Recently elected Seattle City Councilperson Socialist Alternative party member Kshama Sawant gave a somewhat impromptu response to President Obama's State of the Union speech last night.
As best I can determine, a twitter suggestion to the effect that she do so yesterday afternoon let to a twitterstorm of retweets, ultimately resulting in this livestreamed video.
Here is her response to the President, with a partial transcript.
My brothers and sisters.
...
Poverty is at record high numbers. 95% of the gains... have gone to the top 1%.
Obama's focus on income inequality is an admission of the falure of his own policies. And this admission has been forced by rallies, demonstrations and strikes by fast food and low wage workers demanding a minimum wage of $15.
While the criminals of Wall Street are bailed out courageous whistleblowers like Edward Snowden are hunted down while the unconstitutional acts he exposed are allowed to continue...
... the President continues to intensify a brutal campaign of drone attacks in multiple countries killing hundreds of innocent civilians...
Climate change is getting worse and worse on his watch. The leadership in stopping the disastrous Keystone Pipeline has come not from him, or from Congress, but from 1000's of courageous activists...
Obama shouts "Fix our broken immigration system." Yet he is the President with a record number of deportations...
Working people have faced nearly four decades of wage stagnation and rising income inequality. Four decades which show that neither party is capable of solving hese problems, and that they fundamentally represent the same interests - the interests of the superwealthy and big corporations...
We need a break from the policies of Wall Street and corporate America. We need a break from capitalism. It has failed the 99%.
Both parties bow down and serve their corporate masters. The political system is completely dysfunctional... We, the 99%, have no political voice or representation.
...
President Obama has said that no one working should have to raise a family in poverty. And his solution, a $10.10 minimum wage... But let's be honest. A $10.10 minimum wage over the next three years... for those who are lucky to have a full time job is not a ticket out of poverty...
"Let's make this a year of action." Obama said. The action we need is by working people for higher wages and a $15/hr minimum wage. Action by young people fighting against student debt, tuition hikes and a broken education system. We need action by homeowners against the epidemic of foreclosures. We need action by trade unionists against anti-union laws and for workers' rights...
Join the struggle... the epicenter of the fight back in 2014 will be the Fight for $15.