Politics and Hollywood

Like many in the Twitterphere, I was amused by Clint Eastwood’s apparent one-man show of Harvey during last night’s Republican National Convention.  His duel of words with an invisible President left many, myself included, as speechless as his “Man With No Name” character.  No matter how cognizant “Dirty Harry’s” speech could have been, it’s obvious that Washington needs Hollywood more than they need them.  Also, the playing ground is not as imbalanced as one would suspect.

It seems that the moment celebrities became audible on celluloid, audiences clamored to hear anything they said off or on camera.  Their influence, though not as potent as their films, retain a titanic hold on the opinions of the average citizens.  Even non-US political figures greeted entertainers with open arms.  Civil rights leaders like Gandhi and the Dali Lama got starstruck just like the rest of us.  During the 1950s and 60s, Martin Luther King was no stranger to the companionship of Sidney Poitier, Charlton Heston, or the reclusive Marlon Brando.  And of course, there is Ronald Reagan, who remains a prime example of how far the power of celebrity can carry a person.   

Probably the most striking bit of Hollywood influence was the rumored election mangling by JFK “bff” Frank Sinatra who made the trailing Democrat candidate an offer he couldn’t refuse.  Obviously the Democrats have the upper-hand when it pertains to face value, but tough guys like Clint, Bruce, and Arnold pack on more “tough guy” muscle value than many of the Democrat’s army of pampered, delicate, nurturing man-boy faces in their own stable.  Perhaps the Republicans’ biggest icon (long before Reagan was a household name) was the legend: John Wayne, who epitomized the original glorified message of the red with The Man Who Shot Liberty Valance when he uttered, “Out here a man handles his own problems…”  Although…both Humphrey Bogart and James Cagney were Democrats who defied conventional wisdom that the man’s men were always colored in red.  And the lines between Democrats and Republicans are different when our heroes were cowboys and gangsters instead of superheros and giant robots.

Personally, I’m tired of seeing Hollywood on either side of the line.  Their opinions only count based on the feeble”Inside Edition” inspired narrow-mindedness.  There are plenty of celebrities who have the time and money to devote their energies to noble causes within the political spectrum.  Some have even accumulated a great deal of worldly knowledge and intelligence to earn time on the airwaves.  Sometimes they are simply paid stool pigeons meant to sway opinions of the impressionable movie-loving audience.      

I believe Clint Eastwood was brought on center stage as a mean of instilling that “John Wayne” message into the hearts and minds of viewing American public.  Instead, he kind of looked like grandpa talking to a chair that had been long abandoned by his bored grandson.  When Obama rallies his own (much larger) army of elite, hopefully, he will spare the embarrassment of drafting Alec Baldwin to do his introduction.  If so, he’s no less entitled the same amount of ridicule.

In this case, I know that Clint is conservative when it pertains to government intervention and budgetary spending (he was a mayor in the 80s).  He also bends to the left when it pertains to social welfare and issues.  When it pertains to his cinematic stamp, Clint remains a hero of mine.  I’ll continue to love his movies and his work.  But like Bogart, Christopher Reeve and even my slowly growing man-crush on Ryan Gosling (common, he’s definitely a good-looking man and talented.  Drive is a classic folks.), my love for them is reserved for how they manipulate my emotions in front of a movie camera–not a news camera.  And I wouldn’t give stock to Clint’s rambling remarks, which came from a man who looked flattered to be there…and possibly get paid.  But inevitably, he’s never been good at “acting” outside the realms of what he thinks and believes.  He sounded much more convincing when he said, “Make my day” on my DVD.