I just read that Ron Silver has died of cancer at the young age of 62. Ron played Bruno on the West Wing, a political strategist who helped the Democratic Bartlett campaign and later the Republican Vinick campaign.
On one episode, Bruno gave a dramatic speech lamenting that "liberal" has become a dirty word. I could think of a couple of reasons that such was the case, but what interested me was that Ron Silver himself was a supporter of George W. Bush, notwithstanding his Democratic past. Silver supported Bush on terror issues. Before I even got into the West Wing, I saw Silver on MSNBC after the second Presidential debate, taking on Ron Reagan alongside Pat Buchanan (who supported Bush despite the terror issues). According to an article I read, Ron had trouble finding work on account of his political stances, and his fellow West Wing cast-members liked to chant “Ron, Ron, the neo-con” whenever he entered the room.
Rumor has it that Silver visited Redeemer Presbyterian Church once with Ann Coulter, so he may have been spiritually searching.
My best to him and his family.