Hollywood Gives Us What We Want Pro-Hollywood Dole Takes On Tinseltown As An Opportunistic Politician Who Just Wants To Be President.

Here’s the deal: On one hand, you have big-budget Hollywood, whose handlers sell “entertainment” to a gullible public. On the other, you have an opportunistic politician, whose main desire is to be president.

And we’re supposed to believe one over the other?

To recap, consider the recent words of Sen. Bob Dole, R-Kan. “Our music, movies, television and advertising (are) … bombarding our children with destructive messages of casual violence and even more casual sex.” In particular, he said, “Hollywood’s dream factories turn out nightmares of depravity.”

Finally, “We have reached the point where our popular culture threatens to undermine our character as a nation.”

Nice political ad, eh? It’s well-written and calculated to fit the media’s need for ever-popular sound bites. And it’s possible Dole, a three-time seeker of the presidency, believes what he’s saying.

Furthermore, Hollywood in particular has earned the slam. In one big-budget film after another, the “dream factories” indeed have shown a tendency to opt for sleaze. Heck, even Disney, with its purchase of Miramax, isn’t the studio that Uncle Walt built.

But consider this: Hollywood is, first and foremost, a business. And as all good Republicans should know, businesses stay alive by giving their customers what they want.

And what does the American public want most? Well, aside from “Forrest Gump,” the public repeatedly has demonstrated that it wants violence, preferably mixed with sex. It wants “Terminator 2.” It wants “Die Hard.” Republican supporters Arnold Schwarzenegger and Bruce Willis have built their careers on this very notion.

Now, you could say that not everyone wants to see violence on the big screen, and you would be right. But Willis’ latest vehicle, “Die Hard With a Vengeance,” has earned $61.7 million in its first three weeks. Clearly somebody likes this stuff.

So, yes, we should demand better films from Hollywood, just as we should demand better cars from General Motors. And our best weapon is our pocketbook. If you don’t like a movie, don’t go see it. Hollywood’s big shots will get the message quickly enough.

As for Dole, well, Rush Limbaugh says, “Never, ever trust a draft-dodger.” Let’s paraphrase a bit: Never trust a politician. Period.

, DataTimes MEMO: For the Anti-Hollywood editorial, see the story with the headline: Hollywood serves steady diet of poison

The following fields overflowed: SUPCAT = EDITORIAL, COLUMN - From both sides