POLITICAL BRIEFING
FONDA STILL UNDER FIRE--Almost 20 years ago, actress Jane Fonda donned a combat helmet when she visited an anti-aircraft site in North Vietnam; now it appears that every election year she has to put it back on. Through the 1980s, Republicans have regularly attacked Democrats for taking money from Fonda or the Hollywood Women’s Political Committee, a liberal political organization whose membership includes Fonda and 200 other powerful women in the entertainment industry.
The latest salvo was fired in Indiana, where Republican challenger Rick Hawks recently demanded that first-term Democratic Rep. Jill Long return a $5,000 contribution from the Hollywood committee because Fonda gave money to the group. Hawks maintains that Long’s acceptance of the contributions is an insult to veterans.
But, in recent letters to district newspapers, several veterans--although criticizing Fonda’s actions in Vietnam--accused Hawks of taking a “cheap shot” at Long, who serves on the Veterans Affairs Committee. Long has refused to return the money.
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