GOP writes its own Hollywood script.(WILSHIRE & WASHINGTON)(Grand Old Party or United States Republican Party)(Column)

This past week there was no shortage of symbolism about former actor and president Ronald Reagan as candidates jostled at a debate at the Gipper s presidential library. More than likely, though, this history will not stop Republicans from invoking Hollywood as a favorite target.

Radio talkshow hosts, bloggers and the entire Big Hollywood website are devoted to castigating the indulgences of liberal entertainment elites--even though it's industry conservatives who have been more effective in influencing electoral politics than their counterparts on the left.

It's a point that's underscored in historian Steven J. Ross' meticulously researched and well-plotted new book, …