Michael Moore, Howard Dean rally DNC delegates

Published 12:41 pm Wednesday, July 28, 2004

BOSTON – The unabashed firebrand Howard Dean and the say-it-as-he-sees-it filmmaker Michael Moore continued to hammer on a theme of political involvement and commitment Tuesday during a rally organized by the Campaign for American’s Future.

Dean implored people to go beyond the Nov. 2 ballot box and get involved in politics.

“Politics is too important to be left to politicians,” he said.

Moore railed against the Bush Administration for misleading the American public and criticized the national media for failing to perform its duties.

“True patriots ask questions and dissent when necessary,” he said.

There was not enough room to accommodate the people who wanted to attend the “Take Back America” event held at the Royal Sonesta Hotel, where the Oregon Delegation is housed. In fact, many of the hotel’s delegates – from Oregon, Oklahoma and Arkansas – were unable to find seats for the gathering. The speakers included Dean, the former Vermont governor who was at one time the frontrunner for the Democratic presidential nomination, Moore, who’s film, Fahrenheit 9/11 has swept the nation, Robert Reich, former U.S. Secretary of Labor in the Clinton Administration, and Carl Pope, president of the Sierra Club.

In fact, so many people were turned away that a parallel rally was held outside the hotel with the same speakers. Today, the same organization planned a debate between former Sen. Gary Hart of Colorado, Ambassador Joe Wilson, Rep. Dennis Kucinich of Ohio and The Nation editor Katrina vanden Heuvel.

Dean challenged Democrats to carry their message into Republican strongholds like Utah, Idaho, Mississippi and Texas. He said people across America need to know “we are less safe since Saddam Hussein was captured” and that Congress has more pressing issues to address than “guns, God and gays.”

Moore called the media “shills” for Bush who were “cheerleaders for war” or, at best, “journalists who fell asleep and didn’t ask the hard questions.”

Moore said it takes conviction and courage to stand up and speak out. Many who openly opposed the invasion of Iraq were labeled un-American or unsympathetic to U.S. troops.

“Of course we support the troops. What I don’t support is sending them into harm’s way when it isn’t necessary,” he said. “The people who hate the troops so that rich benefactors can line their pockets are the ones who are un-American and unpatriotic.”

Moore said that despite popular belief – another notion he said was fomented by a lazy media – the majority of Americans are liberal and progressive. For the most part, Moore said, Americans support women’s rights, environmental protection, gun control and labor rights.

A small minority of “hatriots” would rather debate whether or not two consenting adults should be allowed to fall in love, he said.

Moore said the election in November is critical to America’s future.

“You can’t compare this election to any since Sept. 11, 2001. People want to know more. They are talking politics now. It’s cool now to talk politics. It’s uncool if you don’t know what’s going on in the world,” he said.

Because of Bush policies, the country will experience a “shift” in November when Americans who might otherwise ignore the election will turn out in record numbers, he predicted.

“People are angry,” Moore said.

Moore said he didn’t realize how huge his movie was until a few weeks ago when he was flipping through the TV channels and arrived at a NASCAR race where a FOX reporter nonchalantly asked Dale Earnhardt Jr. what he did the night before the race. When Earnhardt said he took his crew to see Fahrenheit 9/11 and that all Americans should see the movie, “I fell off the couch.”

In spite of the country’s mood, however, Democrats won’t win “by being weak-kneed and wimpy,” Moore said, challenging party members to “stand up and say what you believe.”