In an interview with Meet the Press moderator David Gregory for the Sunday show's web-based feature Press Pass, Political Animals star Sigourney Weaver explained her support for President Obama: "...the Democrats are always going to be about what the people need. And the Republicans are much more serving big business, and I don't think we can afford to serve big business for another four years with Mr. Romney." [Listen to the audio or watch the video after the jump]
Weaver prefaced her slanted observation by admitting: "I'm not a professional politician, so forgive me if it's very simplistic." Gregory encouraged Weaver to discuss her liberal leanings, as he wondered: "What about President Obama? You've been supportive of him, you say you'd be supportive again. And I know that you told Politico that once a president gets a second term, the gloves come off and that a lot of us have sort of been waiting for that."
Weaver reiterated: "I do think that if he gets four more years – you know, it's been so frustrating for him and for a lot of his supporters – that I think he'll just go for it. That's my hope." She later added that once Obama gets re-elected, "everyone's going to go, 'Alright we're stuck, let's get some things done that we need to, you know, get done.'"
Early in the interview, Gregory asked about the obvious comparison of Weaver's character on the new USA series to Hillary Clinton: "I mean, this is very much the Clinton family story." Weaver replied: "I must say that I love the idea that it is inspired by, not only the Clintons, but by a lot of the families who have been in the White House....I wouldn't dream of trying to imitate or impersonate Hillary Clinton, whom I admire very, very much and I think she's done an awesome job in every job she's had."
Gregory followed up: "Would you like to see Secretary Clinton run for the presidency again?" Weaver gushed: "I think that would be amazing. In four years, maybe we'll be ready for her. She's certainly ready for us."
On the July 10 Today show, Weaver admitted to co-host Savannah Guthrie: "...we are inspired by Mrs. Clinton, who's such a remarkable woman and a great secretary of state. She was a great senator for New York State."
Here are portion of Weaver's July 15 exchange with Gregory:
11:32AM ET
(...)
DAVID GREGORY: Well, so let's talk a little bit about the character and some similarities with a certain somebody. Let's see, former first lady, who had to deal with the public acknowledgment that her husband had cheated on her. Runs for president, concedes, becomes secretary of state, even a former president is involved on the campaign trail.
SIGOURNEY WEAVER: That does sound familiar.
GREGORY: Yeah. I mean, this is very much the Clinton family story, it appears. There's – we even looked, and the campaign poster in the show is exactly Hillary's campaign placard. We have time on our hands, so we check into these things.
WEAVER: Yes, well you know much more about it than I do. I must say that I love the idea that it is inspired by, not only the Clintons, but by a lot of the families who have been in the White House. That seems to leave an imprint on these families, for better or worse. And the families often try it get back in the White House and that's sort of what our story is about. Who will make it, of all of us, who knows?
But I think that I love the fact that, that our creator, Greg Berlanti couldn't resist some of the salient facts of the Clintons. But I always felt, from the moment I started reading it, that Elaine was her own person. I wouldn't dream of trying to imitate or impersonate Hillary Clinton, whom I admire very, very much and I think she's done an awesome job in every job she's had. But I wouldn't – you know, I would need months to prepare for that. But this, I just sort of turned the page and I was in the world of the Hammonds and in the world of Washington, D.C. Which is so fascinating. And I just sort of jumped off the cliff.
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GREGORY: Would you like to see Secretary Clinton run for the presidency again?
WEAVER: I think that would be amazing. In four years, maybe we'll be ready for her. She's certainly ready for us.
WEAVER: Yes, it's interesting, because we were talking today about the importance of being a political animal, as a politician, and how much of a political animal Obama is. You know, because a lot of that is relishing the, the game of politics. And it's been a very, a very difficult game the last four years. And I don't know how much one could relish it. But I do think that we need, I do think that if he gets four more years – you know, it's been so frustrating for him and for a lot of his supporters – that I think he'll just go for it. That's my hope.
GREGORY: What is it, what would you like to see him go for in the second term?
WEAVER: Well, I certainly think that he has ideas about education that he can – you know, there are a lot of things. To me, the Democrats – and I'm not a professional politician, so forgive me if it's very simplistic – but to me, the Democrats are always going to be about what the people need. And the Republicans are much more serving big business, and I don't think we can afford to serve big business for another four years with Mr. Romney.
So I mean, I think that there are many things on his agenda that he would probably like to do, that we haven't even begun to see yet, because his hands have been tied. Not that that's an excuse. I think he – you know, but I think that he has to win four more years, everyone's going to go, "Alright we're stuck, let's get some things done that we need to, you know, get done."
(...)
