‘Hillary: The Movie,’ and ‘Fahrenheit 9/11′: What’s the difference?
I just read a story by The Associated Press concerning the Supreme Court of the United States hearing arguments in a case involving “Hillary: The Movie.”
Citizens United, a conservative group, wanted to air ads for the anti-Clinton movie and distribute it through video-on-demand services on local cable outlets during the 2008 Democratic primary campaign. However, the story explains that federal courts said the movie sounded like a long campaign ad and needed to be regulated as such.
According to The AP, the movie is filled with criticism about Hillary, including a statement from former Bill Clinton advisor Dick Morris saying she is “the closest thing we have in America to a European socialist.”
My first thought was this: What’s the difference between the anti-Clinton “Hillary: The Movie” and “Fahrenheit 9/11,” Michael Moore’s anti-Bush rant that was released in the middle of the 2004 presidential campaign? Well, the apparent difference is that campaign finance regulations do not apply to DVDs, theaters or the Internet. In those battlefields, the Red and Blue teams can spend away in the war for the minds of the voting public.
The conservative group was not allowed to broadcast TV ads for the movie, but it did get its message out by advertising on the Web, selling the DVD and showing the movie in a few theaters. Michael Moore gets his message out the same way.
I’ve never watched any of Moore’s movies and his garish Web site turns me off as soon as the page paints. The titles and related synopses leave me pleading, “Give me a break, Mikey.”
Sadly, the poor conservatives can’t get their own break. Truth is, they haven’t got a fighting chance when it comes to rolling out digital dollars and cash-cow celluloid pushers.
The Supreme Court of the United States could wipe away limits on spending by corporations and labor unions, but it’s way too late for a high court opinion to make any difference for the original intent of “Hillary: The Movie.”
Of course, Mrs. Clinton’s not the president, but she is the Secretary of State.