Members of the two most politically divided University organizations, the College Democrats and the College Republicans, went to Toledo yesterday to greet controversial filmmaker Michael Moore, who spoke at the Seagate Center.

However, while the College Democrats welcomed Moore with cheers, clapping and open arms, the College Republicans met the liberal documentarian with protest signs and pamphlets listing “59 Deceits in ‘Fahrenheit 9/11,'” Moore’s recent anti-Bush documentary.

College Republicans planned their protest so they would have three separate “waves” of protestors arriving at the Seagate Center at different times, according to senior David Scharfeld, the protest’s coordinator and public relations director of the College Republicans.

“Our protest is to sway undecided voters,” College Republican chairman Monika Winkler said. “If people are going to make up their minds based on a movie and what [Moore’s] speech says, I just don’t agree with that.”

“We’d like people to know there are other options,” said College Republican secretary Jada Humphrey. “You have a choice. Look at candidates and options and make a decision.”

Some College Republicans watched Moore’s presentation inside the Seagate Center and planned to ask Moore questions after the speech. They carried protest signs that said “No Moore Lies” and “Michael Moore, Go Back to Flint!” Flint, Michigan is Moore’s hometown. The Republicans also displayed Bush/Cheney signs and handed out pamphlets detailing the many deceits found in “Fahrenheit 9/11.”

Although several College Democrats went to the event, they didn’t attend Moore’s presentation as a group.

Opinions vary widely about Moore’s newest, highly successful documentary, “Fahrenheit 9/11.” The film protests the war in Iraq through the use of many questionable argu ments that have come under scrutiny since the film’s summer release.

“People shouldn’t believe a thing [Moore] says,” Scharfeld said, referring to “Fahrenheit 9/11.” “So many people have seen it, and so many people believe what it says. It’s been such a popular movie over the summer … It reminds me of old propaganda.”

“Michael Moore’s ideas are very skewed,” Winkler said. “He writes crazy books for money and to get Bush out of office. You need to look at what the candidates are offering, not what this man is telling you.”

On the other side of the fence, College Democrats treasurer Michael Deurlein said, “I support all claims [Moore] has made. The documentary doesn’t show the other side of the argument at all, and that’s the best way to bolster your argument. But there is no other side to the argument. It’s the truth.”

“It speaks to people frustrated about the war and how the president has lied about it,” he said. “It feeds on people’s ideas that this war has a hidden meaning behind it, detached from what the president says.”

“I think he puts important viewpoints out there,” Democrat Erin Wilkins said. “He says his facts can be checked, and Republicans say he has skewered facts … Things are bad enough that you don’t have to skewer facts. Look at the facts and how the War on Terror is going, and you don’t have to skewer facts.”

One thing the College Democrats and Republicans can agree on is the potentially powerful effect “Fahrenheit 9/11” could have on the election.

“It has had a profound effect already,” Humphrey said. “Someone showed it in class, and people’s minds changed. People are so easily swayed by television, many people changed their minds by watching the video.”

As a counterargument to Moore’s latest documentary, a new film, “FahrenHYPE 9/11” has been created. It will be showing tomorrow at 7 p.m. in the Union theater.

For the full list of the “Fifty-nine Deceits in Fahrenheit 911”, go to www.davekopel.org/terror/59Deceits.pdf.