10.06.2011

Who are the Occupiers?

Long before the usual leftist hack groups of unions, moveon.org, Van Jones, and other Obama re-election front groups heard of Occupy Wall Street, the movement was started by true revolutionaries Adbusters and soon joined by internet resistance group Anonymous.

The originators do not see Obama as part of the solution but as part of the corrupt, two-party Kabuki theater meant to distract the public while enriching the bankers. And they are right.

While much of the conservative media has dismissed the Occupy protests as a left-wing reaction to the Tea Party, they are wrong. Yes, the Obamunists are trying to co-opt the movement. But they may not succeed. The public is rightly outraged that the banks took over Congress and the Treasury, blew up the economy, then got bailouts and big bonuses. And Obama hasn't lifted a finger to change any of that or prosecute any of the crooks.

Conservatives should join, not condemn, the Occupy protests. Libertarians and End-the-Fedsters are already there.

UPDATE: Leftist Yves Smith on why OccupyWallStreet doesn't like Obama:
Participants are critical of the President’s bank-coddling ways and Obama gave a remarkably bald-face confirmation of their dim views.

As Dave Dayen recounts, Obama was cornered into explaining why his Administration has been soft of bank malfeasance. His defense amounted to “They’re savvy businessmen”: “Banks are in the business of making money, and they find loopholes.”

Is breaking IRS rules a “loophole”? How about making repeated false certifications in SEC filings? Or as Dayen points out, fabricating documents? Or making wrongful foreclosures, aka stealing houses?

The Administration’s strategy for maintaining this posture is by being anti-investigation and anti-transparency. As we’ve discussed, the stress tests were a sham. The foreclosure task force didn’t even try to look serious, it was a mere 8 week investigation and of 2800 cases chosen for review (in no scientific manner), only 100 were foreclosures. The US Trustee’s office found a level of servicing errors more than 10 times that asserted by banks and happily parroted by Federal banking regulators. We expect readers could add to this list just as readily as we can.

There are plenty of grounds for legal action. Contrary to the Obama/Geithner position, this is a target rich environment. And some of the violations were persistent and deliberate enough that they might well raise to the level of being criminal.

11 comments:

:-) said...

Repeat -- Obama and his crew have spit in the faces of the entire generation that elected him.

I'm in my low 30s. I work full time, hold around 60% equity in my place, have 14 years left on my mortgage, and *I'm* pissed. I can't imagine how the long-term unemployed (or underemployed) are feeling. My generation is finished, we've spent our entire adult lives in a recession/depression. Boomers will go down as the most cancerous, disgraceful generation in American history.

Doo Doo Econ said...

When I hear about violence and class warfare it drowns out the obvious common American problems cited by the Occupy Wall Street crowd. We in the Tea Party focused on renewing freedom by peaceful persuasion and tested solutions. The OWS movement satisfies the socialist dream of destroying free markets while offering no solutions.

Why don't we hear OWS praising the Tea Party, citing our solutions or even admitting that they should have or now do support us?

W.C. Varones said...

Doo Doo,

The MSM told us the Tea Party was violent and racist too...

Negocios Loucos said...

:-), WELL DONE! I'm 40 and still a scum, subhuman renter. Under $35 with 60% equity?!? You know, you could get a sweet pair of jet ski's with a second mortgage. Or maybe even a pair of a pair, think about it. Live the dream.

Doo Doo Econ, I'm a member and totally agree. This protest is scary because it's ignorant and seems to be a platform for what we in the Tea Party abhor. That Michael Moore is featured is terrifying. Maybe it's a good thing that the Tea Party isn't associated because this thing might end up really ugly. Or maybe the media coverage is ignoring the Tea Party participation. That might not be a bad thing. I don't want the tea party associated with the demands we're hearing are being made. Fricking worker's paradise seems to be the message.

Jr Deputy Accountant said...

I'm with NL. Like you said from the beginning, WCV, the fundamental concept of OWS represents everything we believe in but something is just... off.

Does it warrant name-calling and constant snark attacks? Probably not. But I want it in the record that I opposed vague declarations of "I just don't like capitalism" and whining, ignorant brats protesting because the can no longer afford cable and are suddenly awakening to the truth that they are not as special as Mommy and Daddy always told them they were.

Those kids out there are MY generation and I know because I went to school with them - they are mostly useless. The free market has spoken, it has no use for them. The ones with marketable skills or half a brain will find a way.

The rest will stand around waiting for the government to fix it for them.

Check out the Communist Goals for America (1963):

19. Use student riots to foment public protests against programs or organizations which are under Communist attack.

42. Create the impression that violence and insurrection are legitimate aspects of the American tradition; that students and special-interest groups should rise up and use ["]united force["] to solve economic, political or social problems.

Rise up? No thanks, I've been doing nothing but for the last three years and frankly am exhausted.

Anonymous said...

"taxing the "rich 1%" (somehow comprised of both corporations and wealthy individuals) would magically solve every financial/social ill facing this nation. It's a fantasy of mind-boggling proportions."

It is NOT about solving the problem. It is about addressing a human emotion and a feeling that the status quo is unfair, biased and bought.

"Create the impression that violence and insurrection are legitimate aspects of the American tradition"

the *Impression*??? *Impression*??!!?? Really???? Wow, those communist assholes should pick up a goddmaned history book every once in a while...

I hold it, that a little rebellion, now and then, is a good thing, and as necessary in the political world as storms in the physical. "Thoughts of a radical libertarian **Jeffersonian** vegan militant bicyclist populist capitalist pig in San Diego navigating GD II... and friends

Anonymous said...

whoops!!!! Godamned... don't jump my shit, you little grammar Nazi.

Anonymous said...

first fucking order of business for WASHINGTON was to go put down the Whiskey Rebellion.... which was about...... people protesting what they believed to be unfair taxes on their hooch to pay off the national debt.

Anonymous said...

"suddenly awakening to the truth that they are not as special as Mommy and Daddy always told them they were."

More blame needs to be directed toward the parent and less toward the youngster. Kids tend to trust and believe what their parents tell them - which they should. It's easy to believe you're mind blowingly fantastic when smoke's being blown up your ass by your own momsy and popsy. *MY* generation is the parental portion of that equation and trust me, I know them. They view their children as an extension of themselves and delude themselves over how fantastic "the wonderful child" is because of their own insecurities.

W.C. Varones said...

You think calling myself "Jeffersonian" will be enough to get me declared a terrorist?

Drone strike!

Anonymous said...

You think calling myself "Jeffersonian" will be enough to get me declared a terrorist?

Drone strike!

No, I don't think it will. Why? Because Smug Bastard Central is still in one piece even with all the shit I've written to my own representatives and folks running the Census using my real name, address, etc. In my view, this is the way it is SUPPOSED to work. I love it and have absolutely no problem with lots of people thinking about the status quo and questioning it... it's about fucking time.

Happy Super Tuesday!