Michael Moore: Establishment Pol?
This story from The New Republic was written by Jason Zengerle.
Michael Moore has made a career of being on the outside looking in --particularly when his work has brought him to Washington. Virtually every one of the filmmaker's visits to the nation's capital, it seems, has included an excursion into the halls of power to ambush members of the city's political elite and then, after the desired chaos has ensued, to be escorted to the street by someone in a uniform.
But last night the city's political heavyweights -- well, the Democratic ones, at least -- greeted Moore with open arms as they turned out en masse for the Washington premiere of his new film Fahrenheit 9/11. Packing the Uptown Theater to the rafters, about 800 people -- including South Dakota Senator Tom Daschle, Florida Senator Bob Graham, and Democratic National Committee Chairman Terry McAuliffe, to name just a few of the prominent Democrats in attendance -- took in Moore's two-plus hours of Bush-bashing, applauding throughout and giving Moore a standing ovation when it was over. Even Moore seemed a bit taken aback by the Democratic establishment's effusive embrace. Wearing a snazzy suit and tie -- rather than his standard jeans-and-windbreaker ensemble -- and foregoing his trademark baseball hat, Moore told the crowd in remarks before the film: "I come from a working class family, I have a high school education and none of the Irish who got off the boat who are my ancestors could have ever imagined I would be standing here addressing you and having so many members of Congress here this evening. I feel very honored by that, and humbled by it."
Once upon a time, of course, the Democratic establishment kept Moore at arm's length, deeming him too controversial and mercurial to be of much political use. But those days are gone. Earlier this year Democratic presidential candidate Wesley Clark shared a stage with Moore at a campaign rally in New Hampshire, at which Moore questioned Bush's National Guard service, branding him a "deserter." And while the press pounced on Clark for standing by Moore while he made such a harsh -- and factually inaccurate --criticism of Bush, Democrats couldn't help but marvel at how Moore single-handedly revived the issue of Bush's military service, injecting it into the campaign, where it remains to this day. Now that Moore has come out with a film that's filled with a slew of harsh -- and, in some instances, unfair --criticisms of Bush, Democrats are giddy about how Moore and his movie might affect the presidential election. "I think anyone who sees this movie will come out en masse to make sure John Kerry is elected president this November," McAuliffe said after the premiere. "Credit to Michael Moore for taking the time to put this together." As one of Moore's associates explained, the filmmaker is "the point in the spear for the Democratic party. ... He's willing to be at the leading edge, pushing these thoughts and ideas that have an impact on Bush and relieving Kerry from having to deliver that hard negative that has repercussions."
Of course, getting too close to Moore can have its own repercussions--witness Wes Clark -- which is why McAuliffe, after lavishing the filmmaker with praise, hastened to add, "Michael Moore did this himself, he didn't do it with the Democratic Party." But if Democrats are still a bit wary of Moore, it's doubtful they'll have any qualms about associating with Lila Lipscomb, the military mom from Flint, Michigan, whose story makes for the most powerful scenes in Fahrenheit 9/11. When she first appears in the film, she's proud of her daughter's service in the first Gulf war and her son's service with the Marines in the current Iraq war. But after her son is killed in Karbala, Lipscomb begins to question why he was sent to fight there in the first place, eventually traveling to Washington where, standing in front of the White House, she says, "I finally have a place to put all my pain and anger."
After the premiere Moore invited Lipscomb down to the front of the theater to speak. She told a story of how, when she arrived at the premiere earlier that day, she saw a rainbow over the theater -- which, she said, "was God saying that this was my affirmation that I'm supposed to be here." Her voice cracking, she went on, "As Billy Graham once said, courage is contagious. ... And I just thank God that Michael Moore is the one that is courageous enough to stand up so that I could be courageous." At that moment Lipscomb's words carried more weight than Moore's or McAuliffe's or any of the other notables in the Uptown Theater. It won't be surprising if they continue to resonate in November.
Jason Zengerle is an associate editor at The New Republic.
By Jason Zengerle