While campaigning for Al Gore in the 2000 election, actress
Whoopi Goldberg explained to a large L.A. crowd why the public
ought to listen to celebrities on the subject of politics.
Complete with hand gestures, Goldberg told the audience
“you guys are down there, and we celebrities are up here
““ so we can see what the government is really up to. Then we
can tell you what is really going on.”
Goldberg’s blockheaded assertion captures the arrogance
typical of celebrity political thought. Despite having little in
common with the common man, Hollywood has nonetheless anointed
itself the fourth branch of government, protectorate of the public
interest, enforcer of all causes just and liberal.
And now, with the war drum growing louder by the day, a
relatively dormant Hollywood has awoken from its post-Sept. 11,
2001 slumber and unleashed a political onslaught against the Bush
administration in an effort to reshape what it deems an
“imperialist” foreign policy.
Barbara Streisand, diva and outspoken liberal activist, fired a
blow in a memo sent to Congressman Dick Gephardt early last week.
Armed with political insight that apparently warrants direct
congressional attention, Streisand accused Bush of being a lapdog
for “such special interests as the oil industry, chemical
companies, the logging industry, defense contractors, mining
industry, and the automobile industry, just to name a few.”
According to the Web site www.chronwatch.com, Streisand went on to
urge Gephardt to focus on domestic policy because “Sadam
(sic) Hussein didn’t bomb the World Trade Center.”
In crafting these policy recommendations, Streisand made some
serious gaffes. The memo misspelled not only Saddam (Sadam), but
also Gephardt (Gebhart) and al-Qaeda (Al Queda). Needless to say,
these Quayle-esque errors did not reflect well on Babs as a foreign
relations advisor.
And yet Streisand has continued to fire political potshots from
her comfortable abode in Malibu. This is the same woman who, during
the heart of the Cold War, called for the “immediate
dismemberment of the global nuclear machine” and accused the
United States (and not the Soviets) of “dismantling the
social agenda.” Congressmen need her political advice like
she needs their singing tips.
But Babs is far from the only celebrity publicly railing against
the Bush administration. Alec Baldwin, speaking at a recent
democratic fundraiser, argued that Bush’s Iraqi policy is
driven purely by an inability to find Osama bin Laden. Coming from
a professed Clinton devotee, Baldwin’s wag-the-dog
accusations are confounding.
According to www.msnbc.com, Left-wing actor Tim Robbins has
leveled similar charges. In a recent interview with the Washington
Post, Robbins proclaimed “I’m against this whole
“˜Let’s bomb a new country because things aren’t
going our way’ “¦ I resent putting American soldiers in
harm’s way to do everything to change the subject so that
Republicans can keep control of the House.”
Also from the same Web site, actress Jessica Lange, speaking to
foreign press, remarked “I hate Bush ““ not only for his
international policy but for his nation policy. He makes me ashamed
to be an American.”
Actor and peacenik Ed Asner, appearing on the
“O’Reilly Factor,” charged Bush with
“desecrating” America. He also attached his name to a
petition denouncing “war and oppression that has been loosed
on the world by the Bush administration,” according to
www.foxnews.com/oreilly.
The list of Bush-bashings goes on and on.
But instead of undermining Bush’s push for Iraqi
disarmament, Hollywood’s knee-jerk extremism has only served
to reinforce the President’s measured and sensible policy.
Hollywood is simply out of touch with mainstream America ““
its rantings alienate even moderate democrats.
So every time a pampered celebrity launches an ill-supported
rant against the Bush administration, the public rolls its eyes and
gives thanks that Bush ““ and not Streisand ““ is in the
White House.
With friends like these, who needs enemies?
Eisner is Viewpoint’s Thursday columnist.