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11-05-2004, 02:58 AM
Film-maker Moore silenced as credits roll on a fair fight
FRASER NELSON
IN BOSTON
FOR the first time in years, Michael Moore was speechless.
The film-maker and author was keeping quiet yesterday as he digested the inconceivable: his books, films and campaigns had not even dented Mr Bush’s political lead.
His book, Stupid White Men, and film Fahrenheit 9/11 have sold well in the United States as they have across the world - radicalising a young audience which had never before voted.
But yesterday the self-styled "capped crusader" was searching in vain for any evidence that the shadow he has cast over American politics for the last three years had touched the polling station.
He had deployed 1,300 cameras to polling stations in Florida and Ohio, determined to catch on film the dirty tricks which he argues stopped thousands of black voters from casting their ballot four years ago.
"I’m putting those who intend to suppress the vote on notice: voter intimidation and suppression will not be tolerated," Mr Moore said in a statement.
But he gave up on Florida by 3pm on polling day, and headed to Ohio instead.
By yesterday lunchtime, it became clear that George Bush, his nemesis, had won a fair and unanswerable victory.
Since the 36-day recount drama in Florida four years ago, Mr Moore has launched three books and a film on the premise that the election was "stolen" and that the American public was hostile to Mr Bush.
His recent book - Dude, Where’s My Country? - was based on the belief that the average American was against Mr Bush to start with and that the Republicans only won because turnout was little over 54 per cent.
He has ever since committed himself to defeating Mr Bush, setting aside part of his personal fortune - the extra he secured from the president’s tax cuts - to beat the Republicans.
At one point during the campaign, Mr Moore dropped to his knees on national television and pleaded with Ralph Nader, the third presidential candidate, who was attacking the Democrats from the left, not to stand.
The latest figures last night suggested Mr Bush would have won a convincing victory even if all Mr Nader’s votes had been cast for Mr Kerry.
Mr Moore’s interventions have made him a fixture of the American political scene, taking part in chat shows and turning up at the Republican National Convention in New York to jeers from delegates.
On the campaign trail, opinion polls showed several young voters said they had been politicised by Fahrenheit 9/11 - a film which features the Florida recount and accuses Mr Bush of being in cahoots with Saudi Arabia.
Mr Moore had tried unsuccessfully to have the film shown on US television networks on the eve of the election, having to settle instead for a DVD release to coincide with the presidential campaign.
This had become a theme of the Democrats’ campaign, with John Kerry frequently denouncing the Saudis and calling for a resurrection of Richard Nixon’s plan to provide a new US source of energy to end the need for Saudi imports.
Mr Moore has publicly called for Hillary Clinton to enter the 2008 presidential race, and is now expected to turn his attentions to supporting her.
http://news.scotsman.com/international.cfm?id=1271452004
FRASER NELSON
IN BOSTON
FOR the first time in years, Michael Moore was speechless.
The film-maker and author was keeping quiet yesterday as he digested the inconceivable: his books, films and campaigns had not even dented Mr Bush’s political lead.
His book, Stupid White Men, and film Fahrenheit 9/11 have sold well in the United States as they have across the world - radicalising a young audience which had never before voted.
But yesterday the self-styled "capped crusader" was searching in vain for any evidence that the shadow he has cast over American politics for the last three years had touched the polling station.
He had deployed 1,300 cameras to polling stations in Florida and Ohio, determined to catch on film the dirty tricks which he argues stopped thousands of black voters from casting their ballot four years ago.
"I’m putting those who intend to suppress the vote on notice: voter intimidation and suppression will not be tolerated," Mr Moore said in a statement.
But he gave up on Florida by 3pm on polling day, and headed to Ohio instead.
By yesterday lunchtime, it became clear that George Bush, his nemesis, had won a fair and unanswerable victory.
Since the 36-day recount drama in Florida four years ago, Mr Moore has launched three books and a film on the premise that the election was "stolen" and that the American public was hostile to Mr Bush.
His recent book - Dude, Where’s My Country? - was based on the belief that the average American was against Mr Bush to start with and that the Republicans only won because turnout was little over 54 per cent.
He has ever since committed himself to defeating Mr Bush, setting aside part of his personal fortune - the extra he secured from the president’s tax cuts - to beat the Republicans.
At one point during the campaign, Mr Moore dropped to his knees on national television and pleaded with Ralph Nader, the third presidential candidate, who was attacking the Democrats from the left, not to stand.
The latest figures last night suggested Mr Bush would have won a convincing victory even if all Mr Nader’s votes had been cast for Mr Kerry.
Mr Moore’s interventions have made him a fixture of the American political scene, taking part in chat shows and turning up at the Republican National Convention in New York to jeers from delegates.
On the campaign trail, opinion polls showed several young voters said they had been politicised by Fahrenheit 9/11 - a film which features the Florida recount and accuses Mr Bush of being in cahoots with Saudi Arabia.
Mr Moore had tried unsuccessfully to have the film shown on US television networks on the eve of the election, having to settle instead for a DVD release to coincide with the presidential campaign.
This had become a theme of the Democrats’ campaign, with John Kerry frequently denouncing the Saudis and calling for a resurrection of Richard Nixon’s plan to provide a new US source of energy to end the need for Saudi imports.
Mr Moore has publicly called for Hillary Clinton to enter the 2008 presidential race, and is now expected to turn his attentions to supporting her.
http://news.scotsman.com/international.cfm?id=1271452004