Thankfully, the Tea Partiers are now taking useful action in politics, rather than holding endless rallies. For the Occupiers, holding endless protests is their political action. I think the Occupations, often violent, law-breaking, trashy affairs, don’t ultimately do much to help the leftist cause. But they do help define the debate in America: many people now openly debate the merits of socialism and capitalism, and that is a good thing. It’s about time we got back to fundamentals.
I visited Occupy Wall Street in New York on November 3, where I captured several interviews. Note that, while I ask some challenging questions and editorialize a bit, my goal here was not to debate but to interview. It always irritated me when journalists covered the Tea Parties without actually talking to the Tea Partiers. So I wanted to give the Occupiers the chance to say what’s on their mind. In many cases, their positions are more subtle and nuanced than perhaps many of their opponents tend to recognize. Here my main goal is to present the Occupation case; later I’ll pursue the discussion more forcefully.
Also see my editorial video from the day, “Wall Street Occupiers Depend on Capitalism.”
Here is some of my coverage of the Tea Parties:
“Eat the Rich?” Unions, Tea Parties Stage Opposing Denver Rallies
Tax Day Tea Party: Denver 2010