"the people are aware of how badly they're getting screwed by Wall St"

[phantom power]

Funny thing is, though, the people are aware of how badly they're getting screwed by Wall St. I just conducted an array of pro bono focus groups with independent voters on behalf of a progressive organization; when the subject of Wall Street came up, there was near universal fury, with respondent answers ranging from aggrieved to downright violent.

The problem doesn't lie with the American people, ironically enough. The problem is that the American people don't know what to do about it, and neither the Democratic Party nor many left-aligned groups are offering a lot of answers. Merely increasingly the marginal tax rates on the wealthy, already treated as an apocalyptic battle in Washington, is only the beginning of the work that needs to be done to remove the economy from the clutches of the financial vampire squid.

http://digbysblog.blogspot.com/2011/09/labor-to-join-protest-fray-by-david.html

[KansDem]

1. "Financial Vampire Squid"

:rofl:

I've added this description to my repertoire of descriptions of all things vile in the country now!

[phantom power]

3. I believe Matt Taibbi coined that term.

For which we should all thank him.
:patriot:

[KansDem]

4. Thanks, Matt !

:thumbsup:

[hifiguy]

5. Yep, it's Matt's

"Goldman Sachs . . . a great vampire squid wrapped around the face of humanity, relentlessly jamming its blood funnel into anything that smells like money."

[grasswire]

2. lack of leadership

that's the problem -- lack of strategy and lack of leadership -- nobody wants to be out in front on this.

[maxsolomon]

6. out in front means you're the main target

politicians have ALWAYS been in the pocket of big business - its the exception to the rule that we seem to expect.

there's one simple fix: restore glass-steagal. but it will take times much worse than these for that vote to be safe for our elected leaders.

[grasswire]

9. it will take a leader who is not afraid to die, sadly

"Our lives, our fortunes, our sacred honor" -- that is what the leaders of the American Revolution realized they could forfeit for standing up to tyranny. It takes strategy to make a leader into a martyr who will inspire the people in absentia, should the worst befall him/her.

[Taitertots]

7. Wall street does nothing but redistribute the productive gains of the masses to the already rich

Of course the people are upset. People are finally realizing this.

[FiveGoodMen]

10. Just exactly!

[Arugula Latte]

8. Until we get true campaign finance reform, not much can change.

And I don't see that happening, because, well, big money opposes it of course. It's a vicious cycle.

[arikara]

11. Thats why the system has to collapse

Capitalism is another massively failed "ism", as is the capitalistic version of democracy. The ballot box and the financial system are broken beyond repair. Starting fresh is the only way things can be made right.