Democrats Stroke Hollywood At Dinner

Democrats Stroke Hollywood At Dinner

By Mike Allen
Washington Post Staff Writer
Wednesday, September 20, 2000; Page A19

BEVERLY HILLS, Calif., Sept. 19 –– Vice President Gore and his running mate, Connecticut Sen. Joseph I. Lieberman, sought to placate the entertainment industry at a $4.2 million fundraising dinner held a week after the ticket excoriated Hollywood for marketing raunchy products to teenagers.

"Al and I have a tremendous regard for this industry," Lieberman said late Monday to an audience that had contributed $10,000 a couple to the Democratic National Committee. "We're both fans of the products out of the entertainment industry--not all of them, but a lot of them. And the industry has entertained and inspired and educated us over the years."

Last week, Gore and Lieberman had seized on a report from the Federal Trade Commission to warn the makers of movies, music and video games that if they did not come up with a plan to deter the marketing of violent or explicit products to youths, a Gore administration would support additional regulation.

Republicans have kept up a daily drumbeat of charges that Gore and Lieberman are hypocritical for aggressively raising money in Hollywood at the same time they decry industry practices in a bid for votes in middle America. At the Beverly Hills fundraiser, the Democrats did not back off any of their statements about marketing to youths, but made clear that the attack was not meant to be taken personally.

Lieberman said the tough rhetoric in the Gore-Lieberman ticket's speeches and interviews last week was "all about a dialogue and a discussion about what's good for our country."

"It's true from time to time we have been, will be critics--or nudges--but I promise you this: We will never put the government in the position of telling you by law, through law, what to make," Lieberman said. "We will nudge you, but will never become censors."

About 350 people attended the fundraiser at an estate so lavish it has its own carousel. The dinner--beet and goat-cheese salad, pan-roasted chicken, espresso ice cream--was catered by chef Wolfgang Puck. Don Henley of the Eagles sang and was greeted with muffled laughter when he joked about his "controversial rock-star friends." Garry Shandling offered a comedy routine. When a cellular telephone rang in the crowd, he ad-libbed, "Just pick it up. It's probably another donation."

Gore, who spoke after Lieberman, mostly stuck to his stump speech, but said he was proud of all those in the industry who "stepped forward in an obvious common-sense response to what the FTC report said." He said he would rather emphasize "all of the things that we have in common."

Richard B. Cheney, Republican George W. Bush's running mate, attacked on the Hollywood issue for the second day in a row, asserting that Gore "seems prepared to say virtually anything to any audience and to switch from audience to audience."

"He threatened the media industry with retribution or regulation if they didn't shape up within six months and then yesterday, he said, well, he didn't really mean it," Cheney said during a visit to the Sacramento area. "He just wants to nudge them a little bit."

At the same time, Bush campaign spokesman Ari Fleischer tried to tie Gore to a compact disc containing obscene song titles and lyrics--and a cartoon cover--that was distributed as a party favor to guests at a luncheon in honor of Rep. Nita M. Lowey (D-N.Y.) during last month's Democratic National Convention. The DreamWorks studio was a sponsor of the luncheon, and the disc is a product of DreamWorks Records.

Fleischer said the combination of the obscene words and child-friendly jacket "shows that America's families and parents cannot count on Al Gore to stop Hollywood from marketing this stuff to children."

Lowey's office said today that the disc, "Daisies of the Galaxy," by Eels, was not meant for or given to children.

In Los Angeles today, Gore continued his week-long focus on populist issues by calling for civil and criminal penalties for the disclosure of computerized medical records about people who want the information kept private.

Gore said many people are refusing to get potentially lifesaving tests and treatments because they fear their medical histories will be given or sold to employers, lenders or salespeople. He said that both carelessness and the pursuit of profits are resulting in sensitive diagnoses being disclosed in databases and even on the Web without patients' permission or knowledge.

"In order to protect your medical privacy, we have to be willing to take on the insurance companies and the HMOs and the drug companies, the credit card companies--whoever else is standing in the way," Gore said in a dining room operated by the San Fernando Valley Association for the Retarded.

Gore's proposal would make it illegal for employers, life insurers or workers' compensation officials to obtain medical information without a patient's consent. He would give victims the right to sue.

This evening, Gore, who last week appeared on CBS's "David Letterman Show," made a brief appearance on NBC's "Tonight Show" with Jay Leno.

Also today, Gore's campaign released figures bolstering an anecdote he told in Florida last month about prescription drugs that cost more for humans than for animals. Gore had cited figures that he said were based on family experience, but they turned out to come from a Democratic study.

In fact, the arthritis drug taken by Gore's mother-in-law, Margaret Ann Aitcheson, costs $2.13 per capsule, while the arthritis drug taken by Gore's dog, Shiloh, costs 92 cents for each capsule.

Staff writer Robert E. Pierre, with Cheney, contributed to this report.