My friend, colleague and fellow producer of "2016: Obama's America," Gerald Molen recently wrote a letter to the leadership of the Oscars, protesting the treatment of our movie which was denied a nomination, suggesting they adopt a fairer process for selecting films in the future.
He also asked for reform in the committee which vets such films, pointing out that it was led by three well known progressives, notably that uber-liberal, Michael Moore.
I was most gratified to learn that in their recent elections Academy voters decided not to re-elect Moore to his seat on the Board of Governors.
This is a great victory for the American people and the first glimmer of hope that future Academy voting will look less like a North Korean election.
Also read: '2016: Obama's America' Creator Sets Sights on 'Conspiracy Nut' Michael Moore, Hollywood Liberals
But don't hold your breath just yet, systemic problems remain, namely an enduring culture of extreme radicalism in Hollywood that makes it virtually impossible for mainstream films like "2016" to be judged fairly.
It came as no surprise to me and my team that "2016" wasn't nominated last year, despite the fact that it made three times the amount of money at the box office than the 15 shortlisted films made, combined. I expected it. It is that culture that needs to be reformed. Fortunately there's a very specific way to do this.
Of course, films aren’t nominated for Oscars for their popularity nor should they be, but for many years there has been a pattern of the Academy ignoring the work of those who don't toe a liberal line in Hollywood in order to attempt to discredit, discourage and ultimately defund them.
Also read: '2016' Co-Director Dinesh D'Souza: 'How I Earned Obama's Rage'
But back to Michael Moore who has become Hollywood’s apologist for the federal government and makes films that are simultaneously entertaining and ridiculous and always cleverly marketed, making him something of the shrewd capitalist type he pretends to hate: Intellectually, the films are a nullity.
"Fahrenheit 911" is basically a conspiracy theory which pretends that President Bush knew that 9/11 was coming. Seriously. This puts Moore in the company of a whole bunch of conspiracy nuts. Even his earlier, acclaimed work is distinguished by the absence of deep thought. In "Roger and Me," Moore bemoans the fact that his father is put out of work because the General Motors plant in Flint, Mich., closed down. Never once does it occur to him that maybe the high union wages extracted by his dad and others made General Motors uncompetitive.
Also read: Obama Campaign Fires Back at Dinesh D'Souza, Fact-Checks '2016'
Cars were being made more cheaply abroad, and also in non-union states in America, so that the Flint plant could no longer turn a profit. Ignorant of this economic reality, Moore goes in search of the head of General Motors, Roger Smith, to ask him why he closed the Flint plant. Moore’s juvenile assumption is that Smith is simply an evil capitalist who has it out for honest, hardworking people like Moore’s dad.
Despite their questionable reasoning, in the past, Moore’s films have been considered works of Swiftian genius by some in Tinseltown. I don’t think this is because my friends in Hollywood are especially dumb; I suspect it is because they have blindly approved of Moore’s leftist politics and were rewarding them for ideology instead of craft, excellence and a compelling and truthful story.
Just to be clear: I have enough awards, and Gerald already has an Oscar for that little movie he produced that you may have heard of, "Schindler's List." This is not about us and awards,but rather about the millions of Americans who actually think the Oscars are given out to the best films each year when they're most obviously not.
Rather, they're given out to the best films that hew to a left-wing view of the world in a rigged process that has the chilling effect of shutting down films with opposing points of view, by standing in the path of their being acknowledged as equally valid representations of other points of view.
It may be true that Hollywood is about ideology, but it's also about the almighty dollar and the only way to correct its ideological blind spots is to send messages to its collective pocketbook. So here's my plan to teach liberal elements in Hollywood and Michael Moore a lesson in order to compel them to acknowledge the voices of the majority of Americans and continue the reform process that began with Moore's ouster: dethrone their films at the box office.
Right now, "Fahrenheit 911" is the most successful political documentary of all time, and "2016" is second — and I have a plan to change that and begin the long process of reforming the culture of Hollywood in the only way the average American can: by voting with their feet.
Michael Moore has already been spanked by his colleagues at the Academy and placed in the penalty box. Now it's time for the American people to do the same to his utrageous lie of a movie, "Fahrenheit 911."
Next year, on the Fourth of July, we will debut our next film "America," in theaters across the country. "America" the movie will explore the meaning of what America the country was, is and should be and whether the values of 1776 or those of 1968 will prevail.
It will uphold all the things that Michael Moore detests, and expose all of the foolish ideals that this man and his fellow members of the vocal super-minority stand for. And by going to your local theater and watching it and making it the all-time box office champ in the political documentary category, you will have a chance to remind extreme liberal elements of Hollywood and Moore that they are servants of the interests and tastes of we, the American people and not dictators telling us what we should like.
"America" will remind the ruling elite who loathe our great nation that our country is not what they think it is, evil and corrupt, but the beacon of light our founding fathers intended: flawed but beautiful, standing for freedom and always striving to be better.
So make your Fourth of July plans now. It's going to be a weekend to remember. Fire up the barbecue, spend time with friends and family, then move the party to your local movie theater and celebrate all of the things our great country stands for-and discover how we can become an even greater nation.
Editor's Note: This commentary originally misstated Michael Moore's role in the Academy Award voting process. TheWrap apologizes on behalf of its guest contributor.