Wow. (Full Michael Moore Speech from Madison)

[drokhole]

I can't get behind anyone who complains about Michael Moore somehow discrediting the movement in Madison by showing up today. Especially after the speech he just gave. The people in Madison deserved this. The people in America needed this. He perfectly articulated the local fight in Wisconsin, and the larger fight that it represents. This is exactly what needed to be said, let's just hope it gets picked up by the media (of whom he deftly calls out):

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=wgNuSEZ8CDw

On Wisconsin!

[somone]

1. Michael Moore did a bang-up job today

Great speech.

[Starry Messenger]

2. It's also posted in PV.

http://www.democraticunderground.com/discuss/duboard.php?az=view_all&address=385x560138

I hope more people will rec it up. :)

[pacalo]

3. What better authority is there than someone whose hometown was savaged & raped by corporatists?

And that he's experienced in communicating a complete summary on two hours of film is icing on the cake. Wonder if he might have something in mind for Wisconsin?

[Change has come]

4. K&R

:kick:

Thanks for the link.

[hlthe2b]

5. I have never been able to get behind those who compain about MM.

He's one of the truly good guys. Not a God. Not perfect. Voted for Nader that once, yeah... But, one of the truly good guys. We need more like him.

[applegrove]

6. videos don't work for me. Has anyone come across a transcript?

[Luminous Animal]

7. Go to the source!

http://www.michaelmoore.com/words/mike-friends-blog/america-is-not-broke

I honestly do not know if that is the exact text because I haven't seen the video but I've read some of the live blogging at it appears to be the transcript.

[Jed28]

8. Here it is

http://www.michaelmoore.com/words/mike-friends-blog/america-is-not-broke

[applegrove]

12. Great stuff. Thanks for posting the link.

[Tatiana]

9. Text of the amazing speech:

http://www.michaelmoore.com/words/mike-friends-blog/america-is-not-broke

America is not broke.

Contrary to what those in power would like you to believe so that you'll give up your pension, cut your wages, and settle for the life your great-grandparents had, America is not broke. Not by a long shot. The country is awash in wealth and cash. It's just that it's not in your hands. It has been transferred, in the greatest heist in history, from the workers and consumers to the banks and the portfolios of the uber-rich.

Today just 400 Americans have more wealth than half of all Americans combined.

Let me say that again. 400 obscenely rich people, most of whom benefited in some way from the multi-trillion dollar taxpayer "bailout" of 2008, now have more loot, stock and property than the assets of 155 million Americans combined. If you can't bring yourself to call that a financial coup d'état, then you are simply not being honest about what you know in your heart to be true.

And I can see why. For us to admit that we have let a small group of men abscond with and hoard the bulk of the wealth that runs our economy, would mean that we'd have to accept the humiliating acknowledgment that we have indeed surrendered our precious Democracy to the moneyed elite. Wall Street, the banks and the Fortune 500 now run this Republic -- and, until this past month, the rest of us have felt completely helpless, unable to find a way to do anything about it.

I have nothing more than a high school degree. But back when I was in school, every student had to take one semester of economics in order to graduate. And here's what I learned: Money doesn't grow on trees. It grows when we make things. It grows when we have good jobs with good wages that we use to buy the things we need and thus create more jobs. It grows when we provide an outstanding educational system that then grows a new generation of inventers, entrepreneurs, artists, scientists and thinkers who come up with the next great idea for the planet. And that new idea creates new jobs and that creates revenue for the state. But if those who have the most money don't pay their fair share of taxes, the state can't function. The schools can't produce the best and the brightest who will go on to create those jobs. If the wealthy get to keep most of their money, we have seen what they will do with it: recklessly gamble it on crazy Wall Street schemes and crash our economy. The crash they created cost us millions of jobs. That too caused a reduction in revenue. And the population ended up suffering because they reduced their taxes, reduced our jobs and took wealth out of the system, removing it from circulation.

(more...)

[drokhole]

11. Thanks for posting the transcript!

Dumb move on my part for not including it in the original post. :banghead:

[sabrina 1]

14. NO ONE can tell the truth the way Michael Moore can.

It has been driving me crazy to see our 'leaders' claim that we must 'share the sacrifice' when we all know that what MM says is true. We have been ROBBED and no one is looking for the money!

If anyone here did not see MM's Capitalism, A Love Story, now is the time to watch it. It should be on national TV, but we know that won't happen.

Maybe we could do what was done with Fahrenheit 9/11. ORganize Meet-Ups where people invite a few friends and neighbors to watch it on the same night at the same time and then have a call-in from some of the people who starred in the movie, Moore himself, Elizabeth Warren or some of the other people who were absolutely wonderful in the movie.

The whole country needs to listen to this man.

As far as people who criticize him, well, we now know that there was a well-funded campaign to discredit him because he is so right, so effective when people actually listen to him. Everything negative we hear about him, was bought and paid for by Big Business and the whole scheme to discredit him has been totally exposed. This is what they do, they cannot defend their corrupt actions, so they try to go after the messenger believing if they can silence them, they win.

Go Mike! A true American Patriot.

[defendandprotect]

10. Thanks for the transcript--!! -- Scanned quickly -- back tomorrow --

[MrMickeysMom]

13. I can't wait until the main stream media gets ahold of this...

.... No, really...

I simply can no longer wait for that to happen, can you?

[drokhole]

17. Right?!

Let's just hope Charlie Sheen decides to stay in so the media will give Moore's speech some coverage! Although, if that's the case, I'm sure the Top Story will be:

"Why Won't Charlie Sheen Leave his House?"

[tabatha]

15. Wow, well said.

(There was someone blowing a vuvuzela.)

[BillyJack]

16. Extraordinary!!!!!

:applause:

:applause:

:kick: :bounce: more :bounce:

more :applause:

[Shanti Mama]

18. Wow is right.

Awesome. Please, Wisconsin. Please stand firm so the rest of us can follow.

[Hannah Bell]

19. kr. 400 people have more wealth than half the country, that's a pretty compelling fact

& it explains the problem -- because if those 400 choose to withhold their $$ from circulation, circulation breaks down, businesses shut down, unemployed people have no money to spend -- a vicious cycle.

if the rich go on capital strike, the rest can't live. that's not democracy.

[Foo Fighter]

20. Your post sums it up. That's exactly what's happening in the world today, n/t

[mike_c]

23. +1

[tilsammans]

21. kick!

Brilliant! :kick:

[Doctor_J]

22. Great speech

:thumbsup: