Matt Damon skulle kyssa Bush för PEPFAR

Skådespelaren Matt Damon stödde 2008 likt så många andra Hollywood-stjärnor Barack Obama. Sedan dess har han dock blivit kritisk till Obama av många orsaker - inte minst pg a Obamas svala intresse för att på allvar bekämpa fattigdom och sjukdom i Afrika och på andra håll. Damon är tillsammans med Gary White grundare av water.org - en ledande Non Governmental Organisation som försöker hitta marknadsbaserade vägar för att hjälpa afrikaner att få bukt med problemen med smutsigt/infekterat vatten. Här är ett kort snutt med Damon och White som talar om organisationen:



I en intervju av Jeffrey Goldberg för The Atlantic talade Damon om saken och uttryckte då sin besvikelse över Obama:

Matt Damon: ....You would have expected that Obama, with his reputation as a pragmatist, would look at PEPFAR, looked at how effective it is, and thought that he should make similar investments in other issues, definitely water and sanitation. Water and sanitation need their own PEPFAR.

Gary White: The administration has not been out front on development assistance.

Jonah Goldberg: Matt, is that what you were getting angry about last year?

Matt Damon: All I said last year was that I was disappointed. ...I take issue with a few of the directions Obama has gone in. When you run on something as vague as hope and change, I think a lot of people put their own shit on you.

Jonah Goldberg: And you expected more in the area you're most concerned about?

Matt Damon: Yes. Or at least some engagement.

Om PEPFAR och George W. Bush har han dock desto varmare ord:

Matt Damon: I would kiss George W. Bush on the mouth for what he did on PEPFAR.

Jonah Goldberg: How long would you kiss him?

Matt Damon: Three seconds. No tongue.

You know, PEPFAR is an incredible thing just in terms of how many lives it saved. These ARVs have a Lazarus effect on people. You see a picture of them before and then you see them vibrant, alive, working. Their whole family has been dragged down by the illness and now this. I went on a trip in 2006 (to Africa) and I just had a sense of national pride going around, talking to these people, and they were so happy, they would say, "America," and I was saying, "Yeah, our president did that, and it's terrific." It's such an obvious connected thing. People aren't going to hate you when you're saving their lives.

Det finns kanske något slags hopp för Hollywood trots allt ;)

Källa: The Atlantic

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