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Does Anyone Take 'Occupy Wall Street' Seriously?
US News and World Report ^ | October 11, 2011 | Peter Roff, Contributing Editor

Posted on 10/11/2011 2:16:26 PM PDT by 2ndDivisionVet

Is anyone following the "Occupy Wall Street" protests and, if they are, taking them seriously? It's hard to imagine that anyone is. Other than echoing President Barack Obama's pseudo-populist attacks on corporations and anyone who has a lot of money its hard to understand what they want.

The best comment so far probably came from ABC's Jimmy Kimmel, who recently aired faux new footage of angry demonstrators chanting "What do we want? We're not really sure! When do we want it? Now!"

It's not clear who is paying for the signs and statutes and giant puppets the protesters are carrying or if anyone is paying to bus them in, but it's hard to believe this is the type of artesian phenomena that some commentators would have you believe it to be. It's also not, as some folks have suggested, a sort of left-wing Tea Party portending a yet another shift in the political winds.

One wonders where these folks come from and, more over, why none of them have to get up and go to work in the morning. Looking at the television most of them seem healthy, reasonably well-dressed (for protesters that is), and able bodied. And smart—if their ability to managing their smart phones and apps and iPads are any indication. So why aren't they working—unless this is what they are getting paid to do.

There are some themes emanating from the protests that may have a larger impact on the political culture—but the hate the rich message doesn't seem to be working. It's not that there are more rich people than poor (unless you go by global standards of living—in which case even the poor in America are rich) as it is that everyone probably wants to be rich. As they get older and acquire the things that most Americans do—a job, a family, a car, a home, some investments for the future—their attitudes about all this change. They might not be able to make it into the top 1 percent—as opposed to the 99 the protesters seems to like to talk about—but they can still shoot for the top 10 percent, the top 20 percent, the top 25 percent or even just the upper half, all of which are nice places to be.

These "children of privilege" demonstrating against the "malefactors of great wealth" are but a pale echo of the '60s-style, Saul Alinsky-trained and influenced protesters whom they seek to emulate. In fact they're really just pawns in Obama's effort to win re-election so that he and the rest of his Wall Street friends (Go ahead—check his campaign contributions from 2008 forward at www.fec.gov—I dare you) can continue to make out like bandits at the expense of the middle class.


TOPICS: Business/Economy; Politics
KEYWORDS: economy; obama; occupywallstreet; teaparty
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Astroturf, as Nancy Pelosi would say.
1 posted on 10/11/2011 2:16:28 PM PDT by 2ndDivisionVet
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To: 2ndDivisionVet

It’s a ploy by the Obamunists and their Green Shirts to keep the Tea Party off the streets during this election cycle.


2 posted on 10/11/2011 2:18:55 PM PDT by Darteaus94025
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To: 2ndDivisionVet

Lets take a moment to compare and contrast the difference from these “protesters” and the Tea Party assemblies.

Tea Party - Thousands gather at the washington monument mall in DC. No Arrests, very little mess to clean up, children present, no violence.

This Group - Zhitting on police cars, sex in public, drug use, violence, hundreds of arrests.

Tea Party message - Stop government spending, reduce the size of government, stop over govmnt regulation, cede more power back to the states.

This Group - .....I’m not sure...Tax the rich (punish them?), down with the corporations? Throw rich people in jail? ...I just do not know what action they are trying to influence.


3 posted on 10/11/2011 2:19:50 PM PDT by Tenacious 1 (Government For the People - an obviously concealed oxymoron)
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To: 2ndDivisionVet

Not until police cars and store fronts are burning and I dont they have the ballz to do it.


4 posted on 10/11/2011 2:21:38 PM PDT by Wilderness Conservative
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To: 2ndDivisionVet

When no one pays attention to the demands thier not sure off, the financial backers, planners and supporters the ones supplying drugs, payouts, food, condoms will bring in the crew who will start the trouble and do the damage


5 posted on 10/11/2011 2:21:49 PM PDT by ronnie raygun (V)
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To: 2ndDivisionVet

Does Anyone Take ‘Occupy Wall Street’ Seriously?

Yeah. The sanitation workers that will need to clean up after these slobs.


6 posted on 10/11/2011 2:23:12 PM PDT by SECURE AMERICA (Where can I sign up for the New American Revolution and the Crusades 2012?)
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To: 2ndDivisionVet

No one takes these clowns seriously. The visuals coming out of these rallies are embarrassing and they don’t even have a message. Most people have figured out that all this is amounts to college grab @$$.


7 posted on 10/11/2011 2:23:35 PM PDT by Lazlo in PA (Now living in a newly minted Red State.)
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To: 2ndDivisionVet

Yes I take the movement seriously. It was just a scant three years ago that the Tea Party was dismissed by many in the convervative radio ranks and the media. Now we are here to stay.

What’s scary about this movement is the media backing. Most people don’t pay attention to the details. All they see are lots of people and they hear the sad stories. those tug on the heart. It could make a difference in November 2012. How many of us know someone who has lost a job? Or have lost a job.

I don’t like this group at all. I think we would be foolish to dismiss them. If I recall history a party called the Nazis started this way.


8 posted on 10/11/2011 2:26:06 PM PDT by ealgeone (obama, border)
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To: 2ndDivisionVet
"Does Anyone Take 'Occupy Wall Street' Seriously?"

They do.

9 posted on 10/11/2011 2:26:30 PM PDT by YHAOS (you betcha!)
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To: 2ndDivisionVet

Tea Party - A mixture of all economic strata, races and religions. Families, employed people taking vacation time off to protest an excess of taxes.

Occupiers - Unemployed and Elitist students from the most expensive schools in the area; all getting money from someone else who is forced to work.

Tea Party - No Obamacare, lower taxes, more freedom to allow American’s to excell, espouse personal responsibility and self-determination.

Occupiers - ? Drugs, filth, sex in the streets, Confiscate and enslave the achievers, destroy the Consitution, Chaos and Arnachy.

Without outside support, the Occupiers would die of exposure and starvation; either as a protester, or as a human. Unemployed and possibly unemployable; feeling of complete entitlement.


10 posted on 10/11/2011 2:26:57 PM PDT by Hodar ( Who needs laws; when this FEELS so right?)
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To: 2ndDivisionVet

Bunch of lazy, government money sucking old hippies & their lazy kids!


11 posted on 10/11/2011 2:48:35 PM PDT by blondee123 (Obama-The Wanna-be Dictator!)
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To: 2ndDivisionVet

“”What do we want? We’re not really sure! When do we want it? Now!”

I think it’s more “What do” “What do” “We Want?” “We want?” “We’re not” “We’re not” . . . Now everyone wiggle your fingers in the air. Everyone then feels better because that was direct democracy.


12 posted on 10/11/2011 2:52:59 PM PDT by ModelBreaker
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To: blondee123

Living in California and watching Jerry Brown screw the state over (and over), it is refreshing to see the same losers trying to screw over New York.

Anyone Freep been to Zuchinni Park (or whatever it is called)?


13 posted on 10/11/2011 2:53:41 PM PDT by Squidster
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To: 2ndDivisionVet

JImmy Kimmel has already done this once and aired it:

Parody of Parodies

http://www.kontraband.com/videos/12474/Help-End-Womens-Suffrage/


14 posted on 10/11/2011 2:55:57 PM PDT by JerseyHighlander
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To: 2ndDivisionVet

“Is anyone following the “Occupy Wall Street” protests and, if they are, taking them seriously?”

Go over to zerohedge.com. Kind of a crazy site with a serious message. Articles from zerohedge frequently get posted and discussed here on FR. Normally, zerohedge has a modicum of anti-wall-street type who haven’t figured out the fundamental problem with wall-street is the government. But overall, good market and economic analysis—probably most folks there are Austrian school.

In the past two days, it has been flooded with people supporting the protestors. Maybe it has been a flooding campaign by the protestors because zerohedge is so contemptuous, normally, of wall street.


15 posted on 10/11/2011 3:00:04 PM PDT by ModelBreaker
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To: 2ndDivisionVet
Astroturf, as Nancy Pelosi would say.

Exactly! And why are ALL the talk radio hacks leading with the same talking points about "dirty, smelly kids who never work!"

Who cares?

Just the little old ladies who buy adjustable beds, Factor Gear, and write checks to those brave Republicans like that handsome Mr. Romney.

The Bill of Rights is dead. We're in perpetual war with new ones on the way. We're in a depression. Nobody cares about that. But, those hippie punks are the threat! I swear, if Obama mows them down with tanks, he'll win 70%-30%!

16 posted on 10/11/2011 3:04:52 PM PDT by Forgotten Amendments (Days .... Weeks ..... Months .....)
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To: 2ndDivisionVet
Is anyone following the "Occupy Wall Street" protests and, if they are, taking them seriously?

The protesters are taking it seriously. Reportedly $300 - $650 per week for protesting. Government dollars at work.

17 posted on 10/11/2011 3:14:00 PM PDT by hflynn
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To: 2ndDivisionVet

These deadbeats are going to get tired of being ignored and will start burning and looting - just don’t know how long it’s going to take for them to get to that point. Plus, what the heck are they going to do when winter hits?


18 posted on 10/11/2011 3:20:27 PM PDT by Veggie Todd (C'mon, turn this thing around RIGHT NOW! Edward Van Halen)
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To: 2ndDivisionVet
Does Anyone Take 'Occupy Wall Street' Seriously?

The DBM.

19 posted on 10/11/2011 3:26:49 PM PDT by DustyMoment (Congress - Another name for white collar criminals!!)
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To: 2ndDivisionVet

All conservatives should take these unwashed masses seriously and do their best to associate them with the democrat party. They present a refreshing honesty in terms of what they think and what they want that you often don’t see in the official focus group statements. They are “Obama off his teleprompter” times 10!


20 posted on 10/11/2011 3:28:24 PM PDT by jimmygrace
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