Posted on 06/29/2004 12:29:03 PM PDT by presidio9
During a fundraising event for Democratic presidential candidate Sen. John F. Kerry last Thursday dubbed "An Evening With John Kerry and Friends," outspoken liberal singer Barbra Streisand took the opportunity to bash President George W. Bush in song and then call him "narrow" and "privileged."
The event, which reportedly raised $5 million for Kerry, was held on June 24, 2004 at the Walt Disney Concert Hall in Los Angeles, California with a host of Hollywood celebrities and entertainers on hand, including Ben Affleck, Warren Beatty, Annette Bening, Ted Danson, Mary Steenburgen, Benicio del Toro, Robert DeNiro, Danny DeVito, Rhea Perlman, Leonardo DiCaprio, Kirsten Dunst, Rob Reiner, Laurence Fishburne, Gina Torres, Dustin Hoffman, and Ben Stiller, among others.
The original Kerry fundraiser in Los Angeles was supposed to take place on June 7 in Los Angeles, but was delayed because of the death of former President Ronald Reagan.
A similar fundraising concert is scheduled for Radio City Music Hall in New York on July 8 and is expected to feature Jon Bon Jovi, Bette Midler, James Taylor, John Mellencamp, Wyclef Jean, Robin Williams, and Whoopi Goldberg.
Streisand sang a customized anti-Bush version of her song "People" to show her support for Kerry in the upcoming presidential election. The words were written by Alan and Marilyn Bergman.
Posted on Streisand's web site, the lyrics show her disdain for Bush and members of his administration.
"People, I mean G-O-People, who'd believe there's such people in this world," Streisand began singing.
Mentioning Bush, National Security Advisor Condoleezza Rice, Vice President Dick Cheney, Defense Secretary Donald Rumsfeld, and Secretary of State Colin Powell in the song, Streisand shared her leftist viewpoints on the environment, homeland security, and the war in Iraq.
Describing Rumsfeld as "the spookiest person in the world," Streisand declared in the song, "We must get rid of Rumsfeld."
As for the war in Iraq, Streisand sings, "Let's discuss this war we're lost in, don't ask what it's costin' -- what's a trillion or two to rule the world?"
In the next chorus, Streisand shifts her attention to the U.S. Senate stating, "How I want the Senate! All we need is two people in the world," referring to the number of seats the Democrats need to pick up in the November election to regain control of the 100-member legislative body on Capitol Hill.
Then, in a jab at conservative Supreme Court Justice Antonin Scalia, Streisand bemoaned, "How I dread ev'ry time he sits."
Labeling Bush administration officials as "neo-con guys," Streisand bellowed that it is "time [they] were gone guys."
At the end of the song, Streisand concludes that "things are gonna be great" because "when the White House stationery reads President John Kerry -- we'll be the luckiest people in the world."
After finishing her Bush-bashing song, Streisand began to speak about America when "another brilliant Massachusetts Senator with the initials JFK was president."
"It was a turbulent, uncertain time," Streisand recalled the year 1963 when John F. Kennedy was president. "Kennedy correctly viewed the world as a complicated place which needed very intelligent people who could tackle difficult problems and find reasonable solutions, which he did!"
Yet, Streisand contends that 2004 is "a defining moment in our country's history."
"There are two paths," Streisand explained. "They are not defined by right or left, but by right or wrong."
In a subtle reference to Bush, Streisand said the "wrong path is a narrow one" made up of "minds that are closed to anything that doesn't fit within their narrow belief system, a path paved with deception and secrecy."
She then reveals, "This is the way taken by the current administration."
Contrasting the "narrow" path, Streisand unveiled that the alternative is a "wider, more open" path which "allows for intellectual curiosity, discourse, dissent and debate ... all essential to democracy."
Predictably, Streisand states, "This is the path chosen by John Kerry."
Recalling that both Bush and Kerry were "children of privilege," Streisand said each man went in separate directions as adults.
In her most direct attack against Bush, Streisand lamented that the president "never strayed from the narrow path" of wealth and prosperity he has enjoyed.
"When challenged, he's never been held accountable," she said. "Worse, he's never held himself accountable. He's viewed his privileged upbringing as a way to ease his path in life. With the world at his feet, he chose not to look at it."
Streisand continued, "And now, the world is looking to us to make a change ... to make a choice."
Lauding Kerry's "choice" to go to Vietnam and then engage in anti-war activities when he returned to the United States, Streisand believes Kerry is a hero because he decided to "fight for his country on the battlefield" and "in the halls of Congress."
She concluded, "That's how one's character is defined."
Describing the 2004 presidential election as "the most difficult, historic election of our time ... in which the character of our country is at stake," Streisand opined that Kerry "has the strength, the intellect and the integrity to set this country on the right course from which it has sadly strayed."
Mocking Bush's "ordinary man" quality, Streisand said she would much rather have "an extraordinary man ... a man like John Kerry" to be her president.
In a final plea, Streisand expressed her desire for voters to make the right choice in the general election.
"I have faith in the American people - faith that come November 2nd, standing at this fork in the road they will choose the right path to the presidency ... the presidency of another JFK ... John Forbes Kerry," Streisand commented.
wow..she's ugly.
I hope Sean Hannity sees this and takes Babs up on the "debate" aspect.
MAN HANDS!!
Nope..still F'ugly.
There is no way that is actually babs........She looks rather good there.....
If my wife had written parody lyrics that bad, she'd probably hang it up and go to a trade school. Why didn't Babs stick a crowbar in her wallet and hire a professional comedy writer for the job? That witness, clunky vitriol sounds suspiciously like something she'd write herself. But then, if she can write, direct and play the ingenue in such deathless cinematic classics as "The Mirror Has Two Faces (But Unfortunately, I Only Have This One)," then I guess she thinks she can write parody lyrics, too. Wrong on all counts.
one of her movies was on TBS the other night and I almost broke my remote flipping the channel.
She and her cronies can be assured to NEVER get a dime of my $. Thank God for Dish and Cable.... not to mention games, exercise, visiting with friends.
Who the HECK do these blabby political stars think they are???
What an A$$, I can't stand that pig....
What a complete pea brain!
Oh, my God! A freeper who knows and is a fan of Barbara Cook! Will wonders never cease??
Those lyrics are really awful.
Does anyone think that all of these Hollywood types take themselves just a bit too seriesly?
One night,in North Adams, MA, after watching the movie with Robert Preston and Shirley Jones (who also did an excellent Ms. Paroo) I called Mason City,Iowa to tell Meredith Wilson how much we enjoyed his story.
The local telephone operator never heard of him! 
I think that Meredith Wilson was not beloved by the town of "River City." They felt he dissed them in The Music Man. But it still is one of my favorites - the B'way revival about two years ago (with a wonderful singer named Rebecca Lukar)was very good.
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