If the "Occupy" Movement and Tea Party Join Together, We Can End the Malignant Partnership Between Big Government
Mike Krieger writes today:
The reason the liberal mainstream corporate media demonized the Tea Party is because it threatens the status quo.
The reason the conservative corporate mainstream media demonizes Occupy Wall Street is because it threatens the status quo.
These are textbook divide and conquer strategies being used on the American people. Do not fall for it.
Yesterday I read a really interesting gallup poll that stated: "Not surprisingly, Americans who consider themselves supporters of the Occupy Wall Street movement (26% of all Americans) are more likely to blame Wall Street than the federal government for the nation?s economic problems. Supporters of the Tea Party movement (22% of Americans) are overwhelmingly likely to blame the government." What is most compelling to me is that 26%+22% = 48% so basically almost a majority.
All we need to do is teach people that Washington D.C. and Wall Street are now the same corrupt entity. They are one gigantic rogue trader sucking the lifeblood out of America. If we can unite these forces, which I can say with certainty agree on the important issues, we can put an end to the status quo and free ourselves of this bondage.
Many others agree with Krieger. As Raw Story notes, free speech advocate Lawrence Lessig told the Occupy DC rally:
The tea party is also part of the 99 Percent.
"What is inspiring about this movement is its potential? to rally our country around an idea that we all believe fundamentally: this government is corrupt," he said.
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"[2008] is the first time in American history where we have seen a collapse followed by no fundamental re-regulation of the financial services sector, because they have the power to block change from either the Democrats and Republicans."
"They hold this country hostage because of that power, because of that corruption," he continued.
He went on to recall a time he went to a tea party conference, only to hear legitimately angry, homespun grassroots activists talk about this very problem in the same manner as the ?Occupy? groups, who he said should put aside what they believe as far as gay rights or abortion or other social wedge issues.
"You can build this movement to unite America around this idea that the time for crony capitalism must come to an end,? Lessig said. ?There is no one on the left or the right who defends the system of crony capitalism, they just practice it."
I have repeatedly noted that conservatives are wary of big government and liberals are wary of big corporations, but that all Americans hate the system of crony capitalism (also known as ?socialism? or ?fascism?) which we have today.
As I wrote Tuesday:
So who is really to blame ? Wall Street or Washington?
The answer ? which can only be seen if we take of our partisan blinders long enough to look around ? is both.
It?s like covering up one eye in a 3-D movie ? you lose most of the image. Being a partisan Democrat or partisan Republican is using only one of your eyes, and missing the big picture in the process.
Slate?s David Wiegel took a stab at showing the overlap between the Occupy and Tea Party movements:
Similarly, Time?s Roya Wolverson writes:
I ? came across this nice visual, a Venn diagram of the Tea Party and OWS?s overlapping interests, drawn up by the self-described "liberal-leaning libertarian" blogger James Sinclair:
If the Occupy Movement and Tea Party Join Together, We Can End the Malignant Partnership Between Big Government and Big Corporations Which Is Destroying America
The idea here is that our livelihoods are threatened by more than just the outsized power of corporations (in the view of Occupy Wall St.) or government (in the Tea Party?s view). It?s both these forces working together to their exclusive benefit that has the whole of America (minus the 1%, or the .01%, or name your miniscule number) mouthing off at one big boss or another.
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Pundits and politicians thrive in a polarized world. So, threatened and fueled by the very existence of the other side, many of them have claimed these movements as yet another tool to gripe at one another?. And yet, there are a few voices noting these movements? common cause. Jim Harper at the right-leaning Cato Institute is an example:
There are plenty of reasons to reject the possibility of alliance between Tea Partyism and OWS, but not necessarily good ones?.To the extent the substance of their grievance is, or can be turned to, corporations? use of government power to win unjust power and profits for themselves, that?s a grievance I can sit in a drum circle for.
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And even some Tea Party organizers have said things like, "it?s funny that the Occupy Wall Street guys are also against phoney capitalism and we agree about that."
Remember, small businesses ? not giant corporations ? are the big job creators. And small banks ? not the big banks ? are the ones extending loans to small businesses (see this and this). And yet the government has been helping the big boys and killing small businesses. No wonder both Occupy and Tea Party participants are furious at government policies that bail out the giants at the expense of small businesses and small banks.
And both are also furious that the little guy has to play by the rules, but the big fish can commit fraud and the government won?t prosecute them.
In both of these examples, it is the collusion of Big Government and Big Business which is the problem. Sure, people could argue about which came first ? government corruption or Wall Street corruption ? but this is a worthless chicken-versus-egg debate. The truth is that both are currently corrupt and so entangled as to be inseparable. Instead of engaging in a meaningless ideological debate about who started this corrupt condition, let?s agree to end it.
The Oath Keepers and a founding member of the Tea Party announced that they are supporting the current protests on Wall Street and against the Federal Reserve.
Another key founder of the Tea Party ? Karl Denninger ? also supports the protests, and points out that the demands of the Tea Party protesters were originally very similar to those of the Occupy protesters (before the mainstream Republican party co-opted the Tea Party) .
Numerous local tea party leaders, such as the leader for the Trenton area, also support the Occupy protests.
But the truth is that ? even if more people currently support the Occupy protests than support the Tea Party ? the Occupy protesters should listen to the wisdom from the real, non-coopted Tea Partiers, and not simply patronize them.
Because government is at least half the problem, and Obama does not support the 99%.
Any Occupy protesters who believe that government will solve all of our problems needs to learn both sides of the story (and see this).
Note: While mainstream Democrats will attempt to vilify the Tea Party for its calls to slash the budget, and mainstream Republicans will attempt to demonize the Occupy protesters for their calls for spending, the truth is that we can all unite against corrupt policy which doesn?t work.
http://www.zerohedge.com/contributed...malignant-part