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OREM - If Michael Moore has his way, Utah would be shaded blue - the color of a Democratic majority - when he wakes up Nov. 3.
"That would send the strongest message ever," he told a roaring crowd of more than 8,000 at Utah Valley State College on Wednesday.
Why would the controversial "Fahrenheit 9/11" director take a break from battleground states to bash Bush in Utah - one of the nation's most conservative?
"Because, when you're in Utah, you believe in miracles," he said.
His appearance - supplemented with a brief onstage visit by Utah native and television performer Roseanne Barr, who cracked a series of anti-Bush one-liners - started an hour late.
But when Moore took his act - one part stand-up comedy and one part political rally - to a rowdy David O. McKay Events Center, the excitement was palpable. The majority of the sell-out crowd reacted favorably to Moore, though more than 100 left during the speech.
Wearing jeans, black T-shirt and UVSC ball cap, the documentarian-turned-folk hero immediately thanked the student leaders for their courage.
"They [the student leaders] have this radical belief that Utah is still in the United States of America," Moore said in a tongue-in-cheek tone that became a staple during the 90-minute event.
A Utah County resident offered $25,000 last week to the students to cancel the event; Moore was told Wednesday that the amount reportedly was raised to $40,000. They refused the money.
Before the speech, Moore was asked if he felt safe in Utah County - a reference to a month-long backlash that included angry letters, a student-government recall petition and a lawsuit filed Monday to void his speaking contract.
"Why wouldn't I feel safe here?" the Midwesterner said. "I haven't seen a lot of Utah gangs. I haven't seen a lot of Mormons with chains and knives."
But things got testy early in the performance when a man stood with his coat bunched under his arm and appeared to threaten Moore. Security officers removed the man - five people ultimately were escorted out of the arena - but no weapon was found, according to UVSC spokesman Derek Hall.
"If you point an object at me in the third row, it's hard for me to concentrate," joked Moore, who was nonetheless visibly upset.
He used the distraction to take a shot at Republicans who he said insist upon loyalty pacts before attending Bush rallies. That drew a wave of boos from the vocal minority.
"Don't leave," Moore joked. "I, too, believe in conversion."
Moore spent much of the time criticizing the Bush administration's rush to war. He read letters from soldiers serving in Iraq, who now question its rationale. Moore also called on military veterans to stand, then led the crowd in an extended ovation.
Midway through, the moviemaker sat in an easy chair on stage, while the audience watched a series of political ads that take satirical swipes at Bush. "I just felt the swift boat ads just didn't go far enough," he quipped.
In one clip, Bush is shown giggling while Moore's voice-over says Kerry is too sensitive to be president. "Vote Bush," it says. "He's already on his way to another 1,000 body bags."
Moore also criticized consumer advocate Ralph Nader, who, like four years ago, is on the presidential ticket as an independent, for "striking a match to your own legacy."
And he tipped the audience on his latest film: an investigation into the abuses of HMOs and the nation's pharmaceutical companies.
And, after winning the hearts and minds of the majority, Moore appealed to the basic needs of the student body: underwear and Ramen noodles - a standard gimmick in his nationwide "Slacker Uprising Tour." The rumpled rebel offered packages of the dried noodles and three packs of underwear "to share," to students over 22 - who didn't vote in the last election, but who would promise to vote Nov. 2.
Within seconds of his finale, Moore disappeared behind a wall of security, but his words seemed to linger.
Melissa Cook, a UVSC student and self-described undecided voter, said she is leaning toward the Democratic ticket after Moore's speech.
"He included the audience a lot," she said. "He had a lot of really, really strong ideas you just can't deny."
Tribune reporter Brian Mac Intyre contributed to this story.