The mainstream media first ignored and now can't afford to ignore the mass protests organized as "Occupy Wall Street". Fox News "unfair and unbalanced" is out front with what could quickly emerge as a counter-revolt led by Rupert Murdoch. The seedlings are growing at a quickening pace, in ways that are likely to manifest in more police brutality.
American politics is slowly responding to this unaccustomed intrusion. Few in positions of authority will confront media advertisers and big campaign donors.
So Fed Chair Bernanke's comments to Congress yesterday are noteworthy: he acknowledged legitimate grievances of ordinary Americans. Interesting times, given the role the Fed and especially Bernanke's predecessor Alan Greenspan played in arranging the deck chairs on the economic Titanic. Bernanke also pinned the blame on Congress for policies that are prolonging the worst economic crisis since the Great Depression.
Another story is the absence of the Tea Party, whatever figment of imagination that is in the minds of Fox News, from the protests. It would be fair to say that the Occupy Wall Street demonstrations call into question exatly what is the Tea Party and who are their leaders and who are their followers. But the media can't focus on that part of the story because -- at least in the Fox News universe -- the Tea Party are "good" protesters.
The New York Times has an interesting story today about another constituency having a hard time working into the Occupy Wall Street phenomenon: unions that have been badly weakened in the United States. Democratic groups like Moveon.org are scrambling to catch up. Fox is trying to fill the vacuum, but it is possible that a real Tea Party will emerge with its own candidates demanding changes to federal laws that grant corporations the same rights as people. Those are the rights, by the way, that allowed the Murdoch empire to consolidate and fierce resistance can be expected to any challenge from any quarter.
1 comment:
Mark my words, unions, progressives and corporate crony capitalists like GE & Goldman Sachs have an enormous amount to lose if Obama and the Senate Dems lose control of government. With little positive to present the voter next year, these groups are out of bullets. Look for riots to as an outgrowth of this movement and as a last ditch effort to hold onto power.
Post a Comment