Man, you are behind the times.
Hollywood stars align behind Kerry By Lisa Friedman,DC Bureau
(Found this through Drudge…it was news.com or something like it. Sorry!)
_Vermont Gov. Howard Dean made an early splash in the Hollywood money scene as an outspoken critic of the war in Iraq, but the entertainment industry gave more to Sen. John Kerry of Massachusetts. With the Iraq war no longer looking like a winning political issue for Democrats in the 2004 presidential race, political analysts speculated Monday that Dean’s popularity with the stars might boil down to a walk-on role.
_“The war is over, and a lot of his early Hollywood support really did have to do with the war,” said Sherry Bebitch Jeffe, political science expert at the University of Southern California.
_“The early interest was in Dean. I just don’t know where it is now. It will depend on who looks to be the most electable. If that’s the goal, they are more likely going to take a look at John Kerry.”
_According to campaign donation reports filed recently for the first quarter of 2003, Dean did not rake in the most money from celebrities among Democratic presidential contenders. That distinction went to Massachusetts Sen. John Kerry, who – according to the Center for Responsive Politics, a watchdog group based in Washington, D.C. – took in $159,350 from the entertainment industry, compared with Dean’s $64,710.
_But in the battle for top billing, Dean seems to have come out a winner with financial backing from the likes of actor-director Rob Reiner, actor Michael Douglas and two-thirds of the group Crosby, Stills & Nash. “The West Wing” star Martin Sheen also has endorsed Dean’s candidacy, although according to financial reports has not donated any money to the campaign.
_Political observers say the end of the war in Iraq could mark a significant point in the anti-war Dean’s campaign for the Democratic nomination. “His issue is gone,” CNN analyst Bill Schneider said. “(Hollywood) wants someone who can beat George Bush. That doesn’t at the moment look like Howard Dean. Now those same people are going to be looking at the field again.”
_Schneider said he expects celebrities will now be casting their eyes toward – and opening their wallets for – Kerry. His celebrity donations have included $2,000 from actor Alec Baldwin; $1,000 from “American Beauty” star Thora Birch; and $1,000 apiece from directors Sydney Pollack and Wes Craven.
_“(Kerry) has a lot of money, and that impresses people in Hollywood,” Schneider said.
_Former Democratic Minority Leader Richard Gephardt of Missouri took in $10,250 from the entertainment industry, according to the Center for Responsive Politics.
_While the total is among the lowest for the big-name Democratic contenders, he did manage to pack in his share of stars. Among them, “The West Wing” actor Bradley Whitford; “Who’s the Boss” star Judith Light; and “That Girl” Marlo Thomas, each of whom donated $2,000.
_As far as “Let’s Make a Deal” host Monty Hall was concerned, Joseph Lieberman was behind door No. 1. Hall gave $250 to the Connecticut senator. Meanwhile, “Will and Grace” star Debra Messing sank $2,000 into Lieberman’s campaign. Yet Lieberman’s candidacy has not sparked much interest among the celebrity set, a factor pundits attributed both to his support for the war and outspoken stance against sex and violence in the media.
_“He’s not where their hearts are,” Schneider said, adding that religion also might be keeping the stars away from Lieberman. “A lot of them are Jewish and they probably worry about whether a Jewish Democrat can get elected.”
_President George W. Bush has not begun to campaign formally for the 2004 race and has not filed any campaign reports.
_In the past, however, actress Bo Derek(Woo woo!), actor Bruce Willis and actor/former National Rifle Association leader Charlton Heston have buoyed the Republican ticket’s star power.
_But of course, Jeffe(political science expert at the University of Southern California) said, Bush “doesn’t need Hollywood money.”
NOTE: Kerry has a lot of $(600 million),
but Bush(Worth what? 60 million$, tops!)doesn’t need Hollywood $!
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What’s with this F_alk? Has he got a multilingual spellcheck program?
No posts on this thread, then BAM!
