[Congressional Record (Bound Edition), Volume 154 (2008), Part 13]
[Extensions of Remarks]
[Pages 17932-17933]
[From the U.S. Government Publishing Office, www.gpo.gov]




                         HOLLYWOOD CONSERVATISM

                                 ______
                                 

                            HON. JOE WILSON

                           of south carolina

                    in the house of representatives

                        Thursday, July 31, 2008

  Mr. WILSON of South Carolina. Madam Speaker, I would like to submit 
the following article published in The Washington Times newspaper on 
July 23, 2008. It outlines the prevalence of conservatism among actors 
and leaders in the film and entertainment industry. Moreover, it is 
encouraging to learn that support for our troops and traditional values 
are shared by Americans from all walks of life.

                  Hollywood's Conservative Underground

                             (By Amy Fagan)

       A group of politically conservative and centrist Hollywood 
     figures organized by actor Gary Sinise and others has been 
     meeting quietly in restaurants and private homes, forming a 
     loose-knit network of entertainers who share common beliefs 
     like supporting U.S. troops and traditional American values.
       Some of those involved are taking more public steps to 
     counter the entertainment industry's tilt toward liberalism 
     and Democratic politics, such as campaigning for Republican 
     Sen. John McCain or crafting projects to portray America in a 
     more positive light.
       The group, whose members call themselves ``Friends of Abe'' 
     after Abraham Lincoln, was organized as an underground 
     movement because of fears that prominent industry titans with 
     outspoken liberal views would retaliate, said participants. 
     They often were reluctant to name members of the group in 
     interviews for fear it would hurt their careers.
       ``It's a growing movement, and word is getting out that 
     there's many of us in this business . . .,'' said 1950s 
     singer Pat Boone, one of the few conservatives to talk about 
     the movement publicly. ``If certain studio execs--hirers and 
     firers--learn that this is a movement and growing, and that 
     some of these people that they hire are of this inclination, 
     these people could be unemployed.''
       Friends of Abe has functioned like a support group, 
     organizing informal gatherings where actors, producers, 
     screenwriters, key grips and other industry types can share 
     common values or discuss concerns like anti- Americanism in 
     Hollywood movies or the perception of industry bias against 
     conservatives and Republicans.
       The movement has grown over the past few years from 
     gatherings of a few dozen to one last month that drew more 
     than 600 to a billionaire's California estate, Mr. Boone 
     said.
       People familiar with the movement credited Mr. Sinise, 
     whose roles range from the blockbuster movie ``Forrest Gump'' 
     to the TV show ``CSI: New York'' for helping organize the 
     movement.
       Sinise spokeswoman Staci Wolfe said the actor was traveling 
     with a band to entertain U.S. troops overseas and was 
     unavailable for an interview. She would say only: ``He is not 
     registered with any political party.''
       Participants said Friends of Abe is not partisan, but 
     rather functions as a support group where Republicans, 
     Democrats and independents alike can discuss issues they care 
     about. And the low-key gatherings at restaurants and homes 
     have given conservatives a safe place to meet and express 
     their views, they added.
       ``A Friend of Abe is someone who has reverence for those 
     who serve in our military and believes that American liberal 
     democracy is a unique success, different from others, and 
     it's worthy of the respect of our popular culture . . . of 
     Hollywood in particular,'' said screenwriter Lionel Chetwynd, 
     who helped organize Friends of Abe luncheons when they began 
     4 years ago.
       Mr. Chetwynd said Friends of Abe generally find themselves 
     at odds with the rhetoric of their hard-left colleagues in 
     Hollywood.

[[Page 17933]]

       Craig Haffner, a producer who also attended the gatherings, 
     said Friends of Abe is ``not a political action group; people 
     are gravitating to it because they love their country.''
       While the group is not organizing any political activities, 
     some of its members are taking action into their own hands.
       Actor Jon Voight, Mr. Boone, Mr. Chetwynd and Mr. Haffner 
     have stepped forward and actively campaigned for Mr. McCain's 
     presidential bid. Mr. Boone said he talked to McCain campaign 
     staffers last week about how he and other stars can help. 
     Supporters now are assembling a formal organization for Mr. 
     McCain in Hollywood, a few of the leaders said.
       Meanwhile, many want to produce more movie and theater 
     projects with a positive American message and stronger 
     emphasis on positive cultural values instead of films that 
     paint America as ``the great Satan,'' Mr. Boone said. Mr. 
     Chetwynd said such efforts have been under way for several 
     years, well before the Friends of Abe luncheons began.
       Actor Kelsey Grammer, a Republican, is aware of the group 
     but won't comment further, his publicist said.
       David Horowitz, another Hollywood conservative and founder 
     of the Los Angeles-based Center for the Study of Popular 
     Culture, said the group is serving a good purpose but he 
     worries its members won't be aggressive enough.
       ``There's a kind of . . . intellectual terror in this town. 
     People are terrorized; they're afraid to say what they think. 
     So what Gary is doing to provide aid and comfort to its 
     victims is admirable, and I applaud him for it,'' he said. 
     ``But my concern is it's not going to be much more than 
     that.''

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