perceive to be inferiors and consider that they shouldn't have to be burdened with them, regardless of the great advantages they get from the dutiful work of the underclasses.

As the ongoing nastiness and confusion percolates within the industry about a SAG strike, we're hearing more and more crap, typified by nightmare princesses like Anne Marie Johnson, that actors are a super-special species for whom we should willingly serve due to their deeply special artistic souls. To this I flatly say "crap". The average non-union Best Boy Electric is more of an artist than most actors will ever be.

Actors can be fine people and great artists, but the sad reality of our facile world is that that's all many people ever think about when considering show business, and they're just a very small piece of the puzzle. They get a disproportionate amount of the money, consideration, attention and goodies because so very many people achingly crave to be in their place. The hunger for attention is a human scourge.

If one looks at some of the reasons for becoming an actor, one can see self-absorbtion well up on the list, and this is a fundamental characteristic of conservatives. Many actors and celebrities feign being progressive (most shun the term "liberal") because they crave love and attention, and many truly are, but many have far different priorities when out of the public eye.

There is, however a real reason why there is so much liberalism in show business: it's so brutally hard that cameraderie grows as if in a legion of the damned. It also is very heterogeneous, and such circumstances tend to breed liberalism.

Never forget, though, that people can have wondrous talents and true vision and be otherwise despicable. Some can, and often are, socially and politically liberal while practicing the standard brutish jungle capitalism that is the heart of show business.

The trap that many people get into is demonizing their opponents to such a degree that they can't admit virtues among the otherwise unsavory. Such is life, though: people crave for binary simplicity, thus all their friends are beautiful, smart, honest, warm, nurturing, decent, talented and every other virtue, whereas their opponents must be slagged on every account. It just ain't so.

Haven't seen you since the last gathering; perhaps we should put together another local meeting once things die down a bit.

[devilgrrl]

70. I didn't mean it quite like that...

:blush: I'm afraid that I'm not as eloquent or well spoken as yourself (I love your posts!).

I've always found that most creative people (artists, musicians, etc.) - especially those with AMAZING talent - tend to be empathetic and caring, even if some of them are a bit self-absorbed. I'm sorry but IMHO, outside of a few people - conservatives are talentless hacks. :shrug:

BTW, I would love to see Mrs. PurityofEssence and yourself at a future DU gathering!

Thank you for giving me the idea to organize one! :-)

[anonymous171]

35. The GOP actually prefers them that way. They don't want their lower class base to realize the truth:

That the GOP is the party of the rich, and for the rich.

[Winterblues]

36. I am one of those few that refuses to support Conservatives in what ever they do.

If I know a business is a Conservative business I take mine elsewhere. The same goes for Actors. I refuse to watch anything that has Ben Stein or Ahnold or Dennis Miller. I just won't do it. I do not want any of my money ever ending up in Republican campaign coffers...I do not mind missing all those very violent movies anyway. It seems most Conservative Actors star in very violent movies..Just doesn't float my boat.

[JackRiddler]

38. The self-definition of the modern conservative is predicated on their imagined persecution.

Really, it's not just a bonus but absolutely constitutive to the post-Sixties conservative ideology, which exists as a never-ending reaction to the imagined injustices done to the image of America the all-powerful and all-beneficient, to the "Christian" culture and to the traumatized white male victim.

Even after the reaction took power in the Reagan revolution and had its way in the wars and covert ops, and despite the endless right-wing Hollywood propaganda of the 1980s, the 1990s began with enormous right-wing energy dedicated to decrying the "fascist" tyranny of political correctness, "feminazis," the "liberal media," the supposed fall of English as the national tongue, etc. etc.

And look at Hollywood! All the fascist propaganda of Bruckheimer and Emmerich, a slew of Pentagon-financed war recruitment films every year, Schwarzennegger, Eastwood, Chuck Norris, the producers who obediently met with Rove and pumped out Alias and 24 and "The Agency" ... BUT WAIT! John Cusack made a movie, too! Barbra Streisand said something MEAN about THE PRESIDENT!!! Alert, alert, liberal hordes eating babies again!!! Dittoheads, ARISE!!!

[Bolo Boffin]

39. The self-esteem of MANY people on both sides of the aisle are based on their imagined persecution.

You should know.

[JackRiddler]

41. chirpy, chirpy mockingbirds

[ColbertWatcher]

44. Threatening?

What an odd thing to say.

[katty]

45. hollywood conservs like the hollywood $ they get - they talk

but don't bitch too much.

[cascadiance]

46. It's interesting to see when there are "clashes" between hollywood families and casts in politics...

The Baldwin brothers are pretty active on both sides of the fence!

Angelina Jolie certainly has a lot of differences of opinion with her father...

And from those who made the television series Babylon V, which one might even claim is the "pre documentary" of what happened during the Bush administration, you had on the one hand the show's creator J. Michael Straczynski, who's very much in our camp, and then you have Jerry Doyle, the guy who played Garibaldi on that series, currently a well known right wing talk show host.

I've always found this post from J. Michael Straczynski a compelling one that speaks loudly about how we and the Bush crime family feel about what happened over the last 8 years...

From Straczynksi's posts to Google Groups a few years back (Bruce is Bruce Boxleitner who played the lead role in the series)...

http://groups.google.com/group/rec.arts.sf.tv.babylon5.info/browse_frm/thread/d8630fe108f7c4a/b4c07e8b3758420b?lnk=st&rnum=9#b4c07e8b3758420b

Bruce had been at the White House about a month ago, in the company of wife Melissa Gilbert, president of the Screen Actors Guild, for a discussion with some of the functionaries there concerning acting roles moving north of the Canadian border.

As they're talking, in a long conference room, in the middle of the meeting the door oens and Karl Rove -- main strategist for the Republican Party and power behind the White House throne -- comes in. He says (paraphrased from memory) to Melissa, "I hope you'll forgive me, but I actually here to see Bruce."

He then tells Bruce, "I just wanted to tell you that I'm a big science fiction fan, and that Babylon 5 is the best science fiction television series *ever*."

Then there's a pause, and he adds....

"And the President thinks so too."

Upon hearing this, I went to lie down for a spell, but I fully expect to be back on my feet by Spring, latest.

jms

[AnnieBW]

56. KKKarl and Chimpy think that B5 is the Best Sci-Fi EVER?

Well, that explains so much.

:puke:

Actually, I've met most of the B5 cast at various cons. Bruce was a pompous jerk. Jerry Doyle dropped F-bombs like the bombing of Dresden. Claudia Christian got really trashed and embarrassed herself (and the con) during the masquerade judging. Everyone else that I've met was really cool, though.

[ColbertWatcher]

48. What would be really interesting is if ...

... people really knew who was behind all the bad decisions that Hollywood has made.

Like, who greenlights all the movies based on TV shows and comic books and American remakes of British TV shows!

As far as all the people in front of the camera, who cares?

They might be surprised to find out how bored people are with their political ideology.

[Boomerang Diddle]

49. I knew it was only a matter of time

before Chuck Norris came out. lol

[friendly_iconoclast]

50. The problem for them is "conservative" usually doesn't = "talented"

As the saying goes, they can do a great job of persuading people who already agree with them.

Few are as talented as, say, John Ford- and even he wasn't your stereoptypical
right winger, vide The Battle of San Pietro or Cheyenne Autumn

[spiritual_gunfighter]

72. I agree John Ford was a great Republican director

He even made John Wayne (a pretty bad Republican actor) appear somewhat competent in a few of his movies.

[TheKentuckian]

52. Come on out!!! We'll tie you around the Republicans necks "as Hollywood Elites"

It is past time the Reich took some of their own stupid ass medicine.

[AnnieBW]

55. Being a conservative didn't hurt Ah-nuld's career

Crappy movies like "Twins" did.

[depakid]

60. Good way to sabotage a career

who's going to want to work with them?

[southernyankeebelle]

61. How sad

Everyone should be able to have an opinion and not be afraid to express it. I just think republicans are hyocrites always downing liberals when they speak their minds. Republicans always call them the looney left. But I never heard democratics say anything about convserative republicans. That is one thing everyone has a right to do is speak out. We may not agree but they are entitled to their opinion.

[kskiska]

63. Why did they wait till they were out of power to come out?

You'd think they'd have thrown their weight around while they could. What difference does it make now?

[seabeyond]

64. especially since the majority of hollywood stars elected in political positions have been,.... what

?????

fuckin repugs

love boat dude
sonny
fred dude
reagan

so wtf do they have to be worried about.

[GinaMaria]

66. They are so persecuted

:sarcasm: Seriously? Does Pat Sadjak really think his career has been held back by being a repuke? His position far exceeds his talent. How about Tom Seleck? Arnold? Jerry Bruckhiemer?

[mitchum]

69. Hypocrites who belong to powerful trade unions supporting a political party...

opposed to collective bargaining by people who do real work.

[Kat45]

73. Terrific description.

I'll have to remember that one.

[ellenfl]

74. some HAVE come out . . .

fred thompson, fred grandy, ahnold, sonny bono and, of course, raygun . . . how can the repugs scream about liberal hollywood when all the celebs who have held public office until now have been republican? (go, al! . . . franken, not gore)

ellen fl

[Hugabear]

75. Yes, please identify yourselves...

I want to know which movies and albums I no longer have to support. Should help me save quite a bit of money.

[MicaelS]

76. Who really gives a shit??

I mean c'mon. Can they act, can they sing, can they dance? In other words are they good at their craft? That what matters to me. I fully accept that many creative people inhabit a parallel universe that semi-co-exists with our own. They have little idea of the everyday struggles of the average person. We have little idea of their everyday struggles unless they go public. And their views on almost anything outside their craft are suspect. Complaining about conservatives in Hollywood, and wanting to boycott them is just as wrong as those people who bashed and boycotted the Dixie Chicks.