Are we seeing the beginnings of the left wing version of the tea party?

[Major Nikon]

This question isn't intended to denigrate the Wall St occupation movement by equating it to the tea baggers, but rather just drawing parallels on how both first achieved national recognition for the sake of discussion.

[Donnachaidh]

1. FAR *better* than the baggers - and corporate money free

This is going to make baggers look like posers. This is REAL.

[Major Nikon]

7. Certainly there's huge differences in the way both groups came to be

I'm more interested in discussing where do they go from here if this is to be the movement that will soon have a large influence on the party as a whole.

[Donnachaidh]

8. I don't think we're going to see any decisions on that for some time

It took the NY group some time to come up with their *agenda*, and I know other groups are going to want to weigh in. The group from my area, OccupyAtlanta, is certainly showing signs of wanting to be in the discussion, if all the emails flying around are any indication.

But it's certainly going to meet and probably eclipse the tbagger nonsense, just because so MANY people are getting involved.

[defendandprotect]

15. America is a liberal nation despite all the RW Goebbels' style hype --

and that's the very reason why they need to work so hard to run a

Goebbels' style corporate press --

every bit of truth is a threat to their KABUKI -- !!

[Drale]

2. I'm going to say this right now

Extremists no matter what side they are on are never a good thing and the tea party are extremists.

[Major Nikon]

12. I don't really see this as a movement driven by extremism

I don't really see people demonstrating for the sake of extreme positions. I see them demonstrating for affordable health care, union rights, meaningful reform of the financial sector, and other topics that are well within the mainstream. At least that's my take on it.

[Drale]

The point I was trying to make was

that we can't have a tea party of the left because it would have to be an extremest group, so this is not the forming of a tea party of the left.

[Major Nikon]

19. I'm not even convinced the tea baggers are driven by extremism

I see them more driven by bigotry which isn't an extremist position for the GOP.

[Drale]

17. self delete

[defendandprotect]

16. Imagine the New Deal was described as "extreme" -- depends on whose ox is getting gored?

99% poor -- 1% Rich doesn't point to a war on the rich --

It points to extremism over decades by elite/corporatists-fascists and

by a Congress which SOLD itself to them!!

And capitalism's attack on nations to move the wealth and natural resources of

nations from the many to the few --

Now that's EXTREME!!

Let's get back to democracy -- and end this corporate/fascism --

If you support democracy, then we need economic democracy -- and that sure isn't capitalism!


Keeping these wars going is extremism on every level -- morally and financially --

Extending tax cuts for the rich is extremism -- morally and financially --


We need to dump ever member of Congress in 2012 --

and primary Obama --

[Roselma]

3. Probably not.

There was big money and a political party and a television network and conservative a.m. talkradio promoting and legitimizing the tea party. Nothing like that happening with the Wall Street occupation.

[Major Nikon]

14. Two words, facebook

Err, maybe that's one word these days. Talk radio is yesterday's medium which is over 100 yrs old.

[teddy51]

4. I don't think so, just people who are pissed at being ripped off by these

disgusting greedy buffoons.

[The Velveteen Ocelot]

5. The Teabaggers are an astroturf "organization"

manufactured, bankrolled and exploited by the Koch brothers and their ilk. OWS is real people.

[defendandprotect]

6. Koch Bros. T-baggers could never have done anything like this -- !!!

They're a RW funded group -- and always in danger of actually waking up to reality!!

Their main purpose is to coarsen the discussions/debate -- to create a more aggressive

and violent political arena --

OCCUPYING WALL STREET IS THE REAL THING -- !!

[Major Nikon]

10. I certainly agree

The baggers go back farther than Obama's nomination, but never gained national recognition until the Koch bros started bankrolling them, while what we are seeing today is clearly spontaneous and driven by actual grass roots, rather than astroturf.

[dana_b]

13. that's for damn sure!

they only can WISH that they had a turn out near as big as what we are seeing. That's because, as you said, this is real.

[FarCenter]

9. Sure, it's the Spartacus League versus the Freikorps all over again

http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Spartacist_League
http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Freikorps

[RaleighNCDUer]

22. The difference being much of the OWS is of the pacifist anti-war left

and the tea party is mostly too old for street brawling.

Oher than that, they're just alike.

[onehandle]

11. No. nt

[Warren Stupidity]

18. no this is an actual grass-roots protest movement

not a well funded astroturf experiment by the plutocracy.

[backscatter712]

20. I think we just stole the populist wind out of the teabagger's sails! n/t

[Lint Head]

21. The left wing actually has brain cells and believes in science.

[madrchsod]

23. no......