I am I suppose what one might call a political adventurer. I don't go where its politically comfortable or the political climate is always agreeable. As such I've gone to meetings and rallies held and attended by the following types: Democrats, Socialists, Communists, Libertarians, Anarchists, Standard rank and file GOP, non-partisans, Occupy, Tea Party, and likely a bunch that don't have a name or have ones that wouldn't be recognized or don't exist anymore ... ever see a small group try to revitalize dead parties?
So this has been brewing in the back of my mind for a while now about the similarities and differences both in composition and message as the Tea Party (one's Ive been to) and the Occupy movement. A little old compare and contrast writing from the days in High School English so to speak.
This is going to be an off the top of my head kind of thing since I am at work awaiting replies before I can do anything...here we go!
Ok lets talk about composition first:
Commonalities among both groups in their members:
Frustrated at the current system
Not in the best place in their life
Greatly concerned for their own and the nation's future
Largely poor and middle class
Largely representative of the racial makeup in their areas.
Respectful of independent perspectives, and even oppositional ones if respectful
Grassroots origins
Differences:
Age - The Tea Party seems to attract those near their 50's the Occupy movement those near their 20's
Political self-identification - Tea Party generally self-identifies more with the political right, the Occupy with the political right
Urban v Rural - The Occupy movement seems to attract the more urban individual and the Tea Party more suburban and rural. This may be related to the concentration of liberal identities in urban areas and the opposite in rural.
Commonalities in beliefs:
Dislike of corporate influence in Washington
Believe they are not being representative by politicians
Distrustful of politicians - even and especially of politicians they regard as establishment regardless of party
Feel they represent a large group of people who are also not being represented
Scared for the direction of the nation
Concerned about the current economy.
Against corporate bailouts and corporate welfare
Largely unfocused on how to resolve these issues
Differences:
Tea Party prefers market solutions as a whole, Occupy prefers regulatory
Occupy
The Tea Party is against higher taxation, the Occupy movement desires higher taxation
The Tea Party movement has one focused issue (taxation) and several ancillary ones, the Occupy movement has no focused issue and a competing blend of general dissatisfaction.
One final important similarity is that the media is doing to Occupy what it did to the Tea Party.
The Tea Party was dismissed early on
It was then said to not be grassroots
the projection onto the whole movement of fringe beliefs of members (or agent provocateurs) was used to paint the movement in a negative light
Establishments of the own major leaning party will attempt to co-opt
These same things are happening now to Occupy but at a fast rate.
We saw the Occupy movement be dismissed - now its spread to other cities
we see them being funded by "unions and Soros" just as the Tea Party was said to be funded by the GOP and Koch brothers
We see people saying that Occupy is "socialists and communists and paid protestors and anarchists" just as the Tea Party was painted as racist and violent. A few signs and a few soundbites taken out of a crowd and repeated - mostly in the major opposition party (Tea Party propaganda fed on liberal side Occupy propaganda being fed on the conservative side).
We saw the co-opting of the Tea Party by national groups such as (Tea Party Express) trying to drive the message and control the grassroots and we see the same now starting to happen as Democratic politicians and Democrat controlled Unions start. We see the creation of phantom "Occupy" websites not connected with any city's occupy founders trying to present a national perspective.
So what do I think about this - I think the powers that be don't want the two sides talking to each other and uniting against their shared goal of getting corporations out of politics. They are attempting to divide and conquer because a united movement on this issue of shared interest would be unstoppable and their favorite way to get campaign funds would be shattered.
Don't fall for it. We need to make allies out of enemies not further entrench them against us. So for everyone's sake lets work to make friends and be respectful even if we politically disagree.
Right now the people are waking up, some are confused and dazed, but they are struggling to understand how we ended up here.
To Occupy and Tea Party members: go talk to each other as humans and see where you can agree and work towards removing corporate money in Washington. Don't listen to what the media and talking heads are saying about each other - go learn for yourself.
To Occupy: Be careful and learn how the Tea Party was maligned and divided into those who are still grassroots and the national organizations which just usurped a lot of people and lead them back to becoming part of the status quo. Be ever on guard!