Newman's Own Politics

Actors do not usually turn in performances that gain the notice of presidents.

But when Paul Newman decided to take the role of anti-war activist in the early days of the Vietnam imbroglio, he performed so ably – as an early and essential campaigner for Eugene McCarthy in 1968 and prominent supporter of George McGovern – that he ranked high on then-President Richard Nixon's "enemies list."

Newman's name was on the original list of enemies produced by Nixon aide Charles Colson in 1971.

Colson's notes on the memorandum with regard to the actor read: "Paul Newman, California: Radic-lib causes. Heavy McCarthy involvement '68. Used effectively in nationwide T.V. commercials. '72 involvement certain."

The official purpose, according to internal memos that circulated in the Nixon White House prior to the 1972 election was to "screw" liberal politicians, labor leaders, business titans, academics, activists and an actor who might be threats to the president's reelection.

"This memorandum addresses the matter of how we can maximize the fact of our incumbency in dealing with persons known to be active in their opposition to our Administration; stated a bit more bluntly--how we can use the available federal machinery to screw our political enemies," wrote White House counsel John Dean.

Newman, who died Friday at age 83, survived and thrived.

He won acting's top honors and even became one of the nation's most successful entrepreneurs, marketing his own exceptionally successful "Newman's Own" brand of salad dressings and organic food. ("It's all been a bad joke that just ran out of control," Newman said of the food business, which allowed him donate more generously than just about anyone in Hollywood or on Wall Street to charity.)

Newman remained political -- dedicated to civil rights, women's rights and gay rights, committed to ending the nuclear arms race and determined to elect opponents of war and militarism.

Newman supported, and even wrote for, The Nation.

And he was a steady campaigner for and contributor to progressive causes and candidates – mostly Democrats but also anti-war Republican Pete McCloskey when he challenged Nixon in the Republican primaries of 1972 and to Green Ralph Nader in 2000. In 2006, the actor helped Connecticut's Ned Lamont mount a successful Democratic primary challenge to U.S. Senator Joe Lieberman. (Newman got so into the Lamont campaign that he even volunteered to do calls for the campaign -- and wrote his own script.)

This year, Newman was a maxed-out contributor to the campaign of Barack Obama for president.

The actor finished his life with more friends and fewer enemies than just about anyone in his chosen profession. And Newman's extensive philanthropy earned him little but praise in his final years.

Yet, Paul Newman was particularly proud to have been an "enemy."

Indeed, he said to the end of his days that the place he held on Nixon's list was "the highest single honor I've ever received."

Comments (45)

1. a great man and a great actor.

   Posted by dexter666 at 09/27/2008 @ 6:48pm

2. And a great American.

   Posted by masussman at 09/27/2008 @ 8:33pm

3. How many Righties today....would STILL support the idea of an "enemies' list"...

   as long as it was a "good, honest, decent conservative Republican" President who created it.

   Posted by Maskdelta at 09/27/2008 @ 8:44pm

4. Those of us who admired Paul Newman on & off the screen will now have to endure the "tributes" of the rightwingers, who if they had their way, would have destroyed his career. He will be greatly missed.

   Posted by Sorelish at 09/27/2008 @ 9:16pm

5. Posted by lvliberty1 at 09/27/2008 @ 8:51pm

   LL, given your LIFE on this thread is dedicated to apologia for Bush encroachments on freedoms to "fight the War on Terror"...

   you'd defend an "enemy list"!

   Posted by Maskdelta at 09/27/2008 @ 9:24pm

6. Newman was undoubtedly a great actor.

   I particularly loved his work in "Cool Hand Luke" The "Shakin it up here Boss" scene and the egg eating fun are among my most favorite film moments.

   However, I must say John Nichols and others who wish to tout or glorify Newman's liberal politics, are inviting comment by those who oppose his politics.

   I suspect Paul Newman, (I assume he is truely a great man, and not just a great actor) would view this as fair. Otherwise, one might view this itself as censorship.

   Invectives such as "Righties" and "if they had their way, would have destroyed his career" seem misplaced.

   It is possible to have strongly diverging political views and still admire people for their talents ... or even like them.

   Posted by CrtclThnkr at 09/27/2008 @ 9:50pm

7. Posted by CrtclThnkr at 09/27/2008 @ 9:50pm

   I notice you haven't apologized for the Enemies List. I stand by what I stated.

   Posted by Sorelish at 09/27/2008 @ 10:13pm

8. "Now cracks a noble heart. Good night sweet prince: And flights of angels sing thee to thy rest." Hamlet, V,ii

   Paul Newman possessed a noble and generous heart. Unlike those mediocre and meanspririted men such as Richard Nixon, George W. Bush and the current crop of rightwing ideologues, Paul Newman's legacy of justice, generosity and integrity will live on for many years to come, while the memory of those who called him an enemy will quietly fade away into the dustbin of history. Newman will be deeply missed by admirers, fans and all who were beneficiaries of his generosity throughout the world.

   Posted by Maggie65 at 09/27/2008 @ 10:18pm

9. you'd defend an "enemy list"!

   Posted by Maskdelta at 09/27/2008 @ 9:24pm | ignore this person | warn this person

   now mask! so non bi-partison!!!

   Posted by dexter666 at 09/27/2008 @ 10:27pm

10. Paul Newman was everything that Ronald Reagan wasn't. He was truly a class act. He was and is a screen legend, but off camera he had it where it counts. The guy had a heart of gold.

    Posted by Wolfgang1 at 09/27/2008 @ 10:27pm

11. as long as it was a "good, honest, decent conservative Republican" President who created it.

    Posted by Maskdelta at 09/27/2008 @ 8:44pm

    Mask No, the likes who would cast stones at a guy like Paul Newman would rather torture enemy combatants in the name of God, country and all that is good and wholesome. Nothing quite like damn near killing someone, putting them through unbelievable pain and misery for the good old red white and blue. Signing statements, patriot act, and fuck the constitution Amen, praise be to God.

    Posted by Wolfgang1 at 09/27/2008 @ 10:31pm

12. I think Newman said it best when he said: "Sometimes nothin' is a real cool hand."

    Posted by Tht1Gy! at 09/27/2008 @ 11:13pm

13. Over many years Paul Newman has set a standard for his profession and for the rest of us. Like many others, I will continue to celebrate his life through his legacies.

    Posted by 1Citizen at 09/27/2008 @ 11:35pm

14. Sorlish,

    OK, the Nixon's enemys list was all my fault.

    Now, as a Democrat, will you apologize for Stephen Douglas and the Democratic Party who defended slavery, supported the Dred Scott decision, and tried to gain votes by threatening the American populace that putting Lincoln in office would result in the intermarriage of the races.

    While you're at it, why don't you appoligize for Andrew Jackson who gained popularity for his ruthless devistation of the Seminole and Creek Indians. Later called a "jackass" by his opponents, which he liked, and adopted as the Democratic Party mascot.

    Silly, No? I tell you what, I'll let you off the hook, if you agree not to hold me accountable for my enemy's list misdeeds when I was in elementary school.

    Certainly, Nixon, (like JFK, Bobby Kennedy, LBJ, and others) was known for some shady and questionable political activities in those days. Lets hope those activities and thoughts (like those of Stephen Douglas) are behind us.

    Posted by CrtclThnkr at 09/27/2008 @ 11:38pm

15. CT, Why not bring the persecution of the Cathars into the mix. But after all that was before your time. I can see you now, waiting in line to see Oliver Stone's movie about JFK. A couple in front of you exclaim "I sure hope this movie is factual after JFK's death". And you say, "Alright, Thanks a lot for ruining the film for all of us". And by the way, pal, you ain't got no hook.

    Posted by Sorelish at 09/28/2008 @ 12:06am

16. Sorelish,

    At first I didn't get it. But then I remembered, JFK is off limits. Anything that tarnishes the vision must be challenged as myth. Henceforth, I'll consider the sources of such readings as blasphemous.

    In your mental vision, it would appear you were right behind me (hearing distance) in the line to the Oliver Stone movie. Might I then infer that you are my liberal friend who is treating me to the film? Certainly, Stone and conservatives don't mix well. Thanks, this would be my first time to one of his films.

    You springing for popcorn too?

    And come on. No hook? Don't I get any credit for being a little crafty, sly, or coy?

    Posted by CrtclThnkr at 09/28/2008 @ 01:40am

17. "Actors do not usually turn in performances that gain the notice of presidents."

    marilyn monroe did.

    Posted by frosty zoom at 09/28/2008 @ 03:18am

18. "Radic-lib causes. Heavy McCarthy involvement '68. Used effectively in nationwide T.V. commercials. '72 involvement certain."

    posted by sjrchermak @ sometime or other.

    Posted by frosty zoom at 09/28/2008 @ 03:19am

19. 'scuse the frivolity.

    nice work, mr newman.

    Posted by frosty zoom at 09/28/2008 @ 03:23am

20. Happy trails, Butch.

    Posted by Freewheelin_Franklin at 09/28/2008 @ 07:39am

21. I love your behaviour...

    I love your behaviour, the light of a blackbird and a luminous farm; I listen to you when a care disappears and then, in the sound of a new day, a magical dreamland invites me to cry....

    Francesco Sinibaldi

    Posted by Sinibaldi at 09/28/2008 @ 09:39am

22. http://www.nbc.com/ Saturday_Night_Live/video/clips/ couric-palin-open/704042/

    Pretty good!

    Posted by Maskdelta at 09/28/2008 @ 09:52am

23. "It's easy with someone like Newman to set aside his political leanings to appreciate the man's talent and contributions."

    Kind of like the Nixon administration did.

    Posted by onthehelm at 09/28/2008 @ 10:26am

24. OK, CT. but remember "Friends don't let friends vote Repub". I think Paul Newman would second that.

    Posted by Sorelish at 09/28/2008 @ 10:29am

25. A fine actor

    A better man

    RIP Mr. Newman.

    3 of my Top Ten Movies starred you

    Cool Hand Luke

    Butch and Sundance (yeah, kind of cheesy, but a great film)

    The Sting.

    Nixon was not fit to wipe your behind. His enemies list included some truly great Americans, people who understood the goal and that means do not justify ends unless those means share the goals of the end. Crook, thief, liar, scoundrel, oath breaker. None of those words can be applied to the memory of Paul Newman.

    Posted by crabwalk at 09/28/2008 @ 10:32am

26. Moe: As hard as it is to believe, some people don't care for me, neither.

    Homer: (shakes head) No, I won't accept that.

    Moe: No, it's true. I got their names written down right here, in what I call my, uh, "enemies list".

    Barney: (takes the list from Moe and reads it) Jane Fonda, Daniel Schorr, Jack Anderson... Hey, this is Richard Nixon's enemies list! You just crossed out his name and put yours.

    Moe: Gimme that! (snatches the list and writes down) Barney... Gumble..."

    Barney:(groans)

    Posted by crabwalk at 09/28/2008 @ 10:38am

27. Posted by frosty zoom at 09/28/2008 @ 03:18am

    HAR!

    Damn you are good!

    Posted by crabwalk at 09/28/2008 @ 10:42am

28. Posted by crabwalk at 09/28/2008 @ 10:38am | ignore this person | warn this person

    i love that show...

    i bet cheney has an enemies list. w. would have to write one down, so if he does have an enemies list, he has someone to write it down for him...

    perhaps his wife? she seems a sweet woman who knows how to handle him...

    Posted by dexter666 at 09/28/2008 @ 11:06am

29. you know who else was on nixon's enemies list? joe namath. revealingly,colson incorectly indentified broadway joe's pro team.all that seemed to matter to the plumbers was that namath was casually friendly to the young ladies who integrated the univ alabama back in the day,or something equally subersive.it didn't take much. its important for the crackpot realists who troll here to understand that nixon was not merely an advocate of political ideas which this magazine and the wonderful paul newman opposed,rather he was the explicit face of mccarthyism and the red scare which,drove from the public square folks who actually had constructive ideas on civil rights,forgein policy,macro-econ etc-and reduced our political discourse to a clutter of toxic wedge issues.mr.newman opposed all that,at great risk to his career.in the midst of a culture dominated by celebrity junk its hard to overstate the insouciance with which he did it. rip.

    Posted by David Lucke at 09/28/2008 @ 11:09am

30. Dear Paul,

    Thank you for all the entertainment.

    A vital light has dimmed and gone out. Its brilliance, however, is not lost. It will be forever reflected in the productions of a glorious career. It burns even now in the hearts of untold thousands, as the gentle and uplifting flame of gratitude, as it has for several decades and as it will for many many more.

    Above all, Paul, thank you for your extraordinary example. In a world so often characterized by dread and indolence, how edifying and inspiring and needful is the great light of genuine authentic character that burns so bright and so true.

    It is with the deepest and most sincere gratitude that I wish you bon voyage and happy trails. Shine on, brother, shine on!

    Posted by flow at 09/28/2008 @ 11:10am

31. Paul Newman, first, gained my attention as a teen-ager when I saw him in the movie, "Hombre", portraying a a man that defied convention and the status quo. In the movie, he was his own man and I he lived his life the same way. When I reflect on this period in my life, Muhammad Ali was a man admired, and one of my heroes. I consider Paul Newman one of my heroes. In these times, this country can ill afford to lose men such as Paul Newman. I will miss him. C.J. Croke

    Posted by ccroke at 09/28/2008 @ 11:22am

32. I grew up in the generation that was probably most affected by Mr. Newman's acting (my age is 60).... and then philanthropy. Watching him evolve into the political and then philanthropic tour de fource he became was a treat. He has been a role model and will be missed. My most sincere condolances to his family.

    Posted by Skysails at 09/28/2008 @ 11:34am

33. Sorry to read of PN's passing. There is an Annenberg taped history lecture by Eugene Weber that describes the concept of utilitarianism and it's relationship to, among other positive things like Franklin stoves and postal services, the idea of happiness-entitlement. It suggests to me, at least, that intelligent people (like Paul Newman, hey!) can have creative, philanthropic ideas and derive some personal benefit as well, if only the satisfaction of seeing one's image on a bottle of salad dressing. I would much rather be a RIPer than a BIHer

    Posted by A_Pax_On_Your_Houses at 09/28/2008 @ 1:17pm

34. Posted by RedRiver_. at 09/28/2008 @ 6:42pm

    RIO/RED if you're going to be in Heaven, then I'll take Hell....cuz Heaven would be Hell if it's filled with folks like you!

    (with a nod to Milton)

    Posted by Maskdelta at 09/28/2008 @ 8:58pm

35. <i>Posted by RedRiver_. at 09/28/2008 @ 6:42pm </i>

    Informing God who he can and cannot save? That seems just a bit presumptuous, especially in light of our continuing efforts to (quite unsuccessfully) fit God into a nice, convenient box. I credit God with just a bit more kindness than that.

    Posted by Thrawn at 09/28/2008 @ 9:22pm

36. rio,

    that kind of talk makes mr. karma irritable.

    Posted by frosty zoom at 09/28/2008 @ 11:30pm

37. Posted by RedRiver_. at 09/28/2008 @ 6:42pm

    But was he protected from witchcraft?

    Posted by crabwalk at 09/29/2008 @ 07:07am

38. And, RIOKORESH, who do you think is more likely to receive Jesus blessing, the "non-beleiver" that did good works, or the Quaker that bombed Vietnam, kept an enemies list, broke the law and was a general all around ass-hole?

    Posted by crabwalk at 09/29/2008 @ 07:11am

39. Paul Newman was also great in Robert Altman's radical take on the Wild West: "Buffalo Bill and the Indians". If that title is wrong, it was about Sitting Bull too; a theatre-style film about writing of history.

    'frostyzoom', mentions Marilyn Monroe in the context of her association with JFK...what about her involvement with Arther Miller's colleagues in the Screenwriters Guild, and her commitment to speak at one of their rallies (which would have happened had she not been caught up in vicious rat-packin' company that night).

    That 'redriver' stirrer is just in there for the tease, trying to get some heat from his enemies, or "opposers" as the great Mo' Ali used to put it.

    Maybe the great 'enemies' list could be established, so we non-US citizens who like your liberal history and more can celebrate , say, the Top 100 enemies of Nixon and his kind (including Andrew Jackson).

    Whose FBI files were bigger: Einstein or Chaplin? What would have happened if Gandhi left his highly inflamed homeland in 1947 to rest in peace as a refugee in the US; where Nixon and Reagan were making names for themselves in and around HUAC and the seeds of McCathyism?

    List: Paul Robeson, Paul Newman, John Lennon, the screenwriter of "Spartacus"...even the ideological purges that started while ww2 was still going, until the present, would have to yield up a century (a 100) of noble targets for the Nixon-Reagan-Bush continuum.

    Posted by bazdicoot at 09/29/2008 @ 07:35am

40. Some of my friends have suggested that much of the money earned by Newman's Own went to political organizations and not to groups one would usualy associate with the word CHARITY. To say the least, I'm dubious of this claim. However, finding a list of the charities supported and the % of money given to each seems hard to come by and is seen by my sceptical friends as evidence that, in fact, he wasn't on the up and up, that his claim of charitable giving was misleading if not an out and out lie. Does anyone have a link that would prove otherwise?

    Posted by porter1950 at 09/29/2008 @ 09:47am

41. Posted by bazdicoot at 09/29/2008 @ 07:35am

    sshhhhh,

    don't give them any ideas.

    Posted by frosty zoom at 09/29/2008 @ 10:41am

42. Posted by porter1950 at 09/29/2008 @ 09:47am http://www.newmansown.com/ I would hope that someone here could respond to your inquiries. They seem to invite contact.

    Posted by A_Pax_On_Your_Houses at 09/29/2008 @ 11:16am

43. What about "Absence of Malice", possibly his most profound political statement.

    Posted by shishinday at 09/29/2008 @ 12:55pm

44. All too often what gets left out of Newman's bio is his time serving his county in WWII. He enlisted early and, like my father, was a radioman and tailgunner on a bomber in the Pacific - a highly dangerous assignment that sometimes saw more than 50 percent casualties. After the war, Newman, like George McGovern and McCloskey and other fellow WWII heroes, opposed the growth of the military-industrial complex and the wars fought at its behest. A truly great man.

    Posted by Steve1us at 09/29/2008 @ 1:41pm

45. Paul Newman was always one of my favorite actors, along with his extremely talented wife. His involvement with politics and philanthropy, though, was the true measure of the man. Too bad there are not more people in our world like him.

    Posted by peggyconner at 10/01/2008 @ 11:15am