Although in his early years of fame he was perceived as staunch
liberal and an outspoken critic of
Republicans, in recent years Miller has become known for his
neoconservative political opinions.
Early outlook When asked if his political outlook was a result of early influence by his parents, Miller told a reporter "I didn't know my dad—he moved out early. And my mom's politics were kind of hardscrabble. She didn't think about Democrats or Republicans. She thought about who made sense. I've been both in my life. Somebody can say they don't understand why somebody drifts. But I've always found people who drift interesting, 'cause it shows me the game's not stagnant in their own head. They're thinking." Miller also declared himself a "
conservative libertarian" in a 1996
Playboy interview.
Post September 11 attacks Following the
September 11 attacks, Miller's political ideology changed significantly and his conservative views became more publicly known. His move from the Democratic to the Republican Party was further facilitated by watching a 2004 presidential primary debate between nine Democrats. "I haven't seen a starting nine like that since the
'62 Mets," he remarked. The perceived change did not surprise former
SNL colleague and former Democratic Party Senator
Al Franken, who noted Miller had always had a "conservative streak." In another interview Franken stated, "Dennis was always sort of conservative on certain kinds of issues. I am not quite sure why he decided to become a comedian with a dog in the fight, but as a comedian with a dog in the fight I sympathize with him." His political outspokenness led him to become one of the few Hollywood celebrities backing
George W. Bush and the
war in Iraq. That same year,
The National Review wrote, "Conservatives ... have welcomed and even cheered the comedian's unabashed patriotism and endorsement of President Bush's foreign—and, in certain cases, domestic—policy." While he was not at all shy about expressing his conservative views on topics such as taxes and
foreign policy, Miller was quick to point out that he is quite liberal on many social issues. In 2007, Miller admitted that his open conservatism may have cost him some passing acquaintances, but it has not affected "my dear friends. I certainly hope our friendship runs deeper than that. I still have some ultra-liberal friends." In a 2012 interview, Miller showed no concern over whether his political stance had made him less popular or robbed him of the credit of popularizing comedic rants, saying, "I'm a 58-year-old man and I'm happy where I'm at. I don't think about any of that. I go on ''O'Reilly'' once a week, I do my radio show and I go on the road about 20 dates a year... If you're 58 and you're still worrying about whether you're popular, what are you, in eighth grade?" In January 2001 on his HBO series, Miller joked, "
Condoleezza Rice has often been described as W's 'foreign policy tutor.' Oh, yeah, I love the sound of that. It's nice to know we're signing our nuclear arsenal over to a man who needs after-school help." After 9/11, Miller's opinion on Bush changed significantly. In 2003, Miller told an interviewer that he was impressed by Bush for pursuing "the liquidation of terrorism," even though "that's not gonna be finished in his lifetime... But to take the first step? Ballsy." Miller later reflected in a 2008 interview: "I thought it was so integral that he got re-elected that I laid off him for awhile."
The Weekly Standard's Bill Whalen saw that, with the ascent of Schwarzenegger, other celebrities were considering political careers (such as Republican
Kelsey Grammer). Examining Miller's chances for the Senate seat the
Standard pointed out that it was "hard to imagine a candidate quicker on the draw or more withering in a debate" and noted other Republican celebrities successfully made the transition to elected politician because they "embodied optimism." Miller, the
Standard proclaimed, was seen in contrast as "both terribly erudite... and decidedly yuppie (the comedian endorses
DirecTV and
Amstel Light...) Not to mention a little too edgy for some Republicans." Miller, invoking his pleasant home life in
Santa Barbara with his wife and two children, later told
The New York Times, "They inquired about my availability to run against Barbara Boxer, but I'm not at the point where I would consider it." He told the
Associated Press, "Maybe when I get older I would think about it, just as a lark, view it as its own form of a TV show. I think it would be fun to get in there and turn out the whole process—just refuse to play, and don't budge. Get rid of me if you want, but I'm just going to do what I want." In 1992, Miller, who had endorsed
the candidacy of Jerry Brown during the
Democratic primaries, moved his support to
Independent candidate Ross Perot. Miller volunteered for
Ross Perot's candidacy at his San Fernando Valley campaign office. Miller told a reporter, "I don't know that you need to know that much about him. He's an outsider, and the two-party system is going to hell." Miller stated that he had become "really grossed out by the system after observing the behavior of politicians in both parties during the
confirmation hearings of Justice Clarence Thomas. When Ross Perot dropped out of the Presidential race on July 16, 1992, saying he feared a conspiracy against his family, many began to joke about his sanity. On July 30, 1995, Miller told a reporter, "I'd vote for him [Perot] tomorrow. I don't think he's a genius but I love the thought of him at State Dinners mistaking the
Queen of Denmark for
Kaye Ballard. People say to me, 'You wouldn't want Ross Perot with his finger on the button.' But believe me, they would never let Ross Perot near the real button. They would rig up a stunt button for him, and if he ever pressed it, it would squirt him in the face with milk or something." In 1995, considering the candidates for president, Miller told a reporter, "I don't respect
Bill Clinton. He's the same as [George H. W.] Bush or Bob Dole|[Bob] Dole. Clinton's my age, and I know how full of shit I am. So I look at him and think, 'I know you. You're the guy who used to tap the keg.'" On February 21, 2007, while appearing as a guest on ''The O'Reilly Factor
, and again on May 25, 2007, while appearing as a guest on The Tonight Show'', Miller stated that he initially supported
Rudy Giuliani for
President in 2008. After Giuliani's departure from the race he redirected his support to
John McCain. Miller said that he gave
Barack Obama six to eight months before forming an opinion on him, because he saw that his election was inspiring to black youth and hoped it would be healing. He came to the conclusion that Obama was mostly hype, and in actuality, "He's an inept civil servant who stinks." Miller endorsed
Herman Cain in the
2012 Republican primary, but later dropped his support, saying of Cain, "He can't win!" He later campaigned for
Mitt Romney in the
general election. After the
Presidential election of 2012, Miller appeared on
Fox News and said that under Obama, the US is on the road to the "European model". In 2016, Miller did not endorse any particular
Republican primary candidate. By December 16, 2015, he told Bill O'Reilly, "I would vote for any of them over
Hillary, except for
Lindsey Graham... and
Pataki." Miller became a strong supporter of
Donald Trump in the
2016 U.S. general election, addressing a tweet to Republicans who were uncertain after Trump wrapped up the nomination: "Don't kid yourself. At this point, any vote for anyone that is not Donald Trump is a vote for Hillary Clinton. Also, both Presidential boxes left blank is a vote for Hillary Clinton because, as mindless as Liberals can be, even they don't enter into suicide pacts with that petulant, whiny part of themselves." ==Media==