Thomas Frank: Why Occupy failed and how it's more like the Tea Party than anyone wants to admit

[jp11]

32. It failed to be the counter to the Tea Party because the tea party was taken over by

the rich and extremist elements and twisted to their desires. They might not want everything the Tea Baggers wanted but the Tea Party served them in so many ways, just pulling the party to the right so they would have to exhibit or embrace the extremist positions that the rich and powerful might agree with to ousting the moderate/sane republicans who might or have worked with the democrats. From there once elected those tea party people would follow the stupidity of their beliefs sabotage the government forcing dems to pull right which is just where the rich and powerful want them to go.

OWS wasn't taken over or converted by the 'extremist left' (meaning anarchist more than anything else I'm aware of) to screw up the system by getting democrats to pull left so they couldn't be elected and install extreme left candidates who'd stall the government over getting anything done.

You can argue that is a failure, it didn't kick out the moderate dems that people don't like but it also didn't put in people willing to shoot the hostage to get what they wanted like the tea baggers. Say what you will I don't think having two sides with their own super crazy extremists would have done much if anything good for the country. It would certainly lend credit to the BS 'both sides do it' and probably depress voter turnout on our side with any that might be coaxed into voting (young people) or people who just see two crazy parties doing the same crap.

OWS can still be more than the tea party IMO if it works on getting progressives elected where they can win, not everywhere and anywhere. If it doesn't work to purge the party of any democrat who remotely betrays the position or thoughts of what it means to be a democrat, liberal, progressive etc by whoever's definition. Or even by going after democrats who might work with a republican to get something done, heaven forbid. I'd much rather have progressives doing the work that progressives want done but our world isn't one where we get everything we want never has been never will.

I disagree that OWS constitutes the American Left or that their 'failure' to counter the Tea Party means the American Left has been destroyed as if OWS somehow created the American Left then destroyed it.