Obama Working To 'Fix' His Relationship With Hollywood
from the hello...-sopa dept
We recently wrote about how it was unlikely that President Obama would veto SOPA/PIPA if they reached his desk, because he probably feels he "needs" the support from Hollywood. As if to underscore that point, apparently he's worried that he's pissed off folks in Hollywood -- who feel that he "has given their causes short shrift since moving into the White House." In order to fix that, according to the Hollywood Reporter, Obama has sent his former top Hollywood fundraiser, Nicole Avant, back to Hollywood to help patch things up there. Apparently, as a thank you for helping raise money in 2008, she'd been given the assignment as the US Ambassador to the Bahamas. But she's left that job to go back to fundraising in Hollywood. One has to imagine that a key "cause" that Hollywood will want assurances on is... SOPA/PIPA. Already, Avant is apparently beginning the fundraising process as part of an attempt to "rekindle at least some of Hollywood enthusiasm for Obama." Of course, Obama is also seeking support from the tech industry, who's almost universally opposed to the bill. Could make for some interesting discussions on his frequent swings through California...Thank you for reading this Techdirt post. With so many things competing for everyone’s attention these days, we really appreciate you giving us your time. We work hard every day to put quality content out there for our community.
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Filed Under: fundraising, hollywood, lobbying, nicole avant, obama, pipa, protect ip, sopa
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Random Thought
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In other words, perfectly qualified to talk to Hollywood about intellectual property rights.
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What's the definition of an honest politician?
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Please Remember
Please remember that the very state in which Hollywood resides is arguably the foremost technological hub of the world. More people and more money are involved in that industry than the narrow interpretation of "Entertainment" that Hollywood carries. Yes, they have marketing muscle. But ultimately, they don't drive our country and our planet forward the way that technology does.
Pissing off technologists is a dangerous and politically fatal move, especially as the Youtube/Facebook/Tumblr/whatever generation begins voting. They will care a lot more if Facebook tells them a bill is bad than if some aging studio exec does.
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Re: Please Remember
unfortunately, these and similar words will fall on deaf ears! however, backing SOPA/PIPA or any other Bill that favors Hollywood could easily signify Obama's fall from office. what a legacy for him to go out with! they would probably make a film!
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My only hope is that the reason he is worried about his relationship with Hollywood is that he plans to dump Biden.
When he was running I donated to his campaign, but this time around I have not and will not donate a penny. ICE seizures and other actions of his department mean that I will be looking seriously at third party candidates this year. I know third parties are a wasted effort, but at this point I don't see any reason to give Obama my vote (although in honesty, the Republicans seem to have several good reasons to vote for Obama, but we will have to see which of their reasons gets the nomination).
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Hooray for democracy.
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Wont this be more of the same? Government ran by the Entertainment Industry?
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This reasoning has always bothered me because it's self-defeating. Everyone 'knows' that a 3rd Party can't win against the Dems and GOP, and so no one votes for them. But the reason they can't win is because no one votes for them. I want to believe that if enough people stop voting for the lesser of two evils, we might actually HAVE a 3rd Party president.
And if nothing else, at least you'd be sending a message with your vote: I don't like your stance, be more like these guys. If you vote for the guy you tolerate instead of the guy you like (so that the guy you don't-like doesn't win), they only thing they'll see is that they got your vote. Even if a Dem or GOP wins, if a large portion of the vote goes 3rd Party, maybe they'll rethink their strategy in the future.
We keep getting more of the same because we keep voting for more of the same. We need to change the way we do things.
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The movement to get money out of politics is getting bigger by the day.
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Frakken Corporations are not People !!! They do not equal to one of us and never will.
We will have to March on Them because I have the feeling this will be the only way to end the corruption.Those who run for Office will be to busy taking that Big Money to care.All they do is make a little mouth noise to get more votes.
More and more people are waking up to what is going on.
2012 will be an interesting year.
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Re: Re: Of course they are not EQUAL, they are GREATER Than people....
You are right, but they are thinking about it the other way, we are a 'corporation' of X people (500 employees), they expect their 'vote' to count as 500 'normal people's' votes...
To make sure the Politicians 'feel' the same way the corporations do, they back their 'votes' with cash (Joe Nobody off the street donated $100 to the campaign, he'll be lucky to get an acknowledgement, Corporation X donates $100,000 to the campaign, and they get a personal invite to discuss their 'ideas' with the politician)...
Seems fair for a corporatocracy....
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We/you/me/us...
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There's no need to cling to such idiocy. There are myriad reasons to be upset with the President. Stupid BS about birth certificates, especially when you have seen it, take away from legitimate criticism.
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Wont this be more of the same? Government ran by the Entertainment Industry?
At lest the angry old man - Ron Paul - Does scare many of the current congress and senate. He kind of scares me too actually, but I don't believe he's in bed with the "AA"'s.
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Playing Hollywood against silicon valley...
Make those supporting this legislation pay by sending them home permanently - money only goes so far if they don't also get the votes they need to keep this nonsense going...
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no brains
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Re: no brains
All Obama has done is continue along the Bush path so as not to make enemies. Epic FAIL
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Obama. Time to go?
Obama, take this as a warning. You still have an opportunity to stop this, and if you do, you'll find yourself in favor with the technological hub that exists in the same state as Hollywood, and before the end of the this decade will hold more power over voters than Hollywood (unless Hollywood dramatically revises their business model).
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Re: Obama. Time to go?
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After sitting here for five minutes trying to consider how it was possible to kowtow more to the entertainment industry that he already has, I came up with absolutely nothing.
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