GOP Candidates Dial Back Criticism of Occupy Wall Street Protesters
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Andrew Burton/AP Photo
After weeks of bad-mouthing the Occupy Wall Street protesters, the Republican presidential candidates eased off their criticism Tuesday night at the Bloomberg/Washington Post GOP debate.
With the exception of Newt Gingrich, the White House hopefuls targeted their angst at Washington, not Wall Street, and urged protesters to do the same.
“They have basically targeted the wrong target,” said Herman Cain, who has recently secured the No.2 spot in the polls. “It should be against the failed policies of this administration, not Wall Street, is where they should be protesting.”
Cain’s comments Tuesday night were significantly toned-down compared to the harsh words he had for the protesters last week.
“Don’t blame Wall Street, don’t blame the big banks, if you don’t have a job and you’re not rich, blame yourself!” Cain said in an interview with the Wall Street Journal last Wednesday. “It is not a person’s fault because they succeeded; it is a person’s fault if they failed. And so this is why I don’t understand these demonstrations and what is it that they’re looking for.”
But sitting next to front-runner Mitt Romney at the debate table, Cain dialed back his comments, saying they were not directed at all unemployed Americans, only those protesting the “wrong” cause.
“That response was directed at the people that are protesting on Wall Street, not that 14 million people who are out of work for no reason of their own other than this economy is not growing, not the millions of people that are under-unemployed,” Cain said Tuesday night.
But while Cain backed away from his tough tone, his fellow GOP candidate Newt Gingrich sharpened his condemnation of some ”Occupy” protesters who have camped out in New York City and other cities around the world.
“I think the people who are protesting on Wall Street break into two groups,” Gingrich said. “One is left-wing agitators who would be happy to show up next week on any other topic, and the other is sincere middle-class people who, frankly, are very close to the Tea Party people and actually care.”
“And you can tell which group is which,” Gingrich added. “The people who are decent, responsible citizens pick up after themselves. The people who are just out there as activists trash the place and walk off and are proud of having trashed it. So let’s draw that distinction.”
GOP Candidates Blame Pennsylvania Avenue, Not Wall Street
Gingrich said a distinction should also be made about who “put the fix in” and caused the financial crisis. One demand of the Occupy protesters is for bankers involved in the financial meltdown to be investigated and put in jail.
“If you want to put people in jail,” Gingrich said, “you ought to start with Barney Frank and Chris Dodd, and let’s look at the politicians who created the environment, the politicians who profited from the environment and the politicians who put this country in trouble.”
Rep. Barney Frank, D-Mass., and former Sen. Chris Dodd, D- Conn., where the architects of the Wall Street Reform and Consumer Protection Act that is designed to regulate banks and prevent another lending crisis.
The two lawmakers have become punching bags for many of the GOP candidates who vow to overturn their regulatory bill.
“The absolute wrong time to have the absolute wrong people put together a financial regulatory bill was right now in Barney Frank and Chris Dodd,” Romney said at the debate. “They were the wrong guys at the wrong time, because what they did with this new bill is usher in what will be hundreds and thousands of pages of new regulations.”
Rep. Michele Bachmann, R-Minn., also shot barbs at Dodd and Frank, calling their bill the “jobs and housing destruction act.”
Rep. Ron Paul, R-Texas, said it is ”obviously a disaster.”
And Rick Santorum said he not only wants to repeal Dodd-Frank, but vows to repeal every regulation enacted during the Obama administration that costs more than $100 million.
The former Pennsylvania senator’s zero regulations mantra is one aspect of his 0-0-0 economic plan, an obvious twist on Cain’s highly popular 9-9-9 jobs plan, which was mentioned by every person at the debate table Tuesday night except Gingrich and Paul.
The 9-9-9 plan would lower all income taxes to 9 percent and eliminate many of taxes that disproportionately target the wealthy, such as capital gains.
By lowering taxes on the wealthy and increasing them on lower-income Americans, Cain’s plan is exactly the type of policy the Occupy Wall Street protesters are fighting.
The group’s slogan, “We are the 99 percent,” as in the 99 percent of the country that shares the same amount of wealth as the top 1 percent, underscores its demand that the wealthy should bear more of the tax burden.
According to an NBC/Wall Street Journal poll, 64 percent of Americans agree with the protesters that corporations and the wealthy should be taxed more, while 31 percent say, as do most of the GOP candidates, that it is a bad idea.
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These GOP candidates are a joke. They should know this to be true: THEY ARE AN INSULT TO OUR INTELLIGENCE.
Posted by: NoFlyZone2 | October 13, 2011, 7:24 am 7:24 am
So much for the fairness of the Cain’s 999 plan. Just watched an economist explain how a family of 4 who earns $50,000 would pay over $2500 more in taxes each year. His plan is nothing more than class warfare directed against the middle class while benefiting the wealthy.
Posted by: Lydia | October 13, 2011, 7:26 am 7:26 am
The Democrats who have been running this country for the last few years are a joke. They should know this to be true: THEY ARE AN INSULT TO OUR INTELLIGENCE.
Posted by: Jones | October 13, 2011, 7:34 am 7:34 am
Lydia and Noflyzone2 you are both right ! the GOP candidates have been bought by banks and wall street ! all they are about is cutting taxies on the 1% and let the poor and middle class pay for it !
Posted by: xxcrossed | October 13, 2011, 7:35 am 7:35 am
Why would Occupy protest Washington instead of Wall Street? We’re protesting the organ grinders, not the monkeys.
Posted by: Frenchie | October 13, 2011, 7:53 am 7:53 am
Actually, Wall Street has contributed more money to Obama than any other political candidate over the past 20 years. Guess that’s an inconvenient truth…
Posted by: Runner | October 13, 2011, 8:02 am 8:02 am
Where is the “change” you voted for? Sucka! I have a bumper sticker if it’ll make you feel better.
Posted by: newcountryman | October 13, 2011, 8:05 am 8:05 am
These candidates are in the concentrated laser beam of institutionalized corruption. Their money, which is their life blood for their candidacies as well as the support they get from the party, is tied to repealing these regulations, the lack of which caused the meltdown. Now they blame new regulations. It’s a lie, a rewrite of history. They think the electorate is too stupid to see and that they can get there agenda of corruption through if they can heap enough political BS on top of it. If you want to say the same about Dem’s go right ahead. I will probably agree with every word.
Fascinating that they now do not wish to continue to condemn and offend earnest American citizens who are fed with them and their kind to the point of protesting in the streets. Just another calculated move to ease a potential threat to their corruption game.
A constitutional amendment is needed now to drain the swamp of the corruption that has DC stuck in the mud and the streets awash in billions from corporations, unions, lobbyists, and PAC’s. Perhaps it is the recognition of this threat that has them worshiping at the alter of peaceful public protest now. Placate the masses so they don’t do something that would stop the gravy train. It is incredibly ironic that the discussion hovered over the issue of regulation. That’s why politicians get paid off. So those who pay can write their own corrupt legislation using our Congress that they purchased.
Posted by: sameagain | October 13, 2011, 8:11 am 8:11 am
Actually, Wall Street has contributed more money to Obama than any other political candidate over the past 20 years. Guess that’s an inconvenient truth…
Posted by: Runner | October 13, 2011, 8:02 am.
Got a source for this factoid? Because I heard that Scott Brown, the Senator from Mass., has received the most Wall Street money of anyone in the last 2 years……….
Posted by: Searambler | October 13, 2011, 8:14 am 8:14 am
“They have basically targeted the wrong target,” said Herman Cain, who has recently secured the No.2 spot in the polls. — Herman Cain makes $359,008 a year for sitting on the board of Whirlpool. Can anyone tell me exactly what it is he does to earn that money? As far as I can see, he doesn’t work for it. And that is exactly what the Wall Street protesters are protesting.
Posted by: WorkingClass | October 13, 2011, 8:15 am 8:15 am
Yeah kinda funny how this is workin’ since the “ORIGINAL” and REAL Tea Party was a PUBLIC PROTEST – if ONE knows the TRUE history of the protest against the British Tea Tax. Even Better – these “candidates” (Cain) who has railed the most about the protestors would still be sitting in the back of the bus if Martin Luther King and Rosa Parks, had NOT protest for Civil Rights – and he got to go to college because of Affirmative Action! Heck, if it was not for protesters BEING Patriotic (does anyone actually KNOW history anymore?) we would still be drinking tea with the Brits!
Posted by: karen | October 13, 2011, 8:15 am 8:15 am
And by the way . . . THOSE are FACTS – we do have documentation that proves this! Argue that one will you? Or will historical revisionists explain this away too?
Posted by: karen | October 13, 2011, 8:16 am 8:16 am
Cain was a formerly the chairman of the board of directors of the Federal Reserve Bank of Kansas City so it is no surprise he protects the bankers, as shown in his statement about the Occupy protesters, which is are the same words used by the Wall Street bankers themselves. During the NH debate he tried to backtrack when asked about his comment where he stated he was only taking about the the protesters, not the 40 million unemployed.
Sorry to say Cain, the majority of those protesters are part of that 40 million unemployed and just happen to have to guts to put their foot down.
Cain, as well as many mainstream media sources that have been attacking the movement, have stated they shouldn’t be protesting Wall Street. Aside from the fact that the are chosen is symbolic, it was Wall Street who infiltrated and lobbied the federal government, who in turn created the laws and policies that allowed the biggest robbery of the American people in all US history.
Posted by: Paul Coonan | October 13, 2011, 8:32 am 8:32 am
Why are people on this forum fighting amongst themselves, when we should realize that by pointing the finger you are doing just what our elected officials are doing. OWS is a meeting of all, not just right or left. It is the fact that laws are made by these individual geared towards the 1% and not the 99%. Why else would we be subsidizing millionaires with our tax money. Go to Farm Subsidy Data Base. These GOP Candidates cannot relate to us, but in their arrogance they define what we represent. I am one who has waited for a long time for this movement. I am independent.
Posted by: Jackie | October 13, 2011, 8:56 am 8:56 am
Seems ignorance is always on the rampage about some fool’s issue. Wall Street is in Obama’s camp. It gave and continues to give him him more money than any political candidate ever. It has benefited well for this through his distribution of TARP bailouts which somehow coincidentally saved the very ones who gave him most. Has Frank/Dodd done anything for you except increase your cost of banking? Democrats, and especially Obama, have taken to talking of the middle class, while their every action diminishes it. But today, talk trumps fact. What a shame. Our liberal education system has produced such a crop of knuckleheads.
Posted by: n'erdowell | October 13, 2011, 8:59 am 8:59 am
Are Americans that dense? Are they that stupid to believe the BS and fantasy this group spews? Does anybody really believe that deregulating Wall Street more is what we should do? Does anybody really believe that deregulating everything will make our country better or more prosperous? What the hell is wrong with so many in America that they would actually believe this? Maybe explaining it this way is easier for so many to understand what the Republicans are saying. Do you think Wall Street, the banks, and corporations need NO regulations or rules and should do whatever they want, when they want, how they want, and to whom without any worry? Should we also deregulate everything else like our food supply and drug companies too? Do you want to eat poisoned or tainted food or bad medicines? Where is the common sense and logic of the American people when they really believe that less or none is better? Give me a break, this isn’t rocket science, it’s simple common sense? Or is common sense absent in America? No wonder the world laughed at us when Bush was reelected. I mean, let’s just do away with traffic lights and stop signs too, we don’t need to regulate that either. That too just gets in the way. Dumb, Dumb. and Dumb. Only in America.
Posted by: jake | October 13, 2011, 9:05 am 9:05 am
What the politician’s(Yes, Democrats and Republicans) don’t seem to understand is that the protesters are voicing frustration at not being represented at all. Not by anyone in the US political system. All politicians are beholding to big money! It is an inherent problem with our election process where the candidates with the most money get elected. Year after year the politicians fine tune their campaigns to generate income and so they are most responsive to those that give the most money. Face it America. Our representative form of government has been hijacked and the only way to take it back is to TAKE IT BACK.
Posted by: TampaBob | October 13, 2011, 9:05 am 9:05 am
The last 2 years don’t count Searambler, we’re in the middle of an election cycle. Wait one more year and then tally up the funds and we’ll see where all the money came from. One things for sure, at the end of it all your your friend in the white house will have by far the biggest pot to spend. So who’s being bought off? The slippery guy from IL.
Posted by: pgdion | October 13, 2011, 9:08 am 9:08 am
Ease off? Give me a break. They never paid much attention anyway. Why was’nt there better coverage from the press on the protests? It should have been in the repubs faces! And why do I keep getting a “you’re posting too fast error message on here when I have yet to post any comments except this one!?
Posted by: Mitch | October 13, 2011, 9:09 am 9:09 am
Capitalism, Darwinism, Marxism, Leninism, materialism is not in accordance with humanitarian.
Posted by: Adzilyan | October 13, 2011, 9:12 am 9:12 am
“GOP Candidates Dial Back Criticism of Occupy Wall Street Protesters”
I wonder why? Seriously. Why would they lighten up on these people?
Posted by: Searambler | October 13, 2011, 9:23 am 9:23 am
Can you folks figure it out? No matter who you are, the OWS children (young and old) are protesting against YOU. Democrat, Republican, Tea Party, successful, unsuccessful, liberal, conservative, Marxist, Bolshevik – they are mad at you all because their petty lives are not perfect. You’ve taught them romantic images of storming the Bastille and lopping off heads, Robin Hoods, and Jesse Jameses. Shout it out, “Parasites of the world unite!” “If they can look like selfish fools in Greece, we can do it here as well!”
Posted by: n'erdowell | October 13, 2011, 9:26 am 9:26 am
The last 2 years don’t count Searambler, we’re in the middle of an election cycle. Posted by: pgdion | October 13, 2011, 9:08 am.
Who the hell says the last 2 years don’t count?!?!? ‘Runner’ said, “Wall Street has contributed more money to Obama than any other political candidate over the past 20 years”, without any proof or substantiation for this claim. Nothing there about the last 2 years not counting. He said Obama has gotten more money from Wall Street than anyone, since Bush SENIOR was in office. I don’t believe it. Do you?!?!?
Posted by: Searambler | October 13, 2011, 9:27 am 9:27 am
xxcrosed said “the GOP candidates have been bought by banks and wall street !”
agreed, but don’t kid yourself and think the same isn’t true about the dems.
Posted by: david | October 13, 2011, 9:28 am 9:28 am
Folks, if by now you haven’t gotten a clue here’s one more. OWS is NOT about one political party or another. It’s not about Republicans or Democrats. It’s about the corruption of our form of government by Wall Street, the banks, financial groups, corporations, the rich, and the corruption of all our elected officials. Our government is beholden to Wall Street and these other groups over the needs and desires of the people who elect them. The 99% represents all Americans who work paycheck to paycheck, or who are unemployed or underemployed. They represent the poor and the middle class, the seniors on fixed incomes who can no longer afford both food or medicines, but instead must choose between them. They represent that person who has no health insurance through no fault of their own. They represent the millions who worked hard and did all the right things only find themselves without jobs when their jobs were shipped overseas, with many losing their homes, their health insurance, and their ability to provide for themselves and their families. They represent an America, where all have equal opportunities, not just some. They represent that were where right wins over wrong, where fairness is a level playing field, not where a stacked deck beats you down. Everything that is great, that is noble, that is what defines a great nations is in that 99%. That 1% represents everything that is very wrong about America. It represents greed and misery for the 99%. Yes, when the 1% inflicts greed and misery on America, their wealth increases and the divide between the 99% and the 1% is even greater. Yes…1% of America makes their wealth at the expense and in inflicting misery, inflicting pain and suffering on the 99%. There’s money to be made in giving misery to America. They know it, some of us know it, but many do not. They don’t see the obvious. They don’t see the smoke and mirrors being used. Sad, how in this day and age so many remain ignorant or are unable to see the truth.
Posted by: jake | October 13, 2011, 9:28 am 9:28 am
Some very brainwashed individuals here that somehow believe they have some kind of intelligence that is being insulted. This isn’t a movement, it’s a bunch of losers asking for redistribution of wealth. If these people put more time, energy and excrement into getting a job and moving up, they just might get it. They’re a bunch of disgusting hippies that hve no clear path of what they want or how to implement it.
Posted by: CommonSenseParty | October 13, 2011, 9:29 am 9:29 am
Let’s see.
The wealthy and the corporations are winners and should not pay any taxes. (something they’re already pretty close to doing)
Normal people are losers and should pay taxes that fund everything. (that would include the libertarians/teapartiers/commonsense’ers)
Government is evil and should be drowned in the bathtub except when it is used to benefit the corporations and the wealthy.
Elderly, sick, and disabled are dead weights on society and should be eliminated as quickly as possible – with stealthy means like neglect and withholding medical care.
Do I have the mindset right?
Posted by: achillies | October 13, 2011, 9:31 am 9:31 am
searambler said “without any proof or substantiation for this claim”
And you gave no proof for your scott brown comment so what’s the diff….just more people bickering among themselves while politicians left and right bleed us dry.
Posted by: david | October 13, 2011, 9:31 am 9:31 am
Searambler | October 13, 2011, 9:27 am —- Judging simply by the amount of money his campaign is raising, you can surely bet many of the big boys between Wall St, banks and pharmaceuticals are giving him plenty. As I have said, ANYONE contributing to any political party or person is a fool parting with their money.
Posted by: CommonSenseParty | October 13, 2011, 9:31 am 9:31 am
Herman Cain is the same as the rest of the GOP — he says that businesses will pass down the savings from his 999 plan to their employees and the economy; BUT, as a businessman, he KNOWS that doesn’t and won’t happen. They save it as profit, then split it among themselves. Check the current stats and trends. The extra $ never trickles down!
Posted by: Bubba | October 13, 2011, 9:31 am 9:31 am
“Herman Cain makes $359,008 a year for sitting on the board of Whirlpool. Can anyone tell me exactly what it is he does to earn that money? As far as I can see, he doesn’t work for it.” – WorkingClass
Herman does the same type of “work” Hilary and Bill Clinton, Michelle and Barack Obama, George and Laura Bush and countless other politicians do when they occupy a seat on some corporate or .org board. It’s part of the game.
btw, I, for one, like the WallStreeters. It’s the face of Liberalism in the USA. It’s good that they are finally out in the open for everyone to see.
Posted by: Noz | October 13, 2011, 9:32 am 9:32 am
Republicans are deaf and dumb. They do not get it, not at all.
Posted by: Jim | October 13, 2011, 9:34 am 9:34 am
“Financial donations to (Scott) Brown also spiked last summer, as Congress was considering financial regulatory reform. As the Boston Globe reported, between mid-June and early-July 2010, Brown took in $140,000 from banks and investment firms and their executives, which was 400 percent more than the average received by other Republican senators during that same time period.
Brown eventually voted for the legislation, but not before extracting key concessions to benefit the financial industry in his state. As Newsweek wrote at the time, Brown “managed to dramatically weaken the ‘Volcker rule’ barring banks from speculative proprietary trading, proposing a 2 percent exemption (which conference chair Sen. Chris Dodd then generously raised to 3 percent), and he got the Democrats to quash a planned $19 billion rainy-day tax on banks as well.” —- Scott Brown works for Wall Street, which is why they give him more money than any other politician. And why he will lose to Elizabeth Warren next year…………
Posted by: Searambler | October 13, 2011, 9:35 am 9:35 am
They are an insult to OUR Intelligence ! Please. speak for yourself only.
Posted by: acdc2012 | October 13, 2011, 9:35 am 9:35 am
“Herman does the same type of “work” Hilary and Bill Clinton, Michelle and Barack Obama, George and Laura Bush and countless other politicians do when they occupy a seat on some corporate or .org board.”
In other words, you don’t know, exactly. You could have just SAID ‘I don’t know’. Or you could have remained silent on the subject…………
Posted by: Searambler | October 13, 2011, 9:37 am 9:37 am
Maybe starting on Wall St. was a good idea because now it is up to America, real Americans, to recognize, sympathize, and escalate the whole thing into the reformation of DC through a constitutional amendment banning the corruption money from DC. Had they started in DC, they would have essentially bypassed the American public and lost credibility. Now that it has legs they are unmistakably legitimate in the eyes of politicians and of the rest of America as well, as we see reflected in the shift in attitude that the current crop of politicos has just taken as they now worship at the alter of peaceful public protest. They are also starting to look a bit like deer in the headlights.
Posted by: sameagain | October 13, 2011, 9:38 am 9:38 am
Searambler | October 13, 2011, 9:27 am —- Judging simply by the amount of money his campaign is raising, you can surely bet many of the big boys between Wall St, banks and pharmaceuticals are giving him plenty. As I have said, ANYONE contributing to any political party or person is a fool parting with their money. Posted by: CommonSenseParty | October 13, 2011, 9:31 am.
Well, you can surely SPECULATE about it. Guilty by speculation?
However, I DO agree with your last sentence………
Posted by: Searambler | October 13, 2011, 9:39 am 9:39 am
Searambler | October 13, 2011, 9:35 am 9:35 am
Getting better but this just compares him to other rep senators during the same time period and not “received the most Wall Street money of anyone in the last 2 years” or “give him more money than any other politician”. But, yeah, no doubt he’s another kept man.
Posted by: david | October 13, 2011, 9:41 am 9:41 am
The Republicans need to get busy governing instead of blaming. Their “dilaing back” is yet another political ploy. What’s new?
Posted by: Jack | October 13, 2011, 9:53 am 9:53 am
David ——- (Forbes Magazine) Wall Street’s Favorite Congressmen – Brian Wingfield, 06.01.10, 06:00 AM EDT:
A certain truck-driving senator from Massachusetts and two GOP congressmen running for Senate are among the biggest recipients of contributions from the financial sector.
WASHINGTON — Sen. Scott Brown, R-Mass., achieved fame earlier this year when his election threw a wrench into Democrats’ health care plans. But as the recipient of nearly $442,000 in campaign contributions from the financial industry in 2009 and so far this year, he’s also an important player in Wall Street reform. In fact, only nine other members of Congress took in more from the financial community–and most of them hold leadership positions or important seats on the committees writing the bill.
(This was from well over a year ago. I saw an article a couple weeks ago stating Brown was the number one recipient now, but I haven’t found that article yet…………)
Posted by: Searambler | October 13, 2011, 9:53 am 9:53 am
commonsenseparty…funny, that you actually use that name as you show no common sense. But in an effort to enlighten you, I will give you this example in the most simple of terms. Two men walk into a store to buy an item that cost 100 cents (1 dollar). One man has 99 cents, the other man has only 1 cent. Who do you think is more likely to get that item, the guy that is 1 cent short or the guy that is 99 cent short? This isn’t rocket science here…just simple common sense. Let assume that the guy with 99 cents gets the item over the guy that has only 1 cent (what a reasonable person would think), then for all intents and purposes, the guy with the 99 cents actually has 100% because he controlled the outcome and sale. Now, expand that to the bigger world, do you think that Wall Street, the banks, the rich, the corporations and these shadowy financial groups who have 99% of the wealth in this country control just 99% of everything or 100% of everything. I would say, that the 99% control 100% and the 1% control 0%. That 100% controls you and your world, you and your government…you and everything. Hopefully, you can now see the forest thay is behind the bushes.
Posted by: jake | October 13, 2011, 9:54 am 9:54 am
Interesting Republican debate when Rick Perry was asked what he’d do to create jobs. All he did was blame the president. Governor Perry, I take that as you don’t intend to do anything, especially assume responsibility.
Posted by: Jack | October 13, 2011, 9:55 am 9:55 am
Oh, how we love to twist the facts to advance our ideologies. L.A. Times (one liberal bastion) article dated March 21,2008: “Democrats are the darlings of Wall St.”..read it. Washington Post: The wealthy securities and investment industry went from giving 2 to 1 to Dems at the start of 2009 to providing almost 50% to the Repubs. My, my, how the money chases the power. Mark Hessen, Pres-National Venture Capital Assoc who gave 78% of its donations to the Dems…”They hold the committee chairmanships, which means they hold the gavel and therefore the ones who can bring up issues or squash issues.” Nuff said. Get your facts right. Moral of the story: whoever is in power gets the gold..period. Dems are playing you folks like a bass drum and you are dancing the dance in perfect step.
Posted by: Salty | October 13, 2011, 10:00 am 10:00 am
searambler….nice..here is one for obama…it also mentions Romney
They’re all the same.
Posted by: david | October 13, 2011, 10:02 am 10:02 am
Salty…really, you quote an article that is almost 4 years old as your “source”. The world has changed must from 4 years ago. Try something more current. Thank you for playing.
Posted by: jake | October 13, 2011, 10:07 am 10:07 am
The CITIZENS know that this FAILURE in our Nation has much more to do with MONEY, those who HAVE it at the TOP and those politicians that are BOUGHT by that money in order to RAISE the TOP even higher while keeping those in the middle and the bottom even LOWER then they ever were. Those citizens are finally beginning to rise up and DEMAND that we bring our Nation BACK to being OF the PEOPLE, BY the PEOPLE, and FOR the PEOPLE!!!
Posted by: demNme5 | October 13, 2011, 10:15 am 10:15 am
The Occupy Wall Street 99%’s need to rally behind Ron Paul. He’s the only one exposing all the corruption going on, the Crony Capitalism, the Federal Reserve, and Corporatism wealth caused by government subsidies. I’m switching my party to Republican for this year just to vote for Paul.
Posted by: Mario | October 13, 2011, 10:22 am 10:22 am
Interesting Republican debate when Rick Perry was asked what he’d do to create jobs. All he did was blame the president. Posted by: Jack | October 13, 2011, 9:55 am.
That’s actually accurate in a weird kind of way, when you consider the billions of dollars Texas received in federal stimulus money helped them ‘create’ all those jobs they’re crowing about……….
Posted by: Searambler | October 13, 2011, 10:26 am 10:26 am
Well, the one good thing in all of this is that the homeless bums in the cities have been able to stop panhandling as they sponge off of the water and food being brought in for the demonstrators. Of course I see that some demonstrators are getting fed up with it. “They’re taking all my free stuff!” There is a certain amount of irony in that I guess.
Posted by: n'erdowell | October 13, 2011, 10:35 am 10:35 am
I hope all the OWS crowd checks out the following story from ABC news. Sept 23
2011 by Chris Cuomo, American infrastructure jobs being shipped to China. The
story states that California Bay Bridge and New York Alexander Hamilton Bridge
have the very lucrative parts of the jobs, engineering and design being handled by
Chinese government owned firms. Once again handing out our tax dollars to other
countries and not ours. And if you watched 60 minutes this weekend you saw
Obama’s Job czar Jeff Immelt of G.E. saying he should be applauded for expanding the G.E. brand overseas. This job czar has shipped over 22,000 jobs
overseas in the past 4 years. The entire Obama’s job council has shipped out
over 600,000 jobs in the past few years,and these our the people he is consulting on job creation.
Posted by: deadwrestler | October 13, 2011, 10:52 am 10:52 am
Interesting Republican debate when Rick Perry was asked what he’d do to create jobs. All he did was blame the president. Posted by: Jack | October 13, 2011, 9:55 am.
Well, that seemed to work out OK for Mr. Obama back in 2008.
These protesters continue to misdiagnose the problem. We do not have capitalism in this country, we have “corporatism.” That is not the fault of the corporations or Wall St. alone, it has more to do with the Federal Government and the power they have accumulated over the years. We must blame ourselves, as well, for allowing that to happen right under our noses. If we had a small, weak Fed Gov, there wouldn’t be any point in lobbying for certain laws or regs that benefit a small group, because the Gov would lack that kind of power – this is precisely the kind of scenario the founders had in mind when they drafted up our Constitution.
Quit protesting the symptoms and start looking deeper for the cause.
Posted by: David | October 13, 2011, 10:56 am 10:56 am
This story comes from Reuters Oct,13 Who Is Behind the OWS protest.
Financial connection made between George Soros and Canadian anti capitalist
group Ad Busters. So much for the grass roots movement. Although these protesters should realize that most movements are usually stirred by someone
with an agenda. Hopefully DTA will become there motto Don’t trust Anybody!!
Posted by: deadwrestler | October 13, 2011, 11:18 am 11:18 am
“Why would Occupy protest Washington instead of Wall Street? We’re protesting the organ grinders, not the monkeys.” – Frenchie
Because,
We are the Monkeys
The Corporations are the Organ Grinders
and
Washington DC gives money to the Organ Grinders to keep them in business.
Ask Bernanke, he can confirm that.
Posted by: Noz | October 13, 2011, 11:30 am 11:30 am
POSTED BY: JACK | OCTOBER 13, 2011, 9:55 AM 9:55 AM And please tell me why Pres.Obama has been blaming the former administration, the tsunami, the world markets, bad luck, the greece debacle for everything that went wrong with his decisions??????
Posted by: Lizzie | October 13, 2011, 11:49 am 11:49 am
It’s interesting that 90% of members of this so-called Jobs Council were Democrat fund raisers for Obama in 2008! And, each of these cronies are being paid between $200,000 and $500,000 for being on this council! Gee, want to talk about Americans who don’t have jobs and Obama hypocrisy? This so-called Jobs Council is no more than a bogus team of Obama CEO fundraisers, whose companies have contributed to Obama’s political campaign! Now, the Job Czar appointed by Obama is former CEO of General Electric, whose company also contributed millions to Obama’s campaign. Of course, Presidents from both parties do this, and both parties are equally corrupt! So, to those Occupy Wall Street people: you’re being played by the master puppeteer himself…Mr. Obama! Your cause has been hijacked by opportunists and unions, whose motivation is to just get more publicity. They have no intention of taking down Wall Street, as they too, get paid under the table from these companies! When all your picketing ends, not many things will really change! It’s a sad reality, and you’re being strung up and played like an instrument!
Posted by: Tularockstar | October 13, 2011, 12:00 pm 12:00 pm
Why was’nt there better coverage from the press on the protests? POSTED BY: MITCH | OCTOBER 13, 2011, 9:09 AM 9:09 AM
Do you mean, everyone having a different message, sex in the park, smocking pot, running around nude, defecating on police cars or any place that is convenient.
Posted by: Lizzie | October 13, 2011, 12:07 pm 12:07 pm
The establishment, media, and yes many of the commenters on this board deride the protesters: “They are irrelevant, a fringe group of whiny malcontented hippies.” If that’s true then just ignore them and they will go away. Obviously there is fear that these protesters have touched on a raw nerve. The protesters do have a clear message. “Something has to change and the PEOPLE need to be heard!”
Posted by: TampaBob | October 13, 2011, 12:33 pm 12:33 pm
“The protesters do have a clear message. “Something has to change and the PEOPLE need to be heard!”” – TampaBob
W O W !
The same message as the Tea Party.
This group is soon to be painted as racist, I’m sure.
In the meantime, I’m enjoying the show.
Posted by: Noz | October 13, 2011, 1:13 pm 1:13 pm
So the GOP wants to blame joblessness on Obama, meanwhile republican ideology opposing regulation and “the free market” caused the meltdown and joblessness, the GOP has voted down every jobs bill except the bush/Obama stimulus, AND meanwhile GOP ceo’s are banking profits without hiring, offshoring profits to avoid taxes, offshoring jobs to avoid paying a living wage… And all that is Obama fault? Really…
Posted by: jj | October 13, 2011, 4:59 pm 4:59 pm
SAME MESSAGE
Cain: ‘Why Don’t You Move the Demonstrations to the White House?’ Oct 7, 2011
Cain: “It should be against the failed policies of this administration, not Wall Street, is where they should be protesting.” Oct 11, 2011
—
Maybe they need to target ABC for their corrupt reporting.
Posted by: MEDIA CORRUPTION | October 13, 2011, 5:25 pm 5:25 pm
No. They are NOT protesting the wrong people. They couldn’t have pointed the villians out any better actually. Herman Cain is a joke. Herman CoCaine is on a helluva drug
Posted by: Jimmy | October 13, 2011, 11:20 pm 11:20 pm
The private owners of the Federal Reserve Bank and that subsidiary of Goldman Sachs, the US Treasury, have indeed brought havoc and ruin upon America. The international financiers, banking firms and stock trading companies have foisted free trade upon us, incited our politicians to run up a huge national debt, without telling us to whom the debt is owed, how much interest and how much collateral is pledged to the lenders.
Posted by: Michael Guy | October 14, 2011, 12:31 am 12:31 am
Yeah, it’s time to protest. Guess ABC only cares about Republican candidates for president. You can get this type of coverage over at faux news too.
Massive unemployment
+ Millionaires free of taxes
+ Wreckless bankers with taxpayer bailout
+ Trashed safety net
+ Defunded public schools
+ Smokestacks everywhere
+ Government stalled
+ Corporate media cooperation
= Teapublican Utopia
Posted by: sad news reader | October 14, 2011, 12:31 am 12:31 am
Many of us not only don’t know history, but also don’t know how our political system truly works. Before our president gets to sign legislations they are adjusted and changed, with earmarks attached. When it finally gets to his desk he needs to make a decision whether or not to sign. Some of us put blame on just one party and that is not the case. We have arguments for less government, but it was our last president and congress that sign the patriot act which did take away some of our privacy. Current candidates don’t want government control on business, but will tell us what we should or shouldn’t do preaching to us the word or the lord. If I am correct there is something in our constitution about separation of church and state.
Also if we were to learn from history we would refer to President Hoover who left the red cross and churches in charge of taking care of people. This unfortunately led us to the Great Depression, which led to the development of Social Security which was designed for the elderly, disabled, and widowed because they were the poorest. This was welfare, welfare that we argue for today. Currently the poorest are children. So how about everyone start working together to get things taken care of instead of pointing figures. This is what occupy Wall Street is about. It is not just democrat, it’s also republican, it’s everyone.
Posted by: Rick | October 14, 2011, 8:21 am 8:21 am