De Niro annoys voters at dinnertime, stumps for Hillary

Nov 3, 2006, 12:10 GMT

epa00845713 US actor Robert De Niro waves upon his arrival at auditorium Parco della Musica in Rome Saturday 21 October 2006 at the first edtion of Rome\'s international film festival. EPA/CLAUDIO ONORATI

Robert De Niro has made New Yorkers an offer they can't refuse - vote for Hillary Clinton.

The 'GoodFellas' actor has pre-recorded a message, which is being used for canvassing calls across New York State, encouraging voters to support the senator in the upcoming mid-term elections.

De Niro says: "New York is my state and Hillary Clinton is my senator", a play on a series of TV adverts he has starred in where he refers to American Express as "my card".

The 'Taxi Driver' star also boasts that Clinton "took on the Bush administration" to keep a Dubai-owned company from managing New York's ports and has worked to boost homeland security funds.

The campaign device, known as "robo-calls", mean De Niro's voice could automatically call New York residents at any time and lean on them to vote for Clinton.

The politician, the wife of former US president Bill Clinton, has also enlisted the help of ageing crooner Tony Bennett.

The '(I Left My Heart In) San Francisco' singer's message says: "Some people think I left my heart in San Francisco, but it really is right here in New York. That's why I'm promoting Hillary."

(C) BANG Media International