The Washington Post -- Friday, June 2, 1995

Dole's Blast at Hollywood Resonates

Theme Has Appeal Far Beyond Social and Religious Conservatives

By Dan Balz and Thomas B. Edsall
Washington Post Staff Writers

Senate Majority Leader Robert J. Dole (R-Kan.) found a fat target to shoot at when he lambasted Hollywood on Wednesday. His speech denouncing the entertainment industry not only won the plaudits of social and religious conservatives, but tapped into broader public sentiment to rein in Hollywood's portrayal of sex and violence.

In his speech Wednesday in Los Angeles, Dole denounced the "mainstreaming of deviancy" by the entertainment industry, attacking films like "Natural Born Killers" and "True Romance," and rap groups like Cannibal Corpse, Geto Boys, and 2 Live Crew. "A line has been crossed, not just of taste but of human dignity and decency," Dole said.

Dole's assault on Hollywood is designed to blunt doubts about his candidacy among religious and social conservatives -- a powerful constituency within the Republican primary electorate.

But the criticism Dole leveled against rap lyrics and sexually explicit movies and the corporations that profit from them reaches well beyond the core of Republican activists. Hollywood ranks at the bottom of the list when Americans are asked which institutions reflect their values, and a recent survey conducted by Dole's pollsters found that, by a ratio of 2 to 1, Americans believe the country faces a moral crisis rather than an economic crisis.

This cultural conservatism was one of the forces powering the Republican takeover of Congress last and is considered one of the GOP's most potent weapons for 1996.

But politicians across the political spectrum recognize the power of values. Both President Clinton and his wife Hillary have recently spoken out on issues of character and morality, and Clinton criticized rap lyrics during his 1992 campaign. On the right, Patrick J. Buchanan has sounded similar themes in his presidential campaign, while Sen. Phil Gramm (R-Tex.) has struggled to establish his conservative credentials on cultural and moral issues.

But Dole so far has done more to elevate the issue of Hollywood's values in a way that is reminiscent of what then-Vice President Dan Quayle did with his "Murphy Brown" speech in 1992.

Some critics, noting that the Kansas senator rarely talked about these issues before launching his presidential campaign, regard what Dole is doing as cynical politics, designed to nail down the conservative wing of the party before moving on to the larger electorate. But Dole advisers say that misses the point -- that attacks on Hollywood resonate across party, racial and religious lines.

"It appeals directly to parents and working families," said Scott Reed, Dole's campaign manager. "I guarantee there will be a lot of dinner table discussions about what Bob Dole said about the entertainment industry."

In terms of Republican primary politics, Dole's speech appeared to complete the process of converting skepticism of his bid among leaders of the religious right to outright enthusiasm, just a few steps short of endorsement.

"In every campaign, there is what Lee Atwater [a deceased GOP strategist] would say was a defining moment," said Ralph Reed, executive director of the Christian Coalition. "You can make a very strong case that Dole's Hollywood speech is such a defining moment for his candidacy. He clearly recognizes not only the importance of the religious-conservative vote, but understands the broad appeal that can be gained by making themes about the culture a centerpiece of his campaign."

Reed said Dole's attack on Time Warner Inc. was strategically far more effective than Quayle's critique of the television sitcom "Murphy Brown." Quayle was vulnerable because he could be portrayed as attacking single, working women, while Dole took on a set of corporate executives who are "white, male and liberal." Dole has developed "a very tactically wise way to address the issue of the fraying of the social fabric in a way that appeals to the religious base of the party without alienating the middle of the electorate," he said.

Gary L. Bauer, the president of the Family Research Council who was consulted about the speech before its delivery, said Dole had firmly established his credentials as a candidate willing to make moral and value issues central to his campaign.

Without declaring himself for Dole, Bauer said, "I will personally work for any candidate that convinces me that he knows America's problems go beyond marginal tax rates and whether the Department of Education is budgeted at $28 billion or $30 billion, that the major problems of this country are related to culture and values."

One conservative sour note about the Dole speech was sounded by David Boaz, executive vice president of the libertarian Cato Institute. "I don't have a problem when individuals criticize excessive sex and violence in movies and TV; I'm a little uncomfortable when it's a political figure doing it.... Anything a powerful politician does carries with it some threat of political action, control."

Matthew Freeman, research director of People for the American Way, an adversary of the religious right, said Dole voiced "legitimate concerns" about the entertainment industry, "but there is no doubt in my mind that what he is trying to do is reach out to the right side of his party."

Dole began his assault on Hollywood during his announcement tour in April and his advisers decided to use his first trip to California this week as a declared candidate to expand the attack. "We were looking for an arena to give the speech where it would have maximum impact," one Dole official said yesterday. "Going into Hollywood's back yard was a way to draw attention to the issue."

From polling and focus groups, Dole advisers knew the potency of the attack, and to draw additional attention, they beefed up the specifics -- singling out Time Warner, naming names of movies and rap groups. "There was a decision made internally that from [the news media's] standpoint, we needed to name names and be specific," one Dole adviser said.

But he said the real purpose was not simply to pick a fight with Time Warner but to hit the broader issue of "the lessening of standards and the lowering of values."

Indeed, Dole has received $21,000 from Time Warner for his campaigns since 1987, according to the Associated Press.

Dole officials said yesterday the candidate had not seen the movies he attacked, nor has he actually heard the music he denounced. "He's seen the typed out lyrics and he's read a bunch of reviews."

In the past, Dole rarely talked about the entertainment industry. Dole campaign officials could cite only one prior reference to the entertainment industry, a May 17, 1994, floor speech in which he attacked the Corporation for Public Broadcasting and National Public Radio for agreeing to pay a convicted murderer for commentaries. A few weeks later Dole again attacked CPB and NPR for an "elite Eastern mentality."

"Running for president gives him the opportunity to talk about these issues in a broader way and provide moral leadership," a senior Dole official said.


That's not all.