Moore calls on 'slackers' to vote
Filmmaker exchanges barbs with hecklers here
C.T. REVERE and ROMANO CEDILLOS
Tucson Citizen
Tony Post (middle) gives a high-five to one of his buddies as he is kicked out of McKale Center during Michael Moore's speech. Campus security officers escorted a number of people for becoming too rowdy.
Filmmaker Michael Moore brought his political road show to the University of Arizona last night, asking "slackers" to help oust President Bush while sparring with chanting Bush supporters in the crowd.
"Fifty percent of this country does not vote. Do you think it's the rich and powerful who don't vote? No! It's the poor, the disenfranchised and the young," Moore told a McKale Center capacity crowd of nearly 15,000. "We want to try and convince you to vote."
Moore plied nonvoters to support Democratic presidential nominee John Kerry by offering packages of underwear and Top Ramen noodles, "the sustenance of slackers everywhere."
"People say they're not interested in politics. Well, politics is very interested in you," he said. "Politics wants to make your life very miserable."
Moore, whose film "Fahrenheit 9/11" has just been released on DVD after being a box-office hit, is on a 60-city tour of swing states hoping to help get Kerry into the White House.
Arizonans shouldn't be so quick to assume a Bush victory in the state, he said, noting that polls giving Bush an edge in the state fail to consider new voters and mostly young voters who aren't contacted because they only use cell phones.
"And I think they underestimate how many people are going to vote," he said. "We have some very important issues at stake here, and we have to remove George W. Bush from the White House. The issues boil down to one thing for me: this illegal and immoral war in Iraq."
Bush supporters, including members of the College Republicans, who objected when the Associated Students of the University of Arizona agreed to pay Moore's $27,000 fee, chanted, "Four more years!"
"It's funny that Republicans are usually good at math. They're off by four years. It's only three more weeks," Moore quipped. "They're upset because they no longer represent the majority viewpoint in this country. Be nice to them. Feel their pain."
Police escorted several rowdy Bush supporters out of the arena.
Pete Seat, state president of the College Republicans, said the protesters did Moore a favor.
"I think Moore enjoyed it," he said. "We were helping him with the show."
Moore's banter included a few frustrated profanities aimed at the hecklers.
"Try to look at this election as our attempt to save you from your dumb-*** ways, my Republican brothers and sisters," he said.
Moore, who was joined on stage by pop singer and Tucson native Linda Ronstadt, showed mock campaign ads lampooning the Swift boat veterans' ads that attempted to discredit Kerry's war record, and read letters from soldiers in Iraq who don't support the war.
Photos by RENEE BRACAMONTE/Tucson Citizen
Supporters of the Bush-Cheney ticket rally outside McKale Center to support Republicans and protest the appearance of Michael Moore.
The White House and conservative Republicans are out of step with most America, Moore said.
"A majority of Americans don't want assault weapons on the streets," he said. "The majority of Americans want strong environmental laws, not weaker ones. The majority of Americans want women to be paid as much as men. And they spent many years teaching us how to treat minorities, right?"
Moore's visit created a carnival atmosphere outside McKale Center.
Flagstaff resident Dan Frazier, 39, was hoping to cash in by selling anti-Bush stickers.
"Six months ago, I gave up a good job to sell stickers," said Frazier, who wore a makeshift top hat made of stickers. "My motto is 'Walk softly and carry a big sticker.' Of course, the political environment has been good for business, but I don't know yet what I'm going to do when the (election) is over."
Susie Deconcini, 63, a Moore fan and Kerry supporter, said Moore's films raise awareness.
"What's more important is that people have changed their minds on who they're going to vote for after seeing his movie," she said.
Not everyone appreciated Moore's appearance.
"Moore's message is the wrong message to send to our troops. It's not a positive American message," said Deborah Toland, 50, who came to show support for President Bush.
Toland's fellow Bush backer, Deanna Smyth, called Moore "un-American."
"He trashes the United States ... he's a phony and he gets away with it," Smyth said above the beat of bongos played by both Kerry and Bush supporters. "He also calls himself a socialist, but he's getting rich off of this."
During a news conference before the speech, Moore defended his work against those who say he twists the truth.
Supporters of Moore give him a standing ovation during his talk.
"Real journalists have not questioned the veracity of the film. In fact, a number of publications have actually gone through the film with a fine-toothed comb and have not been able to find a single fact wrong in the film,"(LIE) he said, adding that researchers, fact-checkers and lawyers scrutinize each film. Many of the film's purported facts have been disputed, including in a Dick Morris film titled "Fahrenhype 9/11" aimed at "unraveling the truth about "Fahrenheit 9/11" and Michael Moore, according to the Fahrenhype 9/11 Web site.
Greg Fahr, a 55-year-old architect, said he was surprised by the size and enthusiasm of the crowd, which at times was louder than UA basketball crowds.
"He's incredibly intelligent, amusing and just an amazing force in this election time," Fahr said. "I was not even expecting it to be half full. It's just amazing."
Moore, who said his next film project will focus on the health care industry, said he hopes his films, books and personal appearances bring change to the White House.
"If I've convinced just a small percentage of people not to vote for President Bush, that can make the difference," he said.
If Kerry is elected, Moore vows to turn his lens on him.
"The minute John Kerry is elected, my camera is trained on him," Moore said. "That's my job."
and then we coudl invite the other candidates from other countries.
