Politics
Washington hasn’t spoken too much about his political views. Given his religiosity, one might assume he’s rather conservative regarding social issues, but that’s just conjecture. Washington was a staunch Obama supporter during the 2008 presidential campaign.7
Washington gave $30,800 to the Obama campaign that year8 and defended the president after 2010’s mid-term elections ushered in a Republican Congress, saying:
I don’t think it’s just directed at Obama, I think people are frustrated. You’ve got to blame somebody, and he’s the boss – he’s got the big target on his head. I think there’s a desire for checks and balances, so now there’s a Republican party in Congress, and a Democratic party in the Senate, and a Democratic president, I think it now forces them all to work together.9
And in a strange move, not common among Hollywood stars, Washington officially endorsed a Democratic mayoral candidate in his hometown of Mount Vernon, New York.10
He’s a staunch Democrat, but with perspective and class. During the Bush war years, Denzel wouldn’t put down the president, but rather stated his concern for the troops coming home from battle. He said:
“Washington was a staunch Obama supporter during the 2008 presidential campaign”
I can’t really blame black people for supporting Obama in ‘08. I don’t think that if I were black I’d’ve voted for him, but I’m very staunchly pro-life, however, it was truly an historic event.
Too bad it was all BS, but if such as Peggy Noonan, Christopher Buckley and David “trouser crease” Brooks got suckered in, it’s hard to come down hard on those for whom the election of a black president was a grand validation.
I never knew Denzel Washington was a Christian, I realized he was a tremendous actor when I woke up in the middle of “Training Day” (hubby was watching it on TV). It was the scene were he’s explaining to the rookie cop why it is OK, actually good, that they are corrupt cops. I tell you, I was a bit half asleep, but I got what he was saying and I was almost buying it. I was like: whoa, this guy is GOOD.
If he ever did become a preacher he would probably be able to fill Madison Square Garden on a weekly basis.