More stars join anti-Bush drive
2004-08-27 10:57
Los Angeles - Hollywood's support drive for US Democratic presidential contender John Kerry is moving into top gear, with stars like Matt Damon and Scarlett Johansson joining the bid to unseat George W Bush.
In a series of television advertisements released this week,
Bourne Supremacy star Damon and Lost in Translation actress Johansson took aim at Bush over the war in Iraq, unemployment and voter intimidation.
The ads, produced by liberal political action group Moveon.org,
were unveiled in New York less than two months ahead of the
November 2 polls under the title: "10 Weeks: Don't Get Mad, Get Even".
"These ads from well-known directors and actors will validate the concerns many Americans feel about the president's failures at home and abroad," MoveOn.org's executive director Eli Pariser said.
"Using humour and creativity, we believe they'll speak to a much broader audience than the same old Washington consultant-driven advertisements do."
Traditionally Democratic Tinseltown has been stridently pitted
against conservative Republican Bush's drive to be re-elected, with stars like Damon, his best friend Ben Affleck, Barbra Streisand, Whoopi Goldberg, Leonardo DiCaprio and others coming out to call for votes for Kerry.
Last month's Democratic convention featured a string of A-list celebrities, in sharp contrast to next week's Republican convention which will have a more low-key country and western feel.
One of the 10 advertisements will be broadcast weekly until the
election while the candidates duke it out on issues of policy and
personality as deeps social divides emerge across the country over issues such as the war on Iraq and the state of the economy.
Bush has dismissed the movie stars' opposition to his rule as
out of key with the sentiments of the conservative "American
heartland", as both parties have battled to harness the actors' fame and media attention.
"It's always useful to have stars coming out publicly to cheer your cause as it attracts media attention," said University of Southern California media professor Marty Kaplan.
Musicians such as Bruce Springsteen and the Dixie Chicks have
committed themselves to a 28-city tour aimed at swinging voters in Kerry's direction.
Kerry was due in Los Angeles later for another campaign
swing in the state where he has raised a whopping $47.5m, much of it with the glamorous aid of Tinseltown's firmament.
"But ultimately, these celebrities have no effect on the voting public - they mainly preach to the choir, those who are already committed to the party concerned," Kaplan said.
"A song, actor or star will not change a single person's mind ahead of the election, but they will entertain and maybe encourage the already-converted," he added.