Tonight, Donald Trump will deliver his first State of the Union address. However, an event held Monday night may have just upstaged “The Donald”: The People’s State of the Union.
Current Events
Led by actor Mark Ruffalo, The People’s State of the Union was an opportunity to reignite the anti-Trump movement behind the Dream Act, civil rights, the rights of indigenous peoples, women’s rights and labor rights. Held at New York City’s Town Hall as a protest event to tonight’s Trump speech, the evening was a veritable who’s who among a starry array of Hollywood artists and activists. Michael Moore, Whoopi Goldberg, Amy Schumer, Rosie Perez, Cynthia Nixon and John Leguizamo each delivered rousing, issue-focused speeches. Rapper Common spit lyrics in memory of Trayvon Martin. Singer Andra Day performed a melodic reflection of “Stand Up For Something,” while singer Rufus Wainright delivered a haunting rendition of Leonard Cohen’s “Hallelujah.”
Legendary women’s rights activist Gloria Steinem received a standing ovation from the audience. In a segment regarding women’s rights, #MeToo, pay parity, Time’s Up and the Women’s March, actor Kathy Najimy boldly exclaimed “F*ck locker room talk.”
During a discussion related to immigrant rights, actor/comedian John Leguizamo cracked, “This president makes me long for Ronald Reagan.” He then introduced Christina Jimenez of the immigrant youth network United We Dream, who said “We and our families are undocumented, unafraid, and here to stay,” echoing the organization’s fight to get the Dream Act passed. She also spoke against the immigration plan that Trump is slated to sell during tonight’s State of the Union.
“This Trump plan is nothing more than a white supremacist ransom note,” she said. “We must reject it.”
Current Events
In a wakeup call to all Americans, actor Cynthia Nixon said: “Our American democracy is under attack, and we Americans need to not only cherish and protect it, but to fight for it.” She added, “We must make the firing of Robert Mueller a stark line in the sand, and if Trump crosses it we must take to the streets as never before and make inaction untenable for every elected leader.”
However, it was activist Michael Moore who set The People’s State of the Union on fire in a roof-raising speech that concluded the evening.
“We must remove and replace the system and the culture that gave us Trump in the first place,” Moore said. “He did not just fall out of the sky and land in Queens. He is the result of a decades-long corporate takeover of our democracy and of us, never correcting the three original sins of America: A nation founded on genocide, built on the backs of slaves, and maintained by the subjugation of women.”
Participants of The People’s State of the Union are calling on all anti-Trump Americans to boycott tonight’s State of the Union speech by not watching it.
Thank you for sharing this DJ.
Cynthia Nixon:
“Our American democracy is under attack, and we Americans need to not only cherish and protect it, but to fight for it. We must make the firing of Robert Mueller a stark line in the sand, and if Trump crosses it we must take to the streets as never before and make inaction untenable for every elected leader.”
Michael Moore:
“We must remove and replace the system and the culture that gave us Trump in the first place. He did not just fall out of the sky and land in Queens. He is the result of a decades-long corporate takeover of our democracy and of us, never correcting the three original sins of America: A nation founded on genocide, built on the backs of slaves, and maintained by the subjugation of women.”
Hear-Hear!…and let the Church say AMEN..!
So regarding the possibility that the event last night “upstaged” Trump’s first SOTU address tonight:
I have to say No…I don’t think so. Because while I applaud the speeches by Nixon and Moore, respectively, I wasn’t aware of the event (or the speeches) until DJ posted about it this morning. And I strongly suspect that most Americans were not (and still aren’t) aware of it.
IMO, Trump is most often upstaged by Trump, for better or worse..and it’s usually worse. Much worse. In fact, I can’t recall even one instance where he’s upstaged himself for the better. He’s a 2-legged human disaster. But I digress.
I’d never heard of Cynthia Nixon before DJ’s post. But I am quite aware of Michael Moore. And generally, I’m not fan of his. However, I believe in giving credit where credit is due.
For years now (before Trump) Moore has been at the forefront sounding the *ALARM* about the growing angst and fear and seething anger among “White” poor and working-class Americans who had long felt they’d been “left behind” by both parties. Moore was among the first people I heard publicly warn that Trump could actually win the presidency. The other person to publicly say so, early on, was Congressman Keith Ellison, a Democrat and Muslim to boot, I watched him say it on MSNBC. He was roundly laughed at by the entire panel and the idea was summarily dismissed.
Trump is what happens when the majority of a nation FAILS to “Stay Woke.” So now We have a real nightmare on our hands. And the burning question is – is the majority of the American people ready and willing to fight to save Our country?!
We shall see.
I didn’t hear about this either until right now but it sounds like it was a good idea. Was this on tv or just in person? If Trump last another year I hope they do it again.