The best clip ever! Thankyou Lawrence

Thanks Lawrence! I posted on my Facebook page!

This video articulates what I've been saying every time someone asks me why I'm a liberal. It mystifies me how some people are seemingly afraid of the word "liberal" and see fit to re-cast themselves as something else entirely.

I am liberal, dammit, and it is indeed a badge of honor!

There were so many great speeches on West Wing but this "Live" episode was so powerful, I remember crying through the whole thing! (yeah, I'm a socialist/liberal/female!). Over the years, that particular speech often comes to mind when I'm frustrated by Dems not going far enough to stand up for what we believe in! Was I the only one who was hoping that Obama would be a true life version of Santos? Top drawer show Lawrence and team!

Fabulous Lawrence!! The West Wing speech as awesome. Every Democrat should remember this when when faced with the opposition! I appreciate you sharing this piece with your viewers. It was a great way to communicate exactly was our party stands for, which is the people. Liberals stand for all the people of the nation. Unfortunately so many are misguided. I was very pleased and will proudly be reminding others of just what us "liberals" stand for. God Bless you!! I love your work!

Just saw the Rush quote... Upper right corner... If anyone should know from ugly, it's Rush. That man must have cracked a few mirrors in his time.

One of the best clips I've ever seen.  Loved it the first time and just as much now.

A comment:  You pointed out that we are a mixed country, part capitalistic and part socialistic, and you gave the examples of Social Security and Medicare as socialistic programs. I too slowly recognized that I was a socialist about twenty years ago. However, while your examples fit, I think public roads and highways that we all use, and public schoolswhich all our children use are even better examples for the general public.

An aside, tell the MSNBC Webmaster to update their site to show you as a commentator and list your show.

Are we all Socialists. I think so. Take this test I developed and Take this test I developed and see if you are an exception to the case.

“Are You a Socialist? Take This Test and Find Out

In our political discussions, “socialism” usually refers to an economic system in which the government provides a safety net for individuals and businesses to support their subsistence. According to this definition, socialist government programs foster citizens’ efforts towards self-responsibility when their own their own efforts to provide for themselves do not suffice. Are you a socialist in this sense? This test will tell you. Please answer “yes” or “no” to each of the following questions. Give yourself 10 points for every “yes” answer and 0 for every “no.” After you have answered these questions, check out my ridiculously unscientific interpretation of your answers.

1. Medicare, which covers one out of six Americans, should be eliminated.

2. Social Security, which pays out $650 billion a year to 51 million senior

Americans should be abolished.

3. Medicaid, which covers one third of all births, one quarter of all children’s

healthcare and two thirds of the cost of all nursing home residents should be shut

down.

4. The State Children's Health Insurance Program (SCHIP) and Supplemental Security Income (SSI) should be ended and it should be up to all parents to provide for their children’s on their own by getting good jobs.

1. Government college grants and loans to 18 million students should be stopped and parents should pay for their children’s college education themselves.

6. All government support for senior care should cease. Grown children should take care of their parents when they get old, not the government,
7. Healthcare should be denied to the uninsured. For example, young people who can afford health care coverage should be free not to buy it but when they need health care, they should be treated only if they pay for the care upfront so that they do not leave the rest of us to holding the bag.
8. Unemployment compensation programs should cease. If someone loses his job, he should simply get another one. Don’t expect others to tide you over in the form of government support. Unemployment compensation redistributes wealth.
9. Free and subsidized school lunch programs and the Food Stamp program used by 60 million people should be abolished. There is no free lunch in life
10. All government intervention into the economic affairs of individuals and businesses should be banned by law. People should be left entirely on their own to work through all the economic problems of life. That’s what a true free market means.

To each of these questions, if you say “yes”, give yourself 0 points. If you say “no”, give yourself 10 points

0 points-- You’re a model of “rational self-interest.”

10 or 20 –You’re definitely not a socialist but probably misunderstood one or two of the questions. Still, deep down, you know Gordon Gekko was right: “Greed is good.”

30 or 40 points—You are certainly anti-socialist material but might want to become a Libertarian to firm up your faith.

50 points—You don’t know which end is up.

60 or 70 points—You are torn by serious doubts about laissez faire capitalism

80 or 90 points— You really need help. You’re a dark shade of pink. Tune into Glenn Beck daily without fail.

100 points—Greetings, Comrade. You are a (closet?) socialist.

Entitlements make up 60 percent of the Federal budget and are pretty much on automatic pilot with projected unfunded mandates of over $100 trillion. If we keep all of the entitlement programs and military spending at their projected costs and get completely rid of every single other government program, we would still be facing financial ruin. But, by eliminating all entitlements, we could cut the budget by two thirds, end deficits, lower the costs of interest on the debt, and fairly quickly eliminate our debt. What an opportunity for all those who hate big government to create a unifying platform built on this theme: “End Big Government: Abolish All Entitlements!’

Funny thing, though, you don’t see posters with that kind of message even at any anti-spending, anti-tax, anti-government, anti-Obama rallies. No serious candidates or parties run publicly on a platform advocating a drastic curtailment, much less a total elimination of entitlements. Just recently, for example, Republicans, of all people, cried bloody murder about a proposed $100 billion cut in subsidies over ten years to private insurance companies selling Medicare products. It makes you wonder why. My guess is that the majority of Americans are already all socialists at heart. How did you score?

Lawrence O'Donnell, I loved this episode when it played on TV the first time on West Wing, and I still love it! I think this script is the best written political script that I've ever seen or heard. I will share it on my Facebook site today as well as email it to lots of friends and relatives. Is it possible to get a copy of this scene/script? I think that Liberals (I'm an outspoken and proud Liberal) should run millions of written copies of this scene, and continue to pass it out to everyone who will take it and repeat it over and over for the next 2 years! I think that will take the deamonizing of the word Liberal away. Kinda like "Yankee Doodle" or when the police took the name calling they got in the form of the word "Pig" and started wearing a little pig button on their shirts or jackets!! I do believe that "the best defense is a good offense." That's what we Democrats and Liberals will need to do to survive these 2 years!! We need to defend against the republicans "Art of War" policies! Let me know about getting a copy of the script, Lawrence. Thanks. A big fan, lboldi@sbcglobal.net

See, this is why I should have been born ten years earlier. The West Wing was going on when I was a kid-to-teen, so I hadn't yet been awakened to the political spectrum.

Looks like I know what I'll be watching all Yule-long.

I was very happy to hear that it was you that wrote that speech. I am so tired of Republicans loving Lincoln The Republican President, yet trashing those ideals that made him such great man.

My new hero!!!!! Lawrence O'Liberal!!!!!

When West Wing would come on TV, I thought this was real to me, or the way I really wanted Politics to be. The show invited me into a world that I wished for. The fights were always the best. The winners and losers on West Wing would make me laugh and cry all at the same time. It got to where Aaron and I would run to watch West Wing. Thank you for sharing, it brought back memories for me. It made me miss a time that has long passed us. But in reality we now have a Black man in the White House. Now you all can feel, know and experience what it's like in this white world we live in today. Just tryin to get by and there are some who don't want anything to happen for anybody. I love my Blueyed Soul Sisters and Brothers. There's nothing more important than Love. Thank you Lawerence for sharing and having us to remember when*:)!!