Commentary from Ann Kreilkamp
I feel it, too. And if I lived in Washington or Colorado, I might just light up a joint, in public, giddily wave it about.
And yet, if you would please forgive me this gentle warning:
I remember waking up the morning after Bill Clinton won the presidency, in November 1992, with the same feeling. That intense high, that thrill of vindication, when we good guys prevailed.
That was before I realized that this game of choosing between seeming opposites is but another entertainment for the masses; that the election game is rigged; that both candidates, in order to even run for president, must in some way have caved — or pretended to cave — to the cabal.
And that time I thought “The President” was responsible for us. Now I know we are. It’s not just Bill Clinton who shamed us with his peckerdillos, but all of us have “feet of clay” no matter how much our heads may float in the clouds. It’s up to US to recognize that fact about ourselves, to realize that life in these hard, dense bodies on this good Earth torques us into seemingly flawed, imperfect creatures.
Let us integrate our feet with our heads so that we can walk our talk and lead those whom we choose to lead us in the direction of the common good.
Michael Moore: Election Night was a Rebuke to Neanderthals Across America
To my fellow Americans, I think you’ll agree: it was nice to wake up this morning in the United States of America.
November 7, 2012
This country has truly changed, and I believe there will be no going back. Hate lost yesterday. That is amazing in and of itself. And all the women who were elected last night! A total rebuke of Neanderthal attitudes.
Now the real work begins. Millions of us – the majority – must come together to insist that President Obama and the Democrats stand up and fight for the things we sent them there to do. Mr. President, do not listen to the pundits who today call for you to “compromise.” No. You already tried that. It didn’t work. You can compromise later if you need to, but please, no more beginning by compromising. And if the Republican House doesn’t want to play ball, do a massive end run around them with one executive order after another – just like they have done and will do if given the chance again.
We have to have Obama’s back. As he is blocked and attacked by the Right, we need to be there with him. We are the majority. Let’s act like it.
And please Mr. President, make the banks and Wall Street pay. You’re the boss, not them. Lead the fight to get money out of politics – the spending on this election is shameful and dangerous. Don’t wait til 2014 to bring the troops home – bring ‘em home now. Stop the drone strikes on civilians. End the senseless war on drugs. Act like a pit bull when it comes to climate change – ignore the nuts, and fix this now. Take the profit motive out of things that any civilized country would say, “this is for the common good.” Make higher education affordable for everyone and don’t send 22-year-olds out into the world already in massive debt. Order a moratorium on home foreclosures and evictions. Enact economic policy that will create good-paying jobs and spend the money that’s needed to do that. Make your second term one for the history books.
Finally, thanks must be given to the Occupy movement who, a year ago, set the tone of this election year by getting everyone to talk about the 1% vs. 99%. It inspired Obama and his campaign to realize that there was a huge popular sentiment against what the wealthy have done to the country and there was something wrong if just 400 rich guys owned more than 160 million Americans combined (all those moochers and bums). This led to Romney’s “47%” remarks and THAT was the beginning of the end of his campaign. Thank you Mother Jones for releasing that secret tape, and thank you to the minimum wage worker who placed a camera on the serving buffet next to the candle. This morning’s headline in the Washington Post says it all: “At Romney headquarters, the defeat of the 1 percent.” Thank you Sandra Fluke for enduring the insults hurled at you and then becoming an important grassroots leader against the war on women. Thank you Todd Akin for…well, for just being you. Thank you CEOs of Chrysler and GM for coming out forcefully against the Republican(!) candidate, saying he lived in “some parallel universe” when he lied about Jeep. Thank you Governor Christie for your new bromance with Obama. You know, you really didn’t have to!
And you, Mother Nature, with all your horrific damage, death and destruction you caused last week, you became, ironically, the undoing of a Party that didn’t believe in you or your climate changing powers.
Perhaps they’ll believe now.
Once again, thanks to all of you who brought a nonvoter to the polls. In a last minute effort to get Obama an extra million votes he wasn’t counting on, I enjoyed talking and texting with your loved ones and friends yesterday who weren’t going to vote – but then changed their minds after a little nudge and some TLC (“Damn! Michael Moore? I’m getting in to car right now to go vote.”).
To my fellow Americans, I think you’ll agree: it was nice to wake up this morning in the United States of America.
http://exopermaculture.com/2012/11/07/michael-moores-post-election-high/
I like Michael Moore
I like Michael Moore because he's one of the few Americans that really does stand up for truth, and he has the Academy Award to prove it. But more than that, his docs are legendary now for what they expose of the American fabric. By focusing on Health Care and Gun Violence for example, he's shone a powerful light on segments of society that most did not see, or want to see. But through his persistence and ability to zero in on seeping sores like Health Care affordability he jolted a lot of people awake. I feel I learn something useful whenever I read his comments or get wind of his next documentary target. Discernment first and foremost of course, but there he is again and again telling it like it is whether you like or not. He's the kid in the crowd who yells "The Emperor Has No Clothes". Badda Bing, Badda Boom!
I know I'm going on about it but I just feel good. I feel like the Good Guys really did us proud by sweeping Obama back into office. And I can see that Michael Moore believes in Obama too. That gives me Hope.
Dr Moe
Hoorah for Michael Moore
I always learn something when reading Michael Moore and come away from it satisfied. Once again he has commented on something I believe in. He points to lots of things I believe in. More often than not, I resonate with his points. Equally often I learn about something I had no idea existed. A sound voice from a sound man. I am a Fan