Michael Moore: “I want to stop W from keeping power”

David Benaym · September 2, 2004

Translated from the French. Original: La Dernière Heure, September 2, 2004 · French version

“I want to stop W from keeping power”

(02/09/2004)

SPECIAL CORRESPONDENT IN THE UNITED STATES,

DAVID BENAYM

The documentary maker Michael Moore caused a sensation on Monday evening in the stands of the Republican convention in New York. Commissioned by the daily USA Today to write a column on the American presidential election, he talked, between taking notes, about his intentions and his impressions at the heart of Madison Square Garden.

“I’m here as a journalist, not to provoke. I want to meet grassroots Republicans, the ones who are like me, who are far from power, to try to understand their reasons for voting for George W. Bush once again,” says the director of the record-breaking documentary Fahrenheit 9/11.

“The Republicans give the floor to the most moderate of their supporters: Arnold Schwarzenegger is pro-choice, Rudy Giuliani is in favour of same-sex marriage and Michael Bloomberg is a fierce opponent of gun ownership in the United States, nothing to do with the official political line of the current government. The Republicans can’t win again if they are themselves, which is why they have to use more liberal tactics to win back the hearts of Americans,” laments Michael Moore.

Booed by the crowd of delegates at the convention, Moore adds that “in the eyes of Republicans, he represents the anti-Bush par excellence.” The author of many books and two openly anti-W documentaries, he is considered by them a traitor, the Bush camp’s worst enemy, the man to bring down. “But America is a democracy, and my presence here is proof of it, and I’m rather well surrounded in terms of security.”

Indeed, accompanied by an impressive security detail, Moore makes his way to his seat in the press stand. He explains that he is here above all to talk with average Republicans. “I find more in common with grassroots voters than with the government. Republicans want the same things as I do. We want to live in peace, have a good job, and for everyone to be able to go to school. The differences lie in how to get there. The major difference is that we Democrats think troops should be sent only when absolutely necessary; our army should only be called upon in self-defence.”

A true standard-bearer for the protesters, Michael Moore nonetheless rejects the acts of violence committed by demonstrators and police alike. He points out that what is at stake in this election goes beyond mere political parties: “it’s the most important vote since the Vietnam War. Our world is changing, and we are here to elect the president of this planet under reconstruction. That’s why I’m putting all my time and energy into stopping W from keeping power”.

A skilled polemicist, Moore is not running for anything; he knows his appearance at the Republican convention will have an impact. His film, a critical and commercial success, should stay in American cinemas for a few more weeks, pending the DVD release scheduled in the United States a few weeks before the fateful date of November 2, presidential election day.

D. B.