Funny: Shooting the President - Political photographer's film title draws objections

Dave Davidson titled his documentary about candidate photos "Shooting the President."

Funny: Shooting the President - Political photographer's film title draws objections 1378957801000-bussign-

Funny: Shooting the President - Political photographer's film title draws objections 1378957801000-bussign-

Is it an offensive name for a political documentary? Or clever marketing?

A South Carolina-based bus company has objected to a movie logo emblazoned on the bus it is renting out to some Iowa conservatives. A small sign advertises Des Moines photographer Dave Davidson's new documentary, "Shooting the President."

Davidson, a tea party conservative, is a presidential paparazzo who has trailed candidates around Iowa for the last two election cycles, collecting a vast portfolio of candid snapshots.

He and some fellow Iowa Republicans are kicking off a 32-day national tour Thursday to film another documentary about abuses of power at the Internal Revenue Service.

But bus company Champion Coach balked, saying it doesn't want to be associated with any suggestion of violence against President Barack Obama.

The bus had already been wrapped with the pre-approved custom advertisement, so the bus company modified the "Shooting the President" sign so that "CENSORED" covers the first word in the title.

"It's crazy — it's just a metaphor," Davidson told The Des Moines Register in an interview Wednesday.

"It's Sept. 11 and we can't say the word 'shooting?' Is that what we've come to? It's the English language. The word has two meanings," Davidson said.

The owner of the bus company could not be reached for comment Wednesday.

A trailer for "Shooting the President" posted on Facebook gives a glimpse at the lighthearted nature of the documentary, said Des Moines conservative activist Craig Bergman, who is one of the organizers of the bus tour.

Bergman said he's fully aware the film title might be startling at first. "We want people to go, 'Shooting the what!? Oh,' " he said.

Bergman thinks the censorship is an overreaction, but he was willing to agree to the compromise so that the bus tour can continue. The bus will be in Cedar Falls on Thursday, then it continues to Kansas City, Colorado Springs and other cities.

The main advertisement on the bus is for "Unfair," a documentary by Bergman and fellow Iowa conservative Judd Saul. It "will reveal the truth about the abuses of power, the coverups, and expose the IRS as a blatantly unfair and corrupt entity that cannot be reformed," according to its Facebook page.

Investors have contributed close to $300,000 toward the project.

Bergman and Saul intend to film most of the movie as they travel across the country, interviewing well-known Republicans, as well as conservatives audited by the IRS or arrested for failing to pay taxes.

They're also scheduled to hold "Unfair" rallies in a couple dozen cities over the next month.

Saul Bergman Productions manages both "Shooting the President" and "Unfair."

Bergman and Saul also have a limited liability company, Gadsden Films, which will do the marketing and distribution, Bergman said.

http://www.usatoday.com/story/news/nation/2013/09/11/political-photographers-film-title-draws-objections/2802573/

Funny: Shooting the President - Political photographer's film title draws objections

Funny: Shooting the President - Political photographer's film title draws objections

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