New York Police roughly ousted Occupy Wall Street campers in Zuccotti Park, and occupations in cities around the country had similar endings. The use of force gave the movement additional visibility, and even a kind of credibility. In Los Angeles, it's a different story. In October, Mayor Antonio Villaraigosa and the City Council endorsed Occupy LA and gave campers raincoats on a stormy day. Now the Mayor has declared the encampment around City Hall both "unsustainable" and illegal. But the LAPD has yet to make more than a few token arrests. In two months, occupiers have spread to 900 cities worldwide, created the "99%" catchphrase and made income inequality part of the national dialogue. Now there's talk of "occupying" next year's political party conventions, or maybe the Congress. But will Occupy Wall Street ever compare to the civil rights or anti-Vietnam movements? Is it the Tea Party of the Left? We get a range of opinions.
Occupy Movement's Last Gasp or a New Beginning?
Credits
Guests:
- Ian Thompson - ANSWER Coalition
- John Heilemann - Bloomberg Politics / Showtime's 'The Circus' - @jheil
- Frank Newport - Gallup Poll - @gallup
- Charles C.W. Cooke - National Review - @charlescwcooke
- Michael Kazin - Georgetown University