Actor and political activist Danny Glover endorsed President Obama’s plan to offer two years of community college for free, telling PJ Media that all state universities should be free.
Glover was asked if he supported Obama’s proposal to allow individuals who meet certain requirements to attend community college for two years at no charge.
“Absolutely, I think going to state universities should be free. It was free at one point in time or there were loans that allowed it with appropriate interest, that allowed students to go to college for free, basically a small loan,” Glover said after an event at Busboys and Poets featuring Irvin Jim, general secretary of the National Union of Metalworkers of South Africa (NUMSA).
“When I finished at San Francisco State, I think I was at $7,000 in student loans, of course we’re talking about 1971 but certainly I think it’s important. I also had work-study so I made additional money with the work city,” Glover also said.
Glover, best known as a star of the Lethal Weapon films, was under the impression community college was already free.
“Community college is not free?” he asked.
“I don’t remember paying to go to San Francisco City College in 1964 and 1965. Maybe it was. A lot has changed. Maybe I should be aware of how much has changed,” he said, adding that he spent a “pretty penny” sending his daughter to New York University 12 years ago.
Glover, who has been an outspoken critic of George W. Bush’s administration, was asked for his opinion of former Florida Gov. Jeb Bush considering a run for president in 2016. He predicted that the GOP would probably not win the White House in the next election.
“Republicans are, as I say, behind the eight ball, in a sense. Even though they have the Senate and even though they have the Congress, I don’t see the possibility, the possibly is very weak for winning the White House, I think,” he said. “I don’t know but those are the kind of politics I reference, but I don’t spend a lot of time trying to figure out what the outcome or analysis is in terms of that.”
Glover said he is more focused on the Democratic Party’s future.
“If the Democratic Party does what it needs to do and it comes out on a platform around working people, poor people and comes out on a platform in which we can stand on and support the common man and common women, I’m with that,” he said.
When asked if Hillary Clinton should be the Democratic nominee in 2016, Glover was not sure.
“She’s a woman. I think that she has played a courageous and a really important role as a first lady. I’m not so sure. Certainly if she was nominated I would support her, there’s no doubt about that,” he responded.
Glover praised Obama for releasing Cuban prisoners when asked what he would like to see the president accomplish with a Republican Congress in his last two years. The remaining members of the “Cuban Five” were imprisoned on spying charges.
He also wants the president to do more without Congress.
“For a moment he thought that he could be reasonable with unreasonable people. The fact is that it’s going to take a lot more but there are certain things he can do as president that do not need a confirmation – congressional confirmation,” he said.
“Certainly I would hope that he would do those things that he can do, you know, on the one hand and certainly taking a step last month when he opened up the Embassy in Cuba was something he didn’t need congressional approval for or freeing the 5 – remaining 3 courageous Cubans who came here to infiltrate groups that were bombing their country was something he did, and I’m proud of him for that.”
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