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COLUMN: Occupy Wall Street does have unified message

By Brad O'Donnell on October 19, 2011 10:45 am in Columns / 47 comments

 

The Occupy Wall Street movement has been met with contempt by many of my politically progressive or liberal friends.

To them, their lack of a unified message makes them illegitimate. They are wrong on many levels.

For those living under a rock, Occupy Wall Street is a movement dedicated to holding the largest financial institutions in the world accountable for collapsing the world economy in 2008.

As it currently stands, not a single person from Wall Street has been arrested for what was done. Yet the rest of us have to deal with the worst recession since the Great Depression.

The assertion that Occupy Wall Street lacks a message is simply untrue. I spent this weekend at the Occupy Lansing solidarity protest, so I have a little perspective on this. People were upset about Wall Street money infecting politics, that CEOs get bank bailouts and tax breaks, but average Americans have to make deep sacrifices in their lives.

I will graduate from CMU with $30,000 in student loan debt, and I will be held accountable to pay back every penny.

Bankers destroyed the global economy, and not only did they get a massive bailout of $700 billion, but not a single one will face jail time for the fraud, corruption and investor manipulation that occurred.

Skeptical progressives seem to be on board thus far. It is easy to be angry at the big banks, as they were the ones that singlehandedly caused the economic mess we are still suffering after three full years. Protesting is not the way that will be resolved, progressives fire back. The only way to make real change is to “occupy the voting booths,” as seems to be the big talking point now.

Except voting has proven to not work.

Granted, Democrats and progressive-leaning independents largely stayed home in 2010, but let’s go back to the 2008 election. Then-Illinois Sen. Barack Obama promised change and transparency. On the other hand, Obama’s largest campaign contributors were from those large Wall Street financial institutions.

Fast forward to today, and President Obama has had an incredibly friendly administration for financial institutions.

One top banker even called Timothy Geithner, President Obama’s treasury secretary, “our man in Washington.”

Dare I say that until money gets out of politics, simply voting will never affect serious change in America?

That is why Occupy Wall Street is protesting. They voted in 2008 and were promptly sold out. They stayed home in 2010 and things only got worse. The only option left is to take their frustration to the American public at large. If recent polling is correct, a plurality of Americans are quite receptive to the message of holding Wall Street accountable.

So should you.

Politicians only respond to two things, by and large: fear and money. The middle class has none of the latter, so it is time to make politicians terrified they are going to get thrown out of office for being bought and paid for by Wall Street.

After all, what else is there left to do?

Editor’s note: Brad O’Donnell is a former president of College Democrats.
 

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  • http://www.facebook.com/people/Matt-Igleski/40602353 Matt Igleski

    Nice article! I think you did a good job of covering all aspects of the frustration. The demonstrators don’t necessarily have the answers… I think that is the point of the movement, to get the ball rolling in the right direction.

  • http://twitter.com/jesterwitch Elena Fried

    Thank you for looking at all sides of the situation. I’m liberal myself, but I’m glad to see both conservatives and liberals coming together and identifying the truth.

  • http://tinyurl.com/ANoiXioNA-personal-info ANoiXioNA

    One solution…. Money out of politics.

    The majority of the 99.999%’s…  issues and problems… are derived from money in politics.

    Hence … the cards will fall……
    eg…
    “”corporate person-hood”" … no way …without bribery.
    “”extortionate health care costs”" … no way …without bribery.
    “”unregulated banking system”" … no way …without bribery.
    “”tax loop holes for the rich”" … no way …without bribery.

    The list goes on……

    All the people should control government policy for ALL the people. NOT the people who bribe the politicians the most.

  • http://pulse.yahoo.com/_KJV344CIMXC6ZOZSVJOICFEME4 sailorstarfairy

    I probably sound dreadfully cynical but given how much technology exists in the world, is it really even necessary to have politicians anymore? We could really be a democracy by allowing people to vote on the individual issues – example: Vote Yes or No to: “Bring US troops back from Iraq and Afghanistan.” Instead we have to vote on politicians who, no matter the party, no matter the “platform” ALWAYS LIE. I had a lot of confidence in Obama – I thought truly that he was going to be the one to make a difference but he STILL hasn’t brought the boys home, and it’s been months since we “found Bin Laden and got him.” That doesn’t mean that I’d vote republican just to “get Obama out of office” – it just means that if he had kept his promise, I would have voted for the first time in my entire life and I would have voted for him for his second term in office. Now, I’m back to square one of being cynical and not trusting any of the politicians to do the RIGHT thing : for the people, by the people, of the people.

  • http://pulse.yahoo.com/_KJV344CIMXC6ZOZSVJOICFEME4 sailorstarfairy

    I probably sound dreadfully cynical but given how much technology exists in the world, is it really even necessary to have politicians anymore? We could really be a democracy by allowing people to vote on the individual issues – example: Vote Yes or No to: “Bring US troops back from Iraq and Afghanistan.” Instead we have to vote on politicians who, no matter the party, no matter the “platform” ALWAYS LIE. I had a lot of confidence in Obama – I thought truly that he was going to be the one to make a difference but he STILL hasn’t brought the boys home, and it’s been months since we “found Bin Laden and got him.” That doesn’t mean that I’d vote republican just to “get Obama out of office” – it just means that if he had kept his promise, I would have voted for the first time in my entire life and I would have voted for him for his second term in office. Now, I’m back to square one of being cynical and not trusting any of the politicians to do the RIGHT thing : for the people, by the people, of the people.

  • Michmediaperson

    You’re right about Barack Hussein Obama.  He’s married to Wall Street so he can collect the tens of millions of dollars in contributions.  Bill Daley, his chief of staff, walked away from Chase Bank with about 11 million.  Gaither didn’t pay his taxes and sucks up to Wall Street.  Obama will continue since he needs the campaign money.  He throws guys like you underneath the bus.
    At least, you’re admitting it!!!
     
    Now, you’re $30,000 loan.  You signed for it.  You’re personally responsible.  When I went to CMU, we paid $12 an hour, professors weren’t in the research racket and we didn’t have any PC nonsense.
    We seldom had an adjunct.
     
    But, when you want research, you want multiculturalism, when you want unionized professors making up to $200,000 a year and salaries skyhigh in Warriner, then you’re going to have to charge about $340 an hour.  If Obama had his way, he’d give more scholarship monies to illegals….instead of to white, male Irish-sounding names!!
     
    Brad, join me in a bi-partisan support to get tuition down to about $180-200.  It can be done! 
     
    Doug Schoen, the top Democratic pollster who has common sense (he’s on Hannity a lot), said the DEMS better steer clear of these Occupy people.
     
    They are chanting anti-Jewish chants, are stealing laptops and cell phones from each other and are extreme left-wingers.
     
    If I were in your shoes, I’d get the other Libs to start a third-party and have someone like Kucinich or Nader run as president.  Send Obama a message next November!

    Likewise, with Stabenow.  Another one, like Obama, takes money and sucks up to Wall Street.

    Get money out of politics?  Are you going to tell the MEA and the NEA to quit donating money?  Likewise, with all unions!

    At least, you’re starting to realize the truth about the Obama White House.  Years from now, you’ll be a Hannity-man!

  • http://www.facebook.com/ashesfall Mike Murray

    The fact is, the alternative to Occupy Wall Street is armed rebellion and no one wants that. There are more guns in the United States than there are people, and a huge portion of those are underneath peoples pillows where they sleep at night.

    This is how we engineered this nation from day one (I actually don’t like that things are this way, but its worth pointing out). Whenever, throughout history, a wealth disparity of this magnitude has existed in a nation (whether democratic, socialist, or otherwise): The wealthy have been promptly executed and the banks and government buildings have been burned to the ground.

    Occupy Wall Street isn’t just a protest, its the only way we may have to vent our frustration and feel listened to without having to get out those arms we’ve been “bearing” for 200+ years. Which I really wouldn’t enjoy having to do.

  • http://www.facebook.com/ashesfall Mike Murray

    The fact is, the alternative to Occupy Wall Street is armed rebellion and no one wants that. There are more guns in the United States than there are people, and a huge portion of those are underneath peoples pillows where they sleep at night.

    This is how we engineered this nation from day one (I actually don’t like that things are this way, but its worth pointing out). Whenever, throughout history, a wealth disparity of this magnitude has existed in a nation (whether democratic, socialist, or otherwise): The wealthy have been promptly executed and the banks and government buildings have been burned to the ground.

    Occupy Wall Street isn’t just a protest, its the only way we may have to vent our frustration and feel listened to without having to get out those arms we’ve been “bearing” for 200+ years. Which I really wouldn’t enjoy having to do.

  • guest

    What Middle class?

  • guest

    What Middle class?

  • guest

    What Middle class?

  • guest

    What Middle class?

  • Michmediaperson

    The way to vent your frustration is to go out and get a job.  Even if it’s flipping burgers at McDonalds.

    We need to send the illegals back to their respective countries which will create millions of jobs for all.

    A lot of successful millionaires running corporations worked their butts off before, during and after college, to get where they are today.

    These couple thousand protesters want a free hand-out.  They want free food, free college, free healthcare, free booze, free drugs, free cigarettes,  free I-Phone, free Mac, free car,  free this, free that.  They’re lazy!  They are Marxists and Socialists!  They expect the 49 percent of us who pay federal taxes in this country to pay for their stuff.  Bunch of lazy people!

    Rush played interviews of these people yesterday.  Nothing but a bunch of freeloaders!  They are ant-American, anti-capitalism, 100 percent socialists.  I couldn’t believe their comments.

  • Michmediaperson

    The way to vent your frustration is to go out and get a job.  Even if it’s flipping burgers at McDonalds.

    We need to send the illegals back to their respective countries which will create millions of jobs for all.

    A lot of successful millionaires running corporations worked their butts off before, during and after college, to get where they are today.

    These couple thousand protesters want a free hand-out.  They want free food, free college, free healthcare, free booze, free drugs, free cigarettes,  free I-Phone, free Mac, free car,  free this, free that.  They’re lazy!  They are Marxists and Socialists!  They expect the 49 percent of us who pay federal taxes in this country to pay for their stuff.  Bunch of lazy people!

    Rush played interviews of these people yesterday.  Nothing but a bunch of freeloaders!  They are ant-American, anti-capitalism, 100 percent socialists.  I couldn’t believe their comments.

  • Michmediaperson

    The way to vent your frustration is to go out and get a job.  Even if it’s flipping burgers at McDonalds.

    We need to send the illegals back to their respective countries which will create millions of jobs for all.

    A lot of successful millionaires running corporations worked their butts off before, during and after college, to get where they are today.

    These couple thousand protesters want a free hand-out.  They want free food, free college, free healthcare, free booze, free drugs, free cigarettes,  free I-Phone, free Mac, free car,  free this, free that.  They’re lazy!  They are Marxists and Socialists!  They expect the 49 percent of us who pay federal taxes in this country to pay for their stuff.  Bunch of lazy people!

    Rush played interviews of these people yesterday.  Nothing but a bunch of freeloaders!  They are ant-American, anti-capitalism, 100 percent socialists.  I couldn’t believe their comments.

  • Michmediaperson

    The way to vent your frustration is to go out and get a job.  Even if it’s flipping burgers at McDonalds.

    We need to send the illegals back to their respective countries which will create millions of jobs for all.

    A lot of successful millionaires running corporations worked their butts off before, during and after college, to get where they are today.

    These couple thousand protesters want a free hand-out.  They want free food, free college, free healthcare, free booze, free drugs, free cigarettes,  free I-Phone, free Mac, free car,  free this, free that.  They’re lazy!  They are Marxists and Socialists!  They expect the 49 percent of us who pay federal taxes in this country to pay for their stuff.  Bunch of lazy people!

    Rush played interviews of these people yesterday.  Nothing but a bunch of freeloaders!  They are ant-American, anti-capitalism, 100 percent socialists.  I couldn’t believe their comments.

  • Michmediaperson

    Who got bought and paid for by Wall Street in the 2008 election?????
    According to opensecrets.org and all the Federal Elections Records

    Goldman Sachs:(the top Wall Street dogs)
    Obama:  $1 million dollars
    McCain:  Only $240,000

    JP Morgan Chase:
    Obama:  $808,000
    McCain:  $324,000

    Citigroup:
    Obama: $736,000
    McCain: $338,000

    And all you suckers voted for Wall Street’s star wonder, Barack Obama who was bought and paid for by Wall Street fat cats who now you’re protesting against.  Explain me that one!  Sean Hannity and Rush warned everyone about Obama but you all fell for his teleprompter.  

    And, who has gotten rich since January of 2009.  Yep, you guessed it, Wall Street…..thanks to Barack Hussein Obama.  They bought Obama and he delivered big time.

    The poor got poorer….we have record poverty.  Obama has done away with the Middle Class as Guest indicated.

    Wall Street got what it wanted—-$$$$$$$$$$$$$$$$$$$$$$$$$$$$$$$$$$$$$$$$$$$$$$.
    Obama got what he wanted—-4 years living at 1600 Pennsylvania Avenue.

    And, what’s crazy, half of these dumb protesters are saying they’re going to vote again for Obama.
    Figure that one out?

    Big business capitalist companies like Microsoft was his fourth biggest contributor—$852,000.  Yep, Bill Gates is much much richer.  Great investment for him—$852,000.

    Google which has doubled its stock thanks to Obama….$814,000.

    Microsoft and Google have done very well thanks to Obama.  You’re talking a lot of money these two companies have made.

    And, all those Obama economic cronies from the Harvard Business School who have screwed up the economy and thrown more people out of work.  They got their White House gigs since Harvard was Obama’s number-3 contributor, $878,000.

    Who was number 1????  It was Jennifer Granholm and Mr. Granholm’s current employer—University of California–more than $1.6 million.  

    If you got $$$$ and give it to Barack, you get an outstanding return.  Just like Chicago politics, you get rewarded.

    Ask the folks at Solyndra who got 1.2 billion in shovel-ready taxpayer stimulus money for the big campaign contributions to Obama.  Now, they’re bankrupt.

    If you’re going to put Wall Street bankers in jail, then you’ve got to put Obama and his cronies in the slammer for what they with our tax dollars at Solyndra. 

    All you Libs will vote for Obama again.  The rich will get richer.  The poor will get poorer.  But, Obama satisfies his ego with four more years.

  • Michmediaperson

    MSU brings in $495 million a year so they’re probably profitable or breaking even.

    How much does CMU bring in a year???????

    You’re so selfish thinking only about the highly-paid faculty.

    I’m thinking about the broke college students with $20,000 to $80,000 in loans who have to make up the difference in money to do all this research.

    If any CMU faculty member loves research, then let them get a job at UM or MSU!

    If we ever got undergraduate tuition down to the $170-200 a credit hour, you’d see MSU undergrad students in droves coming to Mt. Pleasant.  The savings in money would be either lower loans or money available to go to Grad School.

  • Michmediaperson

    It’s early.  Wall Street is laying low until next year.  If they started doing now what they did in 2008 giving tens of millions of dollars to Obama, the community activist would look stupid to the public.

    The protesters should be protesting Obama for being bought off by Wall Street and how Wall Street has made hundreds of millions, probably a trillion dollars since Barack Hussein Obama took the oath on January 20, 2009.  Obama remembered who gave him all the big money—Wall Street fatcats, banks, big corporations and universities.

    Heck with the poor people and the middle class.  They didn’t do anything for the community activist from Chicago.

  • Anonymous

    Are you serious?

    Is that suppose to be a joke or an insult or what…?

    Because it’s neither factual nor witty.
    I guess it doesn’t matter that we’re lied to 24/7 by the ruling class.

  • Anonymous

    Not everything is about Obama.

    Obama is a shill. He is suppose to look pretty and take the blame.

    But tyranny has been enthroned openly in this country for the past eleven years.

  • Anonymous

    The rich have been bloodsucking the crap out of this world for a long time.

    They want you to work as a wage slave for the rest of your life.
    It’s a system you cannot escape and they have set it up this way.
    The American dream is dead. The United States will not recovery from fractional reserve lending, insidious greed and monetarism.

    OH, your slanted nonsense, irresponsible media personality told you a bunch of slanted, cherry-picked nonsense?
    The world is falling apart.

  • Anonymous

    Voting accomplishes nothing in this country.

    All of the candidates are there because they are allowed to be there.
    They are groomed and hand picked. There’s a bunch and then like magic there are only a two.

    Like that’s a choice. Between corporate puppet number one or corporate puppet number two.
    It is a choice with no meaning.

    Things continue as they are no matter what.
    Not to mention voting fraud and electronic voting.

    The system is broken. Voting is not a solution in this time period.

  • Anonymous

    Those terms only exist to distract you from the truth.

    Plutocracy

  • Badusernamewithnospaces

    facts are for socialists praise jeebus

  • Badusernamewithnospaces

    facts are for socialists praise jeebus

  • Is Glenn Beck A Terrorist?

    Your ‘intelligence’ shows us that you might have been dropped on your head as a baby, and spent your childhood eating old paint chips.

  • Is Glenn Beck A Terrorist?

    Your ‘intelligence’ shows us that you might have been dropped on your head as a baby, and spent your childhood eating old paint chips.

  • Is Glenn Beck A Terrorist?

    “If Obama had his way, he’d give more scholarship monies to illegals….instead of to white, male Irish-sounding names!!”

    Drunk and belligerent. Way to live down to the ethnic stereotype.

  • Is Glenn Beck A Terrorist?

    “If Obama had his way, he’d give more scholarship monies to illegals….instead of to white, male Irish-sounding names!!”

    Drunk and belligerent. Way to live down to the ethnic stereotype.

  • Is Glenn Beck A Terrorist?

    What job? The ratio of unemployed people to open positions is greater than four to one. Also, some employers will only hire people who are either already employed or have only been out of work for a short period of time.

    Get a job? Get a clue.

  • Is Glenn Beck A Terrorist?

    What job? The ratio of unemployed people to open positions is greater than four to one. Also, some employers will only hire people who are either already employed or have only been out of work for a short period of time.

    Get a job? Get a clue.

  • Is Glenn Beck A Terrorist?

    Obama’s a corporate whore. Obama’s a socialist. These two things are mutually exclusive, yet you claim them both.

    You are a dumbass.

  • Is Glenn Beck A Terrorist?

    Obama’s a corporate whore. Obama’s a socialist. These two things are mutually exclusive, yet you claim them both.

    You are a dumbass.

  • Mike

    I’m pretty sure _you_ don’t have a clue…

  • Badusernamewithnospaces

    rush limbaugh is fat lol

  • Dr. Professor, PhD

    I need to tell you a little about how it is in Michmediaperson’s nature to be a deceiver and a destroyer and a bloodsucker. And so I shall. First things first: I’m not afraid of Michmediaperson. However, I am concerned that he has repeatedly been spotted wooing over mad, picayunish stumblebums by using tactics such as scapegoating, reductionist and simplistic solutions, demagoguery, and a conspiracy theory of history. When questioned about that, he either denies any knowledge of it or offers unbelievable and ludicrous explanations that only an ignorant used-car salesman could believe. Let us now tamp down any doubts that Michmediaperson’s sole aspiration is apparently to generate an epidemic of corruption and social unrest because in that is our only hope for the future.

  • Dr. Professor, PhD

    I need to tell you a little about how it is in Michmediaperson’s nature to be a deceiver and a destroyer and a bloodsucker. And so I shall. First things first: I’m not afraid of Michmediaperson. However, I am concerned that he has repeatedly been spotted wooing over mad, picayunish stumblebums by using tactics such as scapegoating, reductionist and simplistic solutions, demagoguery, and a conspiracy theory of history. When questioned about that, he either denies any knowledge of it or offers unbelievable and ludicrous explanations that only an ignorant used-car salesman could believe. Let us now tamp down any doubts that Michmediaperson’s sole aspiration is apparently to generate an epidemic of corruption and social unrest because in that is our only hope for the future.

  • Michmediaperson

    Send the illegals home and they’ll be plenty of job openings.

    Why are you Liberals against sending the illegals packing?

  • Michmediaperson

    Send the illegals home and they’ll be plenty of job openings.

    Why are you Liberals against sending the illegals packing?

  • Michmediaperson

    He’s a corporate whore if you write Barack Hussein Obama a check for hundreds of thousands of dollars and especially, a million dollars.

    If not, expect to see his socialist wrath!

    We should send home the illegals in New York and those protesters can have jobs!

  • Michmediaperson

    He’s a corporate whore if you write Barack Hussein Obama a check for hundreds of thousands of dollars and especially, a million dollars.

    If not, expect to see his socialist wrath!

    We should send home the illegals in New York and those protesters can have jobs!

  • Anonymous

    Occupy Everywhere is not about Obama’s Job Bill.
    It is no more about Obama being a corporate sellout than any other elected officials.

    ABC lies. Mickey Mouse is a terrorist.

  • Anonymous

    If by socialism you mean a complete merging of the government and private industry – then yes we live under socialism.

    However, this was going on long before Obama, Bush or Clinton.

    Buy a dictionary and some glasses. Maybe then you can aim to be less myopic

  • Anonymous

    How does one go about doing that mr. fixit?

    Send millions of people back to there native country?
    It’s easy to just say things. You’d make a great politician.

    You could join the resistance to human rights abuses by educating yourself on the effects of NAFTA and the wealth gap (etc).

    The only way to stop immigrants from coming here is to take away the incentive. There is still this idyllic image in the minds of people that in America your vote counts, you can anything you want and you can pull yourself up by your own bootstraps.
    That’s not even true.
    However Mexico’s government is far more upfront about it’s corruption.

    Joke is on everyone though because this whole continent is going to hell.

  • Is Glenn Beck A Terrorist?

    OK, you’re a persistent dumbass.

  • Anonymous

    $500 Million?

    That is pocket change compared to the amount that has been stolen from us in terms of apportioned taxes and interest on our currency.

    Or the several trillion dollars being sucked into America’s “take over the world because of terrorism or something” campaign.

    How about the black hole of derivatives on the books and Goldman Sachs when they were bailed out? It is unaccountable nothing based on nothing and bloated in value.

    Poster,
    Why don’t you care about real crooks?
    Why does it seem you only want to blame democrats for everything while comfortably at home on the internet?
    Do you think people actually care or empathize with you?

    I for one do not. There are bigger fish to fry than you and hack political puppets put in place to distract us.