BEATTY RIPS PARTIES, KEEPS OPTIONS OPEN.

Byline: Ron Fournier Associated Press 

Warren Beatty, toying with the notion of running for president, told Hollywood's liberal elite Wednesday night that Democrats and Republicans alike are participating in ``a slow-motion coup d'etat of big money interests over the public interest.''

But Beatty did not give the crowd what it came to hear: a yes or no about whether he would seek the presidency. He did promise to at least ``speak up'' with a liberal voice in hopes of influencing a Democratic Party he says has moved too far to the middle of American politics.

The bulk of Beatty's speech was a preachy, passionate address that called for public financing of elections and condemned the ``centrist ways'' of the Democratic Party and its two candidates, Vice President Al Gore and Bill Bradley. He said both men were honorable and capable, but condemned what he said is a trend in which the increasingly moderate Democratic Party is looking more Republican.

``Is there no protest anymore?'' Beatty, an unabashed liberal, told a celebrity-studded audience of several hundred people during a speech to the Southern California Americans for Democratic Action, which honored him with an award. ``Are we coming to the point where the Democratic Party has to have a Republican president to find its voice again?''

Beatty said both parties forget that the prosperous economy is leaving millions of Americans behind. ``The rising tide doesn't raise all boats,'' he said.

He said America's biggest problems - health care, poverty, homelessness and the widening gulf between the rich and the poor - cannot be solved until the political system is overhauled. As a solution, he offered public financing of elections, arguing that the cost of the last two national elections, if divided among Americans, would cost less than $4 each.

``What a small price to pay for knowing that elected (officials) don't owe anybody anything,'' Beatty said.

He also said corporate chiefs, not public servants, are writing the rules of the new global economy and ignoring the interests of working people.

``What we are in danger of experiencing is a slow-motion, coup d'etat of big money interests over the public interest,'' Beatty added.

The closest the actor-director came to revealing his intentions was at the end of the speech, when he pretended to give advice to someone considering a presidential run.

``I'd say, Look, there's no harm in thinking of that, no matter how unlikely it may be but, whatever you do, go ahead and speak up. Speak up for people who nobody speaks for and if you speak up, well, maybe you'll influence some people. Maybe you'll influence the (Democratic) party, maybe you'll influence the candidates that are running,'' said Beatty, who repeatedly framed his indecision by referring to himself in the third person.

He has said little about his intentions since disclosing seven weeks ago that he thinking about becoming a candidate for president.

Lila Garrett, president of the Southern California ADA, gave Beatty credit for forcing Gore and Bradley to address liberal causes.

``Because of Warren the liberal agenda is suddenly warming up,'' she said. ``We've had crumbs for 18 years. Now what we want, what we need, what we demand, is the whole loaf.''

A Beatty candidacy would be a magnet for attention because of the synergy between politics and Hollywood, but he would enter the race as an underdog. At best, he might force liberal issues onto the agenda and tip the scales in the Gore-Bradley battle, Democratic consultants say.

The audience was filled with people enthusiastic about a Beatty run, though their excitement was tempered by the realization that he likely would not win. Among them were Hustler magazine publisher Larry Flynt, actors Dustin Hoffman and Faye Dunaway, television producer Norman Lear and former Sen. Alan Cranston, D-Calif.

Journalists with news outlets from Germany, Japan, France, Spain, Italy, Great Britain and Canada, as well as national reporters, also flocked to Beverly Hills.

Beatty even poked fun at the spectacle of the evening. He began the speech by placing both hands firmly on the lectern, looking straight into the bank of TV cameras and saying, ``My fellow Americans, the state of the union is sound,'' as the audience roared with laughter at the presidential spoof. ``Thank you very much, I just had to get that off my chest,'' he added.

CAPTION(S):

Photo

Photo: (Color) Warren Beatty talked about politics - but didn't discuss a possible presidential bid - at a dinner hosted by the Southern California Americans for Democratic Action in Beverly Hills Wednesday.

Kevork Djansezian/Associated Press