Surviving Capitalism (Not) : Occupy Wall Street, Denounce the Democrats

We’ve lived so long under the spell of hierarchy—from god-kings to feudal lords to party bosses—that only recently have we awakened to see not only that “regular” citizens have the capacity for self-governance, but that without their engagement our huge global crises cannot be addressed. The changes needed for human society simply to survive, let alone thrive, are so profound that the only way we will move toward them is if we ourselves, regular citizens, feel meaningful ownership of solutions through direct engagement. Our problems are too big, interrelated, and pervasive to yield to directives from on high.
—Frances Moore Lappé, excerpt from Time for Progressives to Grow Up

Wednesday, October 12, 2011

Occupy Wall Street, Denounce the Democrats

Click here to access article by Margaret Kimberley from Black Agenda Report.

The author is absolutely correct in criticizing the Occupy Wall Street activists for ignoring Democratic leaders in their latest protest in which they targeted the homes of Republican leaders.

The Occupy Wall Street protesters held a march, dubbed the millionaire’s march, to demand that the rich pay their fair share of taxes. They marched past the New York City homes of billionaire David Koch, News Corporation CEO Rupert Murdoch, and Jamie Dimon, CEO of J.P. Morgan Chase. For some strange reason, they did not march past the offices of the Democratic governor.

Democratic party leaders are currently trying to adopt the Occupiers by issuing statements in sympathy with them in order to gain votes in next years election. (See this.) Once again, we see these fake populists trying to pretend that they are on the side of ordinary workers. This is especially galling after nearly three years of the Obama administration, the party of "change and hope", that has seamlessly continued ruling class policies after the retirement of their previous agent, George Bush, Jr. (See this.) Hopefully, the protestor's march was only an oversight and not a disturbing a lack of political maturity among the activists.