Clavin!

I'd been meaning to do a post on this subject for awhile now, but Salon has already beaten me to it. They currently have a slideshow up exhibiting the roster of B-list Hollywood celebrities who are vocal advocates of the right wing. Apparently, Victoria Jackson will be a (cough) headline guest speaker at the Tea Party Express kickoff event in Nevada.

I keep imagining her sharing a late night phone call with friend and former cast member Denis Miller and him convincing her that shilling for the GOP was a way back into the spotlight. And after reading her over-the-top comments about Obama sharing traits with the Anti-Christ, I have to imagine that either she is a total believer or she was really, really desperate for work and attention.

It's one thing the Salon piece does not touch upon: Citizens from the Midwest and the South will spit upon and besmirch any progressive thing a Hollywood entertainer has to say and immediately dismiss their opinion by virtue of their occupation and their place of residence. Yet throw them a conservative has-been who was once in a couple of good movies but has now hit the skids and suddenly right-wingers are drooling all over them with praise and respect.

The biggest surprise on the list is John Ratzenberger. Unlike many of the others in the Salon piece, he currently has a steady Hollywood paycheck as Pixar's lucky charm. How awkward must that be for him working with all those happy, contented liberals? I'm guessing he knows that Pixar will never let him go given their long term relationship, so he might as well speak his mind. That would place him squarely in the true believer category, which is all the more disappointing.

As for the rest, I'll be cynical and say that the exposure is the main lure. I'm not saying they don't have conservative convictions. I'm sure they do (and they're entitled to them). But I think cash drives them more than any particular cause. After all, they are Republicans.