Robert Scheer debates David Horowitz at Writers Guild

[Deepundercover]

www.lukeford.net for full report:

Doddering Dave Robb Totters Away At Sight Of Luke At Writers Guild

Theme of the evening: There's no fool like an old fool.

Dave Robb, 54 years of age, is a pompous self-righteous cranky entertainment reporter. He's widely-disliked by his peers and widely-respected for his tenacious journalism. He specializes in legal and union matters. Ideologically, he's still stuck in a 1950s anti-McCarthy time warp where he only sees enemies on the right.

Robb writes Luke 10/30/02: "Sir: You are a liar and an incompetent reporter. You should be ashamed of yourself. You obviously don't know anything about Anita Busch, whom you continue to libel and insult with your stupid little column. You should hope you never run into me at a party after I've had two beers."

I arrive at the Writers Guild building on Doheny Drive, just south of Wilshire Blvd, in Beverly Hills at 7:22PM.

At 7:25, I spot journalist Ross Johnson, who works at the Writers Guild, and walk over to say hello. He's talking to an unassuming old man dressed like a Vietnamese refugee.

Ross booms: "Luke Ford!"

He shakes my hand. I turn and face Johnson's friend and extend my hand to him. He totters away as though he's seen a ghost.

Ross: "You know Luke?"

Dave waves off my hand: "I don't care for him."

Robb won't even address a word to me. He just staggers off, looking as though his evening is ruined.

Then I realize that I've just met Dave Robb. I've never seen a picture of him.

Robb talks a big threatening game via email. He's Mr. He-Man, threatening me that I should hope I never run into him after he's had two beers. Dave would probably keel over after a few beers.

I meet him in person, and he totters away as though he has a walker, afraid to face me, let alone talk to me. He's a coward. He can't face me. He can't speak to me. Yet he can trash me behind my back and threaten and denounce me via email. Big man. Dave Robb real tough guy. I better watch out if he ever runs into me after a few drinks.

Robert Scheer Wins Writers Guild Debate On Style, Wit

Though I agree more with David Horowitz. The evening came down to these titans.

The crowd at the Writers Guild is about 90% white with a handful of black people.

Most of the people on the panel were worse than useless - Nicaraguan Sandinista communist writer Giocanda Belli waxed about Communism taking over her country with her help, Mike Farrell, actor and leftist activist, Frank Pierson - blowhard old fool, and there's no fool like an old fool, Ramona Ripston, executive director of ACLU in Southern California since 1972.

Screenwriter Craig Titley spoke little.

The evening was dominated by two shining debaters (rightist David Horowitz and leftist Robert Scheer) and one sassy moderator (Jill Stewart).

The evening showed how politically and analytically useless Hollywood people are. There's something about being an artist that predisposes them to political and moral stupidity.

The biggest surprise of the evening was not the large number of heckling interruptions when Horowitz spoke or how rude the crowd was to him and less frequently Titley. No, for me it was the charm and humor of Robert Scheer. He was hilarious.

And I am a conservative Republican. I came prepared to hate Scheer. I'd read Cathy Seipp tear Bob to pieces. I'd read him cut up on LaExaminer.com and Instapundit.

Scheer is a man of genuine wit. His performance reminded me of when Al Gore spoke in the University of Judaism speaker series three months ago. I hate Al Gore but I was charmed and amused by him.

Unlike Gore, who must've practiced and rehearsed all his joke, Scheer just comes up with zingers naturally.

7:50PM. Program begins. All panelists are seated.

Jill Stewart asks Frank a long question about Tim Robbins which I've shorted to: "Is he just whining? Why are people on Left and Right being intolerant?"

Frank, who wears jeans: "It's a matter of ideology and religion. The issue of abortion...is a religious one... There probably shouldn't be any laws about abortion because it violates the separation of church and state."

I heard many stupid statements tonight but that was the first one. And about 40% of the audience clapped over it.

Only Robert Scheer wears a suit and tie. He doesn't get to speak until about 30-minutes into the program.

Jill repeats her question for Craig Titley, who wears a baseball cap.

Craig: "If you decide to politicize yourself [you will reap the consequences]. If you speak at a graduation and politicize things, you can expect people to walk out on you."

Frank: "The fact is that Tim Robbins was not walked out on or booed, he was not going to the ceremony [at the baseball Hall of Fame] because of his political views."

Craig: "There are political artists like Michael Moore and there are popular artists like movie stars. When you decide to politicize yourself, you narrow [your audience]."

Mike Farrell, who looks little different from his days on the TV show MASH says we are misstating the issue. It's not about Tim Robbins whining. It's about the suppression of dissent in President Bush's America. Actors have as much right to express their political opinions. If they express liberal ones, that does not make them liberal activists. "They are not politicized because they express political opinions. The tone of the country [towards dissenters] is extraordinarily harsh."

Mike says those who spoke out against the Iraq War were leapt on by right-wing apparatchiks. That this administration "wants to stifle dissent." That the Right wanted to set an example with Tim Robbins and Susan Sarandon. Mike says there was not an adequate national debate before the war on Iraq.

Mike is applauded by 90% of the audience. Hence, it is pretty clear that 90% of the audience tends to the left.

The Writers Guild has long been a hotbed for communists.

David Horowitz: "Those last statements were delusional. Outside of American universities, Hollywood has the most repressive political culture."

Audience boos him and yells at him.

David: "At a time when our country has been attacked..."

Crowd heckles him. When was America attacked? If you mean 9/11, that was more than two years ago.

David: "People's emotions are high and volatile. At a time of war, when 75% of Americans support the war, you are going to get a reaction [if you publicly oppose it]. So what?"

Audience yells at David. One man: "You grow up."

David: "The program is about free speech and you [can't even let the man speak]. I didn't say anything against Mike Farrell personally. I said his ideas were delusional. There were two votes in Congress [about the war of Iraq]. There was a big debate."

Ramona: "I don't agree with a word you have to say David but I defend your right to say it.

"Tim Robbins had a right to say what he said and the Hall of Fame did not have the right to disinvite him."

By what strange logic? When did baseball's Hall of Fame lose the right to select their speakers?

It's a stupid point by Ramona but 80% of the audience applauds vigorously. I can only conclude that morally, socially and politically, over 80% of the people around me are morons. I bet most of that group is secular left-wing Jews.

Commie Gioconda Belli says the Sandinistas wanted to have freedom of speech but because of the US-backed contra rebels fighting them, they could not afford that, which is sad.

About 60% of the crowd claps her.

Jill asks Craig if there are subjects that can't be made into films. Craig says he doesn't know except for one area - war and patriotism.

Craig had a WWII story and nobody wanted to hear about it. He couldn't even pitch it.