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    The Tea Party, OWS, and Revolution in the Air

    This story comes from the Yahoo! Contributor Network, where individuals publish their unique perspectives on some of the world’s most popular websites.
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    ANALYSIS | As the conservative right continues to rally around the symbolism of the Boston Tea Party, the liberal left has now made its own call for revolution, staging protests across the country unified under the umbrella of the Occupy Wall Street movement. Coming on the heels of political upheaval around the world, the divide between Democrats and Republicans in the American political arena creates fertile ground for the growth of revolutionary spirit. Can this spirit really change the landscape of America's future?

    Tea Party makes an impact

    Since the rise of the grassroots Tea Party movement in 2007, members of the Republican Party can attest that indeed this revolutionary spirit has already impacted the political process. As candidates from the Tea Party movement took office in the 2010 off cycle elections, the GOP found itself splintered at its core. With the 2012 presidential election coming into focus, the Tea Party again proves to have powerful sway, as hopefuls Michelle Bachmann, Ron Paul, and even frontrunner Herman Cain find their primary support among the Tea Party constituency.

    Occupy Wall Street movement spreads

    Captivating the youth of the Democratic Party, the OWS movement continues to gain support as well as spreading its message and occupation across America. With participation from Atlanta to Oregon, the OWS crowds are definitively grabbing the attention of the world, and in particular, that of President Barack Obama. In their own words, the movement is "fueled by the feelings of anger and helplessness" and united against the power Wall Street holds over Washington DC and the American political process.

    Revolution is on the Ballot

    Attempting to embrace the spirit of the moment, Independent Presidential candidate Jeff Block has even gone so far as to urge voters to cast their ballot for Revolution directly. Vowing to take office for only 100 days if elected, Block proposes radical change within a system perceived as broken, both by him and the American public. Asserting that roughly 100 million Americans with the capacity to vote did NOT do so in 2008; Mr. Block does not aim for the Democrat or Republican voting base, concentrating rather on those Americans so discouraged with the current political process that they don't even bother to cast a vote at all.

    The 2012 Election

    As candidates for office ratchet up their campaigns for the 2012 elections, taking the pulse of the voting public becomes paramount. While opinions among political strategists vary on the subject, candidates are forced to either embrace the revolutionary spirit or oppose it. Even as the party lines separating Republicans and Democrats continue to diverge, it could very well be that the most dangerous political stance of all is the support of the status quo.

     

    36 comments

    • j  •  Wadsworth, Ohio  •  4 mths ago
      Why don't all you #$%$ OWS douche bags go and protest the colleges that have been ripping students off for years with outrageous tuition rates that go up twice the inflation rate every year, so they can offer great programs like Classical Literature, Philosophy and Underwater Basket Weaving, that after graduation, can't get someone a job at the mall making $10 an hour? It's not Wall Street ripping people off. It's the colleges and universities that have known for years they peddle fraudulent degree programs that cannot be converted into real life income.
    • Seen it commin  •  5 mths ago
      4% of the population are unemployable and will be Welfare lifers.

      Some of the 4% are however destined to become OWS leaders.
    • Anthony  •  7 mths ago
      Here's a suggestion: do away with the wrongful interpretations of the Supreme Court that a corporation is legally a "person." GE, Exxon, Apple, Ford, GM - these are not examples of "persons," and should not be afforded the same rights and protections. Similarly, do away with the legal fictions of a single proprietor small business with no employees as a "corporation," and limited liability partnerships. These are typically done to avoid personal responsibility for (real) persons' actions.
    • Jabberwocky  •  7 mths ago
      Did you know that Canada has outlawed all large campaign
      contributions? Both corporate and individual. There is your
      solution. Simple. Easy Peasy.
      • J G 7 mths ago
        Canada is a weak parliamentary style system that does not represent the people.
      • VINCENT 7 mths ago
        Excuse me...the VAST majority in this country want the rich to be taxed more and a VAST majority wanted a public option in the health bill...our REPRESENTITIVES said no dice on BOTH...now THAT is what I call Representation!
      • Jabberwocky 7 mths ago
        Right now, if the OWS was smart enough to get behind
        this issue strongly, the Democrats may start to push it.
        It would be an advantage to the Democrats right now
        because the Republicans are bought out by big money
        interests and very little coming in from the rank and file.
    • ThomasJ  •  Choctaw, United States  •  7 mths ago
      This character seems to think these protesters are democrats. They are not politicaly oriented.
    • Jabberwocky  •  7 mths ago
      --Granted, there are a huge number of lazy welfare
      abusing poor people that want something for nothing.
      There are also a huge number of wealthy people in
      our government abusing our trust and taking our taxes.
      What I am concerned about and fight for everyday
      is the working poor people. There are millions and
      millions of them. Everyone says they are stupid
      and made bad choices. But it is those "smart" people
      that made "good" choices that drove this country into
      the dirt,... and we paid them all the money.
      • RandyR 7 mths ago
        Please search for and Read:
        "545 vs. 300,000,000 People - By Charlie Reese"
      • PrarySky 7 mths ago
        Thanks Randy...going to send that to my hubby!
    • PrarySky  •  7 mths ago
      ALEC is not a lobby; it is not a front group. It is much more powerful than that. Through ALEC, behind closed doors, corporations hand state legislators the changes to the law they desire that directly benefit their bottom line. Along with legislators, corporations have membership in ALEC. Corporations sit on all nine ALEC task forces and vote with legislators to approve “model” bills. They have their own corporate governing board which meets jointly with the legislative board. (ALEC says that corporations do not vote on the board.) They fund almost all of ALEC's operations. Participating legislators, overwhelmingly conservative Republicans, then bring those proposals home and introduce them in statehouses across the land as their own brilliant ideas and important public policy innovations—without disclosing that corporations crafted and voted on the bills. ALEC boasts that it has over 1,000 of these bills introduced by legislative members every year, with one in every five of them enacted into law. ALEC describes itself as a “unique,” “unparalleled” and “unmatched” organization. It might be right. It is as if a state legislature had been reconstituted, yet corporations had pushed the people out the door.
      • PrarySky 7 mths ago
        and into the streets...I'd like my vote to count. Why vote Republican if all they want to do is dismantle the country I love? Why vote Republican if the all the Republican legislators do what groups like Alec wants? I don't think voting for some one for 100 days is a good idea..but would love someone serious to run for the independents, the moderates and reform the practices that have shut out the American People. Maybe we need a reform party to fix the goverment we already have..Obama may be the only choice for those of us who don't want to see the country ran by Dominionist..maybe some of us like the EPA, Fema, and National Parks...Does this make me a communist? I don't see how so..I need to rethink my feelings about the democratic party...where do we go from here?
    • Joex  •  7 mths ago
      Today almost all world media in hands of OWO puppeteers like Murdoch. They manipulate and brainwash people, many of ass don’t understand or realize that we are all victims of evil plans of OWO. I know many people don’t trust information on you tub bat you tub one of few independent sources we have today it is reality. My Brothers do your own research check worldwide movement Zeitgeist maybe that is a solution for all of us.
      PRESS RELEASE: 2011 Zeitgeist Media Festival Success - 12,000 Meals raised via 40 Events in 20 Countries.
      The 2011 Zeitgeist Media Festival, Global:
      The Inaugural 2011 Zeitgeist Media Festival Global Event set, which enabled
      a socially conscience Arts and Media platform across 20 countries,
      accessing about 10,000 people in person and almost 200,000 through free
      live Webcasts, was a notable success.
      Organized by The Zeitgeist Movement, a global, non-profit sustainability
      advocacy group seeking to change the current social order, this
      unprecedented concept has generated a resonance that is expected to grow
      every year as it continues its development. The integrity of the project
      seems to rest not only with the social intent, but also with the 1000s of
      Volunteers who worked to make it happen without any financial gain and even
      severe losses. In a post event interview with Peter Joseph the curator sponsor of the main event at Hollywood's "Music Box", he stated "Yeah, I lost about
      $35,000 dollars when I expected to lose only $10,000. But it was worth
      every cent for the dedication and commitment of those who helped execute
      such a large production was unmatched and just glorious. This is what
      Community is about and we are only just beginning with our efforts to unify
      the world."Coupled with its Global Food Drive Initiative via The Zeitgeist Movement's ongoing "Z-Drive", over 12,000 meals were facilitated through regional Food Banks to feed the ever growing the poor and starving population.
      "The Zeitgeist Media Festival is a global, Non-profit, multimedia event
      working to utilize the Arts as an avenue to create sustainable values in
      the pursuit of a better world. Recognizing the power of art and media to
      help change the world, "The Zeitgeist Media Festival" engages the artistic
      community and their power to changes values. It proposes that needed
      changes in the structural/economic workings of society can only manifest in
      tandem with a personal/social transformation of values in each of us. While intellectual knowledge serves its role of showing the path, many in the
      world follow their feelings- not the knowledge. The Zeitgeist Media
      Festival hopes to bridge those levels, while also illuminating a focus
      where changing and improving the world is no longer considered a fringe,
      suspect or ever dangerous pursuit- but rather the highest and most
      honorable level of personal/social integrity we have."
      Select Links:
      Main Website: http://zeitgeistmediafestival.org/
      Face book:http://www.facebook.com/pages/The-Zeitgeist-Media-Festival/194115850637429
      The Los Angeles Beat: http://thelosangelesbeat.com/2011/08/zeitgeist-media-festival-at-the-music-box/
      Examiner Interview: http://www.examiner.com/local-music-in-los-angeles/peter-joseph-zeitgeist-movement-founder-on-innagural-zeitgeist-media-festival
      The Zeitgeist Movement: www.thezeitgeistmovement.com
      Forward a Message to Someone
      http://mailinglist.thezeitgeistmovement.com/lists/?p=forward&uid=fc1b541f6e7925537fb4ca3caee69335&mid=376
    • from the real world  •  Pittsburgh, United States  •  7 mths ago
      LMAO...the boston tea partiers were LIBERALS in ?EVERY sense of the word.....
    • Jabberwocky  •  7 mths ago
      In 1980 we started to lose the consumer protection afforded
      by the Glass-Steagall Act of 1933. By 1999 it was completely
      gone. It was destroyed by both parties. They were bought out.
      Wall Street has since become a rigged gambling house.
      It no longer has much to do with corporate ownership.
      Day traders continually siphon off money from the system.
      This leaves less value in the corporations that Wall Street
      is supposed to represent. Day trading and derivatives eventually
      puts all the money in the pockets of the large banks.
      Some go broke, some get rich,... one big gambling house.
      They make more money playing the market
      than loaning money out for interest. So they quit loaning.
      Loaning money is supposed to be what banks are for.
      But now they are able to play the market with other
      people's money and keep the profits since they are a bank.
      It goes on to this day even after all their lies and deceit
      in the 2008 mortgage debacle.
      "The little guy need not apply."
    • Jabberwocky  •  7 mths ago
      Top 1% hold 42% of all financial wealth in the USA. The bottom 40% of Americans
      (120 million) hold only 0.3% of the wealth in the USA.

      FACT: The United States has more income and wealth inequality than most
      countries that have been studied, including India and China — countries that
      are traditionally viewed as having unequal distributions of wealth. -----This is
      according data gathered by the Central Intelligence Agency for 2010.
      • J G 7 mths ago
        Obviously you have never been to either.
      • Winter is coming! 7 mths ago
        @ JG obviously you have not seen the poor in this country. 16% of americans live at or below the poverty level.
      • Javelin 7 mths ago
        Those in "poverty" in the USA are still in the top 30% of the wealthiest people in the world.
    • Thunderballs  •  Lubbock, United States  •  7 mths ago
      Although the Flea Party is mostly a bunch of communists, there is a common ideal with the Tea Party in that they both opposed the bailouts.
    • Cammy  •  7 mths ago
      OWS is not a left versus right issue. republican or democrat we are all apart of the 99%. There are tea parties that are also OWS protesters. I for one am an independent and I support the protests.
    • RandyR  •  7 mths ago
      Wake up People you are being con'ed ! Please search for and Read:
      "545 vs. 300,000,000 People - By Charlie Reese"
      No More Status Quo Candidates !!! i.e. If the Media likes them then they will
      Scr3w you just like Bush & Obama did!!!!!!
    • Jabberwocky  •  7 mths ago
      We definitely need a tax on all wall street financial transactions.
      It would be huge benefit to the American worker. It would slow day trading
      tremendously.... depending on the percentage of tax. Excellent thing to
      push for.
    • Jabberwocky  •  7 mths ago
      The government dropped the ball. They knew that letting manufacturing
      jobs go overseas would hurt the standard of living in the USA. They are
      nothing less than criminal. They sold us out for personal greed and power,
      with inside deals,and bribes from big business both national and foreign.
      The big corporations wanted a global market and cheap labor and they
      were willing to pay for it. Both parties accepted bribes for at least 30 years
      and they still are. They should control the foreign currency exchange by
      whatever means neccessary. Also adjust the tax structure. Keep the
      tax on the corporations and businesses the same or
      lower it, but give them a 30% tax credit on the amount they
      spend for wages to hire US employees. The employees
      would receive a large wage but it would still cost our
      businesses no more than the amount equal to the
      wages paid to workers overseas. The government
      will recover the money from taxes paid by those employees.
      Then our citizens would be able to compete with the
      low wages paid overseas and still get good wages.
      If the government falls short of tax revenue, pick up the
      difference from import tarrifs. The tarrifs would have to
      remain small, otherwise our imported goods would cost to
      much more. A tax credit comes straight off your tax bill,
      whereas a tax deduction just comes off your net income. Big difference.
      The businesses would start hiring like never before.The numbers are there,
      this would work and it would have worked 30 years ago.
      • Jabberwocky 7 mths ago
        For 30 years, they knew how to fix this, so the next question
        should be... why didn't they do it. They are bought and
        sold by big business, both national and foriegn. As an example
        (not to just pick on him) Reagan made a big trade deal with the
        Japanese government several months before he left office.
        Then several months after leaving office, he traveled to Japan
        and made a 30 minute speech for 2 million dollars. That is
        fact. I remember it like it was yesterday. And he certainly
        isn't the only one that has done such things.
      • Walter 7 mths ago
        The government didn't let jobs go overseas. The government drove jobs overseas by imposing often needless regulation, raising minimum wage, and passing laws that allow unions to dictate high wages.

        That's not to say corporations haven't bought their own legislators to rig the laws in favor of themselves. But, people need to see beyond the evil money grubbing hype.
    • Hoosier Daddy  •  7 mths ago
      Congressional incumbants will be looking for cover in 2012. Gridlock and political gamesmanship with our economy, jobs, and their refusal to consider balancing entitlement cuts with tax increases to the wealthy will hit the Congressional obstructioinists in the groin. Bring it on!
    • Universalist  •  Live Oak, United States  •  7 mths ago
      first amendment keeps us free - the second amendment keeps the first amendment free !!
      for ALL citizens of the USA !
      speak up - your voice will count more if it can be heard -
      whatever your ideas/positions may be !!
    • markthinks101  •  Las Vegas, United States  •  7 mths ago
      Conservative Populist Revolution is an oxymoron. Sam Adams is feeling pretty disgusted with his baby about now.
    • gabeygoat  •  Corvallis, United States  •  7 mths ago
      OWS has supporters world-wide, Tea Party has destroyed the GOP.
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