What Occupy Wall Street can do for Barack Obama-Amy Goodman

[Ichingcarpenter]

Back when Barack Obama was still just a US senator running for president, he told a group of donors in a New Jersey suburb, "Make me do it." He was borrowing from President Franklin D Roosevelt, who used the same phrase (according to Harry Belafonte, who heard the story directly from Eleanor Roosevelt) when responding to legendary union organiser A Philip Randolph's demand for civil rights for African Americans.

While President Obama has made concession after concession to both the corporate-funded tea party and his Wall Street donors, now that he is again in campaign mode, his progressive critics are being warned not to attack him, as that might aid and abet the Republican bid for the White House.

Enter the 99 per centers. The Occupy Wall Street ranks continue to grow, inspiring more than 1,000 solidarity protests around the country and the globe. After weeks, and one of the largest mass arrests in US history, Obama finally commented: "I think people are frustrated, and the protesters are giving voice to a more broad-based frustration about how our financial system works." But neither he, nor his advisers – nor the Republicans – know what to do with this burgeoning mass movement.

Following the controversial Citizens United v Federal Election Commission decision by the US supreme court, which allows unlimited corporate donations to support election advertising, the hunger for campaign cash is insatiable. The Obama re-election campaign aims to raise $1bn. According to the Center for Responsive Politics, the financial industry was President Obama's second-largest source of 2008 campaign contributions, surpassed only by the lawyers/lobbyists industry sector.


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http://www.guardian.co.uk/commentisfree/cifamerica/2011/oct/12/occupy-wall-street-barack-obama

[unionworks]

1. whatObama Can Do For Ows

Stop blowing the 1% and tell bloomberg to call off the dogs