Opinion
Occupy Elected Office
The Tea Party started out with small protests around the country. (The first one in Seattle—a "Porkulus" rally—was held at Westlake Center in February 2009).
It has grown into a caucus in Congress, it can claim scalps from Florida to Utah to Massachusetts (and US Senate seats), and the movement is a potential kingmaker in GOP politics.
Lefties and liberals are getting exasperated with the demand for demands on the Occupy Wall Street protests? But the request is legit. It's not a gotcha. It's an important question because it gets at a larger one that one hopes the Occupy folks will think about: What's the point?
And this is where the potential movement should get a clue from the Tea Partiers. The Tea Party protesters were similarly pressed, with all their disparate issues and opinions (a lot of them kooky and racist), to say what the hell they wanted. They didn't quite know what to say. Smaller government? Fewer taxes? Obama's birth certificate? (Ha. They've gotten all of them, by the way.) And by framing the conversation in Congress, they have owned the Obama Administration.
I still can't tell you what the Tea Party's demands are, but I can tell you what the point is. The point is to elect conservatives to office.[pullquote]I still can't tell you what the Tea Party's demands are, but I can tell you what the point is. The point is to elect conservatives to office.[/pullquote]
The Occupy protesters are the rejoinder to the Tea Party—cranky dissidents on the left who are freaked out by the recession.
My advice to the Occupy folks is to get out of Lower Manhattan's Zuccotti Park—there's a metaphor about irrelevance in there somewhere when your movement becomes about occupying an alternative space that's set off from the rest of the society.
They need to note the other metaphor that's taking place. The movement isn't staying in one place. It's, well, moving, claiming turf all over the rest of the country including Seattle .
Occupy Wall Street needs to become an electoral movement like the Tea Party did. Elect somebody.
I'm glad to see one web site is on to the idea.
Take it out of Wall Street. Take it back to Main St. And that means occupy state houses and Congress with reps in seats.
It has grown into a caucus in Congress, it can claim scalps from Florida to Utah to Massachusetts (and US Senate seats), and the movement is a potential kingmaker in GOP politics.
Lefties and liberals are getting exasperated with the demand for demands on the Occupy Wall Street protests? But the request is legit. It's not a gotcha. It's an important question because it gets at a larger one that one hopes the Occupy folks will think about: What's the point?
And this is where the potential movement should get a clue from the Tea Partiers. The Tea Party protesters were similarly pressed, with all their disparate issues and opinions (a lot of them kooky and racist), to say what the hell they wanted. They didn't quite know what to say. Smaller government? Fewer taxes? Obama's birth certificate? (Ha. They've gotten all of them, by the way.) And by framing the conversation in Congress, they have owned the Obama Administration.
I still can't tell you what the Tea Party's demands are, but I can tell you what the point is. The point is to elect conservatives to office.[pullquote]I still can't tell you what the Tea Party's demands are, but I can tell you what the point is. The point is to elect conservatives to office.[/pullquote]
The Occupy protesters are the rejoinder to the Tea Party—cranky dissidents on the left who are freaked out by the recession.
My advice to the Occupy folks is to get out of Lower Manhattan's Zuccotti Park—there's a metaphor about irrelevance in there somewhere when your movement becomes about occupying an alternative space that's set off from the rest of the society.
They need to note the other metaphor that's taking place. The movement isn't staying in one place. It's, well, moving, claiming turf all over the rest of the country including Seattle .
Occupy Wall Street needs to become an electoral movement like the Tea Party did. Elect somebody.
I'm glad to see one web site is on to the idea.
The Occupy Party is seeking leaders who will step up and represent the 99% in all levels of government and get rid of the greed and corruption on Wall Street, in our Corporations, and in our Government, that have turned our beautiful nation into shadow of its former glory.
Take it out of Wall Street. Take it back to Main St. And that means occupy state houses and Congress with reps in seats.
