Michael Moore’s appearance in Malibu was much more focused on the national Democratic campaign, and not on Malibu, than your article asserts. There may have been some confusion about location as he did say we had just had a Republican mayor, meaning Los Angeles, unless Walt Keller is a closet Republican.
Moore has expressed to me his appreciative support for the Malibu Democratic Club and the great work of the other Democratic Clubs in the area. With his encouragement, I had tentatively arranged for a second appearance in the area and on Saturday, I was told that he would be available 24 hours later at 4 p.m. Sunday afternoon, but travel timing restricted his coming to West L.A. We rushed into action with the club’s e-mail operation, along with another club, and we hoped for results. Thanks to the weather, 250 (any more would have destroyed the house) excited Moore fans showed up and he did not disappoint, talking and answering questions for over two hours.
Moore’s complaint about party organization is mostly directed at the state party, which he blames for the new governor’s ascendancy. He also would like to see more leading Democrats in the entertainment industry become involved as party leaders and candidates. As far as Malibu is concerned, politically, we delivered landslide votes for Democrats for president, senator, state legislators and other Democratic endorsed candidates and ballot issues. The Democratic leadership of the City Council and the Democratic organizations have never been stronger. Incidentally, we are already making arrangements for Michael Moore’s return to Malibu under less pressured circumstances.
Ralph Erickson
President of the Malibu Democratic Club