Moore on a Roll

While I'm sure that some in our country would actually like to see Michael Moore on a roll in the literal sense, he does seem to be at his best (or worst) when he's pissed off.

With a post today on his website, Mr. Moore is re-injecting himself into the argument by juxtaposing the current health care debate with the subject matter of his last two films, Capitalism: A Love Story and Sicko.

Let's just say that he is less than pleased with the way things are happening:

But don't insult me and 300 million Americans by calling this "health care reform." At least you've stopped calling it "universal health care." We will not have universal health care or anything close to it. I wish the president and the Democratic leadership would just stand up and say, "We're sorry, America. We didn't get the job done you sent us here to do. We're weak and scared and unable to communicate the simplest of messages to the American people. Therefore, our bill will guarantee that 12 million of you will still have NO health insurance. And that's because we have decided to leave the greedy, private insurance industry in charge of our system. Forgive us for this and for continuing to allow profit to be the determining factor as to whether a patient gets the help she or he needs."

Mr. Moore will actually be allowed to populate the mainstream media today to bring some more of his assertions forward. While I've been writing this, I've been listening to him on the Diane Rehm Show on NPR. Ms. Rehm prodded him about his personal experiences, family, and health; the more he talks, the more he sounds like someone not too far removed from mainstream middle class America to retain some credibility with many, regardless of ideological differences or the attempts by conservatives to label him otherwise.

While Mr. Moore has at times pushed the limits of civility (his Oscar acceptance speech back in 2003 made me cringe), he seems to have found his voice more of late. He is easier to listen to, but is still managing to get his point across.

Mr. Moore tells his stories in a very accessible way. Last night I rented Capitalism: A Love Story and put it on while my son and his friends were here. The movie had their attention for at least a good half hour or more.

In his post today, Mr. Moore also related his experience with monitoring police radio frequencies online. His reaction to it was equally interesting, but not unexpected.

Mr. Moore will be on MSNBC and CNN later today, and also stated that he will be "...wandering the halls of Congress with my shillelagh and shamrocks, doing my best impersonation of St. Patrick as I try to drive the snakes out of Capitol Hill. Wish me luck.."

Happy St. Patrick's Day.