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Say it ain't so, Larry!
Californians
Distressed
at Flynt Race for Governor
By Rick Horowitz
LOS ANGELES,
Tomorrow Morning -- Hustler magazine publisher Larry Flynt's announcement
here Monday that he intends to enter the contest for California governor
has raised cries of dismay throughout the state, and widespread concern
that the move will cause lasting damage to a venerable California institution.
"I don't see
why he has to get all tangled up in politics," said Marcus Gorp, an
architectural engineer from Tarzana. "They're just going to drag him
down to their level."
Gorp's comments
were echoed time and again in interviews conducted here and elsewhere,
as the possible effect of Flynt's entry into the race began to sink
in with Golden State voters.
"I've always
had respect for him before," said Elise Ortiz, an independent stock
analyst from Santa Monica. "But if he goes ahead and does this, I'll
really have to see him in a terrible light."
Flynt, a millionaire
many times over as publisher of Hustler, Barely Legal and other similarly
racy magazines, suggested Monday that Californians "Vote for a Smut-Peddler
Who Cares." But to Ortiz, Flynt's possible campaign slogan only highlights
the problems she foresees.
"Up to now, he's
been like one of the good guys, you know? But this is gonna totally
ruin his reputation."
Similar concerns
were expressed in Sacramento, where the capital's wide array of lobbyists
and interest groups was still trying to assess the impact of Flynt's
announcement on the already fractious recall struggle swirling around
embattled governor Gray Davis.
"Regrettable
-- that's the only word for it," said Phillip Bliss, governmental-affairs
director of the Coalition for Plenty of Skin. "Here you had a guy who
had devoted himself to filling a public need, and who was better at
filling that need than anybody else out there. And now for him to suddenly
go 'political' -- I don't even like saying the word -- it's like he's
taking his good name and throwing it right into the Dumpster."
Others were even
stronger in their comments.
"A total waste,
that's what it is," said Ursula Liebkind, state co-chair of Smutters
Against Drunk Driving. "He spends a lifetime building something he can
be proud of, and then he [tosses] it all away on something like this.
He's dead to me."
And from still
others, there was as much confusion as anger.
"'Why?'" wondered
Alan Steed, Flynt's longtime counsel and a senior partner at Faster,
Harder, Faster & Harder. "I keep asking myself, 'Why?' I thought I knew
the guy."
Speculation over
Flynt's motives remained rampant not only in government and legal circles,
but anywhere Flynt's vast influence has been felt. Few loyalists seemed
willing to take the publisher at his word, to believe that his race
for governor was motivated by the need to balance the state's deficit-plagued
budget and improve its faltering schools.
"There's gotta
be more to it than that," said a self-described "Larry junkie" standing
outside the Porn Again Video Empornium in Berkeley. "When you've got
everything going for you the way that dude did, why mess it up?" asked
the man, who gave his name only as "Lyle."
Meanwhile, at
least one expert in deviance was ready to support "Lyle's" theory --
there may have been "more to" Flynt's sudden political activity than
merely a sense of civic duty.
"We see this
kind of thing a lot," explained Dirk von Ziggler, founder of the California
Institute for Truly Ludicrous Behavior."A person seemingly has unlimited
success and acclaim in his chosen field -- in this case, smut -- yet
still feels somehow illegitimate. Very often, this feeling creates a
need to debase oneself, to walk on the dark side, if you will, if only
to gain a certain 'street credibility.' For a man of Mr. Flynt's achievements,
this feeling could have been literally overwhelming.
"And can you
think of anything more debasing right now than California politics?"
Posted 8/5/03. Get
stimulating commentary right here at "Rick's" twice every week!
 Rick Horowitz is a syndicated columnist, TV
commentator, writing coach and public speaker
©2003 Rick Horowitz. All rights reserved.
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