Three Questions for Michael Moore

Question: Your book is selling better than Stephen King and John Grisham, and there are now more than 400,000 copies in print without benefit of any robust publicity campaign. How do you explain the book’s success?

Answer: After six months of being told that dissent at this time is “unpatriotic,” that questioning the leader is “inappropriate” and that they had better “watch what you say, watch what you do,” I think people are tired of being told that they can’t be Americans. Because, what is more American than the right to freely dissent? Many have found that by remaining silent, the guy in the Oval Office has been given carte blanche to get away with whatever (tax cuts for the rich, ducking Enron) he wants.

Q: America’s political culture since 9/11 is said by some to be conservative, jingoistic and hunkered-down. If this is the case, why is your book selling so well?

A: Because, contrary to the mantra in the media, this is not a conservative country. Fifty-eight percent say they support labor unions; 63% consider themselves pro-choice on some level. More than 80% support equal pay for women and nearly 90% favor laws that protect the environment. The truth is that the majority of Americans are very liberal when it comes to the “issues.” The disconnect occurs when they realize there are no real liberal leaders with the guts and the courage of their convictions to stand up for what the people want. So the majority of Americans end up either not voting or stuck in a voting booth with incredibly rancid choices. I’m encouraging everyone who reads my book to, when they’re done, send it to their congressmen with a note saying, “Just thought you’d like to see what Americans are reading this week.”

Q: You’ve been an angry white guy for a while now. Isn’t it hard to keep it up?

A: Yes, it is. And I would like another job. Here’s an idea--how ‘bout yous guys in the media showing a little righteous anger at what is happening, quit regurgitating the spin you are being fed by corporate and political hacks, and I’ll stop all this ranting and go to work as a greeter at Sizzler. Seems like a fair trade!

--STEVE WASSERMAN