By Edward Niedermeyer
November 20, 2008
Liberal bomb-thrower and “Roger & Me” documentarian Michael Moore described his “mixed feelings” about a proposed Detroit bailout in a CNN interview with Larry King, accusing automakers of ignoring workers and customers. The Detroit News was apparently more than a little surprised by the revelation, kicking off its coverage of the interview with its most wounded tone, saying “If you thought a high-profile, avowed fan of the Michigan autoworker would leap at the chance to support the Big Three’s clamor for a Washington bailout, think again.” Of course, if you aren’t emotionaly invested in a bailout, quotes like “I don’t think these companies, with these management people, should be given a dime, because that’s just going to be money going up in smoke or off to other countries,” shouldn’t be too surprising. Actually, Moore’s comments aren’t particularly interesting or substantive, thanks in large part to King’s softball, ego-boosting questions. Oh yeah, and the fact that Moore knows more about courting media attention than the auto industry. We just really wanted to post another picture of Halle.
Subscribe to New Content Alerts38 Comments on “ Bailout Watch 227: Michael Moore Votes Nay ”
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November 20th, 2008 at 2:10 pm
Edward - as much as I love a good pic of Halle, it’s getting a little NSFW. One a day please so I can keep my browser window open without looking like the office perv. Thanks much…
November 20th, 2008 at 2:14 pm
If that’s a picture of Michael Moore, looks like he’s lost some weight.
November 20th, 2008 at 2:18 pm
Oy.
November 20th, 2008 at 2:19 pm
When Mitt Romney said that he doesn’t think Detroit should get any money, I was surprised that I was able to agree with him because I thought he was insane during the Republican primaries.
And Michael Moore’s opinion isn’t all that surprising. He, along with many other people (like 99% of the B&B) know that any money given to these idiot CEOs will go to buy liquor and whores before it ever goes to help their companies out.
November 20th, 2008 at 2:25 pm
Whats all this talk about cars? I thought this was a fan site for Halle!
ps. more pics of Halle pleaze!
November 20th, 2008 at 2:27 pm
@ brettc, easy with those epithets: CEOs do purchase liquor for corporate events, but they don’t need whores. They have enough cocksuckers in the office on payroll.
November 20th, 2008 at 2:33 pm
Michael Moore comes out against a bailout, once again proving what people say about stopped clocks…
November 20th, 2008 at 2:37 pm
Actually, at least buying liquor and whores would provide more jobs than the big 2.3 are currently generating. Maybe my ex-wife could find some work.
Who’s the Babe of the Day (BOD) for tomorrow? I nominate Scarlett Johansson.
November 20th, 2008 at 2:39 pm
Hey jgholt –
Thanks a lot.
November 20th, 2008 at 2:39 pm
I wonder if pictures of Hale Berry are dedication to our newly minted president?
November 20th, 2008 at 2:47 pm
At least it wasn’t a picture of Michael Moore in a swimsuit…..
Can you say Willy & Me?
But then Michael Moore and water ??
November 20th, 2008 at 2:49 pm
What picture of Halle? On my browser there’s just a picture of Michael Mo..Aieee! My eyes! My eyes!
November 20th, 2008 at 2:50 pm
Why did you take down that nice pic of Halle for a pic of IT (him)?
November 20th, 2008 at 2:51 pm
…well, that settles it.
…I’ve been on the fence with mixed emotions about this whole thing.
…but if M. Moore is against a bailout… then I guess I’ve gotta be for it!
I’m surprised he crawled out of the shallow end of the gene pool long enough to render an opinion.
November 20th, 2008 at 2:51 pm
People aren’t buying Toyota, Mercedes or BMW - at discount. Who is going to buy GM crapola?
http://www.nytimes.com/2008/11/19/business/economy/19ports.html?_r=3&hp&oref=slogin
November 20th, 2008 at 2:55 pm
Someone should tell him that if the domestics go tits-up, then the UAW will probably be royally NFSW’d. He’d change his tune quick.
November 20th, 2008 at 2:57 pm
Ah, but “Roger & Me” was unadulterated genius. Go rent it if you can, everything that was wrong with GM today can be seen way back then.
November 20th, 2008 at 2:58 pm
Moore needs fodder for more “documentaries”. Duh.
November 20th, 2008 at 3:01 pm
Ah, but “Roger & Me” was unadulterated genius. Go rent it if you can, everything that was wrong with GM today can be seen way back then.
I saw it in a documentary class once in college, so I’m way ahead of you there.
November 20th, 2008 at 3:05 pm
jgholt, I will hunt you down to the end of time once my eyes heal from the gouging I just gave them. I pity the poor souls that weren’t one of the lucky first 100 viewers.
November 20th, 2008 at 3:14 pm
Strange. I keep entering posts, and they disappear. I must be too depressing:
http://www.nytimes.com/2008/11/19/business/economy/19ports.html?_r=3&hp&oref=slogin
November 20th, 2008 at 3:32 pm
A bit off topic but
I don’t think these companies, with these management people, should be given a dime.
The current management may not be the greatest on the planet but I always thought that the idea that there were better managers just lining up to take over a little absurd.
Didnt Cerberus try this when they took over Chrysler. The best that they could come up with is the management that everyone is bitching about now.
November 20th, 2008 at 3:38 pm
Um, what’s wrong with Michael Moore again? I saw Roger and Me and the one about 911. Was he lying about that stuff? Should he not have done that???
November 20th, 2008 at 3:46 pm
How does this guy get on TV? Can anyone really take him seriously? Get a haircut. Get a job & get a life.
November 20th, 2008 at 4:07 pm
Hey! Where’s the pic of Halle Berry?
… Why did I click here if there’s no pic…
..Bailout no, all that…
(no Halle…)
…(trudges out of the thread…)
November 20th, 2008 at 4:30 pm
Think I’d rather hear what Paris Hilton has to say than this tool. He’s just another turd that won’t flush.
November 20th, 2008 at 4:46 pm
I love the cognitive dissonance this implies. He’s Michael Moore, and he made Fahrenheit 9/11 and Sicko, therefore right-wingers must hate him, but he also skewers the UAW and the D3 and doesn’t favour the bail-out, so do they like him now?
Oh, what’s a knee-jerk ideologue to do?
This is why it’s important to base your views around real issues and conditions, not some sixth-grade sense of people you like or dislike.
November 20th, 2008 at 4:47 pm
I watched the entire interview with Moore, and I think you missed the point. What he said was that the industry is critical to America and that the government should bail it out, but only by also taking control of the companies and setting them in a radically new direction. Moore came down hard against giving the companies money IF THE CURRENT MANAGEMENT STAYS IN PLACE. But, he also sees the industry as critical to America’s future and wants not only a bailout, but full on receivership.
November 20th, 2008 at 5:03 pm
Sorry guys - just covering my a**. I’ll buy ya a beer at the bar and we can watch Swordfish.
November 20th, 2008 at 5:05 pm
Peace offering…
http://www.halle-berry.org
November 20th, 2008 at 5:07 pm
Our government taking control of the auto companies will definitely send them in a radically new direction. Who could argue with the great job they are doing with our country?
November 20th, 2008 at 7:21 pm
Props to psarhjinian
I was formulating something like that in my head, but your post said what I was thinking.
To re-iterate: This is why it’s important to base your views around real issues and conditions, not some sixth-grade sense of people you like or dislike.
November 20th, 2008 at 7:47 pm
A question for all the right-wing big government haters. What do you really think of the US Military? It is by far the largest organization of any kind on the planet and consumes the biggest piece of our taxpayer’s dollars. In fact, no other organization of any kind, public or private, on the planet spends as much money as the US military. Nothing else is even close.
It seems to me that most Big Government Haters are also for a Big Strong Activist Military. Doesn’t the cognitive dissonance rattle a bit? When you add up the various armed services, CIA, NSA, nuclear weapons programs, veterans benefits and such the annual budget for US military activities is about One Trillion Dollars. No private company in the world has a budget even a fraction of that size.
November 20th, 2008 at 8:15 pm
What he said was that the industry is critical to America and that the government should bail it out, but only by also taking control of the companies and setting them in a radically new direction.
Now that sounds like Michael Moore. Government seizure of private property for the good of the people.
November 21st, 2008 at 7:42 am
Well said, Mr. Horner. Cognitive dissonance indeed.
Lumbergh21, the US military base I am on right now was built through a government seizure of private property for the good of the people (to fight Hitler). The aircraft that fly out of here provide the blanket of security you sleep under at night. Funny how things work.
Given Detroit’s complete failure to operate in the black, I cannot see where government direction could be worse. ‘Beggars cannot be choosers’, as I recall.
November 21st, 2008 at 8:03 am
John Horner : US Military … the biggest piece of our taxpayer’s dollars.
The Defense Department budget is 16.6% of the Federal budget and is the second largest slice, Social Security is the largest at 21.0%, Medicare is third at 13.3%. The Department of Homeland Security is seventh at 5%. Defense and Homeland Security together are slightly larger than Social Security. Source: http://www.gpoaccess.gov/usbudget/fy08/browse.html
(Just trying to keep the debate real.)
November 21st, 2008 at 8:12 am
Back when Roger & Me came out I remember many respected film-critics dumped on it because it wasn’t objective, it wasn’t showing the good side of GM etc. I think today Roger & Me can be thought of as the GM Death Watch # 0, 20 years ahead of its time. All parties in the bailout before doing anything else should see the movie to get a bit of historical perspective on the roots of GM downfall.
I think Moore’s views closely align with TTAC as far as I can tell; US needs a viable domestic car industry, but any help needs to be conditioned on new management and new business direction for all companies.
November 21st, 2008 at 12:44 pm
Morea, to be fair to Mr. Horner there are many military expenditures that fall outside of the published and public annual Dept. of Defense budget.
For example, for a multitude of years now supplemental funding bills has been provided to fight the wars in Iraq and Afghanistan independent of the annual submitted DOD budget. Some acquisition and modernization programs also fall outside this umbrella. Funding for military retirement, military housing, and longterm injured soldier care also come through other channels, as does (as you have noted) funding for Homeland Security and the related programs that go with it. Here at DOD we often refer to the “many colors of money” based on where and how it is allocated, and what can be done with it. Quasi-defense related departments, such as the CIA and NSA programs, and parts of NASA’s budget related to R&D, military satellite launches, etc are also not accounted for under the umbrella, and any covert or “black programs” will not be found listed either. Even the operation of cafeteria here on base is not funded directly through the DOD, but through NAF (non-appropriate funds). It’s quite a spiderweb, so Mr. Horner is closer to being accurate than some might be led to believe at first glance.