https://socialistaction.org/2018/10/16/michael-moore-flays-trump-in-farenheight-11-9/
Michael Moore flays Trump in ‘Farenheight 11/9’
/ 14 hours ago
Oct. 2018 Moore (Paul Morigi:Getty)
Michael Moore plugs ‘Farenheight 9/11’ (Paul Morigi / Getty Images)
By LISA LUINENBURG
Michael Moore’s new documentary film, “Farenheight 11/9” debuted in
theaters across the country on Sept. 21. The title of the film is a
reference to the date on which Trump was declared the winner of the U.S.
presidential election in 2016. And indeed, the first part of the film
opens with a recap of the 2016 presidential race between Donald Trump
and Hillary Clinton.
Moore admits with pride that he campaigned for Clinton during the
election. Later in the film, Moore briefly interviews Bernie Sanders and
then shows him handing off the victory in the primary elections to
Clinton. And although he does show that some of the primary election
results were doctored to go in Clinton’s favor, Moore fails to mention
that this was the strategy of the Democratic Party all along—to rope
those who are demanding major social changes, and those leaning in favor
of a socialist society, back into the heart of the Democratic Party.
Moore does profile three mass social struggles during the film—the
battle for clean and safe drinking water in Flint, Mich., the recent
wave of teacher’s strikes in West Virginia, and the school shootings in
Parkland that sparked the mass school walkouts and protests against gun
violence.
Although Socialist Action would differ with Moore’s analysis of the gun
control debates (see the article “Build a Movement Against the Violence
of this System!” published in socialistaction.org in April) this section
of the movie was, in my opinion, the best and most moving.
Moore interviewed key organizers in each of these social struggles and
clearly showed how Governor Rick Snyder and local corrupt government
officials in Flint had betrayed the people of that town and poisoned
thousands of children with lead, then covered up the test results. He
even went so far as to show how President Obama had downplayed the
demands of the people of the town, repeating the message that the water
was safe to drink rather than addressing the actual causes of the
contamination.
Although Moore does include some criticisms in his film of former
Democratic presidents, such as Bill Clinton’s slashing of the welfare
system in the 1990s, there is no deeper analysis present. Moore mentions
that over 100 million people in the U.S. didn’t vote in the last
presidential election, which is more people than voted for either of the
two main candidates. But there is no discussion of how the two-party
system is designed by the ruling class to keep the capitalist system in
power.
In fact, during the entire movie, there is no mention of capitalism,
socialism, or the class struggle today. While Moore does profile several
candidates who come from out of the mainstream, such as Democratic Party
candidate Alexandria Ocasio-Cortez—a member of Democratic Socialists of
America—there is no mention of the candidates’ political affiliations
and little discussion of their platforms. There is no discussion of what
an alternative to the two-party system, or to capitalism itself, might
look like.
Throughout the film, Moore highlights instead that it is Trump and his
cronies in big business and the Republican Party, not the capitalist
system, that is the root of the problems we are facing in the U.S.
today. He goes so far as to make references to Trump’s being a fascist,
even showing a clip of Hitler speaking to a crowd, taped over with
Trump’s voice. He interviews several experts on fascism, implying that
Trump is turning the U.S. into a fascist state and could easily become a
dictator like so many others around the world. But is this true?
In our analysis, we would say that Trump is not a fascist but rather a
tool of the ruling class who uses populist rhetoric and anti-immigrant
scapegoating to appeal to those on the extreme right, or to layers of
the white working class. Fascism is a tool that the ruling class uses to
protect capitalism and crush the opposition when it is at risk
overthrown by mass movements of the working class. As we know from
history, if we were truly living under a fascist regime, socialists and
other targeted groups would be persecuted and killed.
Although we live in trying times, and Trump’s attacks on immigrants and
other layers of the working class should not be minimized, we are not
currently living under a fascist state (see Trotsky’s pamphlet “Facism:
What it is and How to Fight It” for a deeper analysis). Using the term
“fascist” without a deeper understanding of what this term means
obscures the real threats we face in the U.S. today.
Moore ends the film with the implication that we need more mass
movements and protests in the street to fight against Trump’s rule. And
what is his solution for the impending threat of Trump’s takeover of the
U.S.? In a recent promotional e-mail for his new film, Moore states,
“I’m convinced that once a nonvoter sees this film, they won’t be
nonvoting this time around! … I want to see a tsunami of Americans at
the polls on November 6th! This movie is my effort to help make that
happen.”
Indeed, this is the main strategy of the Democratic Party today—to
channel all the righteous rage of working-class people, like those in
Flint or the teachers striking across the country, into a vote for
another wing of the ruling class. And we will undoubtedly see this
happening in a big way during this year’s elections in November. But
this obscures the real root of all the attacks the working class faces
today—the capitalist system.
And in the end, it won’t matter if we vote for the Democratic candidate
or the Republican candidate in the next election. The results will be
the same—ongoing imperialist wars across the globe, continued cuts to
social programs, and deepening attacks against women, immigrants, LGBTQI
people, and people of color. The only way to win a better world—a
socialist society—is to build an independent party of the working class
to fight for our interests, not the interest of the rich and powerful.
Share this:
Click to share on Twitter (Opens in new window)
6Click to share on Facebook (Opens in new window)6
Click to share on Google+ (Opens in new window)
October 16, 2018 in Arts & Culture, Trump / U.S. Government.
Related posts
Nationwide protests demand: Stop Kavanaugh!
Abolish ICE! No Wall! Free the children!
Bernie Sanders’ demise: What are the lessons?
Post navigation
← Socialistaction.org is taking a short break!
Get Involved!
Donate to help support our work
Get email updates
Join Socialist Action
Newspaper Archives
Newspaper Archives Select Month October 2018 (5) September 2018 (8)
August 2018 (12) July 2018 (13) June 2018 (11) May 2018 (19) April
2018 (15) March 2018 (17) February 2018 (14) January 2018 (13)
December 2017 (13) November 2017 (13) October 2017 (16) September
2017 (15) August 2017 (16) July 2017 (17) June 2017 (16) May 2017
(17) April 2017 (14) March 2017 (13) February 2017 (19) January 2017
(13) December 2016 (12) November 2016 (19) October 2016 (12)
September 2016 (10) August 2016 (10) July 2016 (14) June 2016 (14)
May 2016 (9) April 2016 (12) March 2016 (14) February 2016 (8)
January 2016 (11) December 2015 (11) November 2015 (9) October 2015
(8) September 2015 (10) August 2015 (7) July 2015 (13) June 2015 (9)
May 2015 (10) April 2015 (12) March 2015 (9) February 2015 (11)
January 2015 (10) December 2014 (12) November 2014 (11) October 2014
(9) September 2014 (6) August 2014 (10) July 2014 (11) June 2014
(10) May 2014 (11) April 2014 (10) March 2014 (9) February 2014 (11)
January 2014 (11) December 2013 (10) November 2013 (11) October 2013
(17) September 2013 (13) August 2013 (10) July 2013 (11) June 2013
(15) May 2013 (14) April 2013 (14) March 2013 (12) February 2013
(10) January 2013 (17) December 2012 (7) November 2012 (8) October
2012 (19) September 2012 (2) August 2012 (27) July 2012 (18) June
2012 (3) May 2012 (19) April 2012 (14) March 2012 (17) February
2012 (19) January 2012 (17) December 2011 (3) November 2011 (33)
October 2011 (14) September 2011 (13) August 2011 (34) July 2011
(24) June 2011 (19) May 2011 (19) April 2011 (15) March 2011 (15)
February 2011 (15) January 2011 (15) December 2010 (17) November
2010 (1) October 2010 (6) September 2010 (3) August 2010 (8) July
2010 (7) June 2010 (2) May 2010 (9) April 2010 (3) March 2010 (8)
February 2010 (3) January 2010 (9) December 2009 (6) November 2009
(5) October 2009 (16) September 2009 (3) August 2009 (2) July 2009
(5) June 2009 (2) May 2009 (7) April 2009 (6) March 2009 (16)
February 2009 (9) January 2009 (10) December 2008 (11) November 2008
(8) October 2008 (16) September 2008 (14) August 2008 (18) July 2008
(12) June 2008 (3) May 2008 (2) April 2008 (3) March 2008 (14)
February 2008 (11) January 2008 (11) December 2007 (8) November 2007
(1) July 2007 (1) June 2007 (1) April 2007 (1) March 2007 (1)
February 2007 (3) December 2006 (11) November 2006 (11) October 2006
(13) September 2006 (15) August 2006 (11) July 2006 (18) June 2006
(7) May 2006 (14) April 2006 (6) March 2006 (14) February 2006 (5)
January 2006 (2) December 2005 (9) November 2005 (8) October 2005
(13) September 2005 (12) August 2005 (9) July 2005 (16) June 2005
(16) May 2005 (16) April 2005 (12) March 2005 (14) February 2005
(19) January 2005 (15) December 2004 (14) November 2002 (17) October
2002 (19) September 2002 (22) August 2002 (21) July 2002 (15) May
2002 (21) April 2002 (21) February 2002 (15) January 2002 (15)
December 2001 (17) October 2001 (24) September 2001 (18) July 2001
(19) June 2001 (18) October 2000 (17) September 2000 (21) August
2000 (19) July 2000 (16) June 2000 (26) May 2000 (21) April 2000
(22) March 2000 (28) February 2000 (18) January 2000 (20) December
1999 (20) November 1999 (26) October 1999 (25) September 1999 (18)
August 1999 (40) July 1999 (38) June 1999 (24) May 1999 (27) April
1999 (25) March 1999 (26) February 1999 (29) January 1999 (24) July
1998 (12)
Search
View socialistactionusa’s profile on Facebook
View SocialistActUS’s profile on Twitter
View SocialistActionCT’s profile on YouTube
Subscribe to Our Newspaper
Upcoming Events
No upcoming events
Category Cloud
Actions & Protest Africa Anti-War Arts & Culture Black Liberation Canada
Caribbean Civil Liberties Cuba East Asia Economy Education & Schools
Elections Environment Europe Immigration Indigenous Rights International
Labor Latin America Latino Civil Liberties Marxist Theory & History
Middle East Police & FBI Prisons South Asia Trump / U.S. Government
Uncategorized Vote Socialist Action Women's Liberation
View Calendar
Blog at WordPress.com.
Follow
