Mr. Penn speaks the truth. All three presidential candidates are a pretty sad bunch. Obama is modestly above tolerable. Clinton is, well, Clinton and Ms. Hillary is hoping against hope that someone pops a cap in Obama. Her allusion was not missed. McCain is the candidate of choice for all those in favor of war and so many years of war that by the time the warring is over, there’ll be no one left around to even care about it. The Republican Party failed America around the time of R. Reagan. The Democrats are abysmally Democrats, and they’re still waiting for their “ship” to pull in at the dock. Hey Democrats, your dock fell apart and the moorings are rotten to the core. America is sorely in need of a political alternative that isn’t attached at the hip to special corporate interests and/or AIPAC.  However and it’s a given, that’s just me. We’re still left with three crappy choices in the running. ‘We the people’ should be offered better than what we’re getting at present.

Knowing Obama’s record as he does, I think it foolish of Penn to expect Obama to suddenly turn into a human being once he is in office.

I think his point might have been that even a stopped clock is right twice a day (once if it has an am/pm indicator, and only once a year if it has a day/date indicator I would add).  Penn’s pomposity is amplified by the fact that he’s an intellectual poser and typically uninformed… then add the celebrity status that insulates and reinforces him and you’ve got a regular blow hard.  He doesn’t even have Bush’s basic awareness of his own inarticulateness that’s at least somewhat endearing.  Need I say more?

Penn has a right to his opinions just like the rest of us. The fact that he is an actor doesn’t give him any more insights than the rest of us who follow politics. That said, he is right on most of the issues and is correct in calling out Democrats who have from time to time voted like Republicans. Also Penn is one great actor who can also direct, and that is how he should be judged. We give too much credence in the U.S. to celebrity activists both left and right.

what does his “intelligence” or lack of have to do with our choice of candidates, in this case Obama? Can truth only come out of a “intelligent” persons mouth?, ridicoulous premise. W/Obama with have in MLK’s words “tokenism, gradualism, look how far we have come ism” The time is now. When u have the attention span that many have, u have no choice but to use generalities for communications sake, consider the forum he was speaking from. We can agree that some generalties are close to accurate, like say US FORIEGN POLICY IS FUCKIN IDIOTIC! this rings true if put to the test of detailed analysis. And this is what are candidates have to offer, just another approach as I have recently heard “to manage to the empire and keep it that way” Where is your breaking point? Do you acknowledge one?

Strangely, Ned Lamont nows supports Barack Obama for president.

Penn is right on, and knows a lot more about Obama then most of the people commenting on this article - all of those who attack Penn, at least.  Obama voted against the 30% cap on credit card debt interest.  Obama supported Joe Lieberman against the anti-war Ned Lamont in the 2006 primaries.  Obama, crying out for social justice, went from universal health care reform, to ‘market-based’ reform that, of course, would be continuingly lucrative for insurance companies.  Obama is a loser, already in the pockets of the military industrialists and the war on terror zealots.  Hey, assholes, wake up!

Obama voted for the Class Action Reform Law,  Hillary didn’t.  The CARL took from state jurisdiction all class actions, and removed them to the federal level where juries and judges more favorably disposed to victims of product malfeasance and consumer rip-offs, ARE LESS LIKELY TO BE FOUND.  This was a pro-business move because federal judges are political appointees, and known to decide in favor of the corporate types who donated to the election campaigns of the people who control the justice department, like the US Attorney General.  Obama voted in favor of this.  He gets more than half his considerable campaign chest from Wall Street.  Any questions?  There’s not a dime’s bit of difference.

Penn is basically a simpleton with a megaphone and a remedial education and a crowd of people around him telling him how great he is.

Don’t get me wrong, I am as liberal as anyone, and I am sympathetic to a lot of the causes he supports, but he always makes me cringe when I see him speaking in public, because somehow, as a lib, the media says that he speaks for me.  Yuck.

Penn does nothing but speak in wild generalities, and seemingly can only express himself in hackneyed clichés and mixed metaphors.  It’d be great if he took an English as a foreign language course and learned how to speak directly and simply.  He’d sound a lot less foolish (and more intelligible), and might even win some people over.

I think what Sean Penn was clumsily saying was the same thing Michael Moore has said (both Hollywood bad boys to be sure), that he is more interested in Obama as a people’s movement, rather Obama the man. Hey this is the silly movie business, vanity is accepted currency here.

“I think the issues Penn raised are unfortunately true.”

I must have missed these “issues” that Penn raised, because all I heard him do was make vague generalizations about… something.

Can you be more specific?

Re: here is whats off the
You laid a lot of it out, Gfernandez, and it’s a damned shame the best candidates were ‘selected’ out as too controversial or threatening to the main stream media. Third party candidates hardly stand a chance in a two party monopoply.

So now we have a choice between the lessor of ‘three’ evils, all members of the CFR (Council on Foreign Relations), not quite Skull & Bones, but due to past activities & membership not quite saints either.

All three candidates have skeletons in the closet, and the choice seems to be who has the least rotting flesh remaining on the floor. To break the mold of a twenty year Bush/Clinton dynasty it seems Obama is the only choice, and he could be a decent one term transitional selection, depending on whether he lives up to the vision he espouses, or falls in line like way too many others jaded by the corrupting influence of Washingtonian power.

The one positive thing about Sean Penn getting political at Cannes is it points world attention to the intense power struggle currently ensuing in American politics, and could show the rest of the globe a strong majority of Americans reject the failed policies of this hateful warmongering administration, and their accomplices in congress.

Sadly, Sean suffers from the same delusions as Ronald Reagan: that idealism gets things done. I have to admit, though, suffering his delusions would be a lot better for everyone.

Of course, I completely support his inappropriate use of tobacco. If for no other reason than just to get back at all those snotty Parisians who gave be bad directions in 1970 when I couldn’t find the youth hostel.

“ooo-aye-lay-awberge-du-jewness?” (I grew up in Santa Monica, we all took Spanish.)

Obama-Webb ‘08

You laid a lot of it out, Gfernandez, and it’s a damned shame the best candidates were ‘selected’ out as too controversial or threatening to the main stream media. Third party candidates hardly stand a chance in a two party monopoply.

So now we have a choice between the lessor of ‘three’ evils, all members of the CFR (Council on Foreign Relations), not quite Skull & Bones, but due to past activities & membership not quite saints either.

All three candidates have skeletons in the closet, and the choice seems to be who has the least rotting flesh remaining on the floor. To break the mold of a twenty year Bush/Clinton dynasty it seems Obama is the only choice, and he could be a decent one term transitional selection, depending on whether he lives up to the vision he espouses, or falls in line like way too many others jaded by the corrupting influence of Washingtonian power.

The one positive thing about Sean Penn getting political at Cannes is it points world attention to the intense power struggle currently ensuing in American politics, and could show the rest of the globe a strong majority of Americans reject the failed policies of this hateful warmongering administration, and their accomplices in congress.

Sean Penn is an embarassment to the United States of America. He should move to Venezuela, where he can hang out with his buddy Hugo Chavez

By Kim, May 16 at 12:56 pm #
(Unregistered commenter)
Re: Re: I appreciate Sean Penn’s uncompromising

“He’s sponsored or co-sponsored more than 550 bills…”

Unfortunately, you’re just flat wrong.

First problem is that sponsoring/cosponsoring is no way to judge a Senator’s record or effectiveness. 

Sponsoring means nothing if it doesn’t pass (Obama passed 7), or if not signed into law (Obama has… count ‘em… 2).  His Senate “Ethics and Lobbying” work?  Well he didn’t even sponsor OR cosponsor anything there.  And cosponsors often give little or NO time or effort towards the bills their names are on, so this benchmark is meaningless.

Here is the sum total of Obama’s effectiveness in the U.S. Senate and I think it speaks for itself; it’s the list of bills Obama sponsored that have become law, and it looks great if you work at a certain Illinois Post Office, or live in the Congo:

*  S. 2125, A bill to promote relief, security, and democracy in the Democratic Republic of the Congo.

* S. 3757, A bill to designate the facility of the United States Postal Service located at 950 Missouri Avenue in East St. Louis, Illinois, as the “Katherine Dunham Post Office Building.”

Woo Hooo!!  Go Obama!!!

Maybe he should have stayed in the Illinois Senate.

http://www.factcheck.org/elections-2008/substance_abuse.html

He’s right of course. Obama isn’t the great man we so fervently need and wish for. Obama’s a smart, mild-mannered politician with more ethics, idealism good intentions and speaking ability than we’re used to.

But what a show-offy, self-indulgent way for Penn to phrase it.

” Obama has a darn good voting record”

What voting record do you speak of?  He’s got very little to go by, and virtually nothing substantive.

Of course, McCain’s campaign finance reform and defence watchdog record far outshines it, but that probably hasn’t registered with you.

All this hurrah about Obama saving the day, laughable. People are once again being manupilated to believe that Obama is change, yes he is the “face of change” as with Hillary, but if you look at the policy betweem the candidates, they vary in the slightest degree. We need to support third party candidates like Ralph, think of Mccain, hillary and obama? do u really think thing will change? dont be naive..

Don’t back down a bit. When you were younger despite liking your movies I didn’t have the respect I do for you now. If you might seem angry to some people they just don’t understand we should ALL be mad as hell about how we have been abused worldwide over the past 8 years. Keep calling it as you see it & speaking truth to power (wherever & whenever you can)...screw the people who are critical of you, and if they can’t understand truths you have been speaking they are the past, not the future.

One only need look at Kucinich & Paul to see hwo both Parties are controlled by NeoCONS. Dare speak th eTruth and they will silence an ddiscredit you befor eyou enev get out of the gate.
Appears Obama has caught on to this insider corruption and has attempted to send out small smoke signals to show he has intentions that would bring on the full force of their Weapons. Granted I have not been thrilled with all his votes (and None Votes) but I have been listening carefully - Once he squeaked out such whispers ‘Investigate the current administration’, ‘Community Broadband’. But he is not expected to be our savior- he is expected to (and I think will )be Our Public Servant. He has shown he is listening and will do as We ask - it will be the first time in at least 40 yrs we may return to being a Democratic Society. I am willing to give him the chance to prove himself to US.The other tow have Proven their allegience to not only the Corps - but the Sociopathic ideologies of such Heretics as Hagee & Parsley. Rev Wright was set up to be a diversion and A Sacrifical lamb. I can only Hope Obama comes at these Two with this Reality that Religious extremeist like Hagee & parlsey are a Clear and Presnt danger to our National and International Security BECAUSE of the AFFLIATIONs the have with Politicains in High Offices. Some Rounds on the Media circuit of Hagees stratedgy for ‘Armegeddon’ and the Required Jewish conversion will shed light on the Threat he poses and will cut the legs out from Under Mc’Cain’.they are using the Jewish Community as a Pawn in their Delusions of Granduer (the ‘Rapture’).‘Thou Protest too much’ is appropo- using Wright, ‘Muslim’ and ‘Hussein’ as Red herrings!Beware my Jewish friends they may have a laural leaf in one hand -  but the other contains a sword!