Michael Moore is a man on a mission alright, but when once the Oscars hailed his Fahrenheit 9/11 as an act of bravery, now no one’s quite sure as to what his agenda really is. He’s a good firestarter back in the days when his credibility came with his instant fame, but the backlash was inevitable, and now he’s wallowing in public doubt, failing to appease those who previously rallied behind him.
Now that the elections loom ever closer, you couldn’t resist but be curious as to what he has up his sleeves. Moore has been a staunch supporter of Barrack Obama since April, and now that the Democratic Party has its representative, many are standing behind the guy who doesn’t want to spend another four more years of occupancy chasing some other country’s oil. Michael Moore may have a friend at the White House, as it turns out. In a recent interview with Larry King, Moore stresses this point with a rather contemptuous attitude towards the voting public – he maintains that people will vote Democrat at the polls no matter who’s on the ballot, just because of Bush’s association with the opposing party.
He has a point, however pessimistic it may seem. Anti-Republican sentiments are at a record high right now, with the current economic crisis and the housing slump, and the last thing the American public wants is someone who’ll let the country endure another four-to-eight years of war mongering. Whether his anti-Bush documentary has made a contribution to the current public opinion, or it’s just that the recession has really taken its toll, it’s difficult to know. One thing’s for sure though, Moore will go over the trenches and take a very reactive role in the following months.
Back in the 2004 elections, Moore toured the swing states, rallying people to vote, handing out noodles and underwear to all the youths who commit to visiting the polls. The underwear campaign was successful, and with that in mind, his recent stunt is even more satirical and sarcastic. Moore is poised to come out with an election primer by fall, entitled “Mike’s Election Guide”; it’s dubbed as a manual of mockery. Moore even takes pot-shots at himself with the initial promo material, hinting that it is intended to be released in time for the national conventions, capitalizing on extensive campaign coverage. You’d expect that he’s using wry wit with such a statement, but you’re never quite sure with Mr. Moore.
It seems that Moore thrives on controversy, whether it be a post-Columbine documentary or a post-9/11 stint, you can’t blame the man for feeding the frenzy. “SiCKO,” his most recent work, connects the ‘scam’ which is the American health care system with no less than – you guessed it – the government, particularly the Nixon administration. Despite the controversies and alleged inaccuracies which are attributed to his work, Michael Moore is difficult to shake off; he has too much of an influence in the public mind, especially now that the air is filled with election fever.
Moore brings up excellent points -but- people need to think for themselves and make up their own minds from appreciating the “other sides” to those highly controversial stories.
Maybe Michael Moore’s right, maybe not. In the end, you have to use your own best judgement.
Comment by Claude Gelinas — July 3, 2008 @ 11:54 pm