Some might say that President Obama was elected in 2008 due to his massive (if not wishy-washy) drawing power in the middle class. While that may be true, it doesn’t hurt that he had the full support of our idols, our Greek pantheon, I’m talking about our movie stars and celebrities, working pro-bono to spread the word about the then-Illinois Senator. Though Hollywood is often considered almost unilaterally liberal as a culture of folk, as many as 8 high-profile outspoken-liberal celebs are pulling support from Obama as he begins to seek re-election. So who made the list?
Gene Simmons -The KISS frontman is disenchanted with Obama, particularly his perceived failure in reviving a stubbornly moribund economy. Though he backed Big-O in ’08, he regrets it now, shifting support to Mitt Romney, saying, “America is a business and should be run by a businessman.”
Matt Damon -Perhaps one of the list’s biggest surprises is this publicly liberal celeb who fought particularly hard to get Obama elected in ’08. His disillusionment was voiced in December when he bemoaned Obama’s inaction when it comes to stifling and halting Bush-era policies. He has also challenged Obama to get even tougher on Wall Street.”A one-term president with some balls who actually got stuff done would have been, in the long run of the country, much better,” he said.
Barbara Streisand -Long-time liberal Streisand concurs with Damon’s perspective, though she soured on Obama much earlier than the Bourne actor. In 2010, she said that Obama should use his presidential swagger more forcefully, repealing policies like the now-dead “Don’t Ask, Don’t Tell” immediately. “People admire real strength,” she said.
Jane Lynch – The GLEE actress and comedienne called Obama a “huge disappointment” for his lack of action regarding gay rights. Lynch, herself a lesbian, contends that America’s majority shouldn’t be allowed to vote on the rights of a minority group, saying, “If people voted on civil rights in the ’60s, it would have never happened.”
Angelina Jolie – Though it was reported (read: misquoted) that Jolie had called Obama a “one-term president”, the actress is half-empty, half-full on the prez. “There are many wonderful things that have moved forward, and of course, some other things that are very frustrating,” she eloquently and tactfully stated.
Bill Maher – Though well-known for his liberal leanings, Maher admitted he was “really mad” at Obama after the BP oil spill, holding him more in contempt than Republicans. Maher is disappointed in Obama for not coming down harder on oil companies, saying, “Why isn’t Barack Obama getting more shit for this?” UPDATE: Perhaps not too sour given his $1M donation to Obama’s camp, but disappointed nonetheless.
Hugh Hefner – Hef turned on Obama pretty quickly, but his reasons concerned the war. He saw Obama’s foot-dragging in pulling out of Afghanistan and Iraq as Vietnam-era mistakes. “We can’t please the world,” he said. “We go in with the best possible intentions, but we make enemies.”
Harry Belafonte – Liberal activist and singer Belafonte contends that Obama took office “under such hugely dramatic circumstances” that he had a “splendid opportunity to do more than most presidents,” but blew it . The 84-year-old said that Obama should have followed his heart to make choices the way “we had all hoped,” because it “would have helped him make [better] choices.”
With these 8 liberal celebs now down on Obama, who in Hollywood do you think will answer the call in the fight to get Obama re-elected?
Check out the original list with photos and more info at TheWeek.com