Not so much doctrinaire left-wing as very anti-authoritarian and anti-imperialist. From the same song (Washington Bullets) that the album title came from: "If you find an Afghan rebel that the Moscow bullets missed, ask him what he thinks of voting communist. Ask the Dalai Lama in the hills of Tibet, how many monks did the Chinese get?"
I can vouch for Johnny's movie-watching habit. I used to see him regularly in the DVD rental place I frequented.