Lieberman attacks Hollywood

Senator Lieberman has given Al Gore's campaign a great boost

Senator Joe Lieberman, the Democratic vice-presidential candidate in November's US election, has launched a strong attack against Hollywood.

Mr Lieberman accused the film industry of corrupting America's culture and children.

There is still too much violence, too much sex, too much incivility in entertainment.

Joe Lieberman

He was speaking on the eve of the Democratic Party convention in Los Angeles, the home of the film industry, as President Clinton was being feted by Hollywood stars at a fund raising party.

Hollywood has traditionally backed the Democratic Party and been a rich source of financial support for the party.

Sex and violence

Senator Lieberman said there was too much sex and violence in the entertainment industry.

Senator Lieberman has been a long-term critic of Hollywood

"Look, I love the movies. I love music, but there is still too much violence, too much sex, too much incivility in entertainment, which makes it very difficult for parents, who are working so hard to give their kids values and discipline, to do so," Mr Lieberman said on US television.

The senator who has been a long-time critic of Hollywood, warned that Washington could impose legal restrictions if the industry refused to "draw some lines themselves".

Moral edge

Sources in the Democratic Party say the attack is all part of the effort by Senator Lieberman and Vice President Al Gore to give themselves a hard moral edge and distance themselves from President Clinton.

The BBC's Rob Watson, reporting from Los Angeles, says despite Senator Lieberman's criticism, Hollywood is not likely to desert the Democratic Party, either in terms of its political or, more importantly, its financial support.

Our correspondent says most people in the film business see Hollywood bashing as an unpleasant if inevitable part of modern American elections - to be endured largely in silence.

Hollywood loves the Clintons

The president and his wife Hillary were on Sunday raising money in Hollywood at an event hosted by star entertainer Barbra Streisand and attended by a range of fellow stars.

The Clintons risk overshadowing Al Gore

Mrs Clinton is raising money for her senate campaign, and Mr Clinton for a memorial library - and not for Mr Gore's presidential campaign.

Aware of criticism that he might steal Al Gore's show, Mr Clinton tried to lower his profile a little by cancelling a couple of interviews.

But Mr Gore, who is struggling to come out of Mr Clinton's shadow, does not have the president's star quality.

Polls closer

The Democratic Party convention starts on Monday and culminates on Thursday in the formal selection of Vice-President Gore as the party's presidential candidate.

Ahead of the convention, polls show Mr Gore coming to within a few percentage points of the Republican Party candidate George W Bush.

An NBC-Wall Street Journal poll puts Mr Bush at 44% to Mr Gores 41%. A Fox TV survey made the gap larger at 44% to 39%.

The polls will offer some reassurance to the Democrats who trailed by more than 10 percentage points at the close of the Republican convention 10 days ago.

The turning point for Mr Gore, as far as the polls are concerned, appears to have been when Senator Lieberman agreed to be his running mate on 7 August.