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Michael Moore Still Fears Clint Eastwood
Monday, February 2, 2015 11:57 AM
By: James Hirsen
In an apparent effort to garner publicity, Michael Moore continues to make provocative statements about “American Sniper,” the film that has captured moviegoers’ attention and consequently taken the box office by storm.
The concoctor of controversy now appears to be trying to elicit sympathy from the public for something that “American Sniper” director Clint Eastwood said in a speech made ten years ago. Moore recently posted a lengthy rant on his Facebook page in which he further disparaged Eastwood’s latest film. He continued with a veiled attack on another of the acclaimed director’s movies, “Gran Torino,” and to further damage Eastwood’s reputation by lifting out of context a decade-old remark made by Eastwood, strewing it among the weeds of loaded language.
In January of 2005, when Moore’s career was significantly more pronounced than now, both Moore and Eastwood were being feted at a National Board of Review dinner for their respective movies, “Fahrenheit 911” and “Million Dollar Baby” (which incidentally earned multiple Oscars). While accepting the National Board of Review award, Eastwood appeared to take on the persona of one of his larger-than-life onscreen characters.
“Michael Moore and I actually have a lot in common — we both appreciate living in a country where there’s free expression,” Eastwood said. He then put out the following warning to Moore, “But, Michael, if you ever show up at my front door with a camera — I’ll kill you.” In his Facebook post, Moore recalled that immediately following Eastwood’s remark most of the audience at the event looked to see what his reaction was.
“I tried to keep that fake smile on my face so as to appear as if he hadn't ‘gotten’ to me,” Moore said, adding, “But he [Eastwood] had.” Clearly, the remark still haunts him. Eastwood had been alluding to the reprehensible ambush interview that Moore had conducted in 2002 with Charlton Heston. Moore insidiously included the interview segment in his movie, “Bowling for Columbine.”
Moore was aware that Heston was suffering from Alzheimer’s disease when he approached Heston’s home and verbally assaulted him. Heston responded to Moore with trademark courtesy and then graciously excused himself from continuing the charade of an interview.
Interestingly, though, the moment ended up being a telling one for Moore — revealing him to be a bully of the cowardly kind — one willing to take advantage of the unsuspecting and vulnerable.
Ten years ago Moore was momentarily unmasked. He was confronted by words from a man who knew exactly how to deal with a bully — by using language he would understand.
In Ben Shapiro’s book, “Bullies: How the Left's Culture of Fear and Intimidation Silences Americans,” the author notes that one of the bully tactics used by the Left is the projection of “an unearned sense of moral superiority.”
In his Facebook attack on Eastwood, Moore invoked some of the favored invectives that so-called progressives are prone to hurl at those who threaten to outmatch them. He called “Gran Torino” “weirdly racist” and stated that it was a film in which Eastwood “got to cast himself as a bigoted retired autoworker in Detroit.”
Additionally, he referred to “American Sniper” as “a mess of a film” that “rewrites history” and “perpetuates a racist sentiment.” He even made mention in unflattering and suggestive terms of Eastwood’s “empty chair” performance at the Republican National Convention.
Moore, in his rant, set himself up as morally superior indeed, framing things in racial terms in a transparent effort to silence his target.
