‘Fahrenheit 9/11’ director takes heat at convention

Suzanne Struglinski

Tuesday, Aug. 31, 2004 | 9:35 a.m.

NEW YORK -- Controversial filmmaker Michael Moore took a seat in the convention hall's press writing stands Monday night causing quite a commotion as television camera crews and news photographers poured into the area.

From the podium, Sen. John McCain, R-Ariz., pointed him out during his address drawing boos and chants of "Four More Years!" from the crowd.

Moore, who is writing a column during the convention for USA Today, smiled and waved at points of the speeches and took some notes.

His "Fahrenheit 9/11" paints a bleak picture of President Bush's leadership and handling of the Sept. 11 attacks.

In news reports leading up to the convention, delegates had questioned Moore's presence and some made oblique threats.

Moore was undaunted. A security detail took up a row of the press stand around Moore, dislodging reporters from their seats and menacingly making sure no one came near.

Falling faces

When the confetti falls on Thursday after President Bush's speech, delegates will be covered in tiny pictures of the candidates and the candidates' spouses. A local news channel in New York showed samples of the confetti on the morning news. Each circle has a photo of either George Bush, Laura Bush, Dick Cheney or Lynn Cheney.

Short speech

State Republican Party Chairwoman Earlene Forsythe was warned she only had 25 seconds to make Nevada's pitch during Monday's night roll call vote.

She made sure she had some lip gloss on as the other delegates kept count of the state's going before Nevada. She finally heard Nebraska and knew Nevada was next in the alphabetical list.

Her short speech pointed out that the Sliver State is: the fastest growing population, the fastest growing economy, the third-largest producer of gold, and the "undisputed entertainment capital of the world." She also noted that all the state's constitutional office holders were Republican before passing on the state's chance to cast its 33 votes for George W. Bush. The state will cast its votes Wednesday in an effort to be one of the states that puts him over the top to get the nomination.

Want to dance?

Spontaneous dancing erupted on the convention floor Monday with members of the Hawaii delegation starting a conga line that snaked throughout half of the arena and other delegates started swing dancing.

Forsythe and other members of Nevada's delegation bounced around the floor in Nevada's section for almost the entire evening session.

"She's got 110 percent energy," Rep. Jim Gibbons, R-Nev., said, pointing to Forsythe.

Sticker shock

The message of "every vote counts" continues to dominate conversations about the upcoming election and Nevada's importance as a battleground state, despite it only having five electoral votes, is clear.

National Republican Party representatives are pushing the message as Democrats did a their convention and they both say it's going to be a close contest. Especially in Nevada.

Maybe no one knows better than Attorney General Brian Sandoval, who co-chairs Bush's campaign in Nevada.

He said he and his wife put a Bush sticker on their car and after coming home one night noticed someone had put a Kerry-Edwards sticker over it.