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Repeating a discredited right-wing smear

by: ctblogger

Fri Sep 18, 2009 at 11:33:21 AM EDT

Michael Moore has a new movie out and he has set his sights on American capitalism, banks, and the recent bailout of the economy. Moore is a provocateur, and a very good one - his Fahrenheit 9/11 is still the best grossing documentary of all time. This movie looks amazing and is sure to be well-done (his movies always are - Roger & Me is one of the best documentaries of all time).

Unfortunately, according to recent reports, the most recent movie misfires at one point when it repeats now-discredited attacks on Senator Dodd's mortgage deal.

Now, given the fact that movies take a long time to shoot, edit, print, and distribute, it could make sense to assume that Moore didn't have access to this:

The Senator and his wife, Jackie Clegg Dodd, negotiated interest rates and terms widely available in the marketplace when they refinanced the two homes. That's not special treatment.
- Hartford Courant Editorial, July 31, 2009

Or this:

... [T]he ethics panel acknowledged that Mr. Dodd didn't ask for preferential treatment or even get the best deal Countrywide had to offer.
...
The committee's finding ... should restore constituents' faith as well.
- Hartford Courant Editorial, August 9, 2009

Or this:

... [A]fter 18,000 pages of documents and a yearlong investigation, the Ethics committee is saying these "sweetheart" loans weren't even all that sweet.
- Politico, August 7, 2009

I could go on and on but I think you get the point.

Either way, its a shame that an otherwise powerful movie will include a discredited right-wing smear.

ctblogger :: Repeating a discredited right-wing smear

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Repeating a discredited right-wing smear | 2 comments

Looking Forward To It (0.00 / 0)

And I should mention that "Sicko" is a must see too. Especially now.

Although "Farenheit 9/11 is years old now, it's just as relevant today as it was when it came out, if not more. Such a shame Obama and the Democratic majority haven't done the things to change that.

"If those in charge of our society...can dominate our ideas, they will be secure in their power. They will not need soldiers patrolling the streets. We will control ourselves." ~~Howard Zinn

by: lakezoarian @ Fri Sep 18, 2009 at 10:51:10 AM CDT

Right Wing smear (0.00 / 0)

I saw the movie Tuesday night in Pittsburgh. Moore was there with us for the USA Premiere. He said he just finished editing it right before the Venice Film festival and the producers had not all seen the final version yet. He was a bit nervous about who might get mad.
But the final version did have an unjustified hit on Dodd as Moore tries to make the case that big money and big politics are plugged into the money line when it comes to advancing the evils of capitalism. Moore's depiction of Dodd, intimating connections to the big capitalist money grab thru Countrywide, was dismissed by the Senate Ethics Committee.
The movie has an interview with ex-Countrywide VIP salesman Robert Feinberg about Dodd's Countrywide loans. On the Leno Show Moore described it as an exclusive interview. But the same comments have been aired many times - disputed and invalidated everywhere. Feinberg's now invalidated comments were Moore's smoking gun - a fake gun and fake smoke ala Hollywood. Quantum leaps of logic were made around that issue and the impact of the big screen reincarnated the smear that was put to rest. But hey - this is a movie - not the news - Moore made his point, unfortunately at Dodd's expense. And part of the movie's success comes from how much and for what people get riled up about - and there's a LOT to get riled up over.
The rest of the movie was great - an eye opener that rightfully takes shots at everyone - WOW even Reagan- for letting American Capitalism run our economy into the ground. As is with all of Moore's movies there are many high impact scenes - sometimes stretched to make a point. I can't argue with the points - just sometimes how they are made. But I am sure glad we have Michael Moore out there giving us thought provoking images to spur some action.
You must see this one - Opens October 2! Even right wingers will like it - since it does poke at Democrats and liberals. But they can close their eyes and block their ears for the rest of the movie when their peeps are lambasted.

by: unionleo @ Fri Sep 18, 2009 at 22:48:59 PM CDT