Getting people to vote by giving away underware?

[Vicks]

So a very well know documentarianne is giving away Ramen Noodles, Free Underware and Dorm Room Cleaning as incentives to get mostly, youth out to register to vote. I think this is a great way to get people out. Michigan however, felt that this was "illegal" and has fought to get this documentarianne to stop his "free underware campagin"

To me, anything that gets people galvanized to care about something even somethign I might hate, is in general an ok thing (there are exceptions), but geting people to care, is a great thing.

Plus, honestly? All this documentarrinne is doing, is getting people registered to vote, he isn't saying who to vote for or how to register, registering to vote well, incentives and free bees are given away often.

So I am curious as to what you all think "you think giving away underware is an ok thing to do to get people to REGISTER to vote?"

Vicks

[ribbon]

I think giving away underwear is ok, unless it's used :muhaha. I agree with you that getting people interested and excited about voting is important. I think as long as no one is giving anything of value it's fine.
The first time I voted, at age eighteen, one of the candidates was giving out carnations. I was so excited to get a flower. It certainly didn't influence my vote one way or the other.

[Sylphlover]

I read about that as well. I think that it is fine to give out clean underwear to vote. It wasn't like he was telling the people who to vote for :winky

I think people are watching him closely and are out to get him for anything that is the slightest bit incorrect in their eyes. Oh the madness of it all :muhaha

[gone]

I have to disagree.

I think it's pretty much on the same level as giving someone a dollar at the polls to vote for a certain party.

The key here- from what I read- is that he's giving people stuff to register to vote as a Democrat. If it's just a drive to get people to register, fine. But if it's an attempt to get people to register a certain party, that's not okay. Apparently Michigan has laws against that sort of thing, and for good cause. I would hope that college students vote for a candidate because that candidate represents issues that they support, not because someone gave them underwear to vote for the candidate.

[Vicks]

Greenangel - I can't find anything that says he is only registering people to vote as democrates. If he was I would be completely against it.

If you could find something that says "MM is onlyl registering, people who promise to vote for kerry" let me know, because I just spent an hour trying to find something somewhere that says he will only register people who will register as democrates.

Also, as one college student said in something I read "it is free stuff" I know when I was a student and even now, I will do a lot for free stuff.

What I am surprsied that the GOP isn't doing, is having someone on their side of the fence, get young people to vote. In the grand scheme of things, they don't have anyone out there who is vocal, saying "ok get out and vote" To me, that is sad. There are millions of young people out there who want to be active and engaged, and well the GOP I think is really missing out on something. And MM gets people talking and that I admire him for.

Vicks

[shortstop]

Hey...whatever it takes. People not only need to register but need to get to the polls. Maybe there should be something done for after voting as well? Maybe that would encourage people to vote??????
We really need to get out there...I hope that my generation realizes that.

[gone]

I found a pretty good link about the story if anyone wants to read up on it. I hope it's OK to post a link on here: http://swift****.he.net/~swift****/answers.pdf

Here's an excerpt from Moore's latest posting on michaelmoore.com:

" Each night on our ********-city "Slacker Uprising Tour" through the ******** battleground states, I've been registering hundreds (and on some nights, thousands) of voters at my arena and stadium events. I then ask for everyone over ******** who has never voted (or didn't vote in the last election) to stand up. I tell these slackers that I understand and respect why they think politicians are not worth the bother. I tell them that I may have been the original slacker, and that I do not want them to change their slacker ways. Keep sleeping 'til noon! Keep drinking beer! Stay on the sofa and watch as much TV as possible! But, please, just for me, on ********/****, I want you to leave the house and give voting a try -- just this once. The stakes this time are just too high.

If they promise me that they'll do this, I give the guys a ****-pack of new Fruit of the Loom underwear, and the women get a day's supply of Ramen noodles, the sustenance of slackers everywhere.

I then close by having them repeat the **************** Slacker Oath: "Pick nose! Pick butt! Pick Kerry."

It seems to have worked, as each night the volunteer tables are swamped afterwards with hundreds of new and young voters signing up to campaign for regime change for the next four weeks.

The satire of all this seems to have been lost on the Republicans. Or maybe it hasn't. The state of Michigan (where we spent most of last week) reported that over ************,************ young people recently registered to vote, a record that no one saw coming. The Slacker Tour has turned into a huge steamroller with a momentum all its own.

So, the Republican Party, to show their gratitude that so many young people will now be involved in our system, has demanded that I be sent to jail for trying to "bribe" students to vote.

Of course, this would be quite laughable if they weren't so serious about their charges. But they are. I may soon be a wanted man in Michigan -- simply because I convinced a few slackers to change their underwear and eat a healthy meal of artificially flavored noodles."

I view this as outright bribery. If it was a simple drive to get students to vote, why is he having them pledge to vote for Kerry, in return for their free underwear and noodles? The actual issue of getting out to vote isn't partisan- it's a right that everyone needs to engage in. As soon as you start trading people goods for registering to vote and promising to vote for a candidate, you're breaking the law. I hope they prosecute Moore to the fullest extent possible. This makes me sick just reading it.

[ribbon]

Here's Michael Moore's website http://www.michaelmoore.com/ . What he says about "Pick nose, pick butt, pick Kerry." I believe to be said tongue and cheek. He wants people to have the experience of voting. Sure he'd prefer they vote for Kerry, activitist are allowed to have preferences. Is this any different that what some churches do to encourage parishioners to vote for their candidates. The latter seems worse to me because it's violating church and state.
If he's offering the ramen noodles and underwear to anyone who registers, then he's not violating any laws. If he is, I don't really care because ramen noodles are five packs for a dollar, twenty cents and underwear, though it might cost more, if that's enough to change someone's vote they probably have no business voting in the first place :muhaha.

[Vicks]

I too read the exact thing that you putt up GreenAngel and I do see where you are coming from. I honestly, would hope that not just people voteing for Kerry show up to register to vote, heck when I use to be much more republican in views I know I would have turned out for something, if I could get something free out of it? If I agreed or not agreed to their idiology. I still sign up for things, and get free stuff such as food, t-shirts, lots of things really. Getting free stuff is just well, a vehicle to get people out and involved. I think we also have to remember he is "targetting college kids" and well, again it comes down to free stuff, I really think people should well, "not take what he is doing so seriously"

I wish the republicans would get someone out there to do what he is doing, why haven't they? I also, think one concrete thing has to be mentioned, he isn't telling people to vote for someone, just getting people to register. Which is a whole other thing.

I am sad that something that actually is providing a way for thousands of people who never were involved to get involved, is being viewed in such a critical fashion it is UNDERWARE and Ramen Noodles come on? And not buying votes, just signing on a peice of paper to let them cast a vote. I would rather people were active, then apathetic, any day.

And as an FYI I am not a huge MM fan, I only admire him for getting people energized, getting people who never cared out, and involved.

Vicks

[SFishy]

Lets be honest here.

First off, all of this giving underwear business is meant as a gag. It's a gag gift to get "slackers to register to vote."

If you're showing up at a Michael Moore rally, you have probably already shown your political leanings. He's not knocking on republican doors offering money to vote for Kerry instead.

And from what I read, it was the GOP in Michigan that was trying to get him arrested. The local DA (and law enforcement) has the attitude that they'd rather be spending time chasing people selling drugs than people giving out free underwear.

Take care of YOU

[SFishy]

County prosecutors in Michigan reject request to charge Michael Moore

Thursday, October Seven, Two Thousand and Four

ASSOCIATED PRESS

A request by Michigan Republicans that filmmaker Michael Moore be charged with violating election law has found little sympathy among county prosecutors.

The state Republican Party asked prosecutors in four counties to file charges against Moore for offering underwear and food to college students in exchange for a promise to vote. State law prohibits a person from contracting with another for something of value in exchange for agreeing to vote.

Prosecutors in Isabella, Ingham and Antrim counties said they determined no action was warranted. A spokeswoman for Wayne County Prosecutor Kym Worthy said Thursday that election law violations should be handled by the attorney general's office.

The harshest reaction came from the two Republican prosecutors, Antrim County's Charles Koop and Isabella County's Larry Burdick. Worthy and Ingham County Prosecutor Stuart Dunnings III are Democrats.

"Alleging that a person is attempting to buy votes is a serious allegation, and one that is taken seriously by this office. However, your request to prosecute Mr. Moore trivializes the intent of this section of the election code," Koop said Thursday in a letter to Greg McNeilly, executive director of the state Republican Party.

Burdick said he chooses "to devote our resources to prosecuting those who are delivering cocaine to our young people rather than underwear."

Randall Thompson, a spokesman for Attorney General Mike Cox, said Cox's office would consider the issue only if a complaint was forwarded from the secretary of state's office.

Michigan Republican spokesman Chris Paolino said the party did not file a complaint with the state, deeming it an issue best dealt with at the local level.

Moore is touring the country and imploring "slackers" who usually don't vote to head to the polls this year. During each program, habitual nonvoters are invited on stage to pledge to vote. First-time student voters are offered gag prizes such as clean underwear.

[ribbon]

Burdick said he chooses "to devote our resources to prosecuting those who are delivering cocaine to our young people rather than underwear."

:muhaha :muhaha :muhaha Go Burdick :yay :supergrin.

[shortstop]

Burdick said he chooses "to devote our resources to prosecuting those who are delivering cocaine to our young people rather than underwear."
BINGO!! Wow...a lawyer who really gets it!! :muhaha

[Sylphlover]

Just want I stated before I think "they" are just trying to catch him at anything.

Burdick Rocks :winky

[urbanfaerie]

Hey, in college when you are scraping together one hundred pennies to go to the dollar movie, clean underwear, ramen, laundry soap...soda...THAT is better than cash!!! Go Michael!

Heh...clean underwear was the way to go...as there were a few days I'd be "commando" because I HAD no clean underwear!

I was talking to a friend who was dressed up, and her friends at college will comment if she is in a skirt...I'd be dressed up if I had a presentation, or WAS OUT OF CLEAN JEANS!!!

The point of the rallies is to get students/slackers MOTIVATED and registered. Of course Moore would like people to register Democrat...but they aren't watching people register and THEN handing out the cottony/carby goodness.

I like the slogan: "Pick Nose, Pick Butt, Pick Kerry." It's really catchy.

How about: The dent on the couch will still be there when you get home slacker...VOTE!

:love
Heather

[Spiritwind]

Haha I love Michael Moore! Woohoo! He is going to be here this sat. I can't wait to see him.

[gone]

I still disagree with the general feeling of most people on here with this topic, but hey, it's good to have different opinions, right?

I'm working a job now where lobbying of any sort is strictly prohibited, so perhaps I'm a little more sensitive to politics now than I would be normally.

I still don't like Michael Moore, not because of the content of his documentaries, but becuase of his logic. He- to me- seems to deal a lot with symptoms of problems, but not address the actual problems. I like film makers who go for the jugular and get right to the point. But I'll stop now- I don't want this to turn into a debate about the merits of Michael Moore or not.