Blue Mass Group

Reality-based commentary on politics.

Occupy and the Tea Party

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One can’t help but sympathize with the protestors even if one doesn’t approve of their methods or personal hygiene choices. This group is not dissimilar to the original Tea Party folks who were aroused more than anything by the TARP bill that bailed out the firms the current demonstrators so loathe. The only real difference between the two groups is that the Tea Party crowd places the blame about 200 miles southwest of Wall Street. If Rick Santelli hadn’t given them their name, they could have just as easily been called Occupy Constitution Avenue. Occupy (insert your city here) blames the bribers while the Tea Party blames the bribees. One thing both groups seem to agree on is that the Federal Reserve deserves a large share of the blame and that is reason for hope. We may never be able to agree on whether politicians or corporate lobbyists are the more loathsome characters in this American economic passion play but the Fed could provide a focal point for the anger felt by people of all political persuasions.

http://www.alhambrapartners.com/2011/10/09/weekly-economic-market-review-3/

Weekly Economic & Market Review

Joseph Calhoun

Alhambra Investment Partners

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  1. The article is talking about who is blamed more, the bribers of the bribees. Who on either side believes that bribery is okay or in the best interests of the country?
    It reminds me of the inability of the Nationalists and Communists in China, to work as one to fight the takeover of the invading Japanese.
    Granted the left and right have real differences on a variety of issues and policies, but both sides are having their voices drowned out by big money and the access the money brings.
    Both sides are subjected to manufactured political messaging that corrupts and drowns out real conversation. The 99% is both progressive and conservative.
    PS Can’t speak for the rest of them, but I showered before marching yesterday and everyone I encountered was of a pleasant olfactory modality.
    Further the myth of pot smoking protesters is humorous considering the documented long sordid history with cocaine inside Wall Street.

    • Sue, corporations can always connect their products to some generalized good. In the mercantilist system, companies in England could accurately claim that they were bringing jobs to the home island by getting the navy to enforce tariffs and restrictions on the colonies which would force the population to buy English products.

      I don’t want to go deeply into it, but it’s easy to see how all political goals these days are translated into products and services that the government promotes with favorable tax treatment or even demands that we buy.

  2. An Interview With Timothy P. Carney

    … The proto-tea party were the anti-Obamacare protests in the summer of 2009. Republicans just loved that, because it was just serving their purposes. Then the tea party started up. At first, the GOP sounded the same – “We support what’s going on” or “It’s a good idea” – but then all of a sudden Charlie Crist, the Republican candidate for Senate in Florida, fell into second place behind Marco Rubio, which the establishment didn’t want. They went on thinking the situation was manageable, until Rand Paul beat Trey Grayson in Kentucky.

    Then it went from paying lip service to a panic that took the form of either attacking the tea party or really trying to work with it. That Rand Paul primary opened a lot of the Republicans’ eyes. It did two things: one, it got the Republicans trying to co-opt the tea party movement, but two, it made them scared. This is something that liberal organizers understand almost innately, but it took conservatives accidentally doing it to realize that politicians are only going to do what you want them to do if they’re afraid.

    Rep. Carolyn Maloney on MSNBC Saturday was like, “It’s obvious they want us to pass Obama’s jobs bill,” which is what Carolyn Maloney was saying before Occupy Wall Street was going on. The Democrats want to channel Occupy Wall Street’s media attention into their pre-existing agenda and channel the energy here into support for that agenda, which is basically getting reelected in November. So, if there are not primary challenges to Democratic politicians arising out of this, then we’ll know that this isn’t having an effect on what Washington is going to do…

    http://www.truth-out.org/grounds-common-cause-between-occupy-wall-street-and-tea-party/1318352406

  3. have felt their voices drowned out by big money.
    Too often Dems and Reps in Washington pass legislation that is neither conservative or liberal, just pro big money – the bank bailouts for example.

    The conservatives are told they are supporting family values and the liberals are sold on middleclass values while the only thing actually being accomplished is the values of those who can afford the access of large donations and an army of lobbyists.

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