'Celebrity Backlash' Helped Re-Elect Bush, Actor Says

CNS News ^ | 2-3-05 | Marc Morano

[FlyLow]

Capitol Hill (CNSNews.com) - Stage and screen actor Ron Silver, in Washington for President Bush's State of the Union address Wednesday night, credited left-wing celebrities -- particularly filmmaker Michael Moore -- with helping to re-elect George W. Bush.

"The celebrity backlash helped," Silver said. "Michael Moore, I think, was a big factor --a really big factor," Silver told Cybercast News Service in the U.S. Capitol's Statuary Hall, following Bush's speech.

Silver's acting credits include the television series "The West Wing," and "Chicago Hope" as well as the movie "Reversal of Fortune." He also is a co-founder of the Creative Coalition, a social and political advocacy organization of the (generally liberal) entertainment industry, and he has stood out in Hollywood for supporting the war in Iraq.

"The attention paid to [Moore] -- the lionization of his piece of propaganda (the anti-Bush movie "Fahrenheit 911") -- I think it all kind of backfired," Silver said.

Silver, a former Democrat, was responding to a question about a billboard campaign in Hollywood sponsored by the conservative group Citizens United that is thanking celebrities for helping to re-elect Bush.

One billboard displays an image of President Bush juxtaposed against the images of several celebrities, including Michael Moore, Whoopi Goldberg, Sean Penn, Ben Affleck and Barbra Streisand with the text: "4 More Years. Thank You Hollywood!"

[gop_gene]

Give Effing Kerry his due, also. If he hadn't infuriated Vietnam vets by trying to run on his war record, the Swiftees never could have scored their hits.

He didn't have a choice--what else was he going to run on? His impressive legislative record? His sparkling personality? His so-called war hero record was his only apparent ace-in-the-hole, it had worked for him whenever he was in a tight spot in MA (never mind why in the world a liberal was in a tight spot in Liberalchussetts in the first place), so he assumed (wrongly) it'd work yet again.

[TMD]

Prior to the election I heard a quote from one of the young, beautiful male actors and it went something like this-"I'm a grown man who puts on makeup, someone elses clothes and my job is to pretend to be someone else. Why should my opinion count for anything?"

[BullDog108]

Contributor	Candidate or PAC	Amount	Date
SILVER, RON NEW YORK, NY 10036 ACTORS EQUITY	DNC SERVICES CORPORATION/DEMOCRATIC NATIONAL COMMITTEE (D)	$1,000 primary	11/02/00
Silver, Ron Mr. New York, NY 10036 Self-Employed	BRADLEY, BILL (D) President BILL BRADLEY FOR PRESIDENT INC	$1,000 primary	07/06/99
SILVER, RON NEW YORK, NY 10036 ACTOR	SCHUMER, CHARLES E (D) House (NY 09) FRIENDS OF SCHUMER	$1,000 general	10/30/96
SILVER, RON NEW YORK, NY 10036	TIME FUTURE INC (FKA BILL BRADLEY FOR U S SENATE)	$500 primary	09/12/95
SILVER, RON NEW YORK, NY 10036 ACTOR/ENTERTAINER	TIME FUTURE INC (FKA BILL BRADLEY FOR U S SENATE)	$500 general	03/29/95
SILVER, RON NEW YORK, NY 10036 ACTOR/ENTERTAINER	TIME FUTURE INC (FKA BILL BRADLEY FOR U S SENATE)	$500 primary	03/29/95
SILVER, RON NEW YORK, NY 10036 ACTOR'S EQUITY	TIME FUTURE INC (FKA BILL BRADLEY FOR U S SENATE)	$500 primary	05/17/94
SILVER, RON NEW YORK, NY 10036 ACTORS EQUITY	DNC SERVICES CORPORATION/DEMOCRATIC NATIONAL COMMITTEE (D)	$1,000 primary	05/16/94
SILVER, RON NEW YORK, NY 10036 ACTOR	KERREY, J ROBERT (D) Senate - NE KERREY FOR U S SENATE COMMITTEE	$1,000 primary	04/29/94
SILVER, RON NEW YORK, NY 10036 ACTOR	MOYNIHAN, DANIEL PATRICK (D) Senate - NY MOYNIHAN COMMITTEE INC	$1,000 primary	05/03/93
SILVER, RON NEW YORK, NY 10036 ACTORS EQUITY	DNC SERVICES CORPORATION/DEMOCRATIC NATIONAL COMMITTEE (D)	$1,000 primary	10/30/92
SILVER, RON NEW YORK, NY 10036 ACTOR	ABRAMS, ROBERT (D) Senate - NY ABRAMS COMMITTEE	$1,000 general	10/19/92
SILVER, RON NEW YORK, NY 10036	KERREY, J ROBERT (BOB) SENATOR (D) President KERREY FOR PRESIDENT	$1,000 primary	01/22/92
SILVER, RON NEW YORK, NY 10036 ACTOR	KERREY, J ROBERT (BOB) SENATOR (D) President KERREY FOR PRESIDENT	$-1,000 primary	01/16/92
SILVER, RON NEW YORK, NY 10036 ACTOR	KERREY, J ROBERT (BOB) SENATOR (D) President KERREY FOR PRESIDENT	$500 primary	01/16/92
Data Provided by the Federal Election Commission as of 1/31/05 -- 11,485,709 records

[Unam Sanctam]

Brace yourself for more years of the same, with Howard "I hate Republicans" Dean as DNC chair.

[SZonian]

The same way the eurocrapweasels did!

Bunch of uneducated, interloping, bloviating, self-indulgent, indolent a**holes that they are.

[hsalaw]

"Liberalchussetts"

I think it's "Liberalassachussetts"

[NorCalRepub]

listening to Ron Silver is very inspiring. He really knows his history, facts and such. At one time I thought he was a good loyal ally but after hearing him he is a great analyst and knows the history of events better than I and most pundits. Seems like actors that support Bush are very studious and reasonable and don't use overwhelming emotion where of course the overriding majority use just the opposite tactics and look like ignorant buffoons

[Piranha]

Your list stops in 2000. He didn't change until 9/11.

[Republicus2001]

Is there a Silver filmography? I suddenly feel like a trip to Blockbusters...

[sportutegrl]

Karl Rove's secret plan worked. (He may be an Evil Genius, but he's our evil Genius). (BTW--the preceeding was an attempt at humor).

[buccaneer81]

From what I've read, September 11 was Mr. Silver's epiphany.

[BullDog108]

I know that. My post was in response to grellis' claim that he wasn't a former 'Rat. The list proves he was a 'Rat.

[American Vet Repairman]

"The celebrity backlash helped,"

It was not a backlash. It was the ongoing tripe from the Clinton administration. They acted like morons and fools and can be tolerated as free spirited or different. But they have shown that they hate many of their fellow Americans. This act, the majority will not tolerate. Hatred of America put thousands of Americans in the grave on 911. The liberals love for hating the right is liberalism's undoing.

[BullDog108]

http://www.imdb.com/name/nm0798779/

[pepperdog]

I had forgotten about that. I was so hoping that someone would leak the tapes, that I'm sure exist, so that the world could see them in all their glory. Hopefully they will still come to the surface in the not too distant future.

[theDentist]

Mr. Silver is proudly liberal, but puts country first, a laudable trait. And yes, an inspiring speaker.

[Sprite518]

grellis is correct in post #15. I noticed all of these donations are before 911.

[NorCalRepub]

it is.....but you know what gets me......someone like McCain who also supports the war and Bush in that endeavor is villified here and called a RINO but Silver, who I like, is no more conservative than McCain all around and he is celebrated. Just don't get some of the hatred here sometimes.........

[Sprite518]

He spoke at the Republican convention too. I watched his speech.

[northernlightsII]

Seems like all these contributions are all pre 9/11.Maybe he is now enlightened.He was the only one I could stomach listening to during the post debates talk fest.