Moore recruits kings of spin to counter critics

[keta11]

By Andrew Gumbel in Los Angeles
12 June 2004

Michael Moore's documentary Fahrenheit 9/11 looks like a film, sounds like a film and, after its triumph at the Cannes festival, certainly wins awards like a film.

But its US release this summer is looking more like a political campaign than a Hollywood premiere, and now the production has hired two of Bill Clinton's most fearsome spin doctors to handle the anticipated brouhaha from its stinging election-year critique of President George Bush.

Mr Moore has set up a campaign-style "war room" to counter his critics, headed by two veterans of the Clinton-Gore years, Mark Fabiani and Chris Lehane. "We will allow no attack on...

http://news.independent.co.uk/world/americas/story.jsp?story=530688

[booley]

1. How does that saying go?

Fight Fire with Fire?

It's not exactly like people opposing Moore's films have been shy with the politics.

[kimchi]

2. Gotta fight fire with fire.

edit: Great minds...

Add Michael Moore to the future list of American Patriots who stood up for our country against the Bush* cabal.

Yeah, he's loud, and in your face, and subtly leads you where he wants. But hey, doesn't that describe Carville, too?

Stand up to the bullies--that is all we need to do. How can they complain when we beat them at their own game?

[PoliticsSportsMusic]

3. I doubt that Moore hired them.....

more likely the distributors did. Why would Moore hire them? I believe his film will stand on its on two feet .... if he hired them I'm very disappointed in him.

[Cocoa]

4. they quote Moore

read the above article for this quote, and to answer your question about why he hired them:

"We will allow no attack on this film to go without a response immediately," Mr Moore told yesterday's Los Angeles Times. "And we will go after anyone who slanders me or my work, and we will do it without mercy. And when you think 'without mercy', you think Chris Lehane."

[kimchi]

5. Um, the title of the article?

Why would you be disappointed by him defending his own work? For that matter, what is wrong with PR for a film? I'm just not getting where you are coming from.

[PoliticsSportsMusic]

6. Maybe I'm not fully understanding the implications or am reading too

much into this but the way I understand it they are ready to sue for slander anyone who commits the act. Come on slander happens every single day and it usually goes unpunished. In my estimation it looks way too defensive and makes him look a little like Ann Coulter....just a little mind you. I say put the film out let it stand on its own two feet and then if anyone goes over board in a sladerous manner then prosecute but to circle the wagons this early just looks way too defensive....maybe I'm too hung up on perceptions.

[Cocoa]

7. they're not going to sue

they're going to defend themselves in the media.

[TrustingDog]

11. This is the perfect move...

on Mikey's part. What this tells me is that he is fully prepared for the expected false accusations that will rain down on him cats and dogs - anything to discredit him. He is telling everyone out loud that he stands by his film as being factual, and the law does as well.

yehaaaaa! go mikey go.
you just can't keep a good man down - now where are all the rest?

[number6]

8. you mean to counter shit like this.....

http://www.moveamericaforward.org/newsmax/

the scumbags are worried ....

[JohnyCanuck]

10. Who Pays the Bills for MoveAmericaForward.org

A web site has launched a campaign to deter theater owners from showing Michael Moore's film, "Fahrenheit 9-11". A list of theaters currently committed to showing the film is provided along with exhortations to call and demand that the film be dropped. Some theater owners are reporting receiving death threats.

This web site, "http://moveamericaforward.org", is actually an alias for "http://moveamericaforward.com". A DNS check reveals that "http://moveamericaforward.com" is being run by a Public Relations firm out of San Francisco

<snip>

Russo Marsh & Rogers is a political public relations firm with strong ties to the GOP

www.whatreallyhappened.com/russo.html

[graham67]

9. I really hope....

they keep Lehane off the television.