As Election 2012 nears, Hollywood Republicans are braving the limelight
| Los Angeles
It鈥檚 been a long time since it was considered cool to be conservative in Hollywood聽鈥� try since the days of Louis B. Mayer,聽or maybe early Jimmy聽Stewart.
But these days, with so much grumbling over everything from President Obama鈥檚 lack of support for two anti-piracy聽bills to a still-fragile economy, right-wing聽sympathizers are easing, if only a tad, into sight.听
These days, Republicans聽from every strata of the industry can be seen at monthly gatherings of groups such as聽Hollywood Republicans or Friends of Abe (that鈥檚 Lincoln), with routine attendance numbers聽ranging from 50 to over a thousand.
This is in distinct contrast to just over a decade ago, says聽Mark Vafiades,聽cofounder and past president of the Hollywood Republicans. The actor, who worked for conservative causes in Massachusetts before migrating west in 1998, says he was distressed to find no outlet for his political energy.
Beyond that, he adds, 鈥渆ven talking about being conservative politically seemed聽threatening to steady work.鈥� He noted that this was something of聽an unspoken rule. If you wanted to work in Hollywood, and you were a Republican,聽he says, 鈥測ou just聽kept your head down and your mouth shut.鈥�
James Hirsen 鈥� a former keyboardist for The Temptations, and now an entertainment lawyer 鈥� agrees that for decades in Hollywood there has been a culture of fear around being perceived as out-of-step with the dominant, liberal zeitgeist.
鈥�Charlton Heston coined the term closet conservative,鈥� he says with a laugh, adding, 鈥淚 have聽heard over and over again stories from rank-and-file people in this town that expressing conservative views can hurt both your social life and be a career killer.鈥�
The mood shifted after the World Trade Center towers were attacked, says Mr. Vafiades. His group had actually formed several months before 9/11, but that event gave the group life and direction.
In 2004, the group helped create videos for various campaigns, he says, noting 鈥渢his is one of the ways聽we use our talents in support of the party.鈥� He is quick to point out, however, that coming out of the shadows is still a work in progress. Two of the largest conservative聽groups in Tinseltown, with memberships topping 1,000, 鈥渁re still completely secret,鈥� he adds.
This embattled sense of paranoia masks the actual power of the GOP in the聽entertainment industry, says Steven Ross, author of聽鈥淗ollywood Left and Right: How Movie Stars Shape American Politics.鈥�
Liberals have always outnumbered conservatives in Hollywood, but it has always been quality over聽quantity, he says. 鈥淐onservatives聽in this town don鈥檛 know their own history,鈥� he says pointing to the straight line from studio mogul Louis B. Mayer, who mentored Sen. George Murphy, who in turn guided Ronald Reagan.听
Through that聽passing of the conservative baton,聽says Mr. Ross,聽the Republican Party has had a 鈥渕ajor impact on the nature of our government.鈥�
Ross maintains that the right聽is emerging at the moment with more confidence because they see their views being espoused on the national stage. 鈥淲e are in a climate right now where conservatives are fearless in announcing their views because of the culture wars,鈥� he says.
The money, however, still lags behind what聽Democrats have historically shelled out for their candidates.听According to the Sunlight Foundation, about 30 percent of the money flowing from the entertainment industry in this campaign has gone to Republican candidates.
However, that may change as the campaign heats up. GOP candidate聽Mitt Romney reportedly raised a million dollars at a Beverly Hills fundraiser in December and is scheduled to return March 27 for another event.听 Studio聽executives, including former CEO of Metro-Goldwyn-Mayer Harry Sloan and Lionsgate vice-chairman Michael Burns, have begun to put their money聽behind their politics, according to聽the online trade magazine The Wrap.听
Jerry Perenchio,聽the former chairman and chief executive of Univision, the Spanish-language media giant, gave $2 million to American Crossroads, a conservative super PAC, founded in part by Karl Rove, according to OpenSecrets, the online site for super PAC donations.
Historically, studios have always given to parties 鈥� left, right, and center 鈥� points out Ross, 鈥渁nyone who will support legislation that is good for their business.鈥�
High profile celebrities, just like many others, he adds,聽鈥渁re waiting to see who the candidate will be before committing themselves.鈥�
