I personally believe that a vote for Gore is a vote for Bush. Michael Moore 2000 - see below:
NewsForChange: What do you say to the question that’s on a lot of people’s minds, is a vote for Nader a vote for Bush?
Michael Moore: Number one, Bush is not going to win. I truly believe that, because the people of this country are not that stupid. He’s behind 52 to 38 (percent) right now and every week he goes lower and lower. He’s going to continue to sink like a stone.
I want to appeal to the people who are non-voters, who have never voted before or who aren’t voting now because they don’t like the choices on the ballot. For them, a vote for Nader is not a vote for Bush because they weren’t going to vote for Gore in the first place.
Secondly, Gore doesn’t own these people. He has to earn their vote, and I personally believe that a vote for Gore is a vote for Bush. It might be a kinder, gentler version of it, but still it’s a vote for one of the two people running who are sponsored by big business.
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NewsForChange: At the rally last night in Madison, you said that you believe it’s possible for Nader to win, but practically speaking that seems pretty unlikely. A lot of people in the country can’t understand why he’s running with such a slim chance of victory.
Michael Moore: That’s not why I’m doing this. I’m not a member of the Green Party. I don’t care about the five percent or the federal funding. I’m doing this because I want him to be president of the United States. I would not devote a minute of my time if I didn’t fully believe the man. And I don’t make my decisions on whether I will “win.” You know, that’s what’s so messed up about this country, “We’re number one, we’re number one!”
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NewsForChange: Well that’s a pretty legitimate difference, especially with the possibility of Supreme Court nominations by Bush that could affect abortion choice. I know I’ve talked to people, especially young women, who want to vote Nader but are instead voting for Gore just because of the abortion issue.
Michael Moore: I understand that. They have every right to be concerned. But George W. Bush is not going to appoint justices who would overturn Roe vs. Wade. He hasn’t done it in Texas, and that’s the only track record we have to look at. He’s appointed moderate justices who have upheld Texas abortion laws. He’s not a right-wing ideologue, he’s a politician, and he’ll do whatever he has to do to get elected. He reads the poll numbers, and two-thirds of the American public is pro-choice. It is part of our American culture, it will never go away. And in fact, all of the Supreme Court decisions lately that have upheld abortion have been because the Republican, Reagan-appointed Sandra Day O’Connor, Bush-appointed David Souter and Ford-appointed Justice Stevens have all been the ones upholding abortion. One of Clinton’s appointees, Breyer, is becoming very conservative. We just don’t know. Eisenhower appointed Earl Warren, and that became the most liberal court of the last hundred years. It’s a guessing game, and I’m not going to make my choice on presidents based on this sort of thing.
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