'Fahrenheit 9/11' Making GOP Nervous

[fearnobush]

By MIKE GLOVER, Associated Press Writer

DES MOINES, Iowa - Republicans initially dismissed "Fahrenheit 9/11" as a cinematic screed that would play mostly to inveterate Bush bashers. Four weeks and $94 million later, the film is still pulling in moviegoers at 2,000 theaters around the country, making Republicans nervous as it settles into the American mainstream.

"I'm not sure if it moves voters," GOP consultant Scott Reed said, "but if it moves 3 or 4 percent it's been a success."

Two senior Republicans closely tied to the White House said the movie from director Michael Moore is seen as a political headache because it has reached beyond the Democratic base. Independents and GOP-leaning voters are likely to be found sitting beside those set to revel in its depiction of a clueless president with questionable ties to the oil industry.

"If you are a naive, uncommitted voter and wander into a theater, you aren't going to come away with a good impression of the president," Republican operative Joe Gaylord said. "It's a problem only if a lot of people see it."

Based on a record-breaking gross of $94 million through last weekend, theaters already have sold an estimated 12 million tickets to "Fahrenheit 9/11." A Gallup survey conducted July 8-11 said 8 percent of American adults had seen the film at that time, but that 18 percent still planned to see it at a theater and another 30 percent plan to see it on video.

Moore

<http://story.news.yahoo.com/news?tmpl=story&u=/ap/20040722/ap_on_el_ge/moore_film_politics>

[villager]

1. can't wait for the DVD release...

...in the fall!

[tedoll78]

2. I have the feeling that..

I'll be buying several copies and handing them out to swing voters at home in Louisiana..

[Blue Gardener]

18. I think a lot of Repugs will watch the DVD

I'm sure there are those who didn't want to be seen in public going to the movie, but will be much more likely to watch it in private.

[lostnfound]

43. They also didn't want to PAY to see it, but will watch it for free

on copies passed around by people like US.

[rooboy]

3. It's not a concern because a lot of people see it...

it's a concern to the GOP because it's PLAUSIBLE. That's why this documentary flies and "The Clinton Chronicles" didn't.

It wasn't Michael Moore who made * sit there like an idiot for seven minutes.

[hyphenate]

17. Point taken

Even if the WH could somehow, someway, through pure propaganda dismiss everything else about the movie and Bush, those 7 minutes are more damning, more condemning than Richard Nixon's 17 blank minutes on tape.

[0007]

21. How is the film being view down under rooboy?

[rooboy]

22. Breaking box office records without having even opened. n/t

[0007]

42. Here in Laura Bush's and junior's home town it is also

a bloody success. I saw it twice with large crowds demonstrating their feelings for the boy king.

Thanks for your info - Hope the Aussies can get John Howard out of office.

[fearnobush]

4. Be sure to give it a 5.

[nodictators]

40. Actually, the article is filled with subtle pro-Repub spin

Sample:

"Fahrenheit 9/11" opened in June mainly in locally owned arts theaters that specialize in obscure films and tiny audiences.

Truth: In a strongly conservative area, I saw F-9/11 on opening day (June 25) in a megaplex with 20+ screens and stadium seating. Two other megaplex theaters within 10 miles were also showing it on opening day.

Yes, some openings were in art-house theaters, but F-9/11 grossed more than $20 million the first weekend, with only about 900 screens.

Truth: Apparently the reporter could only find Repubs who were conflicted, "wanted to know more about its claims," or said, "It raised a lot of questions."

To hammer home questions about Moore's veracity we get, .

"Retired college professor Dennis O'Brien, a Bush voter in 2000 and a movie buff who has seen other Moore films, said "Fahrenheit 9/11" hasn't changed his view of Bush but may well serve a larger purpose by sparking debate.

"Moore forces you to think about the role of oil in the politics of American life," O'Brien said. "This goes back a long way." .

The "role of oil in politics"??? Is that what F-9/11 was all about?

Well, that's what AP wants potential F-9/11 viewers to think.

[TahitiNut]

44. Here, it's the megaplex that's drawing viewers more than the 'art house'

I took my (>30-y.o.) nephew to see it the other day. He's a BS/PoliSci 'independent' with a relatively skeptical viewpoint. He was sold.

It's pretty clear that Moore stuck to FACT and it's the viewer who draws conclusions and inferences. Even moderately right-wing viewers. These poor souls, however, have a hyperactive intellectual immune system that attacks itself, rejecting any and all mental processes or products that assail their 'faith.'

[wabeewoman]

49. Great line TahitNut!!

have a hyperactive intellectual immune system that attacks itself, rejecting any and all mental processes or products that assail their 'faith.' LOL!

[Jackpine Radical]

46. Well that "subtle pro-Repub spin" could work against them big-time.

Unsuspecting wingnuts and undecided voters who think they're gonna hear something about "The role of oil in politics" are definitely going to discover that this is not "what F-9/11 was all about," and at least some of them are gonna have their sox knocked off in the process.

The soft-pedalled description is gonna maybe lure in some chronic dittohead avoiders of cognitive dissonance who would otherwise not set themselves up for such a mind-blowing experience.

[CO Liberal]

50. It Opened in Pueblo Two Weeks Ago

At the 14-screen Cinemark theater. My wife and I went tot he second showing - at 1:30 on a Friday afternoon, the theater was a little more than half full, which ain't bad for a weekday.

BTW, here's last weekend's money totals, as reported on the Cinemark site (www.cinemark.com):

TOP BOX OFFICE

Fri. 7/16 - Sun. 7/18

1.I, Robot $52.2M
2.Spider-Man 2 $25M
3.Anchorman $13.9M
4.A Cinderella Story $13.6M
5.King Arthur $7.18M
6.Fahrenheit 9/11 $7.16M
7.The Notebook $5.7M
8.Dodgeball: A True Underdog Story $3.8M
9.White Chicks $3.4M
10.Shrek 2 $3.2M

[truthisfreedom]

5. i hope they wet themselves.

i hope they lose sleep.

i hope they get forgetful.

i hope they get stomach-aches.

[Tight_rope]

9. I hope that start having heart attacks!

[wildeyed]

34. What? Just like me

for the past four years? Well, except the wetting part.

[komplex]

6. 25% of Adults to

See it in the US? That's insane.

If it passes The Passion, that would really throw the freepers into a hissy fit.

It's not big until the South Park Guys make fun of MM. ;)

It would be fun after Kerry's victory when he makes the rich pay their fair share for MM to say, "If Bush was in charge I would have paid X in taxes, but with Kerry in charge I have to pay X+Y in taxes."

[Atlas Mugged]

26. South Park jumped the shark...

...with the 'Queer Eye'episode. It was phoned in and predictable. I was extremely disappointed with it.

[punpirate]

7. BWAHAHAHAHAHAHAHAHA...

... "it's a problem only if a lot of people see it."

Faux News can't help ya now, boys.... :P

[Erika]

8. Wolfowitz Was So Gross

I don't see how anyone can look at him without gagging after his comb lickings. Yuk.

[TahitiNut]

45. Well, he thinks he's just a SpITHEAD. ("sPithead"?)

He just doesn't realize that spitting on a coprocephalic leads to his diarrhea of the mouth.

[StandUpGuy]

52. What about his sycophantic aide

licking his own fingers to fix a misplaced strand of hair.

Very telling.

[Zorra]

10. Yuh, well....anything that is the truth makes the GOP nervous....

Bwaaaahaaaaahaaaahaaahaaaa.

The GOP is toast. And there is nothing they can do about it.

We have figured them out, and know what they are going to do before they do. Heh-heh.

The republican party is on the verge of extinction, like the Neanderthal, and the dinosaur.

It's evolution.

[LastLiberal in PalmSprings]

11. F911 just passed $100 million

according to our local t.v. Twinkie (Linda Ellerbee coined this term for anchormen/women -- they look good on the outside but have nothing of substance inside). She said this is the most money any documentary has ever earned. I also read that more than half of potential voters say they have seen or plan to see F911 before the election.

That seven minutes is going to be hard to explain -- especially when the WH story is so different. According to their version * jumped up upon being informed of the attacks and immediately took charge.

[BlueEyedSon]

16. FYI: F911 was the top grossing documentary at around $26 million!

[quispquake]

30. I've always loved Linda Ellerbee

"Twinkie"...excellent!!!

[flaminbats]

12. maybe the FCC can do some more editing..

After all, who will notice if a few more scenes are blacked out or slowly begin to disappear? This is war dammit..not a public matter!

[Mike Niendorff]

13. LOL -- "If you are a naive, uncommitted voter ..."

Translation: "Naive and uncommitted? Why, that's Bush Country dammit!"


MDN

[jpgray]

14. Exactly--they spent a lot of time and effort making voters naive

:D

[hyphenate]

15. There, they said it!!

>>>>>>>>"If you are a naive, uncommitted voter and wander into a theater, you aren't going to come away with a good impression of the president," Republican operative Joe Gaylord said. "It's a problem only if a lot of people see it." <<<<<<<<<<<<<<

They just described their base, other than the top richest 2% who are the only ones really benefitting from the Bush misadministration. The truly clueless, the naive, and the ignorant. Makes me proud to know that MM is educating them--at last. :D

[Coventina]

35. It shows their utter contempt for American citizens

The mental image of some mentally subnormal person wandering aimlessly into a random theatre and stumbling onto F9/11 is completely patronizing and insulting.

People don't "wander" into theatres! They purchase tickets at the box office after specifically stating what movie they wish to see!

Good Lord! Can these people be more evil?

[Jeff in Cincinnati]

19. I heard of a plan in Cincinnati...

to obtain copies of the DVD when it comes out and hold "parties" in the African-American churches around town -- it would be a great GOTV activity. If I were the DNC, I'd purchase 10,000 copies and distribute them to the battleground states.

[checks-n-balances]

20. U said "Moore" instead of "More" before the web address: a Freudian slip?

Let's hope the numbers of "Moore" enlightened folk are multiplying - LOL!!

[union_maid]

23. The truth will set us free!

Eventually...I hope..

[Earth_First]

24. I am still a firm believer...

that this was released too early. This should have been released just prior or just after the Republican National Convention, or even mid-September...

[Jackpine Radical]

33. We're lucky it got out at all,

past all the RW efforts to block it. And anyway, the DVD will be out in Oct, just in time for 30% of the population to see it. That, supposedly, is how many people are waiting for the DVD version.

I think F911 is enough all by itself to blow Shrub out of the water.

8% have seen it in the theaters. Another 18% plan to, and 30% say they'll see it on DVD. Even if we cut those last 2 numbers in half, the total will be 32% of Americans, and if, say, 10% are swayed to either change their vote or to cast one instead of staying home, that's 3.2% of the population.

Wow.

[arikara]

60. I think it was good timing

Now they can get the DVD out in September or October and get everyone talking about it all over again. Especially when Walmart bans it, and you know they will.

[quaker bill]

25. Very few people walk out of the theater wanting to vote for Bush

I think the film makes the difference. People were already more than a bit embarrassed by the pResident. They were seriously questioning their support for Bush. This is why they are shelling out the cash to see it. The film provides more than enough ammo to firm up their judgement on the man.

[iconoclastic cat]

27. Hey, I heard his next project was going to be about the healthcare ind.

Does anyone have info on that?

[IndianaGreen]

28. Moore is planning a similar documentary on Tony Blair and the war

which will come in handy when Parliamentary elections are held, I think in 2005.

[bhunt70]

29. I think that was stated as not being true, although I could be wrong.

[Justice]

31. I thought Moore Said Blair Film Was a Joke

it is posted on his website.

[IndianaGreen]

38. That's too bad. The poodle needs to be defeated!

In the UK they at least have a real alternative to Labour's Blairism and the Tories, the Charles Kennedy's Liberal Democrats.

We could use such a party in the US.

[Justice]

32. Excellent!

on edit -

Consider all they did before the movie came out to try to prevent people from seeing the movie.

The stuff with Disney and even before that.

The personal insults levied at Michael Moore - his physical appearance, his class, the amount of money he earns.

And those are things we learned of publicly - imagine all the things they did behind the scenes.

Michael doesn't care what they said - he just doesn't care.

They go after other people, Dixie Chicks, Whoopie, Linda, and even politicans who make strong statements. They try to get people to back down. Many do back down under pressure. Moore didn't back down. And look how successful he has been.

Now the report are turning - it is not about the "looney" Moore, it is about how the GOP is worried (which was the subtitle all along, but it was never reported that way).

[wishlist]

37. The release of F911 was perfect timing to be No 1 at the box office

right before the summer blockbusters hit. And by it coming out relatively early in the campaign cycle, viewers are more knowledgeable about issues and will be increasingly skeptical of Bush and the media when it comes to 911, timing of terror alerts, Iraq, Iran, etc.

[yellowcanine]

36. "If you are a naive, uncommitted voter and wander into a theater," HEH,

That's the ticket, guys - insult the intelligence of uncommitted voters. That will win them over!

[angka]

41. heh

well this is the party of karl rove after all, who believes that too much education can be a bad thing...

[MallRat]

39. "If it moves 3 or 4 percent, it's been a success."

Hey Scottie,

Have you looked at the polls lately, especially in the battleground states?

If Fahrenheit 9/11 moves 3 or 4 percent of voters to select Kerry, it isn't just a success; it is an all-but fatal blow to the Bush campaign.

-MR

[leftofthedial]

47. the truth always makes criminals nervous

especially this lying gang of thugs

[Az_lefty]

48. We owe Michael Moore a big "Thank You"!

F-911 is not simply preaching to the choir, like the repug's would like to believe, it's swaying independents and repug's that are fed up with the shrub.

[peterh]

51. I remember many saying…..

That Michel Moore was, in essence, just “singing to the choir” with this film….me thinks the choir has taken on new membership….:toast:

[The Animator]

53. Ok, so if you don't like the President...

... you are naive and ,uncommited. If your supporters leave the theater with doubts, if the lights start clicking on, I'm sure insulting their intelligence will bring them back around.

I'm sorry, but I don't need a film to give me a poor impression of the resident, he does that all on his own.

[Rebellious Republican]

54. Rate the story! Its current average rating is 3.49 with 1105 vote(s).

[Strawman]

55. Kevin Phillips

This movie might be the thing that reaches enough disaffected independents and least committed members of the GOP coalition Kevin Phillips mentions in this week's edition of The Nation. It really could turn enough of them against Bush and swing the election to Kerry. Kerry owes Michael Moore big time.

[sadiesworld]

56. That settles it.

I'm going for the third time this weekend. I was going to wait for it to come out on DVD but what the hell. If I can cause pugs pain in some way, no matter how small, it's worth it.

Hey pugs: See you at the movies. :hi:

edited to add: And I'm going to treat a couple of apolitical, registered, fence-sitters.

[daleo]

57. That's the thing about the truth

"Republican operative Joe Gaylord said. "It's a problem only if a lot of people see it.""

[maddezmom]

58. the truth will set us free of the bush junta n/t

[lovuian]

59. Whats worrying Repugs is that People WANT to KNOW

by selling 100 million dollars worth of tickets

It shows that American People don't trust the story we were given by
the News Media and Bush

Just like the JFK assasination the People feel that something isn't right and they were not told

The Little Old Lady in Michael Moore's Movie said it
"We were duped"

An what worries the Republicans is that Americans are buying tickets to see Michael Moores story...on 9/11

What they are seeing is that there are lots of Americans out there
feeling like Lila Lipscomb..."We were Duped"