Is 'Occupy Wall Street' the Next Tea Party Movement? >
'Occupy'-ers Know Who Truly Threatens America
Despite similarities with the Tea Party, Occupy Wall Street has a broader vision
October 19, 2011
About Elizabeth Shuler:
Elizabeth "Liz" Shuler is the first woman ever elected Secretary Treasurer of the AFL-CIO. Ms. Shuler also became the youngest officer ever elected, rising through the ranks from her first union position in Local 125 of the IBEW in Portland, Or.
We don't speak for Occupy Wall Street, but we at the AFL-CIO are standing hand to hand with its followers. We have been inspired by their energy and creativity. I've personally been moved by the young people leading the way in this movement. And working people applaud the relentless focus on what (and who) truly threatens America, a gasping economy crashed by Wall Street elites.
While Occupy Wall Street is a powerful and unique movement that bears some similarity to the Tea Party, we think it is much more interesting how it is fundamentally different than similar.
Like the Tea Party, Occupy Wall Street was born from the failing economy. But the Tea Party's vision was always too narrowly focused on the flaws of the government to accurately reflect the desperate economic pain in this country.
[Browse photos of the Occupy Wall Street protests.]
What I hear from working people—whether they're union or not—is that they feel let down by our country, that the American Dream is disappearing before their eyes. Veterans who leave the military and then can't find work. Electricians who are trained in the latest technology but can't use it because we're not investing in our infrastructure. Teachers who are using textbooks that are more than 10 years old as their class sizes get bigger and bigger. Young people who have been labeled the "Lost Generation" because of how few jobs are available.
Meanwhile, Wall Street crashed our economy and is unapologetically now back to business as usual. Wall Street figured out a way to profit from its gambles, and when its schemes crumbled, the 99 percent of us paid the price. It's no wonder that people are angry and standing up to say, "Enough."
And what's most inspiring about Occupy Wall Street is that it's not divisive. It's not pitting worker against worker, community against community. It's about standing together to call out the people who are truly to blame for the mess that we're in and demanding they pay so the 99 percent of people can have a fair shake. That shouldn't be too much to ask for.
- Check out: political cartoons about the Occupy Wall Street movement.
- Read: a timeline of the Occupy Wall Street protests.
- See: editorial cartoons about the Tea Party.
- Other Arguments
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#15840
Yes — Occupy Wall Street could become far more powerful than the Tea Party
ROBERT WEISSMAN, President of Public Citizen
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#25439
No — Occupy Wall Street wants more government in business, Tea Party wants government to get out of business
KRISTEN SOLTIS ANDERSON, Pollster at Winston Group
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#44439
Yes — The Occupy Wall Street movement is the real Tea Party
DEAN BAKER, Co-director of the Center for Economic and Policy Research
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#52727
No — Anti-government stance of the Tea Party works against its base
GADI DECHTER, Associate Director at Center for American Progress
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#63033
No — 'Occupy Wall Street' looks forward while Tea Party regresses
LINCOLN MITCHELL, 'Huffington Post' Blogger
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#71923
No — To create real revolution, Occupy Wall Street needs more than just an idea
RENIQUA ALLEN, Schwartz Fellow at the New America Foundation
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#82532
No — Occupy Wall Street is unlikely to achieve Tea Party's level of influence
DOUGLAS SCHOEN, Democratic Campaign Consultant
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#93241
No — Unlike Occupy Wall Street, Tea Party knows what it's protesting
MARK MECKLER, National Coordinator of Tea Party Patriots
