Now this is only a theory, and like the great Herman Cain, I have no evidence of this as of yet.
But last night I was listening to the Thom Hartmann radio show on Sirius XM and Thom was hosting his weekly hour with Bernie Sanders when a passionate "Occupy Wall Streeter" supposedly called.
Follow me below for the exchange:
The "Occupy Wall Street" person got on the phone with Senator Sanders and proceeded to launch into the most perfectly spoken monologue, building a sequential narrative, that went so (and I'm paraphrasing, in the first person style of what I heard him say):
1. I've listened to Democrats try to coopt the Occupy Wall Street movement
2. Why should I ever vote for a democrat or a progressive when, in 2009, Barack Obama and the democrats didn't spend any time on fixing Wall Street?
3. Why should I ever vote for a democrat or a progressive when both parties are equally corrupt and interested only in consolidating power in Washington?
Now first off, let me say that there is, of course, truth to this. Democrats clearly failed to do what needed to be done in 2009 in terms of cleaning up Wall Street. We all know this.
But this was Bernie Sanders this asshat caller was talking to, about as close to an #OWS advocate as we'll ever have in the Senate. The guy tried to introduce a Windfall Tax fer chrissakes.
The caller never once acknowledged how Bernie Sanders was different than many of the milquetoast Dem Senators he serves with. Never once proposed any productive bills the democrats might advocate or push for.
The so-called #OWS caller didn't have one policy proposal at all, or suggestion at all, he made only one point:
Democrats and Republicans are equally at fault, so it is crazy for any #OWS supporter to continue supporting democrats, since they're as bad as republicans. Since democrats had their chance to reform Wall Street and failed in 2009, continuing to expect Democrats to do anything about Wall Street is folly.
Now you tell me: Was this caller real? Or not?
I don't know. But I do know the following:
1. The right wing media infrastructure, via Koch Brother funding, Murdoch, the Heritage Foundation and numerous think tanks, is one of the most heavily funded and poisonous propaganda outlets the world has ever seen
2. Occupy Wall Street scares the shit out of them.
This caller was focused like a laser on his talking points. He expressed no joy in being a part of a genuine grassroots movement.
He expressed no thoughts on the corruption of Wall Street itself.
He focused his ire completely on the failure of democrats (and by proxy, the failure of Washington and government)
This is the key right wing slight-of-hand that they've always practiced, which is attempting to turn any rage at corporations or at the marketplace towards the government.
As we've seen after decades of right wing propaganda, the formula is always the same:
1. Corporations are good
2. Government is bad
The defense of government, as an institution, as a force for good, is something democrats have sorely lacked in recent years. The criticisms of Obama over the past two years was not just his desire for "bipartisanship" but his failure to defend the active role of government itself.
If there's one unifying theme of #OWS it has to be that government can be the force for good we need it to be (via regulation and taxation) and that it was the free market, and not government, that crashed our economy, has gutted out social safety net, and sent deficits soaring by avoiding corporate taxes.
I am deeply suspicious of any "caller" who claims to speak for #OWS, and then turns all of their rage on the government (and democrats).
I believe this is the propaganda strategy the right wing think tanks have dreamed up, and are putting in action.
I believe that caller was a right wing plant meant to sow seeds of dissent by calling liberal talk shows and trying to turn the anger of #OWS at democrats.
What do you think?