Eliot Spitzer: Occupy Wall Street Has Already Won

[ProSense]

Occupy Wall Street Has Already Won

How the movement has already shaken up American politics, and where it should go from here.

By Eliot Spitzer

Occupy Wall Street has already won, perhaps not the victory most of its participants want, but a momentous victory nonetheless. It has already altered our political debate, changed the agenda, shifted the discussion in newspapers, on cable TV, and even around the water cooler. And that is wonderful.

Suddenly, the issues of equity, fairness, justice, income distribution, and accountability for the economic cataclysm–issues all but ignored for a generation—are front and center. We have moved beyond the one-dimensional conversation about how much and where to cut the deficit. Questions more central to the social fabric of our nation have returned to the heart of the political debate. By forcing this new discussion, OWS has made most of the other participants in our politics—who either didn’t want to have this conversation or weren’t able to make it happen—look pretty small.

Surely, you might say, other factors have contributed: A convergence of horrifying economic data has crystallized the public’s underlying anxiety. Data show that median family income declined by 6.7 percent over the past two years, the unemployment rate is stuck at 9.1 percent in the October report (16.5 percent if you look at the more meaningful U6 number), and 46.2 million Americans are living in poverty—the most in more than 50 years. Certainly, those data help make Occupy Wall Street’s case.

But until these protests, no political figure or movement had made Americans pay attention to these facts in a meaningful way. Indeed, over the long hot summer, as poverty rose and unemployment stagnated, the entire discussion was about cutting our deficit.

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[The Backlash Cometh]

1. Absolutely. The first step to taking back your country, is to take control of the

the headlines.

[Laelth]

2. That is just beautifully written. k&r for Eliot Spitzer. n/t

-Laelth

[lbrtbell]

3. Brilliant piece

K&R!

[MannyGoldstein]

4. Now that they've won, hopefully they'll go away

So Obama and many elected Dems can go back to emphasizing how cutting the deficit is job #1.

:sarcasm:, at least for me.

[karynnj]

5. Wouldn't a more sensible thing be to insist that Obama and the Democrats LEVERAGE this

For instance, maybe there should be a call that when any plan - Democratic or Republican - is proposed, instead of just getting the budget impact (or deficit impact) they should ask for the impact on the inequality gap. (It is very possible to simulate what this is.)

This would make it easier for people to see what is completely wrong with the Ryan plan, which would have long term affects in making the gap progressively worse. Most Democratic plans have the feature of raising taxes on the wealthy and increasing spending for the non wealthy.

Before you say it, NONE of the plans pushed by anyone in Congress would reduce the gap to the level it should be. The reason - it could not pass. The first step - which OWS has accomplished - is that they have broken through to people that this is a problem. (Now I can find Senate speeches and political speeches of MANY leading Democrats speaking of the income gap, but the point is that more people now are angry about it.)

[pnorman]

6. I'm loving it!

k & r!

[azul]

7. And the logical next step for OWS is to occupy the public media

to consolidate and reinforce this win. The battle lines are forming in this war on corruption and the propaganda is presently overwhelmingly one-sided. Lies have an un-liberal bias.

And maybe with a truthful media and public outrage back on the job, the war on ignorance and poverty might be enjoined again, but with a real chance of success.

[Danascot]

8. I would like to nominate Elliot Spitzer

to be appointed federal special prosecutor to investigate and seek justice for the financial crimes that triggered the crisis.

[polichick]

10. It's no surprise that the powers-that-be took him down...

Too bad he set himself up for it.

I agree that he's a good candidate to help bring justice to Wall Street.

[disndat]

11. I agree.

OWS is deliverance for E. Spitzer.

[samsingh]

9. they have taken the tea party's thunder