Conservatives in Entertainment

It is no secret that Hollywood is notoriously known for being overtly liberal. Few are surprised when an Oscar acceptance speech turns into a diatribe about the Iraq war, or celebrities stump for Democrats running for office. What many often overlook are the (decidedly small) ranks of Republicans who are actors for television of movies. Sure, Ronald Reagan and Arnold Schwarzenegger are by far the most prominent, but there are other conservatives populating movie trailers and back lots.

Back in 2004, AMC aired a documentary called "Rated R: Republicans in Hollywood" which first opened my eyes to a counter to the liberal Ben Afflecks and Barbra Streisands that seem to take many of the headlines when it came to support for politicans. They highlighted a few individuals who I hadn't known were conservative - Patricia Heaton ("Everybody Loves Raymond"), Pat Sajak ("Wheel of Fortune"), Drew Carey (if I remember right, he described himself as a libertarian or 'a conservative who likes to get high'), Adam Sandler and Heather Locklear, as well as others who I knew, or weren't surprised to hear, like Bruce Willis, Mel Gibson, Ben Stein, Donald Trump and Chuck Norris.

The list goes on of Republican actors both past and present: Fred Thompson, Frank Sinatra, Charleton Heston ("cold, dead hands" anyone?), John Wayne, Bob Hope, Britney Spears, James Woods, Kid Rock, Kelsey Grammer, "The Rock" (spoke at the Republican Convention in 2004), Jessica Simpson, Jon Voight, Alice Cooper, Jim Belushi, Clint Eastwood (he actually served as a Republican mayor of a small town in California from '86-'88), Brooks and Dunn, Rip Torn, Sonny Bono, Tom Selleck and undoubtedly more.

I began thinking about conservative members of the entertainment industry after recently reading some remarks by Jon Voight about his support for McCain over Obama. Although they do represent a healthy section of the film, TV and music industry, Republicans in Hollywood are seen as outsiders at best to left-leaning community and many are hesitant to make their support known. In the AMC documentary a few years ago, several refused to be interviewed and those who did, I'm thinking particularly of Patricia Heaton, shared her experiences with being treated differently for holding conservative viewpoints. In the past, few have been willing or eager too be as outspoken as their liberal counterparts for a variety of reasons, all of which are completely valid.

Now, I don't particularly make my movie choices according to the political ideologies of the people who star in them, but it is a cool fact to know. It isn't so much the fact that most individuals performing on stage or on the big screen are in any position of authority to share their political perspectives, because with a few exceptions, none can speak on politics any more than the next person. What it comes down to is, in 2008 each side will be fighting hard for every last vote and while polls suggest who actors or musicians support play little relevance, it still at the very least, would make things more interesting.

Just imagine what an election it would be if Britney Spears baby sat for John McCain's kids? Or if Drew Carey came along with the Senator in a "Price Is Right" style game show of how much Obama's health care proposals will cost? Maybe Pat Sajak could start changing the puzzles on his nightly show to reflect slights at Obama, or boost McCain - The category is 'War Hero'. I wouldn't mind seeing the Donald in the boardroom weeding out VP candidates for McCain either. If it were up to me, I'd put Clint Eastwood, Bruce Willis, The Rock and Chuck Norris up to working the security at McCain events, too. of Sonny Bono could be used to raise awareness of the dangers of skiing and Kelsey Grammer could work to promote good mental health. Have Alice Cooper out talking about education and send Mel Gibson and Jon Voight to capture the Catholic vote and hunt for treasures to help offset Obama's fundraising advantage while you're at it. Is that too much more to ask? Get on it Hollywood!

This post also appears on my personal blog, Eric's Rage and Grace, and on the PA College Republican Blog.