"The Tea Party of the Left"?

Very early in the #occupywallstreet movement, liberal friends of mine were advocating support and calling it "The Tea Party of the Left". While I understand their growing frustrations and desire to be part of something as powerfully destructive to the goals of the political Right as the Tea Party movement has been toward the goals of the political Left, I am troubled by that comparison and goal, and it's definitely not a selling point for me to jump on their bandwagon. (And the Tea Party doesn't like this comparison much either!)

For one thing, the needs of "the 99%" are - or should be - nonpartisan. No political party has a claim on these problems and issues - and they affect people of all parties. The core OWS protestors seem to understand this, but their message has been co-opted by the Left and Liberals in an attempt to serve THEIR political goals. Thus, what could have been an awesome opportunity to build common ground among American people in these troubled times becomes simply another tedious, non-productive instance of "us vs. them".

Second, strategically speaking, for the Left to embrace this movement but not make the connections between what President Obama stands for and has fought for and the OWS gripes is politically short-sighted and just plain puzzling. Instead of championing their candidate, they are championing the movement - and I guess they are assuming this will magically result in positive outcomes in 2012. I don't think that's a given, and to stop being strategic about 2012 in order to jump on the OWS bandwagon seems ridiculously, pathetically, politically stupid for Democrats. (And again, note, OWS is NOT clearly pro-Obama - indeed some indict him along with the Wall Street crooks - fair or not, is this really a comparison Dems want to encourage? What kind of strategy is THAT?) Likewise, it isn't very rhetorically smart to put BO in the position of following the movement thus diluting his image as a leader.

This political and rhetorical chaos astounds me. Because Wall Street is going to suck a whole lot worse if the GOP wins. Just sayin'

I am neither a supporter or an opponent of #occupywallstreet. (Likewise, I am an independent voter). As a rhetorical critic, I find myself standing back and trying to think critically and be academic - objective - appropriately skeptical - and yet coming up frustrated more often than not about the utter lack of practicality and the gleeful rhetorical chaos this movement seems to celebrate. But as the OWS movement evolves, so does my thinking, and I am not closed to hearing different interpretations, analyses and criticisms. I read their forums (but so far these are not a selling point) and listen to different perspectives and the discussions of students and friends on both sides of the political divide.

Nevertheless, I keep coming back to this quote from Eric Hoffer about Mass (fanatical) Movements:

“A rising mass movement attracts and holds a following not by its doctrine and promises but by the refuge it offers from the anxieties, barrenness, and meaninglessness of an individual existence. It cures the poignantly frustrated not by conferring on them an absolute truth or remedying the difficulties and abuses which made their lives miserable, but by freeing them from their ineffectual selves – and it does this by enfolding and absorbing them into a closely knit and exultant corporate whole.” (p. 41)

In that sense, they ARE like the Tea Party. Hmmm....