Michael Moore: Happy F**kin' Labor Day!

[Jimmie Higgins]

Ok, this is a day late, but entertaining anyway.

http://www.huffingtonpost.com/michael-moore/happy-fuckin-labor-day_b_706802.html?view=print

Michael Moore (http://www.huffingtonpost.com/michael-moore)
Posted: September 6, 2010 08:56 PM

Happy F**kin' Labor Day! (http://www.huffingtonpost.com/michael-moore/happy-fuckin-labor-day_b_706802.html)


Dear Rahm Emanuel:

Happy Fuckin' Labor Day! I read this week that -- according to a new book by Steven Rattner, your administration's former "Car Czar" -- during White House meetings about how to save the tens of thousands of jobs that would be lost if GM and Chrysler collapsed, your response was, "Fuck the UAW! (http://www.huffingtonpost.com/2010/09/02/steven-rattners-overhaul-_n_703070.html)"

Now, I can't believe you actually said that. Maybe Rattner got confused because you drop a lot of F-bombs, or maybe your assistant was trying to order lunch and you said (to Rattner) "Fuck you" and then to your assistant "A&W, no fries."

Or maybe you did mean Fuck the UAW. If so, let me give you a little fucking lesson (a lesson I happen to know because my fucking uncle was in the sit-down strike that founded the fucking UAW).

Before there were unions, there was no middle class. Working people didn't get to send their kids to college, few were able to own their own fucking home, nobody could take a fucking day off for a funeral or a sick day or they might lose their fucking job.

Then working people organized themselves into unions. The bosses and the companies fucking hated that. In fact, they were often overheard to say, "Fuck the UAW!!!" That's because the UAW had beaten one of the world's biggest industrial corporations when they won their battle on February 11, 1937, 44 days after they'd taken over the GM factories in Flint. Inspired by their victory, workers struck almost every other fucking industry, and union after union was born. Had World War II not begun and had FDR not died, there would have been an economic revolution that would have given everyone -- everyone -- a fucking decent life.

Nonetheless labor unions did create a middle class for the majority (even companies that didn't have unions were forced to pay at or near union wages in order to attract a workforce) and that middle class built a great country and a good life. You see, Rahm, when people earn a fucking good wage, they spend it on stuff, which then creates more good paying jobs, and then the middle class grows fucking big. Did you know that back when I was a kid if you had a parent making a union wage, only one parent had to work?! And they were home by 3 or 4pm, 5:30 at the latest! We had dinner together! Dad had four weeks paid vacation. We all had free health and dental care. And anyone with decent grades went to college and it didn't fucking bankrupt them. (And if you ever used the F-word, the nuns would straighten you out in ways that even you couldn't bear to hear about).

Then a Republican fired all the air traffic controllers, a Democrat gave us NAFTA and millions of jobs were moved overseas (hey, didn't you work in that White House, too? "Fuck the UAW, baby!"). Unions got scared and beaten down, a frat boy became president and, like a drunk out of control, spent all our fucking money and our children's money, too. Fuck.

And now your assistant's grandma has to work at fucking McDonald's. Ask her for pictures of what the middle class life used to look like. It was effing cool! I'll bet grandma doesn't say "Fuck the UAW!"

Hey, don't get me wrong, Rahm. I fucking like you. You single-handedly got the House returned to the Dems in 2006. But you and your boss better do something fucking quick to put people back to work. How 'bout making it a crime to take an American job and move it out of the country? In other words, treat it as if It were a fucking national treasure like you would if someone stole the Declaration of Independence out of the National Archives or some poacher stole eggs out of the nest of an America bald eagle.

Or how 'bout arresting some of those Wall Street guys who fucking stole our money, the money that ran the American economy. Now that would take some fucking guts.

And maybe, just maybe, that one act of real guts might save your ass come November 2nd.

Oh, I can just hear you now: "Fuck Michael Moore!" No problem. But Fuck the UAW? How 'bout if I just leave off the 'A' and the 'W'?

Yours,
Michael Moore

[TheCultofAbeLincoln]

fuck yes

Though I don't know why hes still delusional about the dems. Must just be because there's litte to the left.

[the last donut of the night]

I think Michael Moore writes with brilliant clarity and easily connects with the American white working class without being right-wing, something I think we leftists have found hard to do (mainly because most leftist movements in this country don't connect with the working class -- brown or white). However, I think it is a mistake to still use the term "middle class" as separate from the term "working class" because it creates this false dichotomy, that class is fueled by wages more than by relationships to the means of production.

If I seem arrogant, apologies, just my two cents.

[Jazzhands]

Though I don't know why hes still delusional about the dems. Must just be because there's litte to the left.

True, but I can't say it's not unexpected. He's just now (as of his last movie) recovering from a lifetime of being a hardcore Democrat loyalist. I remember I was sort of the same way during my first quarter-year as a leftist. At that time I had not read a single word of Marx. Of course, having a boatload of cash because he CHARGED US TO SEE A MOVIE ABOUT ENDING WAGE SLAVERY :cursing::cursing:undermines your credibility as a self-proclaimed anti-capitalist.

He's just a noob. I think time will tell whether he shapes up or not. I'm not holding my breath.

[zimmerwald1915]

True, but I can't say it's not unexpected. He's just now (as of his last movie) recovering from a lifetime of being a hardcore Democrat loyalist. I remember I was sort of the same way during my first quarter-year as a leftist. At that time I had not read a single word of Marx. Of course, having a boatload of cash because he CHARGED US TO SEE A MOVIE ABOUT ENDING WAGE SLAVERY :cursing::cursing:undermines your credibility as a self-proclaimed anti-capitalist.
Not really. Not in fact being anti-capitalist or holding political positions actually opposed to capitalism undermines his credibility as a self-proclaimed anti-capitalist. Selling the right to show his movies to a bunch of theater chains does not.

[Jimmie Higgins]

Though I don't know why hes still delusional about the dems. Must just be because there's litte to the left.I think that's it exactly. If there was a big movement, then someone is his position would have the choice to support the Dems or support this new movement and they would be forced to confront that question.


recovering from a lifetime of being a hardcore Democrat loyalistActually Moore was very critical of Clinton and helped encourage progressives to abandon the Democrats and make a statement by voting for the Greens. He spoke really well about voting on principle and against lesser-evilism. Of course by 2004, he was making the exact opposite arguments and saying that it was dangerous not to vote for Kerry because the stakes were "too high". So I think this shows that when there is a movement and an alternative, people like this can be convinced to turn against the Democrats.

Even if he never became an outright socialist, if there was a labor party or reformist party in the US with support from workers at a grassroots level, I would bet he'd drop the Dems in a second.


I think Michael Moore writes with brilliant clarity and easily connects with the American white working class without being right-wing, something I think we leftists have found hard to do (mainly because most leftist movements in this country don't connect with the working class -- brown or white).Yeah, I think that's the best thing about him.

[ÑóẊîöʼn]

Michael Moore deftly exposes the political and economic insanities of the US, but his reformism leaves a bad taste in my mouth. Despite having seen many kicked in the teeth by the establishment, he still seems to have some kind of faith in the system.

Why, I have no idea.

[Adi Shankara]

Michael Moore deftly exposes the political and economic insanities of the US, but his reformism leaves a bad taste in my mouth. Despite having seen many kicked in the teeth by the establishment, he still seems to have some kind of faith in the system.

Why, I have no idea.

Because unfortunately, he really does love America, and he was raised with that propagandic belief that this country is a force of good taken over by evil men, when in fact it was always an evil country ran by evil men.

I like the guy, I just wish he'd find it in his heart to promote a more hard-left, Marxist form of socialism.


I think it is a mistake to still use the term "middle class" as separate from the term "working class" because it creates this false dichotomy, that class is fueled by wages more than by relationships to the means of production.

Couldn't have said it better myself.

[the last donut of the night]

I think Moore still carries the liberal belief that yes, the USA has done horrible things throughout its history (slavery, breaking up strikes, the massacres of Indians, imperialist occupations of Vietnam, etc) but that somehow it still continues to be a "beacon of hope" in the world today, even if it fucks it up occasionally. Or that the American history is one big race towards freedom -- here the civil rights movement is shown as an example of progress by the nation.

It's this quasi-religious belief in American exceptionalism that is infectious and truly destroys any emergence of class consciousness. We have to make our point very clear when we address this nation's history: America was, and is built by slavery, genocide, and capitalist accumulation for the enrichment for rich white men who never gave a single fuck about freedom (unless it was freedom for their own profit).

[TwoSevensClash]

Michael Moore deftly exposes the political and economic insanities of the US, but his reformism leaves a bad taste in my mouth. Despite having seen many kicked in the teeth by the establishment, he still seems to have some kind of faith in the system.

Why, I have no idea.

Probably because despite all that shit he still has a good life. In my personal opinion the reason so many American liberals don't make the leap to being communist is since most have a comfortable life they don't won't to rock the boat to much in fear of losing it.

[RadioRaheem84]

Probably because despite all that shit he still has a good life. In my personal opinion the reason so many American liberals don't make the leap to being communist is since most have a comfortable life they don't won't to rock the boat to much in fear of losing it.

Michael Moore and American Liberals suffer from a classic case of what GA Cohen described in his book, "If you're an Egalitarian, how come you're so Rich"?

These guys love their lifestyles but they also love helping the poor and being praised for it. Michael Moore is at least better than the rest and I respect him for being pretty consistent in comparison to the Hollywood chumps that are all over the place with their politics.

In reality though, a lot of Hollywood stars are really libertarians with a hard on for Ayn Rand, not Rawlsian Liberals.