In
researching the potential effects of the coming election on my future industry
(film and television) I stumbled across the article above. If you’re crunched
for time I’ll save you some trouble. Basically, through data collected by the
Center of Responsive Politics, an organization that tracks and reports monetary
contributions to politicians, it has been found that, “Over the last two years,
Obama has outraised Romney from what the Center calls the,
"TV/Movies/Music" industry, by nearly 5-1, with $4,518,742 in
donations to the President and $836,038 to the Romney campaign.” While the
article addresses the obvious pattern that celebrities tend to be liberal, it
doesn’t pose an answer to why. For as long as I can remember being an artist
(actor, musician, filmmaker) came with the stigma of being inherently
democratic. This is not a recent observation or one held exclusively by me. For
example, back in the 40’s and 50’s when senator McCarthy’s communist witch hunt
was in full swing, Hollywood was targeted immensely by the mainly conservative
HUAC (House Committee on Un-American Activities) on the grounds that liberal
minded Hollywood artists and writers were slowly turning innocent American’s
into freedom hating communists overnight.
And it was this farfetched example that led me to a possible explanation
for George Clooney’s total man-crush on our president.
Don’t get me wrong, Obama is
one healthy looking fellow, but what else makes our favorite stars get all
twinkly for him? I think the
answer could be as simple as the social values and lifestyles that hold true
with common views of the inhabitants of Hollywood, or California in general.
I’m not trying to offend anyone or claim that Hollywood is immoral, just that large
urban areas (New York, L.A.) tend to be progressive, therefore more invested in
the social liberties that the far left supports and advocates for. The way I see it, a wealthy celebrity
would amass much more money under the wing of the Republican Party’s fiscal
policies yet they vote consistently, not just with their wallets, but also with
civil rights and social freedom in mind. Please, do NOT mistake this for me
saying every movie star is a saint. I’m proposing that, much like other
American’s, they feel that before they can vote freely, the social inequalities
and intrusions still present in our country must be addressed and cleared.
Alas, the day the far right embraces marijuana, homosexuality and all related
issues is far from here and until then Obama and the democratic party will
continue to enjoy the monetary buffering of the Hollywood elite.
-Neal Brower
Hmmm... and I always thought it was because Obama kind of looked like a movie star :)
ReplyDeleteI get where you're going with this. We've talked about Obama and Hollywood so much, but it is seriously an interesting thing. Obama raises money like crazy, I think that guy could sucker a bum into giving him a buck. The fact that he's such a factor with such huge names in Hollywood helps him so much, IMO.
ReplyDeleteI've always wondered what the reason is for soooooo many celebrities backing and supporting Obama. I agree that Obama could essentially play a perfect James Bond, but are there other reasons besides that (i would assume so). With pretty much the entire world of the internet in love with him and the full support of most of the celebrity world it's hard to imagine how the race is as tight as it is.
ReplyDeleteJust because the media you gravitate towards tend to favor the Obama campaign don't be fooled into thinking that most of the world is pleased with the president. First consider all of the dimensions of the internet... I don't think it is accurate to claim "the entire world of the internet" is in love with Obama. Second remember there are other media outlets, like radio, that tend to be inherently more conservative than other outlets and thus don't share this same infatuation for the president that you seem to be deceived by.
ReplyDeleteI think you are right about the fact that California, where a large amount of celebrities are located, is more liberal and therefore more inclined to vote with Obama. You sort of answered your own question. I feel like there are a ton of celebrities who endorse Mitt Romney as well (Donald Trump, Clint Eastwood, Chuck Norris, Meatloaf, Kid Rock, etc.) but Mitt Romney's support comes from a different place, because of his opposite values. Although, it is interesting to note that the state that gave the most contributions to both candidates was California. (But this might be because of some other observation that I am not qualified to make.)
ReplyDeletehttp://www.opensecrets.org/pres12/index.php