Thread: A Letter From Michael Moore

Friends,

Who among us is not at a loss for words? Tears pour out. Tears
of joy. Tears of relief. A stunning, whopping landslide of hope in a
time of deep despair.

In a nation that was founded on genocide and then built on the
backs of slaves, it was an unexpected moment, shocking in its
simplicity: Barack Obama, a good man, a black man, said he would bring change to Washington, and the majority of the country liked that idea.

The racists were present throughout the campaign and in the voting
booth. But they are no longer the majority, and we will see their flame of hate fizzle out in our lifetime.

There was another important "first" last night. Never before in
our history has an avowed anti-war candidate been elected president
during a time of war. I hope President-elect Obama remembers that as he considers expanding the war in Afghanistan. The faith we now have will be lost if he forgets the main issue on which he beat his fellow Dems in the primaries and then a great war hero in the general election: The people of America are tired of war. Sick and tired. And their voice was loud and clear yesterday.

It's been an inexcusable 44 years since a Democrat running for
president has received even just 51% of the vote. That's because most Americans haven't really liked the Democrats. They see them as rarely having the guts to get the job done or stand up for the working people they say they support. Well, here's their chance. It has been handed to them, via the voting public, in the form of a man who is not a party hack, not a set-for-life Beltway bureaucrat. Will he now become one of them, or will he force them to be more like him? We pray for the latter.

But today we celebrate this triumph of decency over personal
attack, of peace over war, of intelligence over a belief that Adam and
Eve rode around on dinosaurs just 6,000 years ago. What will it be like to have a smart president? Science, banished for eight years, will
return. Imagine supporting our country's greatest minds as they seek to cure illness, discover new forms of energy, and work to save the planet.
I know, pinch me.

We may, just possibly, also see a time of refreshing openness,
enlightenment and creativity. The arts and the artists will not be seen
as the enemy. Perhaps art will be explored in order to discover the
greater truths. When FDR was ushered in with his landslide in 1932, what followed was Frank Capra and Preston Sturgis, Woody Guthrie and John Steinbeck, Dorothea Lange and Orson Welles. All week long I have been inundated with media asking me, "gee, Mike, what will you do now that Bush is gone?" Are they kidding? What will it be like to work and create in an environment that nurtures and supports film and the arts, science and invention, and the freedom to be whatever you want to be? Watch a thousand flowers bloom! We've entered a new era, and if I could sum up our collective first thought of this new era, it is this: Anything Is Possible.

An African American has been elected President of the United
States! Anything is possible! We can wrestle our economy out of the
hands of the reckless rich and return it to the people. Anything is
possible! Every citizen can be guaranteed health care. Anything is
possible! We can stop melting the polar ice caps. Anything is possible!
Those who have committed war crimes will be brought to justice. Anything
is possible.

We really don't have much time. There is big work to do. But
this is the week for all of us to revel in this great moment. Be humble
about it. Do not treat the Republicans in your life the way they have
treated you the past eight years. Show them the grace and goodness that Barack Obama exuded throughout the campaign. Though called every name in the book, he refused to lower himself to the gutter and sling the mud back. Can we follow his example? I know, it will be hard.

I want to thank everyone who gave of their time and resources to
make this victory happen. It's been a long road, and huge damage has been done to this great country, not to mention to many of you who have lost your jobs, gone bankrupt from medical bills, or suffered through a loved one being shipped off to Iraq. We will now work to repair this damage, and it won't be easy.

But what a way to start! Barack Hussein Obama, the 44th
President of the United States. Wow. Seriously, wow.

Yours,
Michael Moore

That's an interesting viewpoint

I want those 30 seconds of my life back.

Matt

Hahaha ... wait, is he serious.

I got this letter as well. I thought it very well written and elegant.

Originally Posted by Ditch Doc

I thought it very well written and elegant.

Indeed.

All over the world, for people that believe the world can be a better place, the election of Obama as the US' next president, is a moment of great relieve and hope.
For those who believe the world is a hostile place and one can only fold back onto his own group while grabbing what is needed, Obama is a cause of great fear.

I hope the world finally looses the cramp it's been in since 9/11 and starts believing again that mankind, maybe for the first time in history, really has the opportunity and the technological means to rule out the disgrace of humans perishing from war, hunger or lack of health care.
The election of Barack Obama, marks that hope.

Bart.

I hope Obama's Victory speech bodes well for his adminstration. The nation needs FDR, JFK types - hard-core visionaries who see America as more that just those people who are in lock-step with them; we need Lincoln and LBJ types - self-made men who came from nothing, but did not forget it when they achieved wealth and fame.

Unity, not Division
Individual Faith, not Theocracy
Free exchange of Ideas, not Government by Fiat (no, I do not mean the Italian car company)
Accountability and Repsonsibility, not Corruption and Deception

I am not a big fan of Michael Moore - he will never be accused of being nuanced or subtle - but the spirit of his letter is hopful.

I would rather paraphrase Shakespeare (from Richard III):

"Now is the Winter of our discontent
Made glorious Summer by this son of Illinois;
And all the shame that loured upon our Nation
In the deep bosom of an Election buried."

Obama's speach was very good and sent an appropriate tone, as was McCain's.

These are the times that try men's souls. The summer soldier and the sunshine patriot will, in this crisis, shrink from the service of their country; but he that stands by it now, deserves the love and thanks of man and woman. Tyranny, like hell, is not easily conquered; yet we have this consolation with us, that the harder the conflict, the more glorious the triumph. What we obtain too cheap, we esteem too lightly: it is dearness only that gives every thing its value. Thomas Paine "The Crisis"

Never before in our history what? I guess Woodrow Wilson just doesn't count, huh? Or Jimmy Carter. (Just to name two in contemporary American history.) I do so wish Michael Moore would stick to filming his comedies instead of trying to remember history. But he did at least get the grammar and spelling right, so points for him.

The interesting thing will be the naming of his close associates. Lincoln surrounded himself with his enemies. We don't need another era of a President with grand ideas and his cronies marching along with him.