Today in Occupy Wall Street
The Occupy Wall Street protests passed the one-month mark yesterday and, with new rallies cropping up in cities around the world, global media coverage approaching to wall-to-wall levels, establishment pols looking to hop aboard the bandwagon, and anxious conservatives starting to reach for the Xanax, it’s clear that the movement – and the frustration and anger that power it – is not diffusing or disappearing any time soon. Here, some highlights from today’s coverage.
• The movement may not have a unified agenda just yet, the underlying motivation among its members is the same: “outrage with what’s going in this country.” [New York Times]
• Some protesters think making specific demands would be counterproductive, while others are working hard to craft concrete proposals for the movement to rally around. A look at one such effort. [Mother Jones]
• Todd Gitlin says the “chaotic, romantic and utopian” nature of the Occupiers’ vision is a good thing. [The New Republic]
• Amid signs that Obama is looking to tap into anti-Wall Street anger to power his reelection bid, centrist Democrats fret that embracing the movement will hurt the party at the polls by alienating swing voters. [Talking Points Memo and Politico]
• The hysterical responses of the Rush Limbaughs of the world – El Rushbo called OSW “a construct of the media-Democrat complex, industrial complex” – is a pretty good indication that the protests are working, says Matt Taibbi. [Rolling Stone]