Some of the celebrity personalities who supported Obama's election lent their support to the creation of The People Speak. For example, Bruce Springsteen sang, "This Land is Your Land during the special, a song that was sung at Obama's Inaugural Celebration earlier this year by musicians like Pete Seeger.
Matt Damon, Morgan Freeman, Danny Glover, John Legend, Bob Dylan, and others involved no doubt voiced support for Obama at some point in the last couple of years (which leads one to wonder if any of them asked the president to watch this special event Sunday night).
There's a level of discord occurring when actors and musicians read the words of heroes in the people's history of America after they have voted for a president to bring the American people change, something past presidents historically have fought to prevent from happening for the people when president.
Viewing The People Speak, one might realize the arguments and differences we have over who will be a good or bad leader, the different conceptions of what one can and cannot do as a leader in government, and the different ideas on how the people can benefit from and share in the power these leaders may enjoy in government upon being elected to office prevent us from the real organizing that has led to real action and real social movements for better laws, policies and programs in America.
One realizes the people of this country do not need the leader of this nation to be on their side to rule. The president does not need the consent of the governed to defend this nation's ruling class' interests at the expense of lower classes.
And, the president will take little note of public opinion as he works to control public unrest in times of economic strife and civic arousal.
The people have no interest in being a part of the decision-making process that leads to more brutalizing and maiming of civilians in Afghanistan, that sends tens of thousands more troops to countries in the Middle East to kill and be killed physically or psychologically, that defends the right of health insurance companies to sell a flawed product to consumers, that will bail out banks before bailing out people facing home foreclosure crises, economic rape from credit card companies, or joblessness on an obscene scale, that fights meaningful action to halt global warming and restore and protect Mother Earth in the face of corporate domination and exploitation, etc.
The People Speak shows the people have an interest in food, shelter, health, education, a job with a decent income, family, community, and all other things are things people have been duped into believing they want or need in the consumer society we live in or the empire we live under.
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