But, you, know, I was talking to one of the people of the union the other day, and she was saying "you know, part of this is our fault, that we didn't create enough pressure on Obama to do the right thing, to get him to stick to his original principle, that he believed in, which was single payer. That's what was his original belief. But he's the kind of politician as we know, that's just not gonna do this on his own, he needs to know that he's got, that we have his back, so when we get around to the next phase, and that's what this is, we've won some of his early phases. We got ways to go, but I think we should really seize this moment right now because people are up, our side is up, they are not depressed this week. It sure is. I assume you've been meeting here today, talking about strategy, what to do right"that's tomorrow?
(Chatter)
Occupy Wall Street
Let me tell you what's great about your particular group, and what my advice or plea to you is. In any political movement there are different groups that have their job to do. I'm gonna talk about this tonight. Occupy Wall Street here, "what happened by Wall Street", I say, "what do you mean what happened?", even if they didn't get another jet somewhere, they have won the first two battles that you have to win in any movement. The first piece of any movement is the agitation, you have to wake people up, and they woke people up. Somebody has to sit at front of the bus, somebody has to be hosed down by the sheriff, somebody has to suffer essentially, they have to put themselves on the line, probably be injured, maybe arrested, sadly, sometimes killed. But that's how it starts, and that wakes the populous up, and once they're awake, you have to educate them, and that's the next thing, where I keep my wall street in, because really within weeks everybody was talking about the 99% vs. the 1%. That's pretty much the only education lesson they needed to know, that the 1% are controlling X% of our wealth, the 400 richest Americans have more than the 50% of Americans under the second part of, the economy's strata in this country. People did not know this, they did not talk about this.
We went to see Shakespeare in the park, it was for the 50th anniversary in New York, and, so the director of the public theatre Joseph Papp, operation, came by the microphone, he wants to, "we thank our sponsors, "the West 13th st. Foundation"(he makes applaud sounds) , and we wanna thank thank Dr. Susan and so and so"(he makes applause sounds)"and most of all we'd like to thank Bank of America, because without Bank of America, none of this, he says, none of this would be possible.
Not even one applause, not one crazy person, not one hand clapped, that's the degree of occupy Wall Street. If those kids did nothing else, except just go back to school now, they have already done something hugely historical. They moved the ball down to the field, they were able obviously because of their job, their job is not to carry the ball across that goldmine, but that's our job and now the next page has to happen has to happen, and you have to be at the forefront of this and you have to have an attitude to take no prisoners.
This is not the time for compromise, there is gonna be plenty of people that we know, that are gonna do the compromising for us, but don't be like president Obama where he comes in to this, with a compromise, we have to stay hardcore to what we believe, this is it, do not relent on this, we may not get 100% of what we want but that's life, right, but I swear to god if we keep going after this with just 50% we're gonna end up with 10%. So groups like this have got to buck up and lead this fight, and know that the majority of Americans are behind you. That is what's so incredible about this. All the polls showed before the whole Obamacare thing was that the majority of Americans did believe in Universal healthcare, so we don't have to convince them up this idea. So our job's already been done for us. In other movements in the past, it took years if you are old enough to remember. Martin Luther King and the civil rights movement in the 50s before it was entered in the legislation to stop the discrimination. How long thad he Vietnam War gone before the opposition was really that huge. It didn't happen overnight. Remember the march in the "65. These hundred movement, women's movement, gay marriage 2004, how all the states had banned it, it looked like the end of that, right Here we are 8 years later, 54% of the American public believe that gay marriage should be the law of the land"I mean yes. Wow. So what I'm saying is that we don't have to struggle through all those years of trying to get people over on our side, that's what is usually the hardest part of any movement to convince them to be on your side, they're on our side, so now the onus is on us. We have an army of allies, how are we going to lead this army? How are we going to make this happen? They don't know how to make it happen, and they don't think it can happen, and they wish somebody would do something. They see something and they get involved and whatever, they wanna get involved, this is the job that you have to do, I'm sorry to lay this on you, because I'm gonna go back and have a beer, or something and, I mean, I'll do my part, but this, this, I'm not this group. I hope you know the important historical place that you hold right no. 50 years from now, when they write about this time, they're write about this place, it is hard to see it sometimes when you're in, but right now, and the whole nation is juiced up about healthcare, and it's going to be topic A or B for the rest of this year,. Let's make some hay out of this, and let's not be on the defensive trying to defend a weak bill. Let's push for the things that we want to see happen, and believe that our fellow Americans would like to see those things happen too, right? So there, you don't have to have the strategy meeting tomorrow. I'm kidding.
Please I just wanted to say that tonight, I want to thank those of you who are here supporting our health-care now through your donations, or whatever, everyone truly appreciates it"for helping out this group so continue to help them
And now you just whispered in my ear that Wendell Potter's here. I never actually met him. I wanted this to be a private moment; now it's gonna be a public moment"we'll talk privately. Thank you for your courage. I'm sure you've inspired others around the country to do the right thing. They see others doing it, and if they see the results of it, good results, that other people go, you know I can do that too, you're not crazy, or Boise or Missoula or Kansas city, or whatever, I can do that too, cause I see what's going on, I'm gonna speak up, so thank you, Wendell, for that, and I'm sorry, we have to meet this way. I don't wanna whine on my condition, but when you are a public person, you get so few private moments, you know and if you don't have those, right, pieces of your soul start to, and then you know start to, and then you start using heroin. Anyways, I'll take two or three questions.
Man in the audience:
Is there going to be a Sicko two?
Moore:
No, we don't need to. It's not necessary. Everybody knows what the problem is, in that the movie is as relevant today as it was five years ago. Nothing has changed.
Audience Questioner
God forbid, god forbid, but what do you think we, you can interpret we however you want, we should do if for some reason Romney does get elected?
Moore:
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