Michael Moore: "I am so glad we have that man in the White House."

On Larry King Live Thursday night, Michael Moore was asked about Obama going to Dover, his up-coming decision on Afghanistan, and more. This was the exchange:

KING: What do you mean -- he attended the transfer of bodies at Dover Air Force Base today, of 15 U.S. soldiers were killed in Afghanistan, powerful media images. President Bush did not, he focused away from that. What did you think of that?

MOORE: I thought that was -- I thought that was a very moving, sad, profound moment.

I am so glad we have that man in the White House. Even though I may have whatever disagreements I may have or I wish things were moving faster or whatever, to see that there today, Larry, to show that kind of concern that we never saw in the last eight years, thousands of our young boys and girls gone, dead, returning home, no pictures, no pictures allowed.

And then for him to stand there today proudly as the commander in chief, and to be there for them and for their families, I know this is weighing on him. And I'm going to trust in all my heart that he's going to make the right decision, that he doesn't want this to be called "Obama's war." This cannot be his Vietnam. I don't believe he's going to let that happen.

http://transcripts.cnn.com/TRANSCRIPTS/0910/29/lkl.01.html

I agree with him. How 'bout you?

Michael Moore!

no matter how much Bill tried to get him to agree with him that Obama is the same as Bush.

he's whining that stupid lazyass meme.

trying to get his guests to agree with him. They usually don't.

certain element who don't know what the hell is going on and couldn't care less.

don't agree with him on the Obama=Bush thing, except a few fringe people.

not the first time I've agreed with Michael Moore, and likely not the last.

Unwatchable and unreadable. Its all about sensationalism. Conflict. NO focus on the good. I'm just disgusted. It seems like anymore that Obama doesn't have a fighting chance at getting through the media filter and all the frankly brain dead citizens of the US are just following along blindly.

I agree. Obama can't do ANYTHING right according to the media. Even his trip to Dover was debated: "Was Obama's trip to Dover to see the Dignified Transfer of troops just a photo op as Rush says?" Then they debated the question. That was MSNBC today. :eyes:

Instead of questioning the R's babble they act like it makes sense. Yet question the hell out of Obama's "possible" decisions. And, this election babble is over the top stupid. They must be enjoying selling advertising during election time. Gettin' rich I tell for worthless news (chatter).

Thrown by the idiot utopians!

Give it a little while.

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don't know it.

It was the progressives put under the bus by your ilk, not the other way around.

would be so cool and so competent.

Sometimes the times just reach down and grab the right guy.

but that doesn't stop some from constantly complaining.

let them run for office!!!! they will change their tune quickly, I wouldn't want Obama's job, no freaking way.

All the shit talkers on this board wouldn't last a week in office. Fucking keyboard commandos.

A take off on Gen. Wesley Clark's slogan 'All Patriot - No Act'. :toast:

I was a Clarkie - love the man. I wish Obama had picked him for a cabinet postion.

after all everyone ones Obama is not a progressive and is just like Bush :crazy:

.... most people who are upset with him are that way in spite of LIKING him personally. And perhaps it's their belief that he IS smarter than the average bear, more capable of doing what's right, that causes them to be more critical.

I personally have a problem with folks who air the grievances out in public (I'm not talking about DU) because I think we're stronger with a unified front. But overall, Obama is just so darned likable as a man. And he will always do well because of that fact.

...pulling for the man ~ and for the country.

People are stuck in little details and it consuming. Thank god this president is different.

I have problems with some of the policies which are left over from the last administration and also the fact that things aren't moving as fast as I'd like. But in no way shape or form is Barack Obama "just like Bush". Nor is Joe Biden or Hillary Clinton or Tim Geither or Rahm Emanuel.

Policy is one thing but heart and common sense is quite another...

Very nice post.

:hi:

It ought to be on posters everywhere. :)

;-)

It ought to be on posters everywhere. :)

:P

although I can't back it up with a dog. :)

Bless him.

That's a lot of what gets lost in the hot air and ideological dick-waving around here. It's ENTIRELY possible to disagree with Obama on many issues, even VERY strongly, and still believe that at heart he's a thoughtful, compassionate, highly intelligent man whose humanitarianism is deep and sincere.

It's that fundamental issue of character that makes ANY * comparison shameful. * was a silver-spoon-sucking sociopath who was fundamentally incapable of recognizing anyone outside of his class and cronies as fully human or important in any way.

I don't think we should give Obama a totally free pass just because * lowered the bar so far an earthworm couldn't limbo under it. But I see nothing wrong with continuing to embrace the joy that we have SUCH a dramatic improvement.

It really can't be done. And the damage is so severe, sometimes i fear that no one will be able to fix it.

I really do have faith that we have the best man possible for the job. I bless him for being willing to take it on - he's smart enough to know how bad it is.

But the job is SO Herculean.

You have to go back at least to 1981 when Reagan & Poppy took over. And yes, you have to also acknowledge the reality that the damage did NOT take a break between 1993 and 2001. In fact, some of the worst damage actually took place in the 90's. NAFTA, the repeal of Glass-Steagol, and the 1996 Telecommunications/Rupert Murdoch enabling act, just to name a few examples.

And finally you have to admit that the likes of Rubin, Summers, and Geithner can no more save us than the goddamn Easter Bunny can.

very severe damage, after that asinine bush and cheney.

like some presidents were, I would just like to see a new Congress altogether that is Obama's biggest obstacle.

For Moore AND for President Obama.

I may disagree with some of what he's doing, but overall the improvement over the past eight miserable years is SO vast that it's almost unmeasurable.

MM knows how to criticize without losing perspective - a lesson for many here on DU.

Everyone will open their eyes.

Thanks for that.

No problemo! :hi:

It would not be possible for him to go in and get the kind of change we need done by kicking anyone's ass, by grandstanding, by becoming a kind of "democratic dictator" who we think is just fine because he is on our side. I believe he's out there doing the hard, detailed work to try to represent the country, as much of it as he can, even the conservatives if they'll let him. It's not big and glamorous and likely to look impressive until we begin to realize that things are getting better. And I'm certain that, if we let them, they will. That's just me, but he'll be there whether I believe in him or take the paranoid view, and I work hard to remember the difference between healthy scepticism and paranoia that won't protect me from anything anyway.

Good for Michael Moore!

Have been disappointed at those who will defend his every single action regardless of whether or it is a good idea.


Michael Moore is right and I am also glad that Obama is there. But there are no freebies. When he makes a decision that I disagree with I call him on it.


Honestly though I reserve most of my venom for the damnable BlueCross Blueshield dogs.

I am proud of my President, and I am proud of Michael Moore!

about sending people to fight and die? I think he went to Dover to more profoundly "feel" the weight of his up-coming decision.

And his OTHER actions, such as showing respect to Muslim countries, has gone a long way in making us not only safer as a country but more admired as a country. He has said things that weren't popular to not only Muslims, but to Israelis. Obama has LOTS of courage whether you're impressed or not.

Clearly (well, maybe) Barack is better than W and or McCain but as one who is actually a Liberal Democrat, I find his cabinet appointments, handling of the financial bail-outs, failure to lead on health care, continued inaction on prosecutions and investigation of the Cheney administration and a host of other issues not entirely cause for jubilation.

The Dover salute is, to me, expected common decency and maturity. I am glad he did it but... again it's a comparison the elevates.

Compared to Cheney he's a saint but...

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He is infinitely better than W and McCain! And the proof is in the many accomplishments just in the past 9 months!

you don't like ANY of his cabinet choices? I do. And he can't do everything in 9 months!

Does his "care" for the dead make them less dead? Does it make the wars they die in less pointless? No. I expect someone who cares about lives to not spend them so haphazardly.

decision as it will certainly weigh on him. Obama caring, unlike Bush, makes a LOT of difference in what he does re: Afghanistan.

Still holding out hope that we are wrong.

coming from someone who thinks we're in the same place as we were a year ago and we'll be in the same place in 3 years as we are now. :eyes:

Or has he been perfect?

in the same place it was a year ago.

or some nonsense like that.

questioned me on it. I have to prove that I don't see Obama as "the Messiah." I have yet to see you agree with anything he's done. Even going to Dover you see as just a photo op.

and I'm going to wish you well and move on. Cheers. :hi:

By running for, and winning the highest profile job in the world he made himself and his the family the targets for every murderous racist, fascist, religious zealot, and general nutjob out there.

You can't tell me that Obama doesn't have courage.

would much prefer to see the unequivocal removal of our troops asap.

and a dismantling of the MIC, eradication of the CIA, oh just a whole laundry list of things i would prefer to see.

having said that, allow me to add that i am so glad we have that man in the white house.

That's about all I can agree with at this point. And I love Michael Moore more than I love Obama.

Moore thinks so highly of Obama. :hi:

:)

KING: Good evening, the Oscar winning filmmaker and bestselling author Michael Moore with us first. He's in Travers City, Michigan, and later his counterpart, or the other side of the coin, will be presented by Congressman Ron Paul.

His documentary, a runway hit, is "Capitalism, a Love Story" in theaters everywhere.

Concerning health care Michael, public option, is the big news today. The Democrats have unveiled sweeping legislation that includes a controversial public health option. Does that make you happy?

MOORE: Well, actually, the so-called public option that got announced today is the public option that about 90 percent of the American people will not be allowed to avail themselves of.

So I don't know how you can -- how they can really call this a real -- it's not the robust public option that the Speaker of the House promised us. But I realize the Democrats want one in the win column. So that's what they've decided to do.

And I think it's disappointing...

KING: Michael, it's going to cost $894 billion over ten years and apparently guarantees 96 percent of Americans coverage.

MOORE: Yes, it -- well, first of all, about 80 percent, 85 percent of Americans already have some form of coverage right now. What this does is it guarantees that the profit-making insurance companies are still going to be able to control our health care process. And that's the real story. That's what we should really be talking about.

The $800 billion that you spoke of, by the way, that's actually over those ten years going to be a savings, because if they do this right, if they -- if we have true universal health care and if it's done the right way, we'll actually save money, as President Obama says.

But, you know, I just feel bad that the Democrats felt like they had to cave on this and to compromise so early on when they didn't have to. I feel that, you know, we could have gotten so much more. The American people wanted more than this.

But, you know, this was the kind of can weak-kneed approach to claiming victory, I guess.

KING: Are you saying there is no a public option in this bill?

MOORE: No, no, there is a public option. But most Americans, the vast majority of Americans, will not be able to choose. In other words, the average person, the real good public option...

KING: Why?

MOORE: ... because to allow any American to buy the same kind of insurance that Congress has. That was the original idea, to allow Americans to buy a federal health insurance plan that would be cheaper than the profit-making insurance companies.

Well, of course, most people would want to buy the cheaper insurance policy, get the same amount of care, that would obviously put a lot of the private insurance companies out of business and that's the one thing they wanted to make sure wouldn't happen. And so, therefore, the private insurance companies are protected tonight.

And some of the things that they're claiming victory over, like they won't be able to -- the private insurance companies now won't be able to stop you because you have a preexisting condition. Well, that's true. That's a very good part of this bill the Democrats are proposing.

But the fine for the insurance companies if they do deny you care is so low compared to how much savings they'll have if they just deny you as opposed to having to pay out $50,000 or $100,000 for an operation or cancer treatments or whatever.

So, look, there's still time for amendments to go onto this bill. There's still time for people to call their members of Congress and say, look, you promised a robust public option, one that all of us would have a chance to buy into. That's not what this bill is about.

KING: Your film "Sicko" is a scathing example of America's for profit health care system. Here's a former healthcare executive who says that it benefits the company to deny coverage to someone who is ill. What this from "Sicko."

"I am so glad we have that man in the White House."

seeing the big picture and he loves his country.

It's so refreshing to have a true lefty up there like MIchael Moore and Alan Grayson who aren't in it for how they can grandstand and play to their audience.

And I'd rather THOSE lefties approve of Obama than a few lefties on this message board. :hi:

have such exemplary supporters for our Prez:)

:hi:

and voted Democrat straight down the line in VA today. While they're flawed the Republicans are even more so. I'll be supporting President Obama and the party as best I may for his entire term, then I will assess if further support is warranted.

/>

Set out to see "Capitalism" this week -- totally gone from my area in like

a week --!!!

President Obama is doing some serious mopping

i may not agree with all his policy decisions and some of the people he's hired to key positions, but i am very glad that Barack Obama is our president.
:patriot:

:sarcasm:

This is the same guy our blue dogs "love to hate" because he supported Nader over Gore in 2000. Oh, but now Michael Moore's golden? :crazy:

I'm not doing cartwheels since he continues renditions and summary executions via drone. Don't even get me started on the economy.

Obama has accomplished so much in his first 9 months. But you never supported Obama anyway.

Short was one of the Firey-est Obama fans on the whole damn board.

the feelings of last year. That was a truly heady time.