Sean Penn calls Bush a 'Beezlebub--and a dumb one'...

Editor and Publisher ^ | 09/12/06

[MikeA]

NEW YORK Sparks usually fly, from one quarter or another, when actor Sean Penn meets the press, and it happened again this week at a news conference for the Toronto International Film Festival. Chances were greater there as he was touting a long-expected political drama screened there, the re-make of "All the King's Men."

Among the highlights on Sunday, Penn asked photographers to stop snapping so he could hear questions, and he called President Bush "a Beelzebub -- and a dumb one."

Penn stars in the new movie as a Huey Long-type populist politician in Louisiana, with Jude Law playing a crucial role as his friend, an alcoholic reporter.

"One could make the argument that George Bush is a good politician," Penn said at one point, seemingly offering praise. Then he added: "I think the issue is how you define politician. Once upon a time, politics was the organization of things to benefit the people."

An early review this week by E&P's VNU sibling, The Hollywood Reporter, hailed Penn's "charismatic" performance, but added that the movie "doesn't seem to know how to contain it. Writer-director Steven Zaillian's questionable solution is to fit this rambunctious portrait of unruly Southern politics in a monumental frame where Southern Gothic meets Leni Riefenstahl." Variety panned it as "overstuffed."

At the press conference, a reporter returned to the notion of Bush as a good politician, and Penn said the definition has changed -- much as it has for "good actor" which now means, he said, "contest winner" (he is an Academy Award winner himself).

"So that's the level of politician I think he's good at," Penn said. "Out of context, he's Beelzebub -- and a dumb one."

Another query: Could he name a good politician? Penn said he wasn't about to "rattle off the cliches....It should be obvious, those people who sacrificed of their talents and their commitment to their country or their people . . . we know who they are and they're not currently in the White House."

Penn has written several freelance articles for the San Francisco Chronicle in recent years.

[kcvl]

Sporting a moustache and a severe expression and lighting up a cigarette that no one dared say wasn't allowed, Penn was part of a panel promoting "All the King's Men," a story of a well-meaning politician who is eventually corrupted by power and money.

At one point, Penn lectured the press photographers, saying he couldn't hear a reporter's question because of the clacking of their shutters.

Also on hand was one of the film's producers, James Carville, former Clinton administration strategist turned political commentator.

[BossLady]

Exactly! Madonna knew back in 1989 he was too stupid to be seen with....LOL!

[Reagan79]

Once upon a time, politics was the organization of things to benefit the people
"LOL...when was that?

Sean, who's the dumb one?"

I think he was talking about his favorite system the U.S.S.R.

[geezerwheezer]

He's a violent little bugger too! Likes to slap women around and beat up photographers too! A real man he is, and as weird as they get. Problem for him is that he never had the brains to get fried with the drugs and stuff, and is too stupid to know it!

[LadyPilgrim]

"George W. Bush has more brains in his little finger than Sean Penn has in his entire family.

You are probably right about this. ;-)

[MikeA]

He looks like total trailer trash.

[NCLaw441]

Sean Penn: educated at Santa Monica Community College, auto mechanics and speech. What, a scholar? nah.

[<1/1,000,000th%]

Big talk from a drop out of a 2 year community college.

[Eric in the Ozarks]

Whenever I want an explanation of international affairs, I turn to Sean Penn.

[fishergirl]

One of my fondest memories was that idiot, Sean Penn, bailing out that boat during his "big" rescue in New Orleans. Mr. Idiot and his crew forgot to put the plug in the boat was the reason it started taking on water.
President George Bush is a good and decent man. Hey, Sean, ever hear the old saying: Please don't tell my mother I'm a politician - she thinks I play the piano in a brothel.

[CertainInalienableRights]

Penn has written several freelance articles for the San Francisco Chronicle in recent years.

Sean Penn can write? Who knew?

[Vasilli22]

Loved this comment posted earlier by Freeper Tenacious 1 regarding his feeling about actors:

Actors/actresses are paid to entertain me. They are little more than a chosen distraction to my important life. They are jesters. If I feel like laughing, I choose to be entertained by people on film doing or saying something funny. If I feel like being excited, I choose action or adventure.
These folks have no direct useful talent that provides for necessary public consumption. They do not produce food, materials, goods or services that necessarily sustain our economy. They provide entertainment as I desire it.
They provide it when I desire it and I choose what it is I desire.
Again, they are merely jesters. They do not have impressive credentials.
They have no real world experience. They offer no substantial wisdom that any reasonable and useful citizen of the United States can use or rely on in the real world.

Therefore, any overpaid jester that finds a media outlet to preach to about how I should view the world, vote or live my life will not be entertaining me. I am not amused in any way, shape or form by some actor/actress that purports to understand real life in any meaningful way or have such wisdom as to influence my values or morals. By and large, Holy-Wood types live lives of vile contempt for righteous, upstanding, hardworking Americans.
They themselves reside in a Godless, morally bankrupt circle of social degenerates. Anyone influenced by any of these malcontents, I deem ignorant and misguided.

http://www.freerepublic.com/focus/f-news/1699861/posts

[BossLady]

Oh yeah.....thats never been a big secret about him. I did hear even as near as 2004 he was knocking Robin Wright around...... more than a few times.....

[finnigan2]

Although Wikepedia says nothing of Penn's formal education, it does say he is an acknowledged world class expert on political matters.
However, another source of information on Penn's education states: "Santa Monica College in Santa Monica, California (studied Auto Mechanics and Speech)".
Since there is no mention whether or not he ever graduated, we can safely assume that he dropped out.
So there you have it. Penn is an acknowledged world expert in politics who took some courses in auto mechanics at a small college and never graduated.
(By the way, Penn's father was a black listed commie in the 1950's. The resulting hardship probably forced the family to give up their live in maid.)

[Armedanddangerous]

And wore his bullet proof vest wear it on the outside.

[Armedanddangerous]

And wore his bullet proof vest on the outside..

Jeeze..if I could only spell...

[fschmieg]

Absolutely!Why does anyone listen to anything these losers say?

[GSWarrior]

Why was I not surprised to read in this article that Penn has a new movie coming out?

[IMissPresidentReagan]

You got me. :-) And people wonder why I prefer to read.

[Doc Savage]

A pathetic mind is good thing to waste!