So much for the "Hollywood liberal" stereotype.
Ron Silver, the Tony award-winning actor best known for his work on NBC's West Wing, was at Penn yesterday afternoon to explain why he is supporting President George W. Bush's reelection bid. The film, stage and TV actor addressed a partisan crowd that packed the cozy Berkowitz Room in Steinhardt Hall.
"The youth is energized," said Silver, who pointed out that Pennsylvania is considered to be "a very important state in this election."
Silver explained that, while he had in the past been the head of an actor's union and remained socially liberal, "there is only one issue" in this election for him: homeland security.
"The attacks on September 11 were as much a declaration of war as [those] on December 7," Silver said, comparing the act of terrorism that destroyed the World Trade Center to the bombing of Pearl Harbor in 1941.
While many student attendees were strongly pro-Bush, there were some Democrats present, as well as an apparently lone Independent.
"I'm interested in the psychology of someone who is willing to forsake all social issues purely for security," pro-Kerry College senior Eli Schlam said about what drew him to the event.
The speech seemed to strike a chord with many who were present. Wharton sophomore Eli Cohen agreed with Silver, saying, "Without a secure environment where an economy can prosper, all social issues are moot."
Silver, who spoke at the Republican National Convention earlier this year, decried the "social ostracism" and "anger" that he felt from his fellow actors once he declared his support for the Bush campaign.
"Your friends and your colleagues and your family say, 'Look at what you're doing to empower a group that's been antithetical to what you've been doing your entire life,'" he said, describing what he felt was hypocritically harsh treatment by his peers.
However, Silver saved his sharpest criticism for the media.
During a question-and-answer period at the end of his speech, Silver claimed that "eight out of 10, if not nine of 10, [journalists] are strongly anti-Bush," which he described as "stunning, because it's affecting their news coverage."
The general consensus among student attendees was that this is a very close election.
Schlam was adamant that "it'll come down to a few counties in Ohio," while David Copley, state chairman of the College Republicans and the event's sponsor, was "very, very positive" that Bush will win, citing polls that show gains for the president in traditionally Democratic states.
Silver plans to "start focusing on stem cell research on November 3," but during this election, "survival is at stake," he said.
Silver recently appeared on Hardball with Chris Matthews. Other shows in which Silver has played a role include Chicago Hope, Law & Order and The Late Show with David Letterman.
