Michael Moore hits back at Wolf Blitzer for his question about "the charge that either has been made or will be made that (he) is being hypocritical". Blitzer seems to have a bit of trouble understanding that someone can be wealthy themselves and still care about the poor and as Moore notes, those two things don't have to be at odds with each other.
BLITZER: But let's talk about -- most people going to see this movie who don't like you are going to say, you know what? Michael Moore has done pretty well in this capitalist or free market system. You've become a fairly rich guy yourself.
MOORE: Well, first of all, Wolf, there's nobody that doesn't like me. I don't know who these people are.
BLITZER: There are a few.
(CROSSTALK)
MOORE: If you have a list of names...
(CROSSTALK)
BLITZER: A tiny number out there.
MOORE: Provide me with those names, and I will go to their homes and cook them dinner. And perhaps they will like me better.
(LAUGHTER)
MOORE: So, yes. Your point was, I have done well. Yes, for a documentary filmmaker, I have done very well.
BLITZER: You've done very well. And the allegations of...
(CROSSTALK)
BLITZER: ... you're being hypocritical.
(CROSSTALK)
BLITZER: Explain, because you're hearing a lot of that.
MOORE: Why am I against capitalism if I have done so well?
BLITZER: Right.
MOORE: Isn't the question better put -- and I'm not trying to do your job for you -- but wouldn't the question better be, gee, Mike, you have done so well. Why don't you just kick back at the lake and enjoy life? Why are you caring about all these people losing their health care and their jobs and all that? You're not losing yours?
I wonder if there was like a Wolf Blitzer like 200 years ago who asked Thomas Jefferson or John Adams or George Washington, hey, you know, you guys are wealthy landowners. You have benefited from the king's system. What are you complaining about? What is this revolt all about?
It's like, sometimes, people, even people who have actually had the good fortune and blessings in life to not have to struggle with worrying about their health care, whether or not it's going to be here tomorrow or the next week, sometimes, those people actually are willing to take great risks and create sacrifices for themselves, in the hopes that others will have it just as well.
(CROSSTALK)
BLITZER: So, just to respond to the charge that either has been made or will be made that Michael Moore is being hypocritical, you're saying?
MOORE: The charge that will be made. I love it. Now that we're -- where, actually, I have to respond to things that people are going to say to me in the future. I can do that. I can do that, Wolf.
BLITZER: You know it's going to be...
(CROSSTALK)
BLITZER: You've made a lot of money. So, let's go ahead and respond.
MOORE: Yes. Yes. What's the charge again that will happen?
BLITZER: Hypocrisy.
MOORE: Hypocrisy over what?
BLITZER: That you have made a lot of money in this free enterprise, capitalist system, and now you're railing against it.
MOORE: I know. Isn't that amazing? Isn't that amazing, that I actually -- I actually, with a high school education, through my hard work and my ideas, have done OK, and then -- and that I still want to do these things to help people who have it worse off than I, that I'm actually following through on the religious principles that I was raised with that I will be judged by how I treat the least among us?
And I think -- I just think that's an interesting question.
BLITZER: Well, you call capitalism evil, right?
MOORE: Yes.
(CROSSTALK)
MOORE: ... what we have now. BLITZER: What do you want to replace it with?
MOORE: I want to replace it with democracy.
I want an economic system that's run with democratic principles and has a moral and ethical core to it. I want you and I and all the people watching to be able to have a say. And when you say, oh, we get to elect or representatives, well, you and I know the truth of that, that hundreds of millions of dollars are spent every year on lobbying Congress.
And you and I don't have that kind of money to spend on that. So, the average person doesn't get to see the things they would like to see happen. Otherwise, the 75 percent who want universal health care would have universal health care right now.
BLITZER: So, what you're saying is, we don't have a democracy?
MOORE: I'm saying we don't have a complete democracy if the economy is not a democracy.
You can't call it a democracy just because I get to vote every two or four years. There has to be democracy in the economy. There should be democracy in the workplace.
What's wrong with democracy? Why do these companies hate America? What is it about America and our love of democracy where they just go, oh, that's -- that's not good; we think the 1 percent, the richest 1 percent, should be calling all the shots, should be buying the politicians, making the decisions? That's the kind of democracy they like, where the 1 percent control everything.
It's just -- it's not right, it's not fair, it's not American, and it's not part of our Judeo-Christian ethic or whatever religion you belong to. Buddhism, Islam, all the great religions are opposed to the wealthy being in charge and letting the poor suffer as a result of that.
(CROSSTALK)
BLITZER: Which country has an economic system you like?
MOORE: Well, I don't think that this is -- I don't think that exists yet.
I think that we're -- we're talking about usually two ideologies, capitalism and socialism. One's a 16th century idea. One's a 19th century idea. We're in the 21st century. Can't we come up with our own system that meets the needs of this new era and has democracy at its core?
(CROSSTALK)
BLITZER: So, you don't -- you're not a socialist? Are you a socialist? I will just ask the question.
MOORE: I'm a Christian. And I'm a heterosexual, too, if you want to know that.
(CROSSTALK)
BLITZER: But, as far as socialism is concerned, would some emerge from this movie saying Michael Moore is a socialist?
MOORE: Oh, no.
When you walk out of this movie, first of all, you will have had one of the best laughs throughout this film that you have had in a long time, all at the expense of the people down on Wall Street, I might add.
You're going to walk out of this film saying Michael Moore loves this country. Michael Moore is a true patriot. He loves democracy. Michael Moore is following through on the values that his parents and the nuns and the priests gave him as a child.
He considers -- he believes that he is his brother's keeper. He believes that he will be judged by how he treats the least among us in this society. And that's why I encourage -- if there are people who maybe disagree with me politically on other issues, at least, on this one, this film is not about Democrats or Republicans.
In fact, I go after a number of Democrats who are also on the take. We're all in the same boat here, us Americans.
BLITZER: All right.
MOORE: And we're going to sink or swim together.
