MoveOn.org promotes filibusters with ‘Force’

George Lucas may not endorse it, but the liberal advocacy group MoveOn.org is summoning the Force to help preserve the Senate filibuster.

In a new television campaign to be launch this week, MoveOn is drawing parallels between “Star Wars: Episode III The Revenge of the Sith” and the partisan battle over the confirmation process for federal judges. The television spots will compare the film’s plot, specifically the intergalactic power grab by Supreme Chancellor Palpatine, with the rise of Sen. Bill Frist (R-Tenn.).

The Senate majority leader has become a darling of the right and a lightning rod for critics on the left. He is an advocate for abolishing the filibuster, which he has denounced as a “procedural gimmick” that prevents judges from receiving floor votes.

Though the images and text of MoveOn’s “Save the Republic” spots were still being finalized Tuesday, it aims to mirror the iconography of the Lucas films, including “Star Wars’ ” opening title crawl. MoveOn does not plan to use copyrighted “Star Wars” characters or images.

“We don’t think ‘Star Wars’ is a political movie made by George Lucas to prove our point, but it helps to illuminate what’s going on,” said Ben Brandzel, the advocacy director for MoveOn’s political action committee. “The timing is uncanny.”

The Senate debate over the filibuster is set to begin today; the sixth “Star Wars” movie will begin showing Thursday at midnight. MoveOn said its ads will be shown on CNN.

In a related part of its campaign to preserve the filibuster, which allows Democratic senators to block votes for President Bush’s judicial nominees. MoveOn also will send volunteers to some of the more than 3,700 theaters showing the film. Once there, the volunteers will urge moviegoers to call their senators to endorse the filibuster.

Lucas has previously said that his films are not intended as commentary on current affairs. On Tuesday, a Lucasfilm spokeswoman said she was unaware of the political action committee’s ads and declined to comment.

A spokesman for Frist did not immediately respond to a call seeking comment.