Clooney steps cautiously into Obama's camp, understanding celebrity can have negative effect

[DeepModem Mom]

LAT: Clooney steps cautiously into Obama's camp
Actor-activist fears a Hollywood connection might hurt candidate's chances in the heartland.
By Tina Daunt, Times Staff Writer
March 30, 2007



....On the one hand, the actor said in an interview, he would love to throw himself into campaigning for his friend, Sen. Barack Obama, a politician he compares to President Kennedy.

But Clooney is too shrewd a political observer to discount the negative effect celebrity can have on a campaign, especially in a red state....At the moment Clooney is playing it close to the vest, waiting to see if he can play a part without become a distracting sideshow. His quandary is a measure of Hollywood's growing political sophistication; celebs are beginning to understand that their support can be a double-edged sword....

***

... Obama, clearly, dazzled him.

"We were at a rally on Darfur," Clooney said. "People were standing around backstage. All of a sudden, Obama walks out and steps onto the stage. Everyone stopped to hear what he had to say…. I've never been around anyone who can literally take someone's breath away."

Although the actor may not be campaigning publicly for Obama at the moment, he is certainly working for him behind the scenes.

"I spend a lot of time talking with other people, and I tell them, 'You really have to educate yourself on Obama because the guy is real,' " he said. "He fascinates me. People say, 'Oh, he's too young,' you know. But you cannot learn or teach leadership. You either have it or you don't."

"Everyone says the country isn't ready for a black president. I think that's ridiculous. Is he going to lose Illinois? Is he going to lose New York or California because he's black? No. And maybe he makes some inroads into other places, and maybe, for once, he could get young people to show up and vote."...

http://www.latimes.com/entertainment/news/celebrity/la-et-cause30mar30,1,367107.story?coll=la-headlines-entnews

[flpoljunkie]

1. Perhaps Clooney should have met the "Hollywood values" meme head on. There have been any number

of great Hollywood movies that appeal to the best in all of us, that lift our spirits, and point the way to our better selves. These are my favorite "Hollywood" movies. "Good NIght and Good Luck" is certainly among them.

[Forkboy]

2. Clooney is anything but dumb.

He can mask his smarts with his looks and self-deprecating style that he uses a lot,but the man is very sharp,very quick,and a good pick up for Obama.

[Dr Fate]

4. Women want to be with him- men want to be him. Who does NOT like George Clooney?

This whole "everyone hates hollywood" meme just doesnt seem to ring true.

Either we are celbrity obsessed or we hate Hollywood- it cant be both. The news media keeps telling us it's both.

[Forkboy]

5. I wouldn't mind being able to make movies like he can either.

People only hate celebrities when they support someone they don't like.Both sides share that trait.I think overall Clooney will be an asset to Obama.

[Dr Fate]

3. "The heartland hates Hollywood" is somewhat of a myth, is it not?

Are the movie theaters all boarded up there or what?

My guess is that "heart-landers" enjoy Hollywood fodder and follow Entertainment Tonight as much as the next region.