>>> YOU DEPLOY BECAUSE YOUR NATION SENDS YOU TO THESE
PLACES.
PLACES. AND THEN ONE DAY YOU COME HOME
AND YOU REALIZE IT WAS ALL A
LIE.
LIE. OUR TOWN IS DYING.
ONE OUT OF EVERY FOUR HOMES IS
ABANDONED.
ABANDONED. AND YOU GET TOLD KEEP PICKING UP
TRASH AND LET LEADERS DO WHAT
LEADERS DO.
LEADERS DO. ELECTED DED LEADERS IN OUR TOWNS
OUR STATES, IN OUR COUNTRY,
ABSOLUTELY ARE SELF-SERVING.
YOU KNOW, YOU COME HOME AND YOU
REALIZE THAT I CAN TAKE YOU FIVE
MINUTES FROM HERE AND SHOW YOU
WHERE KIDS HAVE IT WORSE THAN
THE KIDS I SAW IN IRAQ AND
AFGHANISTAN.
AFGHANISTAN. SO THAT IS WHY I COME BACK HERE
AND I STARTED SPEAKING UP FOR
THE THINGS THAT I BELIEVE IN.
AND I WILL NOT SHUT UP FOR
NOBODY.
NOBODY. >> THAT WAS RICHARD OJEDA, THE
DEMOCRAT RUNNING FOR U.S.
CONGRESS IN WEST VIRGINIA WHO
GAINED NATIONAL ATTENTION FOR
HELPING TEACHERS IN THE STATE
WIN A PAY RAISE.
MICHAEL MOORE SPEAKING WITH HIM
THERE IN HIS NEW FILM.
SO EDDIE, LET’S GET YOU LAUNCHED
INTO THIS CONVERSATION.
MICHAEL WAS TALKING A LOT ABOUT
THE CONCERN THAT CLINGING TO
HOPE COULD EVEN BE DANGEROUS AT
THIS POINT.
THIS POINT. BUT WHEN YOU LOOK AT THE
ACTIVISM THAT THIS PRESIDENCY
HAS SPARKED, AND YOU LOOK AT THE
PEOPLE RUNNING FOR OFFICE, ISN’T
THAT THE BEAUTY OF THE PROCESS?
AND ISN’T THAT HELPFUL?
>> ABSOLUTELY.
>> ABSOLUTELY. I WOULD WANT TO MAKE A
DISTINCTION BETWEEN HOPE AND
OPTIMISM.
OPTIMISM. OPTIMISM WOULD BE DANGEROUS IN
THIS MOMENT.
THIS MOMENT. HOPE IS I THINK THE SOURCE OF
THE IMAGINATIVE LEAD THAT ALLOWS
US TO SEE BEYOND THE DARKNESS OF
THE MOMENT.
THE MOMENT. WHEN YOU WILL BEREFT OF HOPE, IT
BECOMES DIFFICULT TO SEE WHAT IS
POSSIBLE BEYOND THE UGLINESS OF
NOW.
NOW. SO I THINK HOPE IS ABSOLUTELY
ESSENTIAL.
ESSENTIAL. BUT OPTIMISM, THAT IS THAT STUFF
FROM VOLTARE, JUST THE BEST OF
ALL POSSIBLE WORLDS.
DON’T WANT TO DO THAT.
BUT I WANT TO SAY THIS.
DONALD TRUMP, THIS OBSESSION
WITH TRUMP ABSOLVES US OF OUR
SINS.
SINS. HE BECOMES -- HIS SHOULDERS BEAR
THE NATIONAL BURDEN OF THE
UGLINESS THAT IS IN ALL OF US.
IT IS SO EASY FOR US TO JUST
DISPLACE IT ALL ON TO HIS
SHOULDERS AND HE BECOMES THE
EMBODIMENT OF THE EVIL.
WHEN DONALD TRUMP IS IN FACT AN
XAAGE AGE
XAAGE AGE EX-AGE RATE -- EXAGGERATED
INDICATION OF WHAT IS GOING ON
IN WHITE AMERICA, IN URBAN
AMERICA.
AMERICA. DONALD TRUMP REPRESENTS WHAT IS
REALLY UGLY ABOUT WHO WE ARE.
AND WE’RE ALWAYS FALLING BACK
INTO THIS POLLYANISH STORIES
ABOUT AMERICA ALWAYS ON THE ROAD
TO A MORE PERFECT UNION, WHEN
THE AMERICAN IDEA.
AND IT SECURES US FROM THE FACT
THAT WE DON’T HAVE CLEAN WATER
IN FLINT, THAT WE HAVE CHILDREN
PLAYING IN PLAYGROUNDS IN EAST
ST. LOUIS THAT ARE STILL TOXIC T
US OF DEREGULATION.
SO PART OF WHAT I’M TRYING TO
SUGGEST HERE IS THAT WE CAN
FOCUS ON TRUMP.
BUT WHAT TRUMP IS IS NOT -- I
DON’T WANT TO USE THE LANGUAGE
OF -- IT MAKES IT BETTER FOR US.
HE PRESENTS AN OPPORTUNITY FOR
US TO ACTUALLY REIMAGINE
OURSELVES AS A COUNTRY IN THE
FACE OF THE UGLINESS THAT WE
SEE, NOT JUST IN HIM, BUT THAT
WE SEE IN MITCH McCONNELL, THAT
WE SEE IN PAUL RYAN, IN OUR
NEIGHBORS, OUR WORKPLACE, THAT
WE SEE ALL AROUND THE COUNTRY.
TRUMP IS JUST ONE INDICATION OF
IT, TO MY MIND AT LEAST.
>> HE SEWS DOUBT.
IT’S ONE OF THE WORST ATTRIBUTES
SOMEONE CAN HAVE, TO BE SOWING
DOUBT CONSTANTLY.
DOUBT CONSTANTLY. IT’S DESTRUCTIVE, DIVISIVE.
MICHAEL STEELE, WHAT ABOUT WHAT
EDDIE IS SAYING IN I DON’T THINK
IT’S ABOUT TRUMP.
ARE THEY LIVING UP TO THE
RESPONSIBILITY?
RESPONSIBILITY? >> I WOULD AGREE IT’S NOT JUST
ABOUT TRUMP.
ABOUT TRUMP. I DON’T THINK IT’S ABOUT THE
DEMOCRATIC PARTY.
DEMOCRATIC PARTY. DEMOCRATS VOTED FOR TRUMP TOO,
AND DEMOCRATS WILL VOTE FOR
TRUMP IN 2020.
THAT IS THE UNDER LYING TRUTH.
EDDIE PUTS HIS FINGER ON AN
IMPORTANT POINT ABOUT HOW THIS
IS REFLECTED BACK IN SO MANY
WAYS ON US.
BUT THE TRUTH OF THE MATTER IS,
TO THE LAST POINT YOU MADE,
EDDIE, I THINK WE’RE HERE
BECAUSE THIS IS WHERE WE WANT TO
BE.
BE. I MEAN, WE CAN SIT BACK AND WE
CAN, YOU KNOW, TALK ABOUT A HOPE
AND WE CAN TALK ABOUT CHANGE, WE
CAN TALK ABOUT OPTIMISM.
WE ARE WHERE PEOPLE WANT US TO
BE.
BE. AND SO WE DON’T MOVE FROM HERE
UNTIL WE DECIDE WE WANT TO MOVE
FROM HERE.
FROM HERE. SO I GUESS I GO BACK TO MICHAEL
MOORE’S POINTS THAT HE WAS
MAKING WHICH BEGS THE QUESTION,
THEN WHAT DO YOU DO?
BECAUSE THE TRUTH OF THE MATTER
IS, PEOPLE ARE WHERE WE ARE
BECAUSE THIS IS A REFLECTION OF
THE MOMENT.
THE MOMENT. AND THERE ARE A LOT OF PEOPLE
RIGHT NOW WHO ARE LISTENING TO
THIS CONVERSATION AND GOING,
WELL, I’M PERFECTLY FINE WITH
THIS.
THIS. I’M OKAY.
I’M OKAY. I HAVE A PRESIDENT WHO’S TELLING
IT LIKE I WANT IT TOLD.
SO WHERE’S THE COUNTERNARRATIVE?
IS THE COUNTERNARRATIVE A
CONTINUING GNASHING OF TEETH
ABOUT DONALD TRUMP AND HOW UGLY
AND DARK THESE TIMES ARE.
FOR A LOT OF AMERICANS THERE’S
LIGHT FOR THEM.
THEY FEEL GOOD RIGHT NOW.
THEY FEEL BETTER THAN THEY’VE
FELT IN A LONG TIME BECAUSE THEY
GOT A FIGHTER, THEY GOT SOMEONE
WHO’S GOING TO PUSH BACK AGAINST
THE CRAZY SYSTEM THAT HAS KEPT
THEM DOWN.
THEM DOWN. THERE ARE PEOPLE WHO LOOK AT
THIS FLINT SITUATION AND GO,
YEAH, THAT’S BECAUSE THE DEEP
STATE WANTS IT THAT WAY.
MAYBE TRUMP WILL CHANGE THAT.
WE DON’T KNOW IF THAT’S TRUE OR
NOT, IF YOU WILL, BUT FOR A LOT
OF PEOPLE THAT’S THEIR HOPE.
AND THAT’S WHAT THEY’RE PUSHING
ON RIGHT NOW.
WE’RE HERE BECAUSE WE WANT TO BE
HERE.
HERE. >> TO THAT POINT, WE DON’T KNOW
WHERE WE REALLY ARE GOING TO GO.
BUT WE CERTAINLY HAVE SEEN WHAT
WE’VE BEEN THROUGH.
AND I THINK, MICHAEL, YOU HAD
SUCH AN INTERESTING
CONVERSATION, YOU SAID, WITH
STEVE BANNON ABOUT HIS THOUGHTS.
AND IT EVEN AFFECT ED HOW YOU
FINISHED YOUR FILM.
>> A MONTH OR SO AGO I WANTED
HIM TO COME ON CAMERA WITH ME
AND MY FILM AND TELL ME HOW HE
PULLED THIS OFF.
AND WE SAT DOWN FOR TWO HOURS.
AT THE END HE AGREED, SMARTLY,
FOR HIMSELF PROBABLY, NOT TO BE
IN MY -- BUT HE SAID THE
DIFFERENCE BETWEEN OUR SIDE AND
YOUR SIDE IS THAT WE GO FOR THE
HEAD WOUND.
HEAD WOUND. AND YOUR SIDE LIKES TO HAVE
PILLOW FIGHTS.
PILLOW FIGHTS. AND THE TRUTH OF THAT STATEMENT,
JUST REALLY, YOU KNOW, WAS
SEARING TO ME.
BECAUSE OUR SIDE, AND YOU TALKED
ABOUT THE REPUBLICAN PARTY HERE,
YOU’VE TALKED ABOUT TRUMP, WE
REALLY HAVEN’T DISCUSSED THE
ROLE OF THE OLD GUARD OF THE
DEMOCRATIC PARTY THAT HAS KEPT
BACK AND HAS TRIED TO STOP THE
ALEXANDRIA COR AT THE TEZ’S OF O
WORLD.
WORLD. THE LARGEST PARTY IS THE
NON-VOTERS PARTY, OVER 1 MILLION
PEOPLE DON’T VOTE.
THEY DON’T VOTE BECAUSE STATES
MAKE IT HARD FOR THEM TO VOTE.
IT’S ALSO BECAUSE THEY HAVE
REACHED THE POINT OF
HOPELESSNESS.
HOPELESSNESS. THEY SEE THAT NEITHER PARTY WILL
HELP THEM.
HELP THEM. WHAT WE HAVE ON THE BALLOT IN
NOVEMBER, THOUGH, ARE A WHOLE
DIFFERENT GROUP OF CANDIDATES.
THERE ARE SO MANY PROGRESSIVE,
YOUNG WOMEN, PEOPLE THAT YOU
NORMALLY HADN’T SEEN ON THE
BALLOT BEFORE THAT YOU’RE GOING
TO SEE NOW IN NOVEMBER THAT I
THINK, I HOPE, WILL GIVE A
REASON FOR THE NON-VOTERS TO
COME OUT.
COME OUT. WE SHOULD NOT BE TRYING TO
CONVINCE TRUMP VOTERS AT THIS
POINT.
POINT. IF YOU’RE STILL FOR TRUMP AFTER
TWO YEARS OF WHAT YOU’VE SEEN, I
DON’T KNOW WHAT CAN BE DONE.
YOU’RE STILL WELCOME AT
THANKSGIVING DINNER, BUT THAT’S
ABOUT IT.
ABOUT IT. WE SHOULD BE SPENDING EVERY
MINUTE AND OUNCE OF OUR ENERGY
ON REACHING OUT TO PEOPLE AND
SAYING, HEY, LOOK WHO WE’VE GOT
ON THE BALLOT THIS TIME.
IT’S NOT THE SAME OLD, SAME OLD.
THE PEOPLE OF FLINT, MICHIGAN,
THEY LEARNED SOME TIME AGO THAT
THE DEMOCRATIC PARTY WASN’T
GOING TO COME TO THE RESCUE.
AND I SHOW IN THE FILM, SADLY,
WHAT THE CANDIDATE AND PRESIDENT
OBAMA DID TO DEPRESS THE VOTE.
IF 8,000 AFRICAN-AMERICANS IN
FLINT WHO VOTED FOR OBAMA IN HIS
TWO ELECTIONS AND THEN DID NOT
VOTE FOR HILLARY.
DID NOT SHOW UP TO VOTE IN 2016.
THEY HAD ESSENTIALLY GIVEN UP
BECAUSE THEY WERE BEING POISONED
EVERY DAY FOR A NUMBER OF YEARS.
AND NOT GETTING ANY HELP.
BUT THERE HAS BEEN A SHIFT IN
TERMS OF WHO IS ON THE BALLOT IN
NOVEMBER.
NOVEMBER. AND I AM ENCOURAGING NON-VOTERS
TO COME BACK JUST THIS LAST
TIME.
TIME. THIS MAY BE THE LAST TIME.
IT MAY BE -- STEPHEN COLBERT
JOKED WHEN HE INTRODUCED AFTER
THE ELECTION THE LAST PRESIDENT
OF THE UNITED STATES.
THAT’S FUNNY, BUT THERE’S SOME
TRUTH TO IT.
AND WE HAVE TO UNDERSTAND THAT
TRUMP, HE’S ALWAYS LYING, BUT
HE’S ALWAYS TELLING THE TRUTH.
HE IS TELLING YOU WHAT HE’S UP
TO, WHAT HE’S GOING TO DO AND
HOW HE’S GOING TO MAKE THE
COUNTRY, IN HIS IMAGE AND
LIKENESS.
LIKENESS. AND THIS HAS TO BE STOPPED, ALL
OF US, OFF THE COUCH, OFF THE
BENCH, INTO THE GAME, EVERYBODY,
EVEN -- SO YOU SAY YOU’RE A
REPUBLICAN.
REPUBLICAN. MAYBE WE DISAGREE ON THINGS.
BUT ONE THING WE AGREE ON IS,
OUR TIME IS UP, RIGHT NOW.
>> MICHAEL MOORE.
THE FILM IS "FAHRENHEIT 11/9" IN
THEATERS NATIONWIDE THIS FRIDAY.
WE ONLY HAD A HALF HOUR THIS
TIME.
TIME. YOU GUYS GOT TO COME BACK SOON.