After three full weeks of gaining momentum, the Occupy Wall Street protests have finally penetrated the barricade that kept the movement out of the mainstream networks’ coverage.
As participants possess largely democratic ideals in the ongoing demonstrations, however, are they rallying against their own elected leaders?The Tea Party movement sprang from conservative criticism against President Obama’s liberal ideals that demonstrators demanded were detrimental to the nation. In representative terms, Republicans were in the minority when the Tea Party first took hold so their own revolt was, to a degree, well warranted. As many pundits put the Occupy Wall Street movement as the left’s response to what Sarah Palin and pals brought to the mainstream during the last few years though, Democratic leaders were hesitant to pledge their support to the movement when it first began. Now, however, liberals are livening up to the protests and beginning to offer both their acknowledgement and support. President Barack Obama has recognized the ongoing protests and Democratic House Leader Nancy Pelosi has extended her support as well. With Obama unable to create jobs in America and many questioning if the nation ever did rebound from the recession of 2008, even with the president’s stimulus package, who is to blame?Those rallying in Lower Manhattan revolted on Fox News correspondent Gerald Rivera over the weekend after he attempted to broadcast from the Occupy Wall Street demonstrations from the heart of the protest. Jeers of “Fox News Lies!” overpowered an attempt at reporting from the scene, a call that came from many demonstrators insisted that the coverage offered up by Fox and friends in the weeks since the movement began has not offered an honest portrayal. For their part, the network has indeed critiqued the protesters as being largely absent-minded hippies without any particular agenda. Though Fox might indeed play host to many right wing pundits, a nation under the guidance of an arguably very liberal leader should perhaps give protesters a moment to put themselves in place as they think about who is actually at fault for the economic crisis eroding jobs and checkbooks from coast-to-coast. To be fair, it’s everyone.Corrupt corporations brimming with greed might be the focal point of the protests, but as commentator Cenk Uygur told RT America, the democrats are guilty as just as much wrongdoing.“My estimation is that 99 percent of the Republican Party is bought. And at least 80 percent of the Democratic Party is bought,” Uygur said to RT last week. While the protests may have garnered a largely liberal audience, Uygur said that the ideals that are being rallied for — and end to this corruption — is something that both sides of the aisle should be able to come to a consensus on. “I hope that the right, the center, everyone joins this movement and that we can do it together,” said Uygur.With the attempted support now coming through from Geraldo, Fox and others on the right, the mainstream politicians of America, no matter which way they lean, are beginning to co-opt the movement as they see that momentum is only getting bigger. It isn’t party lines that divide which side of the fight members of Occupy Wall Street are on, however. Rather, the movement is a showdown between the haves and the have-nots — or as the demonstrators will tell you, the 99 percent versus the wealthy elite. People of all backgrounds and ages are coming together in hundreds of cities across the world to show their solidarity and the media is beginning to recognize their cries. Also showing support are those very people responsible for the mess."The protesters are giving voice to a more broad-based frustration about how our financial system works," President Obama said during a press conference last week. As commander-in-chief, however, it would seem facetious to not acknowledge that he had at least a bit part in the problem. Likewise, Nancy Pelosi told ABC’s This Week program that "Change has to happen.”“We cannot continue in a way that does not – that is not relevant to their lives. People are angry."“Change” has almost become synonymous with the name Obama. Nearly three years into his tenure as president, however, has he brought any of that? With yet another month of unemployment figures at 9.1 percent, it doesn’t look like it. As Democrats offer their support to protesters and Republican pundits start to acknowledge them, it’ll take more than just a nod of the head to get any change done.