Comments on: The Tea Party and Occupy Wall Street: Unhappy Warriors

By: Scott

Scott — Tue, 08 Nov 2011 18:45:00 +0000

I think OWS has already impacted electoral politics by moving Obama further to the left, as least in rhetoric, and I am not bothered by the movement’s “blurry” message. because at this point factionalism may result from a narrowing of the movement’s focus; however, I think combining a specific demand, hopefully wrt limiting the influence of money in politics, with direct action as mass convergence in Washington D.C. could make a significant impact. That at least is my “vision thing” for what is possible.

By: IrisDr

IrisDr — Sat, 05 Nov 2011 21:42:00 +0000

I often have disagreed with Gary Alan Fine, and I don’t fully agree with him here, but I find myself agreeing more with Fine than Doug, in this case. I give the occupiers a lot of credit for fortitude camping out through all sorts of horrid weather and making what I think is a very clear point. The system is stacked against the 99%, and inequality has grown exponentially in recent decades in this country. This is not healthy economics and should even worry the 1%. But in answer to Doug, I don’t have to envision Michele Bachmann. Unfortunately, she is a reality too often before me in the media, and she and her compatriots are causing real harm to real people. We live in a real world, which needs real solutions to real problems. One way to counter a Michele Bachmann could be to elect Elizabeth Warren, and inspire more Elizabeth Warrens. The real Elizabeth Warren has been denounced and called ugly names by a Tea Partier. We can’t let the Tea Party get what it wants. There has to be a real movement against them, with political leaders.

By: Doug

Doug — Sat, 05 Nov 2011 14:55:00 +0000

My apologies, that came across far stronger than I intended. To put another way, traditional forms of political mobilization both through charismatic leadership and entering already failing institutions are precisely what lead to hierarchy and corruption and ultimately failure.

By: Doug

Doug — Sat, 05 Nov 2011 12:14:00 +0000

Does OWS need ‘Leaders’ with ‘Visions’? The very idea is absolutely ghastly. Keep repeating those words in the mind: Leader with Vision… Leader with Vision… Doesn’t it make one shudder as if confronted with a rotting corpse, which is precisely what such an idea will turn OWS into?

The Tea Party, within two years, was an institutionalized K-street configuration of think tanks funded by the Koch brothers with a House caucus and a leader who certainly has plenty of visions: Michelle Bachmann.

I think the answer you are looking for is called ‘whatever singularity.’

By: Laslanian

Laslanian — Fri, 04 Nov 2011 22:51:00 +0000

can the vision thing grow organically from the movement or will it happen slowly over time, if the protestors are able to impact electoral politics. I agree that the slogan of “anti-corruption” is too vague but my sense is that what is targeted is not the elite but the very specific practice of the corporate backing and ultimate ownership of politicians (all the way up to the president) and I do not know what it would mean to actually have a plan to change that—- it will need to be changed bit by bit, policy by policy, it will cumbersome, time consuming and just not very sexy.