Potterville: George Bailey's Speech to Potter & the Loan Board

[TBF]

Run time: 01:59 https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=O4ne13Zft9Q   Posted on YouTube: August 17, 2009 By YouTube Member: bvon44 Views on YouTube: 38544   Posted on DU: December 23, 2010 By DU Member: TBF Views on DU: 1162

 
As relevant today as it was 50+ years ago ...

[forty6]

1. Best Christmas movie in my book! Best political movie for the times!

I love that scene. I love that dream!

Unfortunately there are few local loan boards anymore, except in Credit Unions and a few small banks.

[TBF]

2. The Masters at our new conglomerates make Mr. Potter look like a kindly

old man don't they? The more things change the more they stay the same ... class warfare is brutal.

[Ineeda]

3. Movies of that era, like

Mr. Deeds Goes to Town ('36), Mr. Smith Goes to Washington ('39), and Meet John Doe ('41) often have the same socially-conscious message -- the rich and politically connected are callous, greedy, unconscionable oppressors and ordinary people deserve a just society. That reality never changes, except back then the movie-going public got the message and agreed with it. Nowadays many consider such a moral 'Socialist' instead of humane.

[TBF]

4. Interesting point about the consciousness - during the Great Depression

somehow folks got it and they forced the government to make concessions (the communist party was very strong in this country and influencing labor btw)... but now there is no far left to speak of and the press is openly right wing. Even if people think such things I wonder if seeing the press makes them think they are alone in those thoughts so they don't voice them.

[forty6]

5. I heard that EVEN REPUBLICANS in the Great Depression favored food for

the homeless, the poor, and the jobless.

Even if they didn't agree with FDR on the bigger programs like the CCC or TVA, etc, they were on record to feed the poor.

[TBF]

6. That spirit continued through the 50's (ie people remembered) -

the tax rates were up to 90% on people making serious money ... and Dwight Eisenhower, a republican, actually expanded the Social Security Program (http://www.eisenhowermemorial.org/social-security.htm):

Thirteen days after taking his oath of office, President Eisenhower delivered his first State of the Union message to Congress and, when discussing the need for greater effectiveness of government programs, he said, “The provisions of the old-age and survivors insurance law should promptly be extended to cover millions of citizens who have been left out of the social security system.”

The following week, during a White House meeting of the House and Senate Republican leadership, Eisenhower brought up the Social Security expansion proposal and asked America’s most famous living conservative, Senator Robert A. Taft, if he would support the initiative. When he received a positive reply he knew that the possible had just become the probable. Before the end of the month, Eisenhower appointed a presidential commission to study the Social Security system’s deficiencies and submit a detailed report on specific reform measures. In his public statement creating the commission, the President said, “It is a proper function of government to help build a sturdy floor over the pit of personal disaster, and to this objective we are all committed.”

Directly opposite of President Obama's first state of the union address and set-up of the catfood commission. Dwight Eisenhower was a Republican, and Barack Obama of course is a Democrat. What has happened?

[forty6]

8. Thanks for this. I liked Ike! (was too young to vote)

This was great info.

[blindpig]

7. The culture was much more working class in those days.

Looking at the sum of popular culture it was much more antagonistic to the rich. Film and song reflected working class attitude, even the Three Stooges were sticking it to the man. Nowadays that is the exception to the rule.

[pnorman]

15. "It's A Wonderful Life. It's A Subversive Film"

"The most inspirational film ever has an underexamined dark side, including a 1947 FBI memo that branded the film as subversive and "a rather obvious attempt to discredit bankers." The film's script was influenced by the liberal populism of the 1930s, used suicide as a plot point, and was criticized by a Christian Right website for "lax attitudes on alcohol and drunkenness." The film also inspired a feminist art project on "bad girl" Violet Bick and a dead-on parody of a right-wing Christian movie review. Meanwhile, Jimmy Stewart paid back Frank Capra for reviving his post-WWII career by spying on him for the FBI. The hidden backstory behind It's A Wonderful Life."

http://www.metafilter.com/57047/Its-A-Wonderful-Life-Its-A-Subversive-Film

[KansDem]

9. I often wondered what happened to the $8,000 Potter got from Uncle Billy's "forgetfulness"...

Probably stuck it down his pants, where no one would find it...except TSA agents, perhaps.

[Starry Messenger]

10. k&r

[pnorman]

11. Thanks! I didn't know that speech was on YouTube!

(But I should've guessed!)

[TBF]

14. Sure, the bank run is on there too. nt

[Bgno64]

12. Nowadays, Americans side with Mr. Potter

Fox News sees to that

[TBF]

13. I believe in a free press, but it would be great if the other news stations

would debunk their myths at every turn. Unfortunately they are all owned by the same small group of right-wingers, so chances at real transparency are thin.

[maryf]

16. Kick

sorry I missed this until now :hi:

[Charleston Chew]

17. Sam Seder: War on Christmas.

Hilarious Sam Seder debate with fundie over the War on Christmas.

http://www.democraticunderground.com/discuss/duboard.php?az=view_all&address=385x75919