It seems to me that the most talked-about movie in America has pretty much disappeared from public discussion. Possibly due to overkill;-- there just isn’t anything new to say about it.
So I’m wondering–was all the hullabaloo ever important? Did it change many people’s minds 4 months ago, and have those people remained Kerry supporters?
Or was it mostly a matter of preaching to the choir?
Dems had great hopes,- and Repubs great fears- that Michael Moore would single-handedly determine the election more than any other factor.
But was it all overblown?
The polls showed a pretty even 50/50 race then, and still do.
A lot of folks seem to think it’s been elevated again as of yesterday’s tape from Bin Laden. I didn’t read F-911 but apparently OBL made several comments which may have reference to it.
I think the scene of Bush in the classroom is probably F9/11’s one lasting image. I believe it probably did have a measurably negative effect on the public’s perception of how Bush reacted that day and it was detail that the country wasn’t especially aware of until that film. The Pet Goat is in the public consciousness now and Moore is responsible for that.
The arguments Fahrenheit 9/11 make about the incompetency of the Bush Administration, and of George W. Bush’s lack of qualification for the job of President of the United States, still stand. Despite all the mud thrown by the right wing at Moore’s movie, they haven’t actually been able to prove that the facts are incorrect, nor have events changed the context that the documentary is set in.
Well, the “timely” DVD release helped give it an extra nudge. But I think it still has merit, I mean, a LOT of people I know came out of that movie shaking their heads in amazement. I think it will definitely have some impact on the election.
The question is, will it have effect in the battleground states.
I haven’t seen the movie though I’m a huge fan of Moore. I’m going to rent it Monday night and watch it with some friends. At least 2 of them are undecided so it might still have some small effect.
I don’t think It will have much impact. The movie was wired so that it was entirely biased against the Bush Presidency. I get the feeling that most liberals champion the film, and right wingers just decide not to go because they know of the bias. If anything, it might infuriate more right wingers to vote because they hate those damned liberals.
And on that note…go damned Liberals!
The success of F911 energized and consolidated those on the left. It strenghened their resolve for getting Bush out of office, and its surprising success provided some hope that we might be able to make it happen.
One of the most important outcomes of this election, regardless of who wins, is that the left is working together and working more effectively than I have seen in my lifetime. If we had had this sort of energy and cohesiveness in 2000, Gore would have won in a landslide–or even if the results had been the same, Gore would not have had to give up so easily.
F911 is only a part of the situation that has created this, but I think it is an important part.
I would have prefered that Moore had done a more balanced documentary… when you attack viciously you isolate moderates.
Still Moore all but started this new found trend for block buster documentaries. The Corporation is a very good documentary that deserves way more attention… but if Moore hadn’t laid down the ground… it probably wouldn’t exist.
Moore was one of the first (or first?) to criticize Bush… breaking a bit of that “we can’t be against a President during war” bullshit.