Tom Hanks: Our wise, calm president is doing a spectacular job

posted at 9:04 pm on March 5, 2010 by Allahpundit

The best bits come right at the beginning and at around six minutes in. Don’t be too hard on him, though: No one responsible for “Band of Brothers” can be all wrong, and needless to say, if he was hard left he’d be calling The One some sort of insurance-industry sellout at this point rather than clapping him on the back. Even so, pay attention at around 3:45 to his nostalgia for an age when the president could walk into Congress, declare something a national priority, and expect both parties to hammer out an effectuating compromise. Does that mean Hanks was for social security reform when Bush pursued it in 2005? We’ll check back with him about the glories of presidential leadership circa 2013, I guess.

Here’s the latest take on unemployment from our wise, calm White House, by the way. Spectacular.

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ObamaCommies like Hanks think he and his fellow elites have nothing to worry about but one day the O-bot thugs will be coming for them too.

RandyChandler on March 5, 2010 at 11:02 PM

I think he’s just reliving his character from Mazes and Monsters.

malclave on March 5, 2010 at 9:33 PM

Dude! I have vivid memories of watching that when it was first run on TV. Surprisingly creepy ending.

Dongemaharu on March 5, 2010 at 11:07 PM

Just another useful idiot. That said, a great actor and producer and am I the only one who liked Road To Perdition?

SaintGeorgeGentile on March 5, 2010 at 11:07 PM

You know decade after decade……..

…..year after year………

…..month after month……

……day after day……..

Hollywood proves that they are complete fools.

What is it about artsy people in the entertainment business that they are in love with Totalitarianism and Progressives?

PappyD61 on March 5, 2010 at 11:13 PM

Tom, Tom, Tom. Stick to reading scripts. Leave politics to the smart people, OK?

n0doz on March 5, 2010 at 11:26 PM

No one responsible for “Band of Brothers” can be all wrong,

How idiotic. Hanks is responsible for Band of Brothers? Ya think maybe the men who fought for their country and became obvious legends for people like Hanks to leech off are the ones responsible? Ya think?

Western_Civ on March 5, 2010 at 11:48 PM

Tom Hanks is perhaps the best example of why I SERIOUSLY hesitate to make character judgments on the basis of political beliefs. I can scarcely imagine a finer example of a decent, warm-blooded, open, friendly, altogether impeccable soul…and yet this sort of ridiculousness emerges from his endearingly boyishly-grinning pie-hole. He’s generous with charities, has been married to the same woman like forever, takes infectious glee from space exploration, depicts our service men and women with obvious and well-deserved reverence…and yet he is thoroughly in the tank for someone who seems to have made it his life’s work to undermine all of the above.

Upshot: The man lives in an echo chamber, a space in which everyone says the same sorts of things, reads the same sorts of sources (when they read at all!), and espouses the same general philosophy of life. It’s hard to imagine a reasonable person, immersed in such a medium, arriving at a different set of conclusions. Hence, Tom gets all kinds of slack from me.

Now, then there are vicious, nasty, hateful banshees like Sean “rectal-cancer” Penn, and Danny Chavista Glover, not to mention Susan Saran-Wrap and Tim Robbins. These thoroughly ugly people get not a dime of my money, and I feel reasonably confident in the belief that they are as nasty pieces of business as they persistently appear.

Noocyte on March 6, 2010 at 12:03 AM

How can such a great actor be so dumb and naive…….oh thats right, he is just an actor.

tommer74 on March 6, 2010 at 12:13 AM

pay attention at around 3:45 to his nostalgia for an age when the president could walk into Congress, declare something a national priority, and expect both parties to hammer out an effectuating compromise. Does that mean Hanks was for social security reform when Bush pursued it in 2005? We’ll check back with him about the glories of presidential leadership circa 2013, I guess.

Are you drunk Allah?

I am. I guess that’s why you make sense

Ugly on March 6, 2010 at 12:14 AM

OH NOES HOTAIR STRUGGLES WITH DECISION TO NEVER WATCH SAVING PRIVATE RYAN AGAIN

Dave Rywall on March 6, 2010 at 12:15 AM

Tom Hanks is a perfect example of a marxist stooge.

Tom thinks he is doing good by stealing one persons property and giving it to someone else. In Tom’s mind, redistributing someone else’s property is simply ‘charity for all’. Among some in hollywood, that made a nice smile for their wealth, this seems like an acceptable goal for the country.

Freddy on March 6, 2010 at 12:15 AM

Forrest………….!

dmann on March 6, 2010 at 12:22 AM

Dave Rywall on March 6, 2010 at 12:15 AM

Are you a professional clown?

dmann on March 6, 2010 at 12:25 AM

Does anyone else agree with me that Tom Hanks has a similar kind of goofy rubber-doofus face to Bill Maher?

Sharke on March 6, 2010 at 1:01 AM

Wildly ignorant actor makes wildly ignorant staement? Flim at eleventy?!?!3232

daesleeper on March 6, 2010 at 1:16 AM

Rywall is the religious conservative right’s best snarker! Thanks Dave! The right wingers need your humor to cheer them on!

daesleeper on March 6, 2010 at 1:18 AM

Tom Hanks is a Hollywood lib. He’s entitled to be wrong, to be stupid, he’s a movie star. Here’s an account by an Austrian woman that is far more interesting than any movie Tom Hanks ever starred in. Read the Kitty Werthmann story:

http://www.eons.com/groups/topic/1993039-Kitty-Werthmann-Survivor-of-Nazi-Rule-

The parallels to today’s news are eerie!

Mark7788 on March 6, 2010 at 1:32 AM

Nope..not gonna do it…I like Tom Hanks…gonna bury my head in the sand…

Please Tom…you have a right to your opinion…

Shut up and act…yer really good at it….

BigWyo on March 6, 2010 at 1:32 AM

You know, I’m sure ole Tom thinks he’s all hip and everything because he’s liberal and voted for the “cool guy”, but he obviously has been living under a rock for the past nine years to not know that Kelly Ripa is the host of “Live with Regis & Kelly”; how could he not know? What a behind-the-times idiot.

-Aslan’s Girl

Aslans Girl on March 6, 2010 at 1:47 AM

Hanks doesn’t read blogs but he’s a regular guy?

Only a limousine liberal would utter such a transparently elitist comment.

csdeven on March 6, 2010 at 2:11 AM

Well, Tom says he’s doing a “spectacular” job. And he’s part of the Hollywood intelligencia. They have to memorize lines to scripts, they must be smarter than me.

(Shut up and act)

hawkdriver on March 6, 2010 at 3:30 AM

Dave Rywall on March 6, 2010 at 12:15 AM

Considering how much Hollywood saves by coming to Canada to avoid the expensive union costs of filming in the USA, I can understand your defense of their industry. A friend of mine in special effects and production says liberal, union supporting Hollywood saves barrels of cash filming up your way.

hawkdriver on March 6, 2010 at 3:41 AM

I always thought Tom Hanks was a bit of an idiot, now I know it’s true.

Siren46 on March 6, 2010 at 4:27 AM

If you’ve starred in Volunteers you don’t get a say in national politics. If you starred in Joe Versus the Volcano you do get to murder three adults and two puppies without getting in trouble.

chicagojedi on March 6, 2010 at 4:49 AM

Don’t buy the projected “image” — trust me — the man is a self-involved SOB. Can’t say too much but I can say, do not be sucked in by the persona. He’s a puffed up narcissist who’s fast becoming a sad joke in Hollywood.

And where did the notion originate that he’s a “great” actor? Really. A little perspective would be welcome.

But what’s truly amazing is that we automatically give more weight to the raw opinion of some person we know nothing about and have never met, merely because their name is familiar to us (a rough definition of “celebrity”). What in this world do those two things have to do with each other?

IndieDogg on March 6, 2010 at 5:23 AM

Hanks and everyone else in the entertainment business would be singing a different tune if people could no longer afford to go to the movies, buy the CD’s and DVD’s, or go to the concerts.

Sxyrzrbck on March 6, 2010 at 7:02 AM

Added this moron to my “no go” list a long time ago.

Keemo on March 6, 2010 at 7:26 AM

These Hollywood a-holes need to put their money where their mouth is. Have a special 97% tax rate for “liberal” actors and musicians so they can show us the way to Utopia…See how long they remain this stupid.

On a side note, I think Tom Hanks sucks. The guy is a crappy severely overpaid hack…….

adamsmith on March 6, 2010 at 7:31 AM

Entertainers should avoid politics whenever they can. No matter which side they take in an argument they are upsetting or irritating half their fan base.

albill on March 6, 2010 at 8:21 AM

Most actors are dishwashers who got lucky. I\’ve got nothing against dishwashers but who cares what they think!!??

MaiDee on March 6, 2010 at 8:22 AM

LOL the Hot Air crowd turns on another talented, likable person just because they think differently. (Like the Gwyneth Paltrow is an skanky b-lister thread, or the Bruce Springsteen has always sucked thread) AllahPundit has magical powers. You’re all probably still giving to the Ayaan Hirsi Ali’s defense fund.

tlynch001 on March 6, 2010 at 8:45 AM

Obama = Lt. Dyke

Inexperienced, indecisive, dishonest, petty, gets people killed

ray on March 6, 2010 at 8:52 AM

What is it with these people? They depend on the good will of the public for their living… and yet they don’t hesitate to alienate fully half by publicizing their political opinion.

Sure. We’ve all got an opinion and a right to free speech, but is it smart policy when your trade is ‘likability’?

Murf76 on March 6, 2010 at 8:52 AM

Obama = Lt. Dy ke

Inexperienced, indecisive, dishonest, petty, gets people killed

ray on March 6, 2010 at 8:53 AM

Are there any of these Hollywood types who have a working brain? They love to pose as fiercely independent, outside the box thinking types. Yet, seemingly all of them behave like leftist tools/useful idiots reading from the party line script. Like the Bourbons, they have learned nothing and forgotten nothing.

They enjoy their multi-millions while advocating socialist poverty and drudgery for the rest of us. Put your money where your mouths are Hollywood. Give it all away. Take a vow of poverty. Then I’ll think seriously about converting to socialism. (For about 5 seconds before rejecting the idea.)

JimP on March 6, 2010 at 9:05 AM

LOL the Hot Air crowd turns on another talented, likable person just because they think differently.

tlynch001 on March 6, 2010 at 8:45 AM

turned on him? no never did like that no-talent hack.

why don’t you go disagree with your commie-lib friends, and see what happens when they turn on a ‘likeable’ person like you…LOL

right4life on March 6, 2010 at 9:14 AM

Let’s read the fine print of Mr. Hank’s contracts. I bet you’ll find that his health is very well protected. He does not have to pay a dime of his own when seeing his physician.

What Mr. Hanks he and others of his ilk do not fully understand is that REAL people can develop a coronary reading the tally of their last visit to the Hospital of the Governments choice.

MSGTAS on March 6, 2010 at 9:36 AM

I used to like George Clooney til he kept opening his mouth & wouldn’t shut up.
If Tom keeps on saying garbage like this I’m going to get so sick of him that boycotting his movies will be a pleasure, just like it is with me over Clooney, Susan Sarandon & Tim Robbins, Leonardo DiCRAPrio, etc.
The list gets longer.
Meanwhile, I will continue to enjoy actors like Tom Sellick, Robert Duvall, Clint Eastwood, etc.

Badger40 on March 6, 2010 at 9:37 AM

LOL the Hot Air crowd turns on another talented, likable person just because they think differently sympathize with communists and socialists who wish to tear down and remake America into a dysfunctional utopia.

tlynch001 on March 6, 2010 at 8:45 AM

Maybe this puts it into a litte more perspective.

Badger40 on March 6, 2010 at 9:39 AM

Meanwhile, I will continue to enjoy actors like Tom Sellick, Robert Duvall, Clint Eastwood, etc.

Badger40 on March 6, 2010 at 9:37 AM

Forgot to add Gary Sinise. I have always liked him.

Badger40 on March 6, 2010 at 9:40 AM

You have to understand that Forrest Gump here lives in a fantasy realm just alongside the farside universe that Sean Penn presently occupies.

Both totally out of touch with what you and I would perceive as reality.

pilamaye on March 6, 2010 at 9:47 AM

Rogers Hornsbee called me a steaming pile of pig sheet and my parents had driven all the way from Michigan to see me play…and then I said something really stupid like Obama is doing a great job. Maybe there’s no crying in baseball, but there ought to be a minimum intelligence requirement to make political comments on TV.

flytier on March 6, 2010 at 9:49 AM

These Hollywood a-holes need to put their money where their mouth is. Have a special 97% tax rate for “liberal” actors and musicians so they can show us the way to Utopia…See how long they remain this stupid.

On a side note, I think Tom Hanks sucks. The guy is a crappy severely overpaid hack…….

adamsmith on March 6, 2010 at 7:31 AM

Back in January, Melanie Graham (BIG HOLLYWOOD) wrote:
“I just had the same conversation with a friend that I’ve had hundreds of times with my Hollywood Lefty pals – Higher taxes? No problem! I won’t be affected! I’m incorporated! It’s the hypocritical secret here – the lefty actors and writers all incorporate themselves to avoid higher taxes but expect everyone in Rube State America to pony up.”

I’d like to see how much in taxes these Hollywood anti- capitalist, tree huggers really end up paying.

redridinghood on March 6, 2010 at 9:54 AM

John Cofey,call your office. Tom needs devine intervention again.

nukeemnow on March 6, 2010 at 9:58 AM

The comment from the old gentleman who said perhaps some
of the unemployed folks should watch South Pacific if they
think they have it bad right now.
Without even seeing it, I would think the tremendous price paid to keep our
country free and would be the lesson learned.

elderberry on March 6, 2010 at 9:58 AM

You would think Hanks would have learned something from his WW2 productions about the American people and the Constitution.

royzer on March 6, 2010 at 10:21 AM

You would think with all the free time these celebrities have, they would read up on issues and hold more informed opinions. But nope.

chunderroad on March 6, 2010 at 10:39 AM

Is it possible Mr. Hanks is just taking the high road or protecting his career?

dogsoldier on March 6, 2010 at 10:51 AM

Isn’t it interesting that the HAVEs are so interested in assuaging their guilt by asking the government to take the responsibility to distribute their wealth?

desertdweller on March 6, 2010 at 10:54 AM

Hanks his been on Letterman several times lately.
Could it be some of dopey Daves ways are rubbing off
or two peas in a pod ?

Texyank on March 6, 2010 at 11:07 AM

Dave Rywall on March 6, 2010 at 12:15 AM

Considering how much Hollywood saves by coming to Canada to avoid the expensive union costs of filming in the USA, I can understand your defense of their industry. A friend of mine in special effects and production says liberal, union supporting Hollywood saves barrels of cash filming up your way.

hawkdriver on March 6, 2010 at 3:41 AM
——–
1
The Canadian dollar is too strong, so the stream of US productions coming up here has pretty much dried up.
You’re 3 or 4 years behind. That’s okay.

2
Movie crews are unionized here. The only (significant) savings was from the exchange rate.
You know nothing about film production. That’s okay.

3
Your friend knows nothing.

4
In one breath you say Hollywood “avoids expensive union costs of filming” and then you say “liberal, union supporting Hollywood”
Again, you know nothing. But that’s okay.

Dave Rywall on March 6, 2010 at 12:59 PM

Tom gets all kinds of slack from me.

Not on this issue and never from me.

Is it possible Mr. Hanks is just taking the high road or protecting his career?

The High road belongs to those that have taken it, sometimes by fire. Let millionaire Tom catch hell for his politics and know that He never served anyone other than himself. Charity contributions don’t count except on Tax Forms.

old trooper2 on March 6, 2010 at 1:22 PM

royzer on March 6, 2010 at 10:21 AM

Amen Brother!

old trooper2 on March 6, 2010 at 1:23 PM

Why should I care what this stupendously and undeservedly wealthy, out of touch turd thinks?

pc on March 6, 2010 at 4:17 PM

Idiots – he is a F$@@%$g actor.
He did not land on Normandy on D-Day like he didn’t dress up like a woman to live in a dorm in the 1980′s..

RobCon on March 6, 2010 at 5:30 PM

I could only watch two minutes of this MSNBC star fv<k/ng circle jerk.

RobCon on March 6, 2010 at 5:33 PM

Another typical Hollywood leftist suck up to Obama. His friends are in high places and Hanks is on the dole, of course Obama is doing a spectacular job for filthy rich Tom Hanks! At 8:05 he starts talking about the “heartwarming” union commercial documentary “The Last Truck”. Sorry Hanks, nobody who makes cars for GM in America at that time were making $18/hr and he knows it. If they were GM would have never closed the place down. Hanks tells a flat out lie at 9:03 and he knows it while he says it (ref 8:05-9:19).

Dollayo on March 6, 2010 at 6:54 PM

Hanks seemed pretty fake to me. Yeah maybe saving his career.

Maybe he believes what he said but I am not convinced.

Well he is either a cowardly liar or a dumb illiberal.

Disappointing to say the least.

There is the contradiction between Saving Private Ryan/Band of Brothers and what Hanks is saying here.

I find his statements embarrassing.

Obama is NOT boon but a goon.

Start telling the truth already.

Oh yeah–I forgot–the truth is harder to find than gold these days.

The truth is playing hide and seek and is hiding pretty darn well with the help of Hanks and the MSM and the liberals and their ilk.

Man and I liked the guy . . . .

Can`t he keep his mouth shut at least?

Too late! The crap is out of the bag!

Sherman1864 on March 6, 2010 at 7:16 PM

Don’t ya think someone who talked to a volleyball for 4 years knows what he’s talking about? /s

wepeople on March 6, 2010 at 7:33 PM

my Hollywood list is growing longer and longer – keep spewing all this socialist agenda and I will continue to NOT give any of my money to the entertainment business!! I bet they will shut their mouths if the money dries up!!

SO HOLLYWOOD – STFU and just act – that is all you are paid to do!!

whatzit2u on March 6, 2010 at 7:37 PM

David Carradine learned how to jack off from this SOB.They all do it.They jack off all day long.Obama will show them how to do it with out killing your self.

Denniscat on March 7, 2010 at 7:17 AM

about 1:05 “if he President has a magic wand or a propoganda piece network working for him he could get things done”

HEY TOM YOUR ON IT!

jpmn on March 7, 2010 at 8:11 AM

Dave Rywall on March 6, 2010 at 12:59 PM

1. Dave, to start with, I’m not sure the particularly rude retort you gave was necessary. I’ve been mostly civil with you and even sided with your points on occasion. Snarky maybe. Your bullets had some points to consider, but like most who act trollish on this site, you plain lose me with your inane desire to alienate anyone you discuss a point with. Why you feel you have to do that is beyond me. You certainly don’t seem very convincing to me by just throwing out your opinion as fact without reference. So….
2. I’ve posted a Slate article my friend had told me about after we’d met the last time. It was some of his companies rational for filming in Canada. If you’ll read the article, you’ll find that you’re quite incorrect about the strength of the dollar being the only reason that production companies turned to Canada for filming. Your country, while it does indeed have Unionized film workers, also gives out some pretty hefty union “rebates “to defray the cost of dollars expended on Union Labor.
http://www.slate.com/id/2136064/
3. Your point about the dollar’s weakness being a factor is valid, but Hollywood filming in Canada has neither been less of an incentive monetarily or come to a screeching halt by any stretch of the imagination in our poor economy.
4. As far as being 3-4 years behind; you’re close. His last film done in Canada was Alien vs Predator-Requiem. But that is considered recent having been just released to theaters in Dec 07. So it was about two and a half years ago he was filming up there give or take some months. It was filmed in Coquitlam, Port Coquitlam, Langley and Vancouver, BC. Point is they’ve been back just recently scouting sites for a new film that I’m pretty sure they want to start in the Fall in Vancouver again.
5. Bottom line, I very much respect Mr. Hanks work. I truly wish he and Howard would have been more documentarily accurate for “Apollo 13”, but I guess it’s hard to keep their politics out of even a film like that. And where I don’t really care much for “Saving Pvt Ryan”, I think the two best mini-series ever made were “Band of Brothers” and “From the Earth to the Moon”. I’m just not sure that even that and his work with the WWII D-Day Museum makes it okay in my book for him to use his notoriety to shove his political opinion down our throats. He was never supportive of President Bush through the entire crisis of the 9-11 attacks or in the war efforts. His guy has an abysmal first year stomping on most of our civil liberties and you ask yourself, why do I have to listen to this partisaned, subjective BS? If Hollywood were at all supportive of Conservatives when they’re in the right, if just on just events of National Security, I think I might feel different. But the bottom line is they trash the Conservative in office, they’ve trashed the current warriors on the field of battle and their comments tend to be nothing but rank propaganda to me.
6. BTW, the friend is pretty well tracked in Hollywood and a talented guy. He’s also won an Oscar.
7. PS, the point about “union supporting” Hollywood would be the little bit of sarcasm I injected. If that stuff goes past you, maybe you’re really not the guy to try to have exchanges with. Again, not sure why you had to comment the way you did, but I’m sure I know a little bit more about the business through my friend than most.
8. PPS, Canada isn’t the only country they go to save bucks either.

hawkdriver on March 7, 2010 at 8:59 AM

1. Dave, to start with, I’m not sure the particularly rude retort you gave was necessary. I’ve been mostly civil with you and even sided with your points on occasion.
hawkdriver on March 7, 2010 at 8:59 AM

When I read Rywall’s reply to you, I thought it was pretty $hitty.
You were being reasonable & he couldn’t help himself to being a total a$$.
Yet another example of how this liberal mind set is akin to a mental disorder.
There was no call for his 4hittiness to you.
What a turd.
And BTW- what about all of the TV-Cable series that are shot in BC & other parts of Canada?
I recall that Stargate was shot there for was it the whole 10 yrs?
How many others are there?
I’ve always been peeved that when a movie is set in a certain location that they cannot even shoot the movie in the right state, like for instance that movie with Sarah Jessica Parker, Hugh Grant & Sam Elliot What About The Morgans? or something to that effect.
It took place in Wyoming & they couldn’t even shoot it there.
Having lived there, I was pretty disgusted.

Badger40 on March 7, 2010 at 9:48 AM

Badger40 on March 7, 2010 at 9:48 AM

You’re quite correct, Stargate and a ton of other TV shows where filmed in Canada. And like I said, even with the weak dollar, the rebates from the Canadian Government still make it a saver for Hollywood and they’re still taking advantage of it.

hawkdriver on March 7, 2010 at 10:04 AM

“were” filmed in…

hawkdriver on March 7, 2010 at 10:11 AM

Another reason Canada has lost production business is a number of states in the USA have created great incentives for entertainment production. Georgia is an example of a state that provides significant tax benefits, and where a couple of movies were recently filmed in Atlanta. The big loser has always been California.

ray on March 7, 2010 at 10:47 AM

ray on March 7, 2010 at 10:47 AM

Not sure if they still are, but Hollywood was coming to Wilmington NC for the same reason in the late 90s.

hawkdriver on March 7, 2010 at 10:53 AM

DaveRywall…the only thing greater than your ignorance is your pompousness.

CWforFreedom on March 7, 2010 at 2:19 PM

tom hanks was talking smack about karl rove on gma with stephanopoulos and the rest of the lib gang on that show.

anna on March 7, 2010 at 8:01 PM

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