McCain fans hit Obama with Hollywood whupping stick

If you thought it was a stretch for John McCain sympathizers to claim that Barack Obama had insulted Sarah Palin by saying that McCain's efforts to brand himself an agent of change was like putting lipstick on a pig, then you'll really be astounded to discover that Obama is now being blamed for all the dumb and naive things Hollywood celebrities said last week at the Toronto Film Festival.

New York Post critic-blogger Kyle Smith had a field day today making fun of anyone who seemed to prefer Obama to McCain, deriding "The Secret Life of Bees" director Gina Prince-Bythewood for hoping her film might help Obama get elected, poking fun at actress Keira Knightley for praising Michele Obama for her "wonderful features" instead of her personal accomplishments and seeming genuinely surprised that Spike Lee showed up in Toronto wearing a T-shirt with a picture of Obama on it.

It's a tried and true conservative tactic -- heap scorn on the dimwitted Hollywood types who blindly support (fill-in-the-blank Democratic candidate). But even by past conservative standards, this new line of attack seems a stretch, especially when Smith tried to draw a parallel between Obama and Che Guevera, claiming that the Steven Soderbergh "Che" biopic that screened in Toronto was, like Obama's campaign, about "fairness, fighting for the underclass, health care and the need to 'change the economy in a fundamental way' (in Obama's words on David Letterman's show last week").

Smith goes out of his way to ridicule "Che" as a classic clueless liberal love letter to a cold-blooded revolutionary. I can't say he's entirely wrong about that, but it feels like cheap political trickery to claim that there's any connection between "Che's" revolutionary excesses and Obama's cautious, incremental desire for change. Smith ends his piece by quoting a cornball snatch of dialogue from the movie -- "We have made mistakes" -- adding, "Actually, that's a difference between two men who appear on a lot of T-shirts: One of them was able to acknowledge his shortcomings." It's Smith's nod, nod, wink, wink way of saying: Obama is even more ideologically rigid than Guevara.

Maybe Smith should've spent a little time talking to some rank-and-file Canadians, who live in a country that has been a staunch American ally but has the value of enjoying a little distance from our presidential battles. When I was in Toronto last week, I found myself talking to a young Canadian who was driving a cab during the day while going to computer programming school at night. He didn't care what Knightley had to say about Michele Obama -- he just wanted to know if Knightley had a boyfriend. But he did ask me one serious political question: "If you Americans are so tired of fighting a horrible, bloody war in Iraq," he said, genuinely puzzled, "why would you want to elect someone who promises to fight the war for 50 more years, when you could be spending all the money you're using for your soldiers on all your problems at home?"

I'm betting even the silliest Hollywood celebrity would realize that's a pretty darn good question.

Photo of Sen. Barack Obama by Carolyn Kaster/AP Photo; Benicio Del Toro in Steven Soderbergh's "Che" project from Bickford/Morena Film Productions.

Comments

[Magic Dragon]

Who could be stupid enough to vote for McCain?

[ayrdale]

...hey great that this blogger got his/her opinion so far up Patrick's nose...memo to Patrick,try to adapt the whiny defensive tone into something a little less sensitive.

[Alan Kent Gerbracht]

He simply looks like a trouble-making, big mouth bigot to me. Maybe that's why he's with the NY Post!

[A. Field Mooer]

Word back stage is that B. Obama has asked the real heavy thinkers in
Hollywood to go to work on a national diet and body image campaign for
the US. Looking to Europe and Africa as examples, he says slimmer and trimmer
will also consume less energy -- and we'll be able to fit more slender people into each pullcart. They say that there's really an upside to anorexia and bulimia -- consume less and create less global warming. Also, no more cremations. Composting for US! Nothing like gras clippings, potato peels and grandma to help make the corn grow tall. Now to be called Aunt Ethanol. Next up -- Do we really need to feed pets when people are starving?
Hollywood will lead the parade by eating their lap dogs and giving house cats to the
Chineese restuarants. Governor's Gato anyone? And to solve the homeless thing - he's looking into government subsidized movie tickets. Free admission from Midnight to 7AM. And a small popcorn, grown with the compost of course. Can't wait!!

[Political_grrl]

I'd rather have a war hero - than someone who will remove our freedom of speech. Funny, when someone says anything NEGATIVE THAT IS TRUTHFUL about BO - he threatens to SILENCE them.. CHANGE FOR AMERICA - maybe he will make hollywood morons shut up AFTER they each give him 28 THOUSAND DOLLARS to eat. ROFLMAO GOOD LORD talk about wasting money.

MCCAIN | PALIN 08

[YoursTruly]

for more info about the movie CHE or about Benicio Del Toro visit www.beniciodeltoro.ca

[Christian Toto]

**why would you want to elect someone who promises to fight the war for 50 more years, when you could be spending all the money you're using for your soldiers on all your problems at home?" I'm betting even the silliest Hollywood celebrity would realize that's a pretty darn good question. **

Actually, it's an ill-informed question, one based on a fake talking point. McCain isn't looking to fight in Iraq for 50, or the full fake talking point, 100 years. He simply said that it's ok if we have troops there indefinitely as long as they're not dying. We have troops in a number of countries as is.

[L. Smith]

Why in the world would Tinsseltown want to give their money to no-good-sorry-bums who don't have jobs and pop out babies all the time. Well that is what would happen if the elect BO because he wants to give FEDERAL quality health care to those people who can't afford their own health ins or don't have company policies. Then the people who atually work their tushies off only end up getting average quality insirance. HOw fair is that?

Let me tell you the solution to the US's problems.... ENERGY INDEPENDANCE!!!
Drilling everywhere possible, building Nuclear Power plants, solar, wind, corn, soybeans, coal ALL of it.
You have to have people manufacture the parts...JOBS
You have to have people build the facilities....JOBD
You have to have people run and maintain the facilities....JOBS
Transportation of the goods to the suppliers....JOBS

Who cares if it takes 10 years. That is 10 years of guaranteed jobs and then jobs forever after that!!

All the money would be at HOME not going to people who want to kill Americans.
Americans would have jobs and therefore spend more money. Oh we also need to quit importing and make it here. IT is obvious that quality sould not be compromised by purchasing from other countries.

Heck, We'd be rolling in it!!