- Friends,
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- This is it. ONE DAY LEFT. There are many things I'd like
to say. I've been on the road getting out the vote for 51 straight days
so I haven't had much time to write.
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- So, I've put together a bunch of notes to various groups
all in this one letter. Please feel free to copy and send whatever portions
are appropriate to your friends and family as you spend these last 24 hours
trying to convince whomever you can to show up and vote for John Kerry.
Here are my final words
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- To Decent Conservatives and Recovering Republicans:
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- In your heart of hearts you know Bush is a miserable
failure. From having no plan on what to do in Iraq once he conquered Baghdad
to the 380 missing tons of explosives that could be used to kill our brave
young men and women, this guy doesn't have a clue how to fight and win
a war. You should see the mail I've been getting lately from our troops
over there. They know how much the Iraqi people hate them. They are sitting
ducks anytime they go out on the road. Many believe we are not that far
away from a Tet-style offensive inside the Green Zone with hundreds of
Americans and Brits killed.
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- Bush refused to go after and capture Osama bin Laden.
He fought, every step of the way, the investigation into the 9/11 attacks.
Who on earth would oppose such a thing? If 3,000 people died at your place
of work and your boss said we don't need to find out why or how it happened,
he'd be thrown out on his ear. Bush's behavior after this great tragedy
alone is reason enough for his removal.
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- You already know that George W. Bush is the farthest
thing from a conservative. He's a reckless spender who has run up record-breaking
deficits and the biggest debt in our history. He believes in having the
government pry into everything from your library records to your bedroom.
He has hit you with hidden taxes with his tax cuts for the rich.
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- I know many of you don't like Bush, but are unsure of
Kerry. Give the new guy a chance. He won't raise your taxes (unless you
are super-rich), he won't take your hunting gun away, and he won't make
you visit France. He risked his life for you many years ago. He's asking
for the chance to do it again. Scott McConnell at The American Conservative
magazine has endorsed him. What more do you need?
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- To My Friends on the Left:
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- Okay, Kerry isn't everything you wished he would be.
You're right. He's not you! Or me. But we're not on the ballot Kerry is.
Yes, Kerry was wrong to vote for authorization for war in Iraq but he was
in step with 70% of the American public who was being lied to by Bush &
Co. And once everyone learned the truth, the majority turned against the
war. Kerry has had only one position on the war he believed his president.
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- President Kerry had better bring the troops home right
away. My prediction: Kerry's roots are anti-war. He has seen the horrors
of war and because of that he will avoid war unless it is absolutely necessary.
Ask most vets. But don't ask someone whose only horror was when he arrived
too late for a kegger in Alabama.
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- There's a reason Bush calls Kerry the Number One Liberal
in the Senate THAT'S BECAUSE HE IS THE NUMBER ONE LIBERAL IN THE SENATE!
What more do you want? My friends, this is about as good as it gets when
voting for the Democrat. We don't have the #29 Liberal running or the #14
Liberal or even the #2 Liberal we got #1! When has that ever happened?
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- Those of us who may be to the left of the #1 liberal
Democrat should remember that this year conservative Democrats have had
to make a far greater shift in their position to back Kerry than we have.
We're the ones always being asked to make the huge compromises and to always
vote holding our noses. No nose holding this time. This #1 liberal is not
the tweedledee to Bush's tweedledum.
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- To Nader Voters: See the above note.
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- Ralph's own party, the Green Party, would not endorse
his run this year. That's because those of us who want to build a third
party in this country know that the only way to do this is to build bridges
with those who believe in the issues Nader believes in. But not one of
those people will sacrifice the chance to remove George W. Bush from the
White House on Tuesday. The choice here is clear: do we join with our friends,
or do we piss on them?
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- After the debacle of 2000, the Democrats got smart and
abandoned the conservative wing of their party. That's why 8 of the 9 Democrats
in the primaries this year were from the liberal wing. Ralph should take
credit for that and declare victory. It's so sad that he doesn't realize
the good he's accomplished. But for reasons only known to him, he's more
angry at the Democrats than he is at Bush. He has lost his compass. I worry
he has lost his mind. But he still gives a great speech!
-
- And Lila Lipscomb, the mother from Flint who lost her
son in Iraq, she still grieves -- as do the mothers of 1,120 others (not
to mention the mothers of the 100,000 Iraqis who have died because of Bush's
war). That's what this election is about. Not Ralph proving some point.
Almost none of us on his 2000 advisory group are supporting him this year.
His total lack of respect for his best friends should tell all of you something
about what he really thinks of you, too.
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- To the Non-Swing States:
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- Stop listening to how your vote doesn't count in this
election and that your state is already decided for Kerry or Bush. It is
critical that you vote because we not only need to give Kerry the electoral
win, but he needs to have a HUGE mandate with an ENORMOUS popular vote
victory as well. It will be impossible for him to get anything done for
four years if there is no clear mandate. We must not only defeat Bush,
we must put a stake in the heart of the right-wing, neo-con movement. If
you live in New York, California, Illinois, Texas, the Northeast or the
Deep South, you need to vote and you need to bring ten people with you
to the polls. If you live in a state where we have the chance to elect
the Democrat to the Senate or the House, you need to vote. Turn off the
TV. Quit listening to news media that has a vested interest in repeating
to you over and over that your vote does not count. It does.
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- If you have friends or relatives who live in the 30-plus
non-swing states, call them and remind them how important it is that Kerry
gets a massive popular vote victory. To Non-Voters:
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- I understand why you stopped voting.
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- Politicians suck. Nothing ever seems to change. You're
only one vote.
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- Yes, politicians suck. But so do car salesmen - and that
hasn't stopped you from buying a car. Politicians only respond to the threat
of the angry mob also known as the voting public. If most people don't
vote, that's good news for them 'cause then they don't have to answer to
the majority.
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- Almost fifty percent of Americans don't vote. That means
you belong to the largest political party in America the Non-Voting Party.
That means you hold all the power to toss George W. Bush out of the Oval
Office. How cool is that?
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- I believe that we are going to have the largest election
turnout in our lifetime tomorrow. You don't want to miss out on that. The
lines at the polls are going to be long and raucous and fun. It is an historic
election. You won't want to say that you were the only one who wasn't there.
Promise me you'll vote, just this one time.
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- To All First-Time Voters:
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- Welcome to the longest running, uninterrupted democracy
on earth. You own it. It's yours.
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- A few words about how messy it's going to be tomorrow.
The lines are going to be long. Bring your iPods. Better yet, bring a friend
or two. The election officials have no clue just how many millions are
going to show up at the polls. This will be the largest turnout in our
lifetime. They don't have enough machines. They are going to have to send
for more ballots.
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- And they are going to make it difficult for you to vote.
The new law says if this is your first time voting you must bring ID with
you that matches the address you are registered at.
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- If for some reason they can't find your name on the voting
rolls, you have the right to ask for a provisional ballot, which you can
fill out and then sort things out later.
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- If you have any problems at the polling place, please
call 1-866-OUR-VOTE. The people there can tell you how to find the precinct
where you should be voting, get you legal help if you are denied the right
to vote, or answer any other questions you may have.
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- If you need any help figuring out the ballot, don't be
afraid to ask. If you screw up your ballot, you can ask for another one.
In fact, the law allows you to screw up your ballot two times before you
finally have to submit your final ballot! Be careful to vote on the line
that says John F. Kerry/John Edwards. Don't vote for more than one Presidential,
Senate or House candidate or you ballot won't be counted. If your polling
place has a stub or a receipt from your ballot, make sure they give you
one.
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- Thanks for joining us. Democracy is not a spectator sport.
It only works when we all come off the bench and participate.
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- To African Americans:
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- First of all, let's just acknowledge what you already
know: America is a country which still has a race problem, to put it nicely.
Al Gore would be president today had thousands of African Americans not
had their right to vote stolen from them in Florida in 2000.
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- Here is my commitment: I will do everything I can to
make sure that this will not happen again. And I'm not the only one making
this pledge. Thousands of volunteer lawyers are flying to Florida to act
as poll watchers and intervene should there be any attempts to deny anyone
their right to vote. They will NOT be messing around.
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- For my part, I have organized an army of 1,200 professional
and amateur filmmakers who will be armed with video cameras throughout
the states of Florida and Ohio. At the first sign of criminality, we will
dispatch a camera crew to where the vote fraud is taking place and record
what is going on. We will put a big public spotlight on any wrongdoing
by Republican officials in those two states. They will not get away with
this as they did in 2000.
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- In Ohio, the Republicans are sending almost 2,000 paid
"poll challengers" into the black precincts of Cleveland in an
attempt to stop African Americans from voting. This action is beyond despicable.
Do not let this stop you from voting. I, and thousand of others, will be
there to fight for you and protect you.
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- To George W.:
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- I know it's gotta be rough for you right now.
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- Hey, we've all been there. "You're fired" are
two horrible words when put together in that order. Bin Laden surfacing
this weekend to remind the American people of your total and complete failure
to capture him was a cruel trick or treat. But there he was. 3,000 people
were killed and he's laughing in your face. Why did you stop our Special
Forces from going after him? Why did you forget about bin Laden on the
DAY AFTER 9/11 and tell your terrorism czar to concentrate on Iraq instead?
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- There he was, OBL, all tan and rested and on videotape
(hey, did you get the feeling that he had a bootleg of my movie? Are there
DVD players in those caves in Afghanistan?)
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- Speaking of my movie - can I ask you a personal question
before we part ways for good on Tuesday? Why did you and your friends fund
SIX "documentaries" trashing me -- but only ONE film against
Kerry? C'mon, he was the candidate, not me. What a waste of your time and
resources! Sure, I know what your pollsters told you, that the film had
convinced some people to vote you out. I just want you to know that that
was not my original intent. Funny things happen at the movies. Hope you
get to see a few at the multiplex in Waco. It's a great way to relax.
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- To John Kerry:
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- Thank you.
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- And don't worry - none of us are going away after you
are inaugurated. We'll be there to hold your hand and keep you honest.
Don't let us down. We're betting you won't. So is the rest of the world.
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- That's it. See you at the polls - and at the victory
party tomorrow night.
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- Yours,
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- Michael Moore
www.michaelmoore.com
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