moveon: Press Release: Michael Moore Joined 55,000 Americans

in 4,600 Locations for a Conference Call & On-line Town Hall Meeting; Discussed Film and Political Activism

Fahrenheit 9/11 Inspired MoveOn Members to Mobilize Unregistered Voters for November Presidential Election

June 29- Last night, an estimated 55,000 people held in 4,600 MoveOn PAC "Turn Up the Heat" house parties featuring Michael Moore in an on-line chat and conference call. The parties were organized to not only discuss Moore's film, 'Fahrenheit 9/11,' but to spark interest for MoveOn members and newcomers beyond their Internet activities during this election year.

Over the weekend, more than 115,000 MoveOn PAC members helped pack theaters across the country to see Fahrenheit 9/11. "I do believe our work on Fahrenheit 9/11 helped make the first weekend a blow-out hit," said Adam Ruben, campaign field director for MoveOn PAC. "Getting our members to see the film and encourage others to see it was key in our efforts to motivate political activity."

MoveOn PAC members talked with Moore about ways to win back the White House and how the organization is playing a critical role in mobilizing the Democratic base. Moore�s film proved so rousing that many MoveOn members committed to participate in a July 11th national voter registration event with plans to reach hundreds of thousands of unregistered voters.

"The house parties last night were just amazing. We brought together thousands of people from Maine to Alaska who were re-energized to become more politically active" said Eli Pariser, executive director for MoveOn PAC.

Several MoveOn PAC field directors reported that house parties exceeded expectations—in Philadelphia, one event had over 700 attendees; in Pittsburgh, 500; in Cleveland and Des Moines there were more than 200 participants. And in Portland, OR, there were more than 950 registered house party participants.

One house party in New York City included celebrity activists such as: Rosie Perez, Moby, Q-Tip, Le Tigre, Edie Falco, Federico Castellucio, Rose McGowan, Lucy Liu, and Bill Pullman.

In Washington D.C., one MoveOn PAC field coordinator commented, “The house party we went to in DC was jammed packed, good folks, good conversation. All the parties in the DC area were booked. . . I thought Michael Moore's message was particularly good."

Jose Quinonez, a MoveOn PAC field director in Miami, was thrilled with the turnout for his house party. He hosted a crowd of 350 guests. “We had the discussion before MM and everyone really liked and participated enthusiastically. For 20 minutes I played Phil Donahue getting people’s thoughts and feelings about the film. In that short time, we were able to build a sense of community before logging on to the national town meeting.”

Audio from the conference with Michael Moore can be found at www.MoveOnPAC.org.