I just watched Michael Moore's Slacker Uprising, the free movie I told you about here. Got it as a free download from Amazon to my office TiVo.
I go hot and cold on Michael Moore. I think some of what he's done is brilliantly clever and I admire his sheer chutzpah. When Fahrenheit 9/11 was an issue, a lot of folks bombarded me with "fact checks" that they thought proved Moore was a sleazy conman and liar...but the proof of that seemed thin to me and it's gotten thinner ever since. Ultimately, I don't think he was any less accurate than most of the mainstream media — and about Iraq, probably more accurate than most. On the other hand, some of his excesses strike me as manipulative and tasteless...and not always in the way that "tasteless" can be a good thing.
His Slacker Uprising is a 100-minute infomercial for Michael Moore. We follow him on his 2004 campaign tour, trying to get the vote out for Kerry. There are a lot of audiences showing their love for Moore. There are clips of really, really stupid people opposing him or trying to silence him. (Well, of course. Moore edited this film.) I'm afraid I don't see the point of the movie except to tell us that (a) Mr. Moore sure did a lot to try and get Kerry elected, (b) that Moore can (or could) fill huge stadiums with adoring fans...and (c) that Kerry would have done worse if not for Michael Moore. About the only insight you'll get is why it's free. If I'd paid for a DVD or gone to a theater and bought a ticket for this, I'd have been pissed.
In an article today, Carl Bernstein quotes John McCain as follows...
I've always tried to act on what I thought was the best for the country. And that has guided me. The only thing I can do is assure people that I would act on principle.
I don't believe that...and not just about McCain. I don't believe that in my lifetime, I've seen any politician who has struck me as standing on principle and "the good of the country" over personal benefit. Perhaps if I think back, I can say it about some third party candidate who never stood a chance of winning...or some Democratic or Republican who finished near last place.
But they all — 100% of the major contenders — decide that what's best for the country is that they be elected and hold power. That may sound cynical...and to the extent it does, it's probably an indictment of the voters as much as it's a criticism of those whose names appear on ballots. Does anyone want to argue that Mssrs. Obama and McCain have both taken some less-than-sincere positions because what they really believe would cost them votes? Even their supporters rationalize the distortions and reversed stances as "What he has to say to get elected."
Richard Nixon famously said on several occasions, "I will decide [whatever the issue is] on the basis of what's best for America, not what's best for Richard Nixon." And every time, he decided that what was best for Richard Nixon just "happened" to coincide with what was best for America. That seems to be how it always works.
I was directing a recording session yesterday where everyone stopped to watch this. It's a 4.5 minute parody of the Sarah Palin-Charles Gibson interview with Lisa Donovan as Palin and Dan Oster as Charlie Gibson. Very funny...and it isn't even that much of an exaggeration.
I understand why the McCain-Palin forces are running around charging that the press and Democrats are being mean to her...but really. Nothing is hurting her reputation more than the way she's being hidden and kept from situations where she'd have to answer basic questions. They seem to be afraid that every press encounter's going to come out like this...
You might appreciate this. Jim Newman, who was one of the folks behind that live What's My Line? show I wish they'd restart, tells me about a site that features great podcast interviews with folks in and around the TV business. It's TV Time Machine and I'm enjoying their Mel Brooks chat while I'm typing this. There are others there I plan to enjoy soon, including one with Guillermo Del Toro discussing the Rod Serling TV series, Night Gallery. Go there and you'll probably find a few that interest you.
September 23, 2008
