I see that Michael Moore is offering free underwear and such things as "a clean dorm room, a year's supply of Tostitos and a package of Ramen noodles" in exchange for a pledge to vote for John Kerry.

(Interestingly, pajamas were not part of Michael Moore's offering.)

Because illegal contracts are unenforceable, there's nothing to stop the "bribed" voters from taking the underwear and either not voting at all, or voting for Bush as a way of protesting this obvious power imbalance. Michael Moore is a rich Hollywood fatcat who travels everywhere with bodyguards. While the "slackers" to whom he appeals may be in no position for arms-length bargaining (and thus might be tempted to take whatever Moore offers them), it's a little condescending of Moore to imagine that just because someone is down on his luck, he'd automatically be for Kerry. I knew a homeless man who voted for Bob Dole in 1996. He happened to be an intelligent, well-read human being who just couldn't handle the pressures of society, and opted to live in a carefully hidden tent. He saw big government and butt-into-your-life, welfare state bureaucrats as the enemy. (So do a lot of people -- whether or not they manage to cope with society's pressures.)

Michael Moore's assumption that he speaks for "slackers" everywhere is incredibly condescending. This is not to say that those he calls slackers should vote for Bush; only that they are human beings -- and as such they are entitled to the dignity of at least being allowed to think for themselves.

Slackers, just say no to the tyranny of identity politics!