Ron Silver Tribute

Ron Silver died yesterday of esophageal cancer that he's been fighting for two years. He worked steadily for a lot of years. He began his career on stage after getting a Masters degree in Chinese history, and started his TV and film career with "The Mac Davis Show," "Rhoda" and "The Stockard Channing Show" in the seventies. He was never mega star...he was an award winning working actor that took on divers roles. Check all this out, over the years:"Ali," "Reversal of Fortune," "Enemies: A Love Story," "Silkwood" and "Semi-Tough." TV shows "Veronica's Closet," "Chicago Hope" and "Wiseguy." He directed and costarred in the 1993 TV movie "Lifepod," a science-fiction update of Alfred Hitchcock's "Lifeboat." Got a Tony for "Speed-the-Plow" in 1988, a year after he earned his first Emmy nomination, for the murder thriller "Billionaire Boys Club." Appeared in episodes of "Law & Order" and "Crossing Jordan" and such movies as "Find Me Guilty" and the Ten Commandments comedy "The Ten." Just to name a few.

His most recent and noted show was an adviser to the US President on "The West Wing" (which I never watched, we get enough real leftist presidents in actual life, don't need to see an idealized one in the fake life liberals inhabit). He said when he walked on set he was often met with the chant "Ron, Ron, the neo-con." He said that it was supposed to be in good fun, but that it had a edge to it. He became a conservative after 9/11 and spoke at the Republican convention in 2004 (reminder that Republicans and Conservatives are not the same). He said too, that after he made his political switch, some of his "friends" shunned him, and getting jobs became more difficult. He blogged on the Pajamas Media Web site, "Since speaking in support of George Bush at the 2004 Republican convention I've become increasingly disadmired by members of my profession as well as many others." He described his politics as a "little bit to the right of the left of center" and said that his opinions on U.S. foreign policy "haven't changed very much from what they've always been -- what I would call revolutionary liberalism." "I have always resisted reactionaries from the left or right, Democrat or Republican. At the moment, the reactionary forces on the left ... are more fearful to me than the traditional reactionary forces of the extreme right. And the Democratic Party seems to be listening to them."

Yet another kudos for the Left..so tolerant, accepting and understanding.

RIP Ron Silver