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NationofChange / Op-Ed
Published: Thursday 6 October 2011
“While some unions, especially the United Steelworkers nationally and the Tranport Workers Local 100 in New York, provided early backing, they were ouliers—until Wednesday”
The Politics of Occupy Wall Street: Bernie Sanders, Progressives, Big Unions Endorse
The Occupy Wall Street movement’s political breakthrough came Wednesday, as leaders of the Congressional Progressive Caucus and the Congressional Black Caucus joined Senator Bernie Sanders, I-Vermont, in endorsing the burgeoning national challenge to corporate greed and corrupt politics.
On a day that saw thousands of union members, community activists and supporters of New York’s Working Families Party rallied in solidarity with the New York protests, Congressman John Larson, the Connecticut Democrat who is the fourth-ranking member of the party’s House Caucus announced that, “The silent masses aren’t so silent anymore.”
Nor were progressive groups. While some unions, especially the United Steelworkers nationally and the Transport Workers Local 100 in New York, provided early backing, they were outliers—until Wednesday. Liberal groups such as MoveOn and Democracy for America gave their blessings and started raising money to support the initiative. The 1.4 million member Teamsters union signed on, with President James Hoffa saying: “No one should be surprised that Occupy Wall Street is gaining support and spreading quickly around the country. The American Dream has disappeared for students, whose reality is debt and unemployment. The dream disappeared for workers forced to take wage cuts by employers sitting on billions of dollars in profits. The dream disappeared for working families who paid too steep a price for Wall Street’s greed, stupidity and fraud.”
“It’s clear what this movement is all about. It’s about taking America back from the CEOs and billionaires on Wall Street who have destroyed our nation’s economy. It’s about creating good jobs. It’s about corporate America treating its workers and customers with honesty and fairness and paying its fair share to stimulate the economy,” argued Hoffa. “Teamsters all over the country are participating in Occupy Wall Street events, and I support and encourage them. We stand in solidarity with Americans who want better lives for themselves and for future generations.”
Similar signals came from key members of Congress.
Not surprisingly, it was Sanders who offered the most full-throated support of the movement. At the Campaign for America’s Future “Take Back America” conference, he declared: “We have the crooks on Wall Street, and I use that word advisedly—don’t misquote me, the word is ‘crooks’—whose greed, whose recklessness, whose illegal behavior caused this terrible recession with so much suffering. We believe in this country; we love this country; and we will be damned if we’re going to see a handful of robber barons control the future of this country.”
Remarkably, considering the caution of so many elected officials with regard to the protests, Sanders actually called for a toughening of the movement’s anti–Wall Street message. “I applaud those protesters who are out there, who are focusing attention on Wall Street, but what we’ve got to do is put meat on that bone,” he said. “We’ve got to make demands on Wall Street [and] break those institutions up.”
Echoing Sanders, with who she appeard on Tuesday, was Congresswoman Barbara Lee, the California Democrat who has long been a key player in the Congressional Black Caucus and the Congressional Progressive Caucus. “All of us should join that movement,” said Lee.
On Wednesday, the current co-chairs of the Congressional Progressive Caucus issued a joint statement celebrating the Occupy Wall Street movement.
“We have been inspired by the growing grassroots movements on Wall Street and across the country. We share the anger and frustration of so many Americans who have seen the enormous toll that an unchecked Wall Street has taken on the overwhelming majority of Americans while benefitting the super wealthy. We join the calls for corporate accountability and expanded middle-class opportunity,” said Congressmen Keith Ellison, D-Minnesota, and Raul Grijalva, D-Arizona. “Throughout the summer, CPC Members listened to Americans nationwide describe how it feels to be on the wrong side of the wall between the rich and the rest of us. During the Speakout for Good Jobs Now! tour in New York City, Detroit, Milwaukee, Oakland, Minneapolis, Miami and Seattle, we heard compelling stories of Americans struggling to live the American dream while CEO’s and the super rich were given more taxpayer handouts. We stand with the American people as they demand corporate accountability and we support their use of peaceful means to improve America.”
“I’m so proud to see the Occupy Wall Street movement standing up to this rampant corporate greed and peacefully participating in our democracy,” said Congresswoman Louise Slaughter, D-New York, who added: “It’s time for all Americans to pay their fair share.”
Congressman Dennis Kucinich, an Ohio Democrat who sought the Democratic nomination for president in 2004 and 2008, was equally enthusiastic:
To the young men and women who are braving the overreaction of local authorities to raise their voices against the corruption and manipulation of our nation that emanates from Wall Street: I say to you that your presence is making a difference. You are exercising the right every American holds most dear, the right of freedom of expression, and with that expression you are finally getting the attention of the nation.
Wall Street banks got billion dollar bailouts but the American people get austerity. Fourteen million Americans are out of work. 50 million people don’t have health insurance and a million homes a year are lost to foreclosure. Our policies take the wealth of the nation and accelerate it into the hands of the few.
We need a government of the people and for the people. We need a financial system that is of the people and for the people. It is time we take our nation back and take our monetary system back from the big banks.
I recently introduced H.R. 2990, the National Emergency Employment Defense Act, to put the Federal Reserve under the Treasury, to end the practice of fractional reserve banking and to take control of our monetary policy and make sure it works for the people.
We can use our Constitutional authority to coin money and spend it into circulation to put millions of Americans back to work in a way that is noninflationary. The time for bold change is now.
The willingness of protesters to take on the Federal Reserve has even won encouragement from a Republican presidential contender, Congressman Ron Paul, who says: “If they were demonstrating peacefully, and making a point, and arguing our case, and drawing attention to the Fed—I would say, good!”
While other Republican candidates have been condemning the protests, President Obama remained characteristically silent.
White House press secretary Jay Carney would only say that: “to the extent that people are frustrated with the economic situation, we understand.”
This story originally appeared in The Nation.
Copyright © The Nation – distributed by Agence Global.
Copyright © The Nation – distributed by Agence Global.
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ABOUT John Nichols
John Nichols, a pioneering political blogger, has written the Beat since 1999. His posts have been circulated internationally, quoted in numerous books and mentioned in debates on the floor of Congress.
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13 comments on "The Politics of Occupy Wall Street: Bernie Sanders, Progressives, Big Unions Endorse"
November 05, 2011 5:58am
Everyone should read Barbara Ehrenhous's (sp?) books, "Nickled and Dimed" and "Bait and Switch" to better understand what has been going on.
Also, everyone should re-read "When Johnny Came Marching Home". Some of the current protest movements can circle back to the anti-war movement of the 60's. When will we ever learn?
The rise of the middle class in this country is a direct result of the rise of Labor Unions. Now they are being destroyed along with the middle class. Not one Republican running for office believes in a minimum wage, let alone a LIVING wage which is what a person needs to live. It's insane! Wages were supposed to up with the rise of wealth in this country!
October 08, 2011 2:14pm
Oh, and by the way, the poor are there to keep the middle class in line. Just like George Carlin said. There is plenty to go around in the world, if it were not spent on killing people and hoarded by the unbelievably greedy few who have everything and waste it.
October 08, 2011 2:02pm
Unfortunately, it is far too late. Has been for a long time. Don't get me wrong, the powers that be may concede a few things, just to pacify the masses. But, when giant MULTINATIONAL CORPORATIONS control the government and the most powerful military in human history, how can we fight that? Elections can be fixed electronically now. The U.S. has been in a persistent wartime economy since WWII. It is unsustainable, but the rich and elite will just hide inside their guarded compounds and skyscrapers when it gets really ugly. The only people to suffer will be the poor and middle class. Middle class is being slowly dissolved. Cheaper labor equals bigger profits, that is until no one can afford anything, then you will see food prices skyrocket, because everyone has to eat. Stick a pin in it, its done.
October 07, 2011 3:51pm
John, with all fairness...the president in his recent press conferences has embraced the sentiments exposed at Occupy WS and his understanding of the populace frustration. (how long can you live in poverty before you get frustrated?) This is a far cry from his absence at Madison. He needs to follow speech with acts and that's what we're looking for as we enter the 2012 election season.
October 06, 2011 10:25pm
Keeping it honest: Remember the Movie: “Wall Street?” Isn’t Greed supposed to be NOT good?
So many news articles stating that American protesters have “no clear “agenda? It seems crystal clear to the middle class America that they are frustrated by the lack of concern that exists for the people in this country who need jobs and hope to support themselves and families.
Millions of unemployed people looking for work in this country are being ignored and slowly erased by mega-corporations including Big Oil, Banks, Computer Co., Drug Insurance Companies, whose only concern is for their obscene profits far exceed anyone’s understanding!
The beauty and treasured tradition of America allows people the freedom to unite and speak out to draw attention to these huge social injustices. It’s about time that Americans did and said, “we are mad as hell and we are not going take it any longer!”
For the record, “Greed is Not good”; it’s ugly, selfish, obscene and destructive for our society. After all, We are a still a democracy, not aristocracy! Just look around this great county!
" It's no surprise that the Romney campaign and his republicans buddies in the Congress are raising money from Wall Street by saying they want to CONTINUE THE CLASS WAR to repeal consumer protections sand allow Wall Street to write its own rules," KEEPING IT HONEST: Wall Street, a key contributor to Obama in 2008, seems to be switching allegiances.
" Hum.. I wonder why? Maybe the gang on Wall Street does not wish to alienate “their” representatives? Mr. Boehner, Cantor, McCarthy and Ryan and Senator McConnell and his 43 obstructionists in the senate that are provided their campaign funds! This is not aBanana Republic! After all, this same Wall Street Gang were the direct recipients of trillion dollar tax payer bailout with no conditions and used it some of it for bonuses!
According to Senator Bernie Sanders, it is now clear that the Republicans /hypocrites made pledges that they are for their “only” plan of continuing its Class War against the middle Class to protect their rich Millionaires on Wall street and Billions like the Gover Norquest, Russ Limbaugh, Rupert Murdock and others like the Koch Brothers that provide them their campaign funds! Their plan was never about creating American jobs for the unemployed middle class! LET'S PUBLICLY LIST THE NAME OF EVERY POLITICIAN AND WALL STREET GIVER SO AMERICAN CAN KNOW WHO IS ON "TAKE" AND SELLING MIDDLE AMERICA OUT!
October 06, 2011 9:00pm
The Syrians are being assasinated, the Palestinians, the Egyptians were, those in Bahrain, Yemen, etc.
I believe there will be blood shed here. Perhaps that IS what it will take.
October 06, 2011 6:59pm
I like the bill put forth by Kucinich,
"I recently introduced H.R. 2990, the National Emergency Employment Defense Act, to put the Federal Reserve under the Treasury, to end the practice of fractional reserve banking and to take control of our monetary policy and make sure it works for the people."
This guy has guts. The fractional reserve system is the fraudulent root of this whole scam.
October 06, 2011 9:28pm
right on Close the Fed, indite and jail the crooks who have been running it and then create the 3rd National Bank Then issue money per the Constitutions ie a Credit System. We need another Alexander HAMILTON and another Andrew JACKSON
We need a missive public works project as proposed by Robert Reich.; We also need to bring all our factories back home by taxing the hell out of all imports ie :Protective Tariffs That will get the factories back quickly and put million of Americans back to work In other words, Its time to start thinking America First again
October 06, 2011 5:07pm
There is something everyone can do right now to change our situation radically without doing anything radical. Call your congressperson and demand that they cosponsor HR 1489, "The Return to Prudent Banking Act of 2011". (Call 202 224-3121 and tell the receptionist your address and she will pass you through to your representative's office)
A law was put in place in 1933 to restrain the banks from stealing people's savings and investments after Goldman and Morgan had crashed the market in 1929. It was called the Glass Steagall Act and it required that a commercial bank must be separate from an investment house and an insurance company. In other words, a bank could never become too big to fail with this law in place. A banker could not sell you fraudulently AAA rated investments that he knew would fail and then make a profit by betting against his own product. It remained in place until 1999 and protected people against banking practices that put the profits of the banks ahead of the best interests of the people. It was repealed in 1999 by a bill sponsored by Gramm, Leach and Bliley, called the Financial Modernization Act. The congressmen argued that it was no longer necessary to keep Glass Steagall in place because we have the SEC and the Federal Reserve and the congress to make sure that bankers play fair with their customers.
So, obviously that didn't work out very well and Goldman was front and center again in the crash of 2008. We need to put Glass Steagall back in place because bankers will be bankers and sell their customers fraudulent "creative financial instruments" if nobody stops them from doing it. HR 1489 will stop them. Call congress today...and tomorrow...and every day until they get the message that we want fairness in banking. They can make a profit...just not a killing. This would shut down the looting and remove the toxic assets from the banking ledgers which would immediately emancipate the world from the financial terrorism which is taking place right now. And while you have your representative on the phone, ask them to implement a "Tobin Tax" of about 1% of every Wall Street transaction to go directly into the U.S. Treasury. That should balance the budget easily and allow for plenty of money to be invested in a huge infrastructure project to bring down water from Alaska and green our southwest desert making it a viable agricultural center for US productivity. Put people back to work doing something real for the future.
October 06, 2011 1:01pm
(1) We need to revoke Corporate Personhood created by our Supreme Court justices with a constitutional amendment. Then we need Election Reform.
(2) Election Reform 101: Lawrence Lessig. See his excellent presentation on YouTube - nearly as good as in-person. A bill has been written.
(3) Go! We can do this. VOTE 2012. Meet you on the street.
October 06, 2011 12:53pm
President Obama spoke out about this movement in his televised antional press conference today.He stated that he understands why this uprising is taking place, that there is valid reasoning creating the movement, that he is not surprised that People are exercising a legal right to voice valid complaints which Congress is refusing to address.
October 06, 2011 1:02pm
See two C B Stranaghan comments.
October 06, 2011 12:16pm
"It's about taking America back from the CEO's and billionaires on Wall Street who have destroyed our nations economy"
Much as I respect Bernie Sanders and wish for the resurgence of unions, I am nevertheless forced to ask the question. If the game is rigged how in the hell does anyone think that these people (CEOs and billionaires) are going to acknowledge their wrongdoing and surrender their ill-gotten gains for the good of the country. They own the government, the military, law enforcement, the media and the means of production (what's left of it) If anyone thinks that this will be resolved without a fight to the death they are sadly mistaken.
Oh! and I nearly forgot, one other thing they can count on is that at least 30% of the population will stick a fork in their own eye when told to do so by scum like Murdock and pig boy Limburger.
If all that were not enough If you pose a serious enough threat to the status quo they will simply assassinate you!
I do not offer these comments in a spirit of pessimism but rather to call attention to the reality of the situation and to ask in light of this how best to proceed
"Power corrupts and absolute power corrupts absolutely"