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They Said They Would Push Me "Off a Cliff"
Yesterday, on the TV and radio show "Democracy Now" hosted by Amy Goodman, the former Vice President of CIGNA, one of the nation's largest health insurance companies, revealed that CIGNA met with the other big health insurers to hatch a plan to "push" yours truly "off a cliff."
The interview contains new revelations about just how frightened the health industry was that "Sicko" might ignite a public wave of support for "socialized medicine." So the large health insurance companies came together over a common cause: Stop the American people from going to see "Sicko" -- and the way to do that was to cause some form of harm to me (either personally, professionally or...physically?).
Take a look at this stunning section of the interview with Wendell Potter:
WENDELL POTTER [former executive, CIGNA]: ...We were concerned that the movie ["Sicko"] would be as successful as "Fahrenheit 9/11" had been. And we knew that if it were, it really would change public opinion about our health care system in ways that would be harmful to the profits of health insurers. So, it was very important for this [attack] campaign to succeed. At one point during a strategy meeting, one of the people from [the insurance companies' public relations firm] APCO said that if our efforts, our initial efforts, were not successful, then we'd have to move to an element of the campaign to push Michael Moore off a cliff. And not meaning to do that literally, but to—
AMY GOODMAN: Are you sure?
WENDELL POTTER: Well, I'm not sure. To tell you the truth, when I started doing what I'm doing [as a whistleblower], I was concerned about my own health and well-being, maybe just from paranoia. But these companies play to win. And we're talking about some big bucks at stake here—billions and billions and billions of dollars.
AMY GOODMAN: So what were they talking about when they said, "If this doesn't work, we're going to push him off the cliff"?
WENDELL POTTER: Well, it would be just an incredibly intense PR effort, if necessary, to spend more premium dollars to defame Michael Moore, to discredit him even more as a filmmaker.
AMY GOODMAN: So, were you doing research on him?
WENDELL POTTER: Oh, yeah. Oh, yeah.
AMY GOODMAN: You were going—personally?
WENDELL POTTER: Well, I was a part of the effort. I didn't—that was part of the reason for hiring APCO and to work with a trade association, is that it relieved me of the responsibility of doing that kind of work. You paid for it to be done by people who were experts in doing that kind of research.
AMY GOODMAN: But they were doing an investigation into him personally?
WENDELL POTTER: Well, absolutely. We knew as much about him probably as he knows about himself.
AMY GOODMAN: About his wife, about his kid, about—
WENDELL POTTER: Oh, yeah. You know, it's important to know everything that you might be able to use in some kind of a campaign against someone, to discredit them professionally and often personally.
AMY GOODMAN: And did you use that?
WENDELL POTTER: You use it if necessary.
The interview goes on as Potter reveals how his front group was able to get its talking points and smears into stories in the New York Times and CNN. It is a chilling look inside how easy it is to manipulate our mainstream media -- and just how worried the health insurance companies were that the American people might demand a true universal health care system.
In particular, Potter talks about how they may have succeeded in influencing CNN to run a factually untrue story about "Sicko" by its reporter, Sanjay Gupta (which led to my infamous encounter with Wolf Blitzer and later, an apology from CNN for getting their facts wrong).
Potter believes his work to defame "Sicko" succeeded, as the film didn't end up posting "Fahrenheit 9/11" grosses. To be clear, "Sicko" went on to become the 3rd largest grossing documentary of all time at that point. And as the release of "Sicko" in June of 2007 was the first time since the defeat of Hillary Clinton's healthcare bill in 1994 that the issue of health insurance was brought to the forefront of the national media, I believe it helped to reignite the issue during the 2008 election year by exposing millions of Americans to the truth about the health insurance industry. More than one person on Capitol Hill will admit that "Sicko" was a big help in rallying public support for the compromise bill that eventually passed earlier this year. But I agree, their smear campaign was effective and did create the dent they were hoping for -- single payer and the public option never even made it into the real discussion on the floor of Congress.
(There was really only one reason "Sicko" didn't sell as many tickets as "Fahrenheit" and that was because of a felony that was committed -- a felony that I will discuss for the first time on this site in the coming weeks or months ahead. Stay tuned.)
Please read or watch the entire interview with Wendell Potter. It's a fascinating peek behind the curtain of how corporate America really runs this country. And how if any of us get in their way, then those people must be stopped. It begs the question: Seeing how there's more of us than there are of them, how long will we let their takeover of our democracy continue?
God Bless the Ruling Class,
Michael Moore
P.S. Over the next few days I will continue this examination of the Wendell Potter revelations on "Democracy Now" and in his new book. Please check in here on MichaelMoore.com.
72 Comments so far
Show AllCertainly Sicko is one of the most informative documentaries about health care that has ever been made [the documentary Sick Around the World, which was narrated by T.R. Reid who authored the most well written book the Healing of America and which was broadcast by PBS a few years ago, is also another admirable film which deals with this topic]. But I was surprised to read Moore say that Sicko went on to become the third largest documentary at that time because it would seem that every time that I would mention this terrific film to someone that I would meet when talking about health care they would almost always look at me with a blank look on their faces whenever I would recommend Sicko to them.
What makes Moore's justifiable anger about what the insurance executives planned to do to him so bizarre is that despite making a great film about the state of health care, both in this country and abroad, Moore then backs a candidate [Obama] who had absolutely no intention of advocating for UHC in this country. Perhaps a classic case of Do as I say, Not as I do.
During the 2009 health care reform charade Obama repeatedly told us that "the only way to keep insurance companies honest was to have a public option".
The question nobody other than me has asked is :
After ditching the public option neither Obama or anybody else has told us how we now keep insurance companies honest without a public option ?
"the only way to keep insurance companies honest was to have a public option".
Which is why we do not have a public option...
Well, that's a question that Helen Thomas would have asked. Her birthday wish was for Obama to do the right thing regarding health care -- that's on video -- and he just sort of laughed (of course), which struck me as rather patronizing. Maybe it was at that point Obama felt it might a good idea to find a reason to get rid of Helen Thomas. You never know. Millions of dollars at stake for the politicos and billions at stake for the insurance companies.
Look... Moore backed Obama for 1 reason. That is the spectacle of another Bush V Gore situation. Look, in my state of Illinois, the Dem, who was the lesser of the two evils for sure, lost by less than the votes that the Green party candidate took. Yes, we need campaign and election reform. We need instant run-off voting and to eliminate the two-party system for once and for all; however, Obama is about the best the DemocRATs can muster for now. If you want a real progressive in there, you have to takeover the party, defy the media, and especially the money. This is no small job.
As for corporations trying to take out Moore, they only show how powerfull Moore is and how bankrupt their own position is. Single-payer, Medicare for all is the best, most efficient way to administer the health care of Americans. And, even they know it. It's obvious they dosn't care about America or human health care. They care ONLY about money. This makes them criminal sociopaths and traitors!
I watched Sick Around the World and then listened to an interview of T.R. Reid about his book and about the various systems around the world and comparing the system in the U.S. I was incredibly comprehensive and clear. It was also clear why the insurance industry would not want any of these systems. Because two words stuck out in every system that still had private insurance companies -- heavily regulated. The guys at the top don't make millions and millions in salary and perks. The U.S. is the last cash cow available for BigMedicine, BigPharm and BigInsurance. And not that they're not working to break down those systems in other countries at this moment. I've read that it's happening in the U.K.
Mike is a voice for sanity. He is out on the firing line working courageously for progressives, not hiding behind our comfortable anonymity here. He deserves our heartfelt thanks.
Sicko was good but I think F911 could have been much better - he didnt go after Israel one bit. Might be because he is represented by Rahm's bro (from Wiki):
Ariel "Ari" Zev Emanuel (born March 29, 1961 in Chicago, Illinois) is an American talent agent, founder of the Endeavor Talent Agency in Beverly Hills, California, and now CEO of William Morris Endeavor Entertainment, Endeavor's successor by merger.[1] As of December 4, 2009, he was purportedly representing Martin Scorsese, Larry David, Michael Moore[2], Matt Damon, Sacha Baron Cohen, Conan O'Brien and Mark Wahlberg, among others.[3]
And we wonder why rich hollywood liberals are not more radical.
Two words
Hollywood Mafia
sounds like you did the same sort of personal investigating potter reveals was done about moore re 'sicko.' Pretty detailed and clearly stated info. And of course proof-positive that moore isn't the true liberal he's made out to be...good job!
I cant help saying it, this post makes you out an idiot.
So, Emmanuel and his brother share genes. Do you infer that genes are responsible for political opinions? Are you also condemning "Martin Scorsese, Larry David, Matt Damon, Sacha Baron Cohen, Conan O'Brien and Mark Wahlberg, among others"?
If these are the progressives we have no hope...
Your question is not ad rem and deflects away from the point.
Ari Emanuel's association with AIPAC, and, the extent to which he uses his position to advance AIPAC positions, pressure, persuade, and prod others into compliance with them is the point. Just ask Oliver Stone.
How much influence he exerts over his clients is a valid concern.
Again, you conflate a mans personal politics with his professional life. Why you do this I have no clue, nor, do I suspect, do you. Again again, you tar the list of his clients with the smallish brush of your criticisms of Emmanuel, brother or other.
Emanuel's politics are not so personal and do carry into the public arena--ergo, he is fair game.
As for the others on the client list, with the exception of Damon, none are too overtly active politically, hence comparison with Michael Moore is irrelevant.
Mr Moore, on the other hand, is politically engaged. It is impossible to be critical of the US adventurism in the Middle East, and at the same time, ignore Israeli culpability in the situation--a consideration conspicuously lacking in Mr Moore's work of late. Whether there exists, in fact, a conflict with respect to Mr Moore's activism and his relationship to Mr Emanuel becomes a valid question. It may or may not be so, nevertheless, the appearance of conflict does exist and it affects Mr Moore's credibility.
Perhaps we misjudge, and this is all part of a clever plan of Michael Moore's to win Ari over to the ranks of Peace Now, J-Street, and the Americans For Peace Now---you see, it is possible to be an impassioned advocate for Israel and not, at the same time, support a tyrannical and brutal regime.
http://www.michaelmoore.com/words/mike-friends-blog/audacity-israel
Moores blog site, Sheehans words. One might think that Moore has similar beliefs as he posts this on his own site.
I simply abhor the penchant of supposed leftists or progressives in leaping to attack potential allies and not real enemies.
Ari Emanuel, the inspiration for Ari Gold on HBO's "Entourage." I saw the show in a whole new light after learning that bit of info. Ari Gold can be very amusing as a TV character but I wouldn't want to know him as a flesh-and-blood person. At least Ari Gold still shows human tendencies. If the real Ari is anything like his brother, nope, I wouldn't want to know him. "Entourage" is also Wahlberg's baby -- homage to his agent? Ironically last year on the show there was a big merger that took place between the Gold agency and his biggest competitor.
Matt Damon was shilling for the Dems behind the guise of the Working Family Party this last election. Why hide behind a party that isn't really a party at all? On our ballot all the Working Party candidates were Dems, as were the Independent Party and then, of course, the Dems.
There was one line for Repubs and one line for Greens.
Why did Mr. Moore support the Obomber..?
I would have paid a reasonable fee to buy copies of Sicko and mail them to every one I know and
a lot of people that I did not know.. Me thinks that mike was more interested in making money
than educating the Amerikan people..
But I really did not like Mike supporting Obomber even after it became clear to those of
us that were following the story that the Obomber had already sold out to the insurance and
pharmaceutical industries.
My first indignation with the Pres was when he refused to sign the international ban on
land minds.. After that his true colors have become abundantly clear. I will never vote for
this man..
Good start. Now vow never to vote Republican or Democrat again, and we're on the way to a real breakthrough.
A great filmmaker and millionaire? You betcha! "A voice for sanity:"? Uh, not so much.
Thanks for elucidating one of my pet peeves. Folks are far quicker to assassinate the character of potential allies than they are of obvious opponents....no way to gain any allies.
I hear ya. Like all authoritarians, left wing ones are most inclined to enforce ideological purity.
Drat, I would love to argue that point, wish I could.....The right is far more likely to march in lockstep, putting aside minor or even major differences to gain power and enact legislation. We are far more likely to assemble in a circular firing squad.
"just how worried the health insurance companies were that the American people might demand a true universal health care system."
No worries health care exploiters!
Your guy in the White House made certain that "a true universal health care system" was off the table from the beginning when he cut his secret deals (later revealed) with the Pharma and Insurance giants.
No worries W!
Obama likes executive abuse of power, unjust wars and torture. He'll never prosecute you for war crimes.
No worries banksters!
Obama has your asses covered!
American People...uhh you better get your ducks in a row. You're on your own! None of the nation's leader's gives a rat's ass about you!
Sounds like a death threat but they are too chicken to really say it, but that is what they want Michael to believe. They want to terrorize him. I personally know what it is like to receive death threats, and it does terrorize.
I'm definitely on your side Mike against those
evil bastids.
I don't see why they'd bother, just ask the TSA americans will put up with anything! If they did kill him that many more would have gone to see his movie, not that would change anything, but if the idea was to keep people from seeing his movie.
>^^<
Hardly surprising. Glenn Beck discussed openly over public-owned airwaves how he might kill Michael Moore. Why is this sort of speech protected?
Why? Because the people with all the money own the media and the government.
When will they ever learn? GM CEO James Roche, accompanied by Ted Sorensen apologized to Congress in 1966 for the VP of the GM legal staff having Ralph Nader tailed by a private investigator in an effort to discover whether Nader was gay or any other dirt they could dig up to discredit him. This incident increased the support for additional auto industry regulations.
http://brightenthecorner.com/blog/
Yes, I saw that film clip in the documentary: "Unreasonable Man" and was shocked to see the CEO of the world's largest company apologize before congress, to congress, Ralph Nader and the american public at large. Oh, how far our democratic ideals have fallen in 45 years. Now we have former presidents flaunting their disregard for national and international laws and the constitution ... and selling more books because of it.
Then congress (government) still held the big stick over the corporate masters. Now the CEO's say "jump" and our elected officials say: "How high?" "What lake?" and "Who's throat do you what to land on when I come down?"
Yes, I saw that film clip in the documentary: "Unreasonable Man" and was shocked to see the CEO of the world's largest company apologize before congress, to congress, Ralph Nader and the american public at large. Oh, how far our democratic ideals have fallen in 45 years. Now we have former presidents flaunting their disregard for national and international laws and the constitution ... and selling more books because of it.
Then congress (government) still held the big stick over the corporate masters. Now the CEO's say "jump" and our elected officials say: "How high?" "What lake?" and "Who's throat do you what to land on when I come down?"
Today such actions by GM would get a fusion center award for identifying potential threats and defending Homeland Security, but it would be a secret!
Thanks to Michael Moore for fighting the good fight and exposing our cruel health care system in his film.
Every other advanced democracy in the world has some form or variation of universal health care. Everyone is covered, no one goes bankrupt from medical expenses and they are taken care of in a timely fashion. We do have universal health care for those 65 and older, we do have socialized medicine for our veterans through the VA. The best we could do was Obama's effort at health care. It has made some improvements and there will be more in the future but it's pathetic when you compare it to France, Germany, Italy, the Scandinavian countries, etc.
What the insurance companies tried to do to Moore reminds me of the efforts of the automotive industry to slime Ralph Nader and shut him up for good. The car companies didn't win and our cars are much safer today than in the 1960s, thanks to the efforts of Nader.
"Every other advanced democracy in the world..."
It ought to occur to the writer that the USA isn't a member of that class, nor are many of the others he imagines.
"Every other industrialized nation" also covers it, and is more accurate. Even dictatorships have it.
In Iraq, before the invasion, they also had socialized dentistry and either the highest or second highest rate of dentists per capita in the world.
The "best we could do" when no one in the Federal government was really attempting to improve it.
From my viewpoint the unconstitutional mandate has made healthcare worse.
thank you mr. moore for the good fight for justice for all.
please continue exposing the dirty tricks and name-naming the thieving thugs, and make their crimes too expensive (financially and emotionally) to perpetuate.
Sicko exposed more than just a poorly run, money-driven health care system. After it was shown, people more or less shrugged their shoulders and it was business as usual. There were no protests for public option health care, but plenty against any kind of health care reform.
Moore could make a movie showing the DC elite roasting and eating babies and the strongest reaction he could hope for would be people being really upset that cannibalism was practiced.
Because we have trained ourselves to act as passively as possible to all threats against us, the ruling class can do whatever they please. They know that some angry letters are all we dare to throw their way.
The revolution will not be blogged.
"Moore could make a movie showing the DC elite roasting and eating babies and the strongest reaction he could hope for would be people being really upset that cannibalism was practiced."
Hell, it would be broadcast on the Food Network and people would clamour for the recipes used, while on the Travel Channel it would be the ultimate episode of Man Vs. Food.
All corporate executives are psychopaths, it's a prerequisite.
Being just a psychopath isn't enough to be a politician. To be a politician, you have to also be a lying weasel. And it doesn't hurt to be a thief, either, as long as you're capable of stealing millions.
-and the business schools that teach corporate executives are also staffed by liars and psychopaths; they are schools of crime and theft, running rampant on our university campuses.
In other words the DEFAULT behavior in corporate America is conspiracy to gain or protect market share using blackmail, mendacity or criminal activity.
That is, of course, why the media works so hard to discredit anyone who has a conspiracy theory. The media is the gatekeeper of the lying pieces of shit that steal from us daily. The truth must never see the light of day.
The media is an accessory before and after the fact to war crimes, corporate war profiteering and felonious financial activity in this country. We have a criminal media. What else is new, Mike?
Are you afraid of them? You don't have to be as long as you keep pretending the democratic party exists. But go against the corporatocracy (I.E. AIPAC owned congress of repugs and dems) and you will be poor or dead.
We understand, Mike. You want to live and stay rich. You have done a lot of good with your documentaries. Thank you for that truth. I will always be grateful. You are up against a fascist government wall now so you are basically intellectually castrated. Most people in this sick society wouldn't have gotten anaywhere near as far as you got. I can't judge you for surviving. It is disappointing, though (I know, that's easy for me to say when you are the one on the hotseat).
Cicero: "Freedom is participation in power."
Michael Moore and his family have already dealt with more death threats regarding his previous films and threats of legal retribution from members of Congress regarding the Cuban segments in his film Sicko than a blowhard like you will ever face. To even pay the kind of dues he has you would have to be determined and intelligent enough to carve out a similar body of film and television work and a similar level of national name recognition in the first place. Until you can do better than he already has for 30 years, quit wasting your and our time with your pointless drivel.
Gee, I thought that was exactly my point. I suggest you read my post again slowly. Mike is 100 times the man that I am. And that is precisely why I expect a lot from him.
I hope that makes my position clear. As to my being a blowhard, Ad Hominem is bullshit. It demeans you. Lighten up.
But you are right about one thing. I am wasting my time here. You can celebrate my very long vacation starting right now.
Hang on to your wallet, pal. Hard times are here.
from egospark (above):
"Moore could make a movie showing the DC elite roasting and eating babies and the strongest reaction he could hope for would be people being really upset that cannibalism was practiced."
Not true. Some would be concerned that the babies were selected and slaughtered in a humane fashion.
Most would want to repeal the FDA rules concerning the purity of the babies.
This is all great, but unfortunatley the American people did nothing ! The scared sheeple just shut thier mouths, and continue to let a company run thier health care. We don't need them at all. They raise the cost of health care by 70%. Without them, we could all recieve very good health care. They serve no purpose. They invented themselves, and now they determine how doctors treat patients, and the poor sick people just have to pray they will approve thier procedure or medicine. If the insurance company decides not to pay for you, then you are on your own. If they do pay, then you will still be stuck with such a huge bill that your insurance really was of little use to you. Then they will drop you.
The Insurance company is a middle man. They invented themselves in 1971 and thier plan was to give less and less service for more and more money. Well that worked out nicely for them, but it has killed over a million Americans, and the odd thing is that Americans excepted this as okay and continue to pay these people that serve no purpose.
All I can say, is people need to wake the hell up, you are being played, and these people ,some of which are your own nieghbors, and friends, are killing us, and cashing the checks. How much longer will we allow this ?
"people need to wake the hell up"
I've been saying that for three decades. America is still sound asleep.
Michael,
I loved Sicko... It was impressive work for sure.
I do have a couple of questions though.
While Obama and the Democrats were pushing their no-insurance-left-behind-bill , where were you? I can't recall hearing your voice once to speak out against the horrible bill that they shoved down our throats.
Why didn't you use your voice to support single-payer and Physicians for a National Health Program? Why didn't you stand up with anger and use your voice when Margaret Flowers, Russell Mokhiber and a few others were arrested at the Senate Roundtable for Healthcare discussions? Why didn't you write any angry letters to Obama when you saw how horrible of a bill they were about to pass? You do know that the health insurance scam bill was written by a former insurance executive, right?
You have done such a wonderful job of working to expose the Ruling Class. Thank you for that. But, a person has got to wonder why you always fall short in exposing the other half of the ruling class - the Democrats.
Good question. If I remember correctly, he jumped on the "public option" bus, the bus that was really a transfer to divert supporters of single-payer, not a bus that really went anywhere. A few days after the Senate arrest, at a demonstration outside the Senate, I saw our numbers had decreased significantly. Single-payer supporters had been successfully classified as untouchables.
I appreciate Sicko too and admire much of what Moore has done, but he's not steadfast.
He appeared at a Nader rally in 1996, a day or two after a report about George Bush having a record of drunk driving. Apparently, Moore lost a relative, maybe a brother, to a drunk driver, and the rage he exhibited at that rally was seriously disturbing. He had nothing to say about our candidate, our platform ---- instead he was visibly shaking and beside himself, full of anger not at George Bush's policy but at his recovered drunk driving arrest. The incident was embarrassing and enlightening. I saw a man driven by emotion rather than by principle. Interesting contrast to our candidate.