As a result of the first presidential debate's geographic proximity, the Bay area hosted an impressive spurt of big-time campaign activity last week. Though President Bush postponed his St. Petersburg stop after a tour of hurricane-ravaged Polk County, Ralph Nader hit Ybor City last Wednesday, and John Kerry packed the USF Sun Dome on Friday. Never one to pass up an opportunity to make his own political opinions heard, filmmaker/provocateur/human acid-test Michael Moore also made a Tampa stop, appearing at the Sun Dome two days after Kerry to stump for the Democratic candidate.I'm afraid to be in the same room with Nader. The severity in his eyes terrifies me; there could be 1,000 other people in the hall, but those eyes would find me, and he would know, know, that I once let a Styrofoam cup that came from a corporate coffeehouse blow out the open window of my SUV as I drove by some protected wetlands. And as for the Democratic nominee, well, the Republicans and I agree on one point — when it comes to charisma, Kerry can make the 2000 version of Al Gore seem like the 1970 version of Iggy Pop. (He unarguably cranked it up a notch for the debate, though, didn't he?)
Michael Moore, on the other hand, seemed like a live attraction I could get behind. The world's most famous hyper-political non-politician, Moore inspires controversy the way a body rotating in space inspires gravity: it's just an unavoidable result of his presence. Nobody responded to Fahrenheit 9/11, or any of his other movies, with a shrug and ambiguous mouth-noise. They responded by calling for his sainthood or calling for his head. If he's speaking in a swing state this close to Nov. 2, you know he's going to yell. And you know lots of people are going to yell with him. And maybe somebody's going to yell at him — surely some righteously offended God-and-country types would find it worth five bucks to scream at Moore that he's a terrorist, that he's a Benedict Arnold, that he could stand to lose a few pounds.
You know, democracy in action.
The Sun Dome's parking lot showed no obvious signs of difference of opinion, but maybe I was just disoriented by the fact that parking was uncharacteristically free. The concrete patio around the ticket windows seemed promising, though, what with all the hastily set-up tables and the clipboard- and pamphlet-toting activists milling about. A van equipped with loudspeakers broadcast propaganda at the large, mixed throng in line. As I approached the building, it became clear the amplified voice was demanding the immediate withdrawal of American troops from Iraq — a sign on the back of the van read "Vote Nader/Camejo" — and that the day's only ideological schisms laid comfortably to the left of center.
Flyers piled up in attendees' hands and backpacks: Code Pink. Young Voter Alliance. Defenders of Wildlife Action Fund. Tampa-based grassroots group America Coming Together. Even the Uhurus were represented. Nobody stood across the street, holding a sign declaring Moore to be a liar. No drive-by hecklers admonished attendees to get a job.
Inside, 26-year-old Aileen Ward asked anybody who came within 10 feet of her if they might have a little time to devote to getting out the vote on behalf of MoveOn's Political Action Committee. The obviously enthusiastic volunteer related that she'd been ready to relocate to New Zealand out of frustration, but decided that action presented a more responsible alternative.
"I just thought, 'What a typically lazy American thing to do,'" she said, laughing. "But it's still either Kerry or New Zealand — that's it."
Beyond the inner ring of causes, in the Sun Dome's arena proper, a few thousand patrons bought pretzels and water, looked for their friends, and talked issues while appropriately socially conscious music played over the P.A.
"It's nice to see people actually give a shit about their country," said one pony-tailed guy to his date, looking around.
People were still streaming in when Moore approached the podium half an hour late, in true rock-concert style, and dressed in his usual jeans, T-shirt and baseball cap. He was greeted with an equally rock-concert cheer, complete with a standing ovation and the stamping of feet. There would be no argument here, no counterpoint. These were Moore's people, and this was a love-fest; the only anger was to be directed, collectively, at the target designated so explicitly in Moore's most recent film.
The director spoke for roughly an hour and a half, in a rambling, engagingly conversational style. He began with Thursday night's debate (well, actually he began with the special-needs dog seated with its owner not far from the stage), likening Bush's facial expressions to a Three Stooges sight gag. From there, Moore moved effortlessly, if disjointedly, though volumes of anti-Bush rhetoric, waxing alternately comedic and passionate on the necessity of unseating the neocons.
Seeing a couple of Nader boosters make for the door, Moore asked them to stay; the rather one-sided exchange culminated in the filmmaker leading a chant of "Ralph is right," then reminding the crowd that Ralph, however right, is wrong to be running right now. He went on to emphasize the single notion upon which the outcome of next month's election hinges: while Kerry may not be the liberals' ideal candidate, they can't afford to worry about that until after Crawford, Texas' fortunate son is ousted from office.
There were more jokes, and plenty of statistics, and even a bevy of surprise bonus goodies — satirical Swift Boat-style pro-Bush ads; Bowling for Columbine DVDs; legendary women's-rights crusader Gloria Steinem; and punk band Anti-Flag, who contributed an acoustic version of Woody Guthrie's "This Land Is Your Land" that had the older folks in the stands grimacing. But Moore seemed to have made his point: four more years of Bush, particularly four years Bush doesn't have to spend worrying about re-election, would be worse than disastrous for the Constitution, for the economy, for America.
Unfortunately for my vicarious bloodlust, everyone at the Sun Dome seemed to agree.
scott.harrell@weeklyplanet.com
This article appears in Oct 6-12, 2004.