Congresswoman Donna Edwards from District 4 in Maryland came out of a $1,000 per plate DCCC fundraiser at the W Hotel in Washington D.C. and told protesters outside that "it is time to Occupy America!" on On Thursday, Dec. 1.
I was at the protest as part of my independent/ media team coverage of Occupy D.C. And I was the person that introduced Edwards to the crowd.
By the time Edwards came out there were about 75 protesters still left outside the W. They had sat down in front of the hotel's entrance and were singing and chanting. The protest, which included about 200 people at its height, was organized against two high-dollar Democratic events. The other one, at 727 15th St., cost $5,000 per plate and featured Democratic stars like Nancy Pelosi and Gabrielle Giffords.
After waiting patiently to speak, Edwards addressed the crowd, here's the video I shot:
Afterwards, some protesters were somewhat angered by what they viewed as lip service. They wondered, if a congressperson was truly with the movement wouldn't they shirk $1,000 per plate fundraisers?
I didn't hear their complaints as I was busy trying to ask Edwards more questions. I thought it was bold of her to stand with the movement that has been maligned by officials and the media. I also thought her explanation of her record, trying to undo corporate personhood with an amendment and calling for publicly financed campaigns, proves that she has the ability to stand with the movement.
But, I also think that this exchange proves to be one of the shortcomings of our two-party system in respect to Occupy's demands. How can either party that has to compete against the other one reject money in today's commercialized campaign culture? Can the systematic change that Occupy calls for take place through a third party? Or can it only be done by changing the structure of our current government?