Email Us

CFP's Archive

---

Print friendly

E-mail a friend

Contact Us

Exclusive

Hollywood comes to New York City to Stop Bush

by Marinka Peschmann, Special to Canada Free Press

August 26, 2004

Tuesday night a star-studded campaign sponsored by MoveOn Pac to stop Bush from winning reelection kicked off peacefully at New York City’s Hammerstein Ballroom, blocks away from Madison Square Gardens, the site for the Republican National Convention beginning on Monday.

In the packed auditorium, Grammy winner Moby with Perry Farrell from Jane’s Addiction opened the show with, ‘We’ve Got to Get Together Now,’ in front of a giant screen bearing the words, ’10 Weeks — Don’t Get Mad, Get Even!’ centered between two American Flags. The 10 Weeks grassroots activism - a series of TV ad campaigns produced to help elect John Kerry features the work of directors and actors including: Matt Damon, Rob Reiner, Scarlett Johanssen, Martin Sheen, Rebecca Romijn and Al Franken. The $5 million dollar campaign is set to air in ‘key battle ground States’ during the RNC.

Canada Free Press asked former Presidential candidate Howard Dean who was flanked by two handlers how he reconciled his anti-war position with Kerry’s pro-war vote. 'I don’t necessarily think Kerry is pro-war. He voted to give the President the authority to go to war.’ Dean told CFP, ‘My differences with Kerry are tiny compared to Bush.’ Dean who attended the event to ‘shill’ for Kerry and Edwards later took center stage to a standing ovation and donated the maximum $5,000 to Moveon.org via his PAC, ‘Democracy for America.’

The host, comedian Janeane Garofalo, told the audience, ‘John Dean, White House Counsel for Richard Nixon has written a book called, ‘Worse than Watergate’…. John Dean has said in interviews that when he was being interrogated, a couple of FBI guys asked him if he knew a character named Karl Rove. So that means he’s been a douche bag from way back…. The language, nasty language!' She chided sarcastically,’ ‘Write it down New York Post, Write it down!’ The crowd roared. ‘As Bill Clinton said, ‘Democrats win when people start thinking…" Garofalo later continued.

Musical performances mixed with stars, Kevin Bacon, and actress Edie Falco, of HBO’s Soprano's fame, introducing the ad campaign brought an alluring acoustical three song performance from Natalie Merchant who thinks the Republicans ‘have nothing but loathing and contempt for the working class.’ Moby indulged his ‘rock star fantasies’ with a tremendous rendition of Jimi Hendrix’s ‘Purple Haze’ with The Loser’s Lounge Band and a rousing rocked out show-close from the band The Roots. The controversial 527 ads as they are now known in the US have consumed the media airwaves after the ‘Swift Boat Vets for Truth’ ads began airing two weeks ago challenging John Kerry’s Vietnam record. Bush has publicly condemned all the 527s and calls Kerry’s Vietnam service ‘noble.’ Yet for Al Franken who also took the mike last night, Bush’s statement weren’t satisfactory. ‘The shadowy 527s. Do you see how shadowy this is? We are all up here. We have 2.3 million members, and he [Bush] won’t condemn an ad that John McCain said is dishonest, dishonorable. The LA Times ran an editorial called simply, ‘These charges are false.’’ And later Franken told the audience, ‘The Republicans are coming to town next week--be nice. Then fight, fight, fight…. Until November 3^rd.’

Canada Free Press probably found the one person who will not be voting for John Kerry on November 2, but came out to enjoy the music. Marc Beckman, owner of Designers Management Agency told CFP, 'My priorities are three things; the safety of my friends and family, Israel and the economy. John Kerry hasn’t given me any reason to believe that he is going to preserve the safety of Americans both at home and abroad from potential terrorist threats better than George Bush.'