In Rob We Trust

It was reported recently that Rob Lowe is supporting Arnold Schwarzenegger in his bid to become the next governor of California (as though it could be any other state). While this announcement may seem less important than, say, real news, it does provoke one into thoughts of - well - Rob Lowe.

The last time a celebrity ran for governor of California it was Ronald Reagan. He, like Schwarzenegger, had long been associated with Republican politics before finally declaring his intentions and he, like Schwarzenegger, parlayed his celebrity into broad-based support - unlike the Kennedy dynasty which relied on the support of broads but that is another story altogether.

But how does this involve Rob Lowe? Well, it should be remembered that Mr. Lowe is a longtime supporter of the Democratic party. In 1988 Rob Lowe was caught, quite literally, with his pants down at the Democratic National Convention in Atlanta. He was ‘entertaining’ a female and the problem was that it seemed she was not -ahem- old enough to vote (wink wink) - a fact that either escaped or was immaterial to the then 25-year-old charter member of the Brat Pack.

This occurred in 1988 PI (or Pre-Internet). Even without the ‘net, the video of Lowe’s shenanigans played in clubs in Los Angeles, New York and beyond. There was not the instant dissemination that would have been possible today - for which one can be full of thanks or regret depending on one’s position regarding a naked, fornicating Rob Lowe (who, where positions are concerned, evidently prefers the missionary).

I missed the point of this altogether. I thought the true scandal was not that he was caught on camera having sex with an underage groupie but that he was caught on camera supporting Michael Dukakis.

Lowe would sink lower (please indulge me) when he sang a duet with Snow White to open the Academy Awards in 1989. The song was "Proud Mary" but that is unimportant as it is my understanding that all copies have been ordered destroyed in cleansing fire by the Academy of Motion Picture Arts and Sciences under the supervision of Disney executives.

Rob Lowe’s career prior to The West Wing was thus marked by a tragic foreshadowing that he was morphing into our generation’s George Hamilton. He appeared in mostly forgettable - but admittedly enjoyable - films such as Class Act, The Hotel New Hampshire and The Outsiders in which he played Sodapop Curtis. I have no reason to draw that role to anyone’s attention other than for the fact that I find it fun to write ‘Sodapop Curtis’ when referring to an adult male.

It wasn’t until I watched Oxford Blues recently on cable that I came to the disturbing conclusion that Rob Lowe is, in reality, the devil. Oxford Blues was made in 1984 and the 21-year-old Lowe looks remarkably unchanged when compared to the 40-year-old Lowe. And it can’t have escaped anyone’s attention that ‘Rob Lowe’ spelled backwards is Lucifer (or close enough).

But perhaps the movie for which he will ultimately be remembered is St. Elmo’s Fire. That orgy of Brat Packers also included Emilio Estevez, Demi Moore, Judd Nelson, Ally Sheedy and Andrew McCarthy. In a stunning example of cosmic coincidence, Judd Nelson’s character is a Democrat turned Republican thus foreshadowing Lowe’s defection almost 20 years later.

St. Elmo’s Fire was an appropriately angst-ridden film from which one could emerge feeling somehow noble in youth. Yet, like Demi Moore’s character, we knew that it is no fun to suffer unless someone could see you suffering. Like Rob Lowe’s character, we knew it was important to look good doing it.

There was one aspect about St. Elmo’s Fire that was particularly encouraging. Everyone had interesting jobs and money was never a problem. Sure, one could complain about not having any but that didn’t in any way prevent having fabulous apartments and nights out in the bar. Even those without jobs, like Rob Lowe’s character, were acceptable because they were still attractive. It was okay to be unemployed and irresponsible as long as you did it with an aura of quiet, simmering, snarly sexiness.

Then along came The West Wing and Rob Lowe served on the staff of President Martin Sheen and he re-emerged as a capable, competent actor and family man. He is soon to debut in a new series titled The Lyon’s Den having left The West Wing in an apparent snit over money and diminishing screen time.

So where have his Democratic stripes gone? Has the arrival of middle age and the burden of millions of dollars turned him away from his roots?

I think rather than reflecting a change in affiliation for Lowe, it speaks of a subtle yet obvious trend - the final emergence of a third party in American politics.

The Celebrity Party - let’s call them the Celebs for short. Just as the GOP has the elephant and the Dems the donkey, let us christen the ermine or the mink as the animal of record for the Celebs.

This Celeb party might really fly. CNN thought it important enough to cut away live in 1999 to an announcement from Warren Beatty that he would not seek the Democratic nomination for president. It might have been too difficult in any case to ascertain which lady had been "first" for Warren.

There have already been test balloons floated in the guise of Harrison Ford as a hawkish President James Marshall in Air Force One. The role of President Josiah Bartlett is currently played on TV by longtime Democrat Martin Sheen. Sheen is also father to St. Elmo’s alumnus and Lowe’s fellow Brat Packer - Emilio Estevez.

The primary difference between Ford and Sheen’s Commander in Chief is that where Ford was ‘kick-ass’, Sheen is contemplative and compassionate - there being a lack of Russian ultra-right terrorist hijackers on a weekly basis it appears.

In recent history, the president has also been played by Morgan Freeman (Deep Impact), Ronny Cox (Murder at 1600), Gene Hackman (Absolute Power), Jeff Bridges (The Contender), Michael Douglas (The American President) and most notably by Hillary Clinton in the role of Bill - not seen by many due to the NC-17 rating.

The public is not only ready for Celebs but also perhaps eager for it.

We mustn’t forget that Clint Eastwood was mayor of Carmel, California nor that Sonny Bono was a U.S. Congressman from - surprise - California. The Congress has also seen Iowa Representative Fred Grandy (Gopher of Love Boat fame) and character actor Fred Thompson, the recently retired Senator from Tennessee who now plays the District Attorney on Law and Order. In Britain, Glenda Jackson has been a Member of Parliament for over 10 years. Shirley Temple Black was a past US Ambassador to the Republic of Ghana and later to Czechoslovakia. Pee Wee Herman was Secretary of State in the administration of Kirk Cameron (okay I made the last one up but the rest are true).

Of the above-mentioned, all won as Republicans with the exception of Clint Eastwood who ran for mayor as an Independent and Glenda Jackson who represents the Labour Party. Although it has become second nature to think of Hollywood as a bastion of liberalism, so far the Celebs who successfully made the leap mostly did so while waving a more conservative banner.

In such a case, it is no wonder that Rob Lowe would lean towards a Republican candidate. He came of age in the 1980’s which lest we forget was Ronald Reagan’s age - fear of the Soviet Union was still an acceptable angst, Alex P. Keaton (Michael J. Fox on Family Ties) was America’s favorite teenager with a stock portfolio and it was a time of rampant conservatism on college campuses.

Rob Lowe may be throwing his support behind the Terminator in a desire to make powerful friends for a bid of his own to political office one day. Stranger things have happened. Case in point - Keanu Reeves and Ashton Kutcher are both working actors, the latter dating another St. Elmo’s alumnus - Demi Moore.

Would it be such a terrible thing? Imagine the fun of trying to pick a cabinet from the ranks of actors with a high enough profile to sustain interest and deflect criticism. Would a tax hike from Pamela Anderson seem so painful? I think not. And who can have any doubt that once Eminem takes over as treasury secretary that our currency won’t soon read "In God We Trust, M**F**R".

Rob Lowe is not running for office himself - yet. That being the case, is he any more or less qualified than anyone else to have a political opinion? Well, yes, astonishingly less qualified but that’s beside the point. The point is that the business of government is so complex that the figurehead on top of the bureaucracy probably isn’t as important as we might like to think. They can set general directions and leave it to those below to implement them as they see fit. Does anyone doubt that Clint Eastwood could have won the presidency of the United States saying no more than "Make my Day?"

That being the case, reporting Rob Lowe’s political leanings is just another early indicator that the Celebs will soon be a third party force to be reckoned with.

From the White House, back to you Mary.