Bachmann On The 99 Percent Movement:

 'I Completely Oppose Everything They Stand For' - They Need To 'Be Taught Our True American History'

Seeded on Sat Nov 12, 2011 10:16 AM EST

Julia Krieger

Yesterday, Rep. Michele Bachmann's (R-MN) was incensed when her South Carolina speech was interrupted by Occupy Wall Street protesters, telling reporters she found the move "ignorant and disrespectful." This afternoon on The Sean Hannity Show, Bachmann told substitute host Rose Tennent that the "kids" of Occupy Wall Street need to "be taught our true American history," warning they have a "mindset that is demanding the implementation of Marxist ideas in the United States." She added, "I completely oppose everything that they stand for." 

BACHMANN: The point is — it is a — the real question has been asked, what is it that Occupy Wall Street wants? Ultimately, what is it? And I think essentially what they want is to have the United States embrace Socialism and the principles, essentially, of Marxism. That's antithetical to everything that our veterans have lived and fought and died for. And it's really remarkable to me, not only the level of disrespect, but really, the ignorance that is displayed. And it's an ignorance of the historic level of the cost that was paid for all of the kids that were there to secure their liberty and their freedom. Yes, they have the First Amendment right to speak out, but I think it's really terrible the level of ignorance that people have about the very high price that was paid to give them this magnificent country. And I think if they could only be taught our true American history, they would never do that, they would appreciate the heroes that surrounded them. And so it really was an object lesson, I think for all of us, yesterday as we consider where we're at right now in this nation.

[...]

BACHMANN: And I think that's where we need to recognize that this isn't just a — kind of a foolish teenage Woodstock expression. This literally is a mindset that is demanding the implementation of Marxist ideas in the United States. I oppose Marxism. I oppose socialism. I oppose their premises. And that's why this election, Rose, in 2012 is so absolutely key because the left constantly pushes us farther and farther to the left. President Obama says that he stands with Occupy Wall Street. Isn't that really all we need to know? He stands with people who are self-identified socialists and Marxists? That's all we need to know. I completely oppose everything that they stand for.

Listen:

Given Bachmann's previous gaffe-filled accounts of American history, her lament that the protesters need a history lesson is a little rich. 

Polka14

I believe that it should be seen as extremely offensive to state that American soldiers are fighting for ideology. They don't fight for economic ideologies like socialism or capitalism or communism. They are meant to defend American sovereignty and our freedoms if necessary (they are not at this time but that isn't the point). Of course she would oppose the OWS movement. They at least oppose Corporatism and our politicians depend on it to make money. All of them do with the sole exception of Ron Paul.

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 - Sat Nov 12, 2011 12:19 PM EST

Libertarian for truth

As a professional history teacher, I wouldn't let Michele Bachmann anywhere near my students. The way she throws around unfounded opinion as if it is really history...her utter lack of any knowledge of theoretical Marxism, the causes of the Great Depression, the various justifications that have been used to drag our nation into warfare...all couched in the transparent veil of "patriotism and religion," is beyond revolting and disgusting. She should just shut up, dry up and blow away. I hope the good people of the Minnesota 6th will add her name to the lists of the unemployed next November.

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- Sat Nov 12, 2011 11:59 AM EST

JKiff

So... how would Mrs Bachmann explain all of the veterans who are part of the OWS movement? How would she explain the Marines who carried out their fellow Marine who had been shot in the head by police? How would she explain the Sailor who stood face to face against a line of riot police, holding a flag and the American Constitution?

tick tick tick.... 13... tick tick tick... 14... tick tick tick...

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 - Sat Nov 12, 2011 11:15 AM EST

stormshadow

*YAWN*

Another day.. and another brainless rant by the brain dead congresswoman..

clueless as ever.. move on folks.. nothing to see here... move on..

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- Sat Nov 12, 2011 11:01 AM EST

clearwaterbeach1-2

Mrs. Bachman is not in touch with the needs of the real people in this Country. She has 'preached' from day one that Obama must go. Why? We know, of course, that it is because he is black. Not a single republican candidate could have done a better job than Obama...with the horrendous mess they and their fellow republicans handed the Country. They bellow about 'morals' and "christianity" while encouraging killing innocent men, women and children in Wars. They have no experience in Diplomacy and any one of them will start a nuculear war with Iran if elected. They don't understand that the "Movement" in the US and around the world is to prevent or stop wars...to level the financial playing fields...to demand justice. She is number one in the ratings for a reason.

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 Sun Nov 13, 2011 5:55 PM EST

MinnieApolis

She's wandered away from the home again -- please lead her gently by the arm back here. Thank you!

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- Mon Nov 14, 2011 11:36 PM EST

stormshadow

That would imply we actually WANT her back here.. :)

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 - Mon Nov 14, 2011 11:50 PM EST

Littlemiss22

laughin out loud, Thank you!!!

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 - Tue Nov 15, 2011 12:05 PM EST

Libertarian for truth

As a professional history teacher, I wouldn't let Michele Bachmann anywhere near my students. The way she throws around unfounded opinion as if it is really history...her utter lack of any knowledge of theoretical Marxism, the causes of the Great Depression, the various justifications that have been used to drag our nation into warfare...all couched in the transparent veil of "patriotism and religion," is beyond revolting and disgusting. She should just shut up, dry up and blow away. I hope the good people of the Minnesota 6th will add her name to the lists of the unemployed next November.

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#1.8 - Sat Nov 12, 2011 11:59 AM ES

T

Mayors deny colluding on 'Occupy' crackdowns

Bull Sh**  All you have done is make them stronger.

City leaders say they traded notes on protesters but sweeps were no coordinated scheme

msnbc.com

updated 11/15/2011 7:17:28 PM ET

Eleven mayors participated in a conference call last week about "Occupy" protests in their cities, but they deny their talk was a strategy session to coordinate the sweeping of demonstrators' encampments.

Portland was one of at least five cities where over the next four days after the call police moved in on anti-Wall Street camps. Others included Denver, Salt Lake City, Oakland and New York."It was more like a therapy session," Amy Ruiz, spokesman for Portland, Ore., Mayor Sam Adams, told msnbc.com on Tuesday about the Nov. 10 call.

The call was organized by the U.S. Conference of Mayors, which said 11 mayors participated but the records of who called were not immediately available.

Another "conversation" about Occupy Wall Street was held in early October, the Denver mayor's office told NBC station KUSA.

"The conversation was focused on general information-sharing and best practices surrounding the challenges and opportunities this unique situation presents to every city," Amber Miller told KUSA.

Story: Protesters in, tents out at NYC 'Occupy' park

On Tuesday, Oakland Mayor Jean Quan's acknowledgement of talks brought charges of anti-Occupy collusion among mayors from a variety of watchdogs, including broadcaster RT and progressive blogFiredoglake.

Ben Margot  /  AP

A sign calling for the ouster of Oakland's Mayor Quan is seen Nov. 1 at the Occupy Oakland encampment.

"I was recently on a conference call with 18 cities across the country who had the same situation," Quan told the BBC, which shared the audio tape with the radio show "The Takeaway," which also raised the cooperation question. "What had started as a political movement and a political encampment ended up being an encampment that was no longer in control of the people who started them.""If you thought the recent crackdowns of Occupy encampments across the country was more than a coincidence, there is a good chance you were right," an article on RT.com said, citing the interview with Quan.

It was unclear which conference call Quan was referring to.

Quan said the Occupy movement is looking for more stability, separation from anarchist groups and private spaces in which to operate.

Beck Diefenbach  /  Reuters

Oakland Mayor Jean Quan speaks during a news conference about the eviction of the Occupy Oakland campsite in Frank Ogawa Plaza in Oakland, Calif.

Ruiz said mayors on the Nov. 10 conference call merely traded notes about what was going on with Occupy protests. News of an overdose in Vancouver, British Columbia, and a hit-and-run in Washington, D.C., were among the topics.

The mayors also noted that in each of their cities residents were asking about endgames and timelines, of which there were none, Ruiz said.

The U.S. Conference of Mayors says it schedules calls more than once a month but less than weekly so city leaders can discuss issues or whatever is on their minds, organizers said. Email invitations are sent to members, who are free to phone in or ignore the calls.

Regarding the Nov. 10 meeting, the mayors talked about protesters during a round-robin discussion after a short business agenda, the group said
.

Police bust NY 'Occupy' protest in nighttime sweep

Tue Nov 15, 2011 11:28 AM EST

us-news, us, new-york-city, occupy-wall-street, occupy, zuccotti

Colleen Long, Associated Press

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showing 1 of 8 photos

An Occupy Wall Street protester yells out at police after being ordered to leave Zuccotti Park, their longtime encampment in New York, early Tuesday, Nov. 15, 2011. At about 1 a.m. Tuesday, police handed out notices from the park's owner, Brookfield Office Properties, and the city saying that the park had to be cleared because it had become unsanitary and hazardous. Protesters were told they could return, but without sleeping bags, tarps or tents. (AP Photo/Mary Altaffer)

NEW YORK — Hundreds of police officers in riot gear raided the Occupy Wall Street encampment in New York City in the pre-dawn darkness Tuesday, evicted hundreds of demonstrators and demolished the tent city that was the epicenter of a movement protesting what participants call corporate greed and economic inequality.

The police action began around 1 a.m. and lasted several hours as officers with plastic shields and batons pushed the protesters from their base at Zuccotti Park. Police Commissioner Ray Kelly said around 200 people were arrested, including dozens who tried to resist the eviction by linking arms in a tight circle at the center of the park. A member of the City Council was among those arrested during the sweep.

Tents, sleeping bags and equipment were carted away, and by 4:30 a.m., the park was empty. It wasn't clear what would happen next to the demonstration, though the new enforcement of rules banning tents, sleeping bags or tarps would effectively end an encampment that started in mid-September.

"At the end of the day, if this movement is only tied to Liberty Plaza, we are going to lose. We're going to lose," said Sandra Nurse, one of the organizers, referring to the park by the nickname the demonstrators have given it. "Right now the most important thing is coming together as a body and just reaffirm why we're here in the first place."

Hundreds of protesters marched through lower Manhattan as the workday began, chanting and looking for a new space to gather. A state court judge called an 11:30 a.m. hearing on the legality of the eviction, following an emergency appeal by the National Lawyers Guild, and issued a temporary restraining order barring the city from preventing protesters from re-entering the park.

As of midmorning, though, the park remained surrounded by police barricades and officers keeping everyone out. A few dozen demonstrators sat on the sidewalk just outside the police line, waiting. In the meantime, workers used power washers to blast the plaza clean.

The surprise action came two days short of the two-month anniversary of the encampment. Mayor Michael Bloomberg said he ordered the sweep because health and safety conditions and become "intolerable" in the crowded plaza.

"From the beginning, I have said that the city has two principal goals: guaranteeing public health and safety, and guaranteeing the protesters' First Amendment rights," he said. "But when those two goals clash, the health and safety of the public and our first responders must be the priority."

He said that people would be allowed to return as soon as this morning, but that the city would begin enforcing the rules set up by the park's private owners banning camping equipment.

That left demonstrators wondering what to do next. There was talk among some Tuesday of trying to occupy another park or plaza, but there are no immediate plans to do so, Nurse said.

The eviction began in the dead of night, as police officers arrived by the hundreds and set up powerful klieg lights to illuminate the block.

Officers handed out notices from Brookfield Office Properties, the park's owner, and the city saying that the plaza had to be cleared because it had become unsanitary and hazardous. A commander announced over a bullhorn that everyone had to leave. Many did, carrying their belongings with them. Others tried to make a stand, even chaining themselves together with bicycle locks.

In contrast to the scene weeks ago in Oakland, where a similar eviction turned chaotic and violent, the police action was comparatively orderly. But it wasn't entirely bloodless.

"The cops hit my legs with a baton," said demonstrator Max Luisdaniel Santos, 31, an unemployed construction worker, pulling up his pants to show some swollen scars on his calf. "Then they shoved my face into the ground."

He pulled open his cheek to show where his teeth had cut into the flesh as he hit the stone paving.

"I was bleeding profusely. They shoved a lot of people's faces into the ground," Santos said as he stood near the park Tuesday morning, looking shaken. He said he lost his shoes in the scuffle, but wasn't arrested.

One person was taken to a hospital for evaluation because of breathing problems.

City Councilman Ydanis Rodriguez, who has been supportive of the Occupy movement, was among those arrested outside of the park. Kelly, the police commissioner, said he was trying to get through police lines to reach the protesters.

Protesters were able to grab about $2,500 in cash that was at the plaza before police kicked them out, said Pete Dutro, who is in charge of the New York City movement's finances.

"We got all the dough," Dutro said. "It's on my person."

Bloomberg said the evacuation was conducted in the middle of the night "to reduce the risk of confrontation in the park, and to minimize disruption to the surrounding neighborhood."

"The law that created Zuccotti Park required that it be open for the public to enjoy for passive recreation 24 hours a day," Bloomberg said. "Ever since the occupation began, that law has not been complied with, as the park has been taken over by protesters, making it unavailable to anyone else."

He said the city would contest the motion filed by the National Lawyers Guild, a civil rights organization that has been representing arrested protesters.

Concerns about health and safety issues at Occupy Wall Street camps around the country have intensified, and protesters in several cities have been ordered to take down their shelters, adhere to curfews and relocate so that parks can be cleaned.

The surprise ouster at Zuccotti Park came as the movement was at its most vulnerable. A rift had been growing in recent weeks between the park's full-time residents and the movement's power players, most of whom no longer lived in the park.

The protesters who actually made things happen — the ones who planned marches and rallies and set plans into motion — held meetings in donated office space high above the park, in skyscrapers just like the ones housing the bankers they were protesting.

Some residents of Zuccotti Park have been grumbling about the recent formation of a "spokescouncil," an upper echelon of organizers who held meetings at a high school near police headquarters. Some protesters felt that the selection of any leaders whatsoever wasn't true to Occupy Wall Street's original anti-government spirit: That no single person is more important or more powerful than another person.

But other protesters felt that Occupy Wall Street needed to be bigger than Zuccotti Park — that they had, in a sense, outgrown it.

Occupy encampments have come under fire around the country and even overseas as local officials and residents have complained about possible health hazards and ongoing inhabitation of parks and other public spaces.

Anti-Wall Street activists intend to converge at the University of California, Berkeley, on Tuesday for a day of protests and another attempt to set up an Occupy Cal camp, less than a week after police arrested dozens of protesters who tried to pitch tents on campus.

The Berkeley protesters will be joined by Occupy Oakland activists who said they would march to the UC campus in the afternoon. Police cleared the tent city in front of Oakland City Hall before dawn Monday and arrested more than 50 people amid complaints about safety, sanitation and drug use.

In London, authorities said they were resuming legal action to evict a protest camp outside St. Paul's Cathedral after talks with the demonstrators stalled.

___

Associated Press writers Meghan Barr and Karen Matthews contributed to this report.

Bishop chuck Leigh

The suppression of peaceful demonstrations is a clear sign that that those who hold political power in this country will no longer tolerate open democracy. We live in a time when electoral politics is nothing more than an auction among various corporate interest. Those same interest appear to be unwilling to let ordinary people come together to challenge that system of auctions. In this time of neo-feudalism it is the place of the church to stand in solidarity with those who are being suppressed.

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#4 - Tue Nov 15, 2011 12:00 PM EST

Felicitie

Those same interest appear to be unwilling to let ordinary people come together to challenge that system of auctions.

Most people have no objection to peaceful protests. The OWS protests are anything but.

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#6 - Tue Nov 15, 2011 12:04 PM EST

newsynose62

Felicitie,

Child, you have not gone and talked with the 99% have you. Because if you had you might understand where they are coming from, and why they are doing this. This is not about political parties, this is about equality, jobs, and finally not being taken advantage of. This is the middle class, the poor, the students, the unions(the people in the unions, teachers, firefighters, police, workers),the jobless, the people not making enough money who have jobs to manage and take care of their families.

Are you married, have children, own/rent your abode, pay utilities, pay taxes, buy food, clothes, theneccessaties of living a fair and balanced life.

Go and talk with the protesters, walk a mile in their shoes, then you can make a valid and meaningful comment. the Only night that things got out of hand was the night when the soldier got whacked in the head by a group of people acting like cops. and when the fellow protesters went in to rescue said soldier, did the group of make believe cops do their thing. Granted a group of protesters took it upon themselves to do some lateral damage. No was hurt in the lateral damage, unfortunetly the same I can not say when the police and riot squad came and did their thing in several states in this country. We are guaranteed the right to civil protest by the Constitution. WE THE PEOPLE OF THESE UNITED STATES.....and I am proud to say that We, have woken up after a very long winters nap. And we will not be unheard, unspoken, unseen from again.

Liberty and justice for all God bless the USA.....

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#6.1 - Tue Nov 15, 2011 12:38 PM EST

• Police move in on Portland park, protesters remain (Newsvine)
• Police, Occupy protesters head for Ore. showdown (Newsvine)
• Wall Street protesters ousted from Zuccotti Park (Newsvine)

Who are the 1 percent?

Posted by Suzy Khimm at 11:13 AM ET, 10/06/2011

This post has been updated.

Occupy Wall Street says their movement represent the “99 percent” of Americans who’ve been left behind, while a tiny minority of wealthy earners pull ahead. So who are the 1 percenters?

(SOURCE: REUTERS )Taken literally, the top 1 percent of American households had a minimum income of $516,633 in 2010 — a figure that includes wages, government transfers and money from capital gains, dividends and other investment income.

That number is down from peak of $646,195 in 2007, before the economic crisis hit, all adjusted to 2011 dollars, according tocalculations by the Tax Policy Center. By contrast, the bottom 60 percent earned a maximum of $59,154 in 2010, the bottom 40 percent earned a max of $33,870, while the bottom 20 percent earned just $16,961 at maximum. As Annie Lowrey points out, that gap has grown wider over time: “The top 1 percent of households took a bigger share of overall income in 2007 than they did at any time since 1928.” (And in New York City, it’s even more skewed: the top 1 percent have an averageof $3.7 million in income.)

When you look at the disparity in net worth, things look even more skewed. Wealthier Americans have assets — in home equity, stocks and other investments — that generally outstrip their cash income. Average wealth of the top 1 percent was almost $14 million in 2009, according to a 2011 report from the Economic Policy Institute. That’s down from a peak of $19.2 million in 2007.

By contrast, the poorest households were experiencing declines in net worth even before the recession hit. In 2007, the bottom 20 percent of households had an average (negative!) net worth of –$13,800 in 2007, which fell further to –$27,200 in 2009. Altogether, “average wealth of the bottom 80 percent was just $62,900 in 2009 — a dropoff of $40,900 from 2007,” EPI writes. That means the wealthiest 1 percent held an average of 225 times the wealth of the average median household in 2009 — a ratio that was 125 in 1962.

Interestingly, just as Occupy Wall Street is bringing their grievances about this growing gap to a broader public, the Democratic Party is re-adjusting it’s definition of “rich.” As my colleague Lori Montgomeryreports, Senate Democrats have ditched President Obama’s plan to raise taxes on households who have more than $250,000 a year for a proposal to tax those who earn more than $1 million a year. Those who have a household income of $250,000 wouldn’t fall in the top 1 percent. But those who have incomes of more than $1 million would — at least outside New York City.

*Update: This post was updated to clarify that the second and third paragraphs describe income floors — the mininum amount at different percentiles — not average income. The average income of the top 1 percent of US households in 2011 is $1,530,773, while the average income of the bottom 20 percent is $9,187, and the median income is $65,357, according to Jim Nunns, a senior fellow at the Urban Institute.

Check out the Comment, they are quite extraordinary

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