Spielberg is a waffler

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Robert Novak is reporting that "according to Democratic sources, former President Clinton got Steven Spielberg to step away from a tacit endorsement of Sen. Barack Obama. Spielberg has let it be known that he will host a future fundraiser for Clinton" -- Bill or Hilary? -- "as part of a policy of helping all Democratic presidential candidates. But Jeffrey Katzenberg and David Geffen seem to be clearly in Obama's camp." Let no one ever accuse Spielberg of lacking backbone or principle. A little massaging from an ex-President, some smiles and choice words and wham...he's on the fence.

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Posted by Jeffrey Wells on February 12, 2007 at 11:12 AM

comment #1

christian says ...

well, der spielberg also quietly pimped arnold for governor, so his credibility is shot when it comes to political principles.

Posted by christian at February 12, 2007 11:34 AM

comment #2

christian says ...

of course, robert novak is taking the stand now for his own sleaze, so he's hardly the go to guy....

Posted by christian at February 12, 2007 11:35 AM

comment #3

Pelham123 says ...

Robert Novak is a walking corpse without any credibility whatsoever.

Posted by Pelham123 at February 12, 2007 11:56 AM

comment #4

AH says ...

Schwarzenegger hasn't been that bad for CA, has he?

Posted by AH at February 12, 2007 11:58 AM

comment #5

JD says ...

In less than 24 hours, Jeff has mocked both Steven Spielberg and Martin Scorsese. If only these morons got their acts together and started a movie blog, maybe they'd be worthy of Jeff's respect.

Posted by JD at February 12, 2007 11:58 AM

comment #6

Hopscotch says ...

I wouldn't be surprised if Hanks had some persuasion too. All told, they are both friends and Tom and his wife are DEFINITELY in the Clinton camp.

Little early to call him a waffler, Jeff. He's not sure who he wants to endorse or give massive amounts of money too (neither do MOST OF THE COUNTRY). I think he'd be stupid NOT to think about it for awhile and listen to both pitches before he makes up his mind.

two things i know for sure about Jeff Well's after reading his column's for years.

He hates Spielberg, and he hates actors that used to be in shape that our now portly (i.e. Hanks).

Posted by Hopscotch at February 12, 2007 12:01 PM

comment #7

christian says ...

AH, yes the terminator has been bad for california. i've gone into this before, but the only reason you're seing him in charge now is because of ken lay, michael milken and other big dogs who needed a recall so they wouldn't have to pay back the billions BILLIONS their energy schemes cost the state.

arnie dropped the lawsuit that would have revealed the real chicanery at work.

he also called us "girlie men" and taunted nurses with "i kicked their butts" and he also went to the RNC and pimped bush again using his girlie man line.

i like arnie's political duality, but he's full of shit.

Posted by christian at February 12, 2007 12:08 PM

comment #8

CambridgeCat says ...

Has anyone ever accused Spielberg if having backbone or principle?

Posted by CambridgeCat at February 12, 2007 12:15 PM

comment #9

Delcoro says ...

Please, as though a Republican hatchetman like Bob Novak has "Democratic sources."

Might as well print rumors from the British tabloids, they're about as true.

Posted by Delcoro at February 12, 2007 12:21 PM

comment #10

Hopscotch says ...

I think other Republicans can learn from on Arnold on how to stay in office. Every time Pres. Bush is in your state, STAY THE HELL AWAY!

Posted by Hopscotch at February 12, 2007 12:27 PM

comment #11

DavidF says ...

IIRC, during the presidential election this site had some blue/red arguments. It was interesting and natural given the bloggish format.

But now it's basically become 50/50 Hollywood and Obama stuff.
What's up with that?
Okay, Spielberg slipped into this article but that's just lucky for Wells. If some random CEO, say Bill Gates, was about to endorse Obama and Clinton asked him to back away, that would STILL be on this site, wouldn't it?
The site IS "Hollywood Elsewhere," right? Does "Elsewhere" mean Washington?

Posted by DavidF at February 12, 2007 12:49 PM

comment #12

Craig Kennedy says ...

I'm going to have to agree with AH on Schwartenegger. He's still a Republican, but hardly the nightmare I predicted he would be. He got off to a horrible start, but has moderated quite a bit for his own survival. He's not my first choice of governors, but I expected he'd be a lot worse.

As for Novak, is it going to turn out Kate Capshaw works for the CIA now? Politics aside, that guy is a clown.

Posted by Craig Kennedy at February 12, 2007 12:59 PM

comment #13

RoyBatty says ...

FYI, it's not "Robert Novak"

It's "Robert Novak, douchebag of liberty"

Surprised no one else caught this typo...

Posted by RoyBatty at February 12, 2007 1:02 PM

comment #14

RoyBatty says ...

Think you can also use Robert "Douchebag of Liberty" Novak, both are accepted titles.

Cheers

Posted by RoyBatty at February 12, 2007 1:04 PM

comment #15

christian says ...

arnold is not your friend guys. he wants to be president and he'll get it with the help of naive democrats. he cut pell grants for students while blabbing about education. he says NOTHING about hollywood filming every tv show and film in canada. and he groped a bunch of women and got away with it. plus, he made many shitty movies.

Posted by christian at February 12, 2007 1:50 PM

comment #16

Joshua Mooney says ...

Nixon/Buchanan/Hanks/Clintons/Davids/Rove/Bushes/Spielberg/Novak/Dixie Chicks/Alec Baldwin/Bill O'Reilly/Jon Stewart/Cheney/whatEVER.

Give me a FUCKING break. Fuck the cunting lot of them.

"There comes a time, when the operation of the machine is so odious, that you cannot even tacitly participate. You've got to place your body on the gears, the levers, all the apparatus, and you've got to indicate to those who own it, and those who run it, that unless you are free, the machine will be prevented from working at all." - Mario Savio

Posted by Joshua Mooney at February 12, 2007 2:03 PM

comment #17

christian says ...

amazing quote joshua. and timely once again.
i actually popped in an old vhs tape from a film class i taught at berkeley and the first thing that came on was that savio moment.

but today's youth will gladly put their bodies IN the gears to be ground up. for the freedom to text.

Posted by christian at February 12, 2007 2:25 PM

comment #18

Craig Kennedy says ...

I'm not saying I want to have Arnold over for dinner Christian. I'm just saying...oh I don't know what I'm saying.

Look on the bright side, as long as he's Governor he can't make any more of his shitty movies. It's almost worth it, don't you think?

Posted by Craig Kennedy at February 12, 2007 2:46 PM

comment #19

christian says ...

i actually wish i would have paid to see JINGLE ALL THE WAY if its box office success would have stopped him.

Posted by christian at February 12, 2007 2:57 PM

comment #20

MathewM says ...

Hollywood will have next to nothing to do with the 08' election. If Obama wants to win he's going to have to appeal to the southern white vote. Edwards or Clinton can do it alone but Obama needs a lot of help. It's not so much that he's "black" but that he's a liberal, yankee "black".

Posted by MathewM at February 12, 2007 3:49 PM

comment #21

Walter Sobchak says ...

I'll take either Hillary or Obama. Anything to stop Bush in '08! We must not let Bush have another four years!

Posted by Walter Sobchak at February 12, 2007 4:26 PM

comment #22

D.Z. says ...

cjkennedy: "He's not my first choice of governors, but I expected he'd be a lot worse."

Shutting down hospitals and putting us into billions of dollars in debt with savings bonds just hasn't caught up to you yet, but it will soon enough.

Posted by D.Z. at February 12, 2007 7:11 PM

comment #23

christian says ...

and that's what this odd indifference to arnie will leave kalifornia.

Posted by christian at February 12, 2007 7:43 PM

comment #24

Craig Kennedy says ...

I can't argue with you 'glass is half empty' characters. Only reason I posted in the first place is because this thread was safe haven from all things Eddie Murphy.

Posted by Craig Kennedy at February 12, 2007 9:26 PM

comment #25

christian says ...

better arnie than eddie at this point...

Posted by christian at February 12, 2007 9:53 PM

comment #26

leonardcoehnbrothers says ...

Jeff, maybe you're the one who lacks principles. So now you're using Robert Novak as a source? Will you also be quoting him when he writes negative thing about Obama? I think not. Principles indeed.

Posted by leonardcoehnbrothers at February 13, 2007 1:06 AM

comment #27