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Lieberman pontificating on the evils of Hollywood

Reuters, 15 August 2000

LOS ANGELES (Reuters) - Democratic vice presidential candidate Joseph Lieberman accused Hollywood on Sunday of corrupting the nation's children and corrupting its culture, while President Clinton raised money from film stars and partied on.

Lieberman, the Connecticut senator named to the ticket by Al Gore last week, singled out the Walt Disney Co. for criticism, saying "too much of what they do is not good for our children, not good for our culture.

"Look, I love the movies. I love music," he told "This Week" on ABC, which is owned by Disney.

"But there is still too much violence, too much sex, too much incivility in entertainment, which makes it very difficult for parents, who are working so hard to give their kids values and discipline, to do so."

He warned that Washington could impose "legal restrictions" on the industry if its leaders refused to "draw some lines themselves."

Lieberman, an Orthodox Jew, has been an outspoken critic of the industry for years, and some in Hollywood were less than enthusiastic when Gore tapped the two-term senator as his running mate.

The entertainment world's most fervent Democrats have donated millions to Clinton and his allies over the years. The pace of Hollywood fund-raising will pick up this week on the sidelines of the Democratic National Convention, which gets underway in Los Angeles on Monday.

At one of the most lavish parties on Saturday, a cluster of movie stars paid tribute to President Clinton and poured about $1 million into Hillary Clinton's U.S. Senate race in New York. A brunch on Sunday hosted by singer Barbra Streisand was expected to net $10 million for the planned Clinton presidential library in Little Rock, Arkansas.

Lieberman worked with conservative Bill Bennett against excessive sex and violence in film and television.

He made a dramatic "Appeal to Hollywood" last year armed with a petition urging executives -- including Disney Chairman Michael Eisner, Time Warner CEO Gerald Levin and News Corp. CEO Rupert Murdoch -- to change the "toxic culture of violence and vulgarity surrounding our children."

Lieberman has even suggested that the Federal Communications Commission consider withholding licenses from television stations and networks that refuse to reform their ways.

These efforts have drawn fire from some of Clinton's Hollywood allies and the entertainment industry, which sees itself as a scapegoat for youth violence.

If he becomes vice president, Lieberman said he would continue his campaign to change the entertainment industry.

"I'm going to keep saying that to them and appealing to them to draw a line," he told ABC. "And I can assure you ... a Gore-Lieberman administration will be concerned about what government can do within appropriate constitutional limits to improve the moral future of America."