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Happy Birthday Occupy Wall Street

It’s Occupy Wall Street’s first birthday.  Occupy was supposed to address the frustration and anger of the 99% is probably one of the largest operations in political astroturfing in American history.  I’ll let Andrew Breitbart and his team explain the rest when Occupy Unmasked comes out later this Fall. However, even if it’s astroturf, Occupy was an outlet for the folks on the far left to vent.

These were people who were sick of the corporate greed, income inequality, capitalism, or any facet of socioeconomics that has turned this nation into what it is today – a beacon for freedom and opportunity.  In all, it’s the greatest temper tantrum thrown by the political left since the Weather Underground tried to ignite the failed ‘Days of Rage.’ As such, Days of Rage was an influencing element throughout this whole episode.  One of the underlying themes of Occupy is “give us free stuff” – which George Will aptly stated is the final stage of American progressivism after one hundred years of maturation.

One year into this movement, you would think the unyielding idealism of liberals would keep the passion for collectivism alive.  However, as Jazz Shaw reported yesterday:

About 300 people observing the anniversary of Occupy Wall Street marched to a small concrete park in New York’s lower Manhattan that served as headquarters for the protest movement and was its birthplace.

Police patrolled the crowd Saturday and took at least a dozen people into custody near Trinity Church that borders Zuccotti Park. Police confirmed they made arrests, mostly for disorderly conduct, but they did not have a total number.

Protesters marched from Washington Square Park and headed south down Broadway to Zuccotti Park, chanting as they went. The group later thinned out.

Shaw rightfully quipped “300 people? Seriously? This is New York City. You can get twice that many homeless to show up in under an hour if a donut truck breaks down near Central Park. Hell, if you get ten women to demonstrate their right to go topless in public, you can get three times that many reporters to show up in Gotham.”  Furthermore, “there’s an election coming up in barely six weeks with huge questions of policy on the line which are important to both sides of the debate. If you’re not going to do it now, when would you? Is there anyone running this show anymore?”

No, there isn’t anyone home anymore.  Such is the flaw of progressivism, which is to mangle and twist something until it is unrecognizable – which is what they plan to do with our constitution if given the chance.  Luckily, Occupy’s deficiencies consumed the movement before it was a true political threat.  According to Meghan Barr at The Associated Press, “the trouble with Occupy Wall Street, a year after it bloomed in a granite park in lower Manhattan and spread across the globe, is that nobody really knows what it is anymore.”

Barr, who reported on the one year anniversary on September 16, wrote that:

…the movement is now a shadow of its mighty infancy, when a group of young people harnessed the power of a disillusioned nation and took to the streets chanting about corporate greed and inequality. Back then it was a rallying cry, a force to be reckoned with. But as the encampments were broken up and protesters lost a gathering place, Occupy in turn lost its ability to organize. The movement had grown too large too quickly. Without leaders or specific demands, what started as a protest against income inequality turned into an amorphous protest against everything wrong with the world.

Yes, a few warriors remain at Zuccotti Park, “albeit in a far less cohesive form.”  Since they have lost their ability to organize – and rightfully so – “Occupiers mostly keep in touch online through a smattering of websites and social networks. There are occasional conference calls and Occupy-affiliated newsletters. Meetings are generally only convened to organize around specific events, like the much-hyped May Day event that ultimately fizzled last spring.”  To show that Occupy is virtually on life support, “the movement’s remaining $85,000 in assets were frozen, though fundraising continues.”

By contrast, the “racist” Tea Party is alive and well.  They’re de-centralized, but operate with efficiency and vanguards to the conservative principles that some Republicans fail to uphold. They gave the Republican Party their largest congressional power grab since 1948 and we’re able to put Ted Cruz, Deb Fischer, and Richard Mourdock on the ballot in their respective states’ senate elections.

Has Occupy done anything to gain traction politically, besides pooping on cop cars, throwing urine, and vandalizing property?

Apparently, things don’t change as they intend to hit:

40 ‘corporate targets’… including such big names as Fidelity Investments, Federal Reserve Bank, and Standard & Poors. Protesters are encouraged to ‘wear business attire,’ presumably so they can mix in with office workers. Occupiers, who hit the news in 2011 with tons of media fanfare, have faded into the background. Even The Washington Post, which has written repeatedly favorable stories about the group, questioned its importance…according to Reuters, these protests include surrounding Wall Street. ‘At 7 a.m. Monday, some protesters will try to surround the NYSE, while others will engage in a loosely choreographed series of ‘sit-ins’ at intersections throughout the financial district, according to OWS’s website.’

Since Occupy will be going into Hospice care soon, I think we’ll all remember it as a farce.  Another ruse used by the far left to exploit the wider liberal wing of the American electorate to do their bidding – bless their hearts.  In addition, we’ll remember Occupy for their serial criminality which includes, but are not limited to death threats, drug distribution/use, assault, vandalism, and the litany of sexual assaults that occurred within their respective encampments.  Rapes that Keith Olbermann said never happened.  Although, such acts of depravity didn’t stop the Democratic Party from fundraising off Occupy’s energy.

Nevertheless, on this day, the United States Constitution was ratified in 1787.  Happy Birthday U.S. Constitution!

Up Twinkles?

Originally Posted on Hot Air.

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Matt Vespa

I'm a staunch Republican and a politics junkie who was recently the Executive Director for the Dauphin County Republican Committee in Harrisburg. Before that, I interned with the Republican Party of Pennsylvania in the summer of 2011 and Mary Pat Christie, First Lady of NJ, within the Office of the Governor of NJ in 2010. I was responsible for updating his personal contact list. My first political internship was with Tom Kean Jr's. U.S. Senate campaign in 2006.

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