ABC and NBC Champion Left-Wing Anti-Capitalist Protests, Fueled by Cookies from a ‘Grandmother in Idaho’
Very much unlike how they greeted the Tea Party protests in early 2009, the networks are embracing the new left-wing/anti-capitalist protests, even failing to condemn their unruly behavior which resulted in 700 arrests in New York City over the weekend, conduct for which they would have condemned Tea Party activists.
“Is there about to be a nationwide movement building right now to point a finger at Wall Street on greed?” ABC’s Diane Sawyer hopefully cheered Monday night, touting how “protests are spreading across the country.” NBC anchor Brian Williams trumpeted how “the movement that started here in New York about a month ago...now has thousands of people joining in and it's spreading across the country.”
Reporter Michelle Franzen asserted the protesters are “united by what they see as corporate greed and social injustice playing out around the country. They are demanding change but by design they have no set plan or end goal in mind. But that hasn't stopped this movement from gaining strength in numbers.” She celebrated how the “melting pot of gripes has turned into a nationwide movement.”
Franzen didn’t bother to mention, never mind decry, a sign which NBC showed that accused Wall Street workers of being Nazis.
On ABC’s World News, Dan Harris treated the mass arrests as a badge of honor, behavior which has earned more support: “This past weekend 700 people were arrested when they stormed the Brooklyn Bridge. Now major unions are joining in, as are celebrities like Susan Sarandon and Alec Baldwin, and similar protests are popping up across America.”
Harris soon offered an admiring tour of the motley encampment inside a New York City park, complete with an friendly anecdote about cookies provided by an Idaho grandma:
This is a surprisingly functional little city. Let me give you a little tour. It starts here with the information desk for people newly arrived. Behind that this whole area back here, this is the media area. It’s filled with bloggers and other people getting the word out and powered by donated generators. And this is the food station. It’s all free and all donated including some cookies that came in today from a grandmother in Idaho.
Bret Baier, on FNC’s Special Report on Monday evening, wondered how the media would have reacted to criminal misbehavior at Tea Party events:
If the Tea Party was doing the things that this movement is doing, like for example this video -- this weekend, shouting “take the Brooklyn Bridge” – and they arrest 700 of them, would it receive the same kind of coverage as this occupy Wall Street is?
Earlier, from Kyle Drennen on weekend/Monday morning coverage: “NBC Cheers Wall Street Protests as Liberal Version of Tea Party But Denounced Actual Tea Party.”
Back on April 15, 2009, the first significant Tea Party gatherings, the very same Dan Harris who covered the current protests tried to undermine them by focusing on their orchestration, as recounted in my April 16, 2009 CyberAlert item:
“Cheered on by Fox News and talk radio, the hundreds of tea parties today were designed to protest the bailouts, the stimulus plan, and President Obama's budget,” Dan Harris explained on ABC before asserting: “But critics on the left say this is not a real grassroots phenomenon at all, that it's actually largely orchestrated by people fronting for corporate interests.” Harris proceeded to argue that “while the Boston Tea Party in 1773 was about taxation without representation, critics point out that today's protesters did get to vote -- they just lost. What's more, polls show most Americans don't feel overtaxed.”
On the NBC Nightly News that 2009 night, Brian Williams also tried to delegitimize the anger behind them, citing protests “organized on the Internet and by some cable TV personalities to allow taxpayers to vent about how their money is spent.” Reporter Lee Cowan noted “some observers suggest not all of it was as home-grown as it may seem” and, unlike this week’s stories, he compared the agenda of the protesters to what polls reflect: “Although today's organizers called this national day of protest a success, polls still show that a slim majority of Americans actually approve of the bailout plan.”
Of course, Tea Party coverage only grew more hostile as the months passed, as detailed in the MRC’s 2010 Special Report, “TV's Tea Party Travesty: How ABC, CBS and NBC Have Dismissed and Disparaged the Tea Party Movement.”
From ABC’s World News on Monday night, October 3:
DIANE SAWYER: And a question, is there about to be a nationwide movement building right now to point a finger at Wall Street on greed? It started here in New York where hundreds of protesters now occupy a park near the big financial houses and more protests are spreading across the country. ABC’s Dan Harris on what is happening and what the demonstrators say they want.
DAN HARRIS: With 14 million Americans out of work and Wall Street profits still stratospheric, it was a fuse ready to be lit. It started with fewer than a dozen college students, but when video of a police officer pepper spraying female protesters went viral, the movement grew. This past weekend 700 people were arrested when they stormed the Brooklyn Bridge. Now major unions are joining in, as are celebrities like Susan Sarandon and Alec Baldwin, and similar protests are popping up across America.
HARRIS TO MAN: So you want to see more of this and not just here?
MAN: Yes.
ANOTHER MAN: Yes. We're mad. We're angry and we’re staying up and saying something about it.
HARRIS: This is a surprisingly functional little city. Let me give you a little tour. It starts here with the information desk for people newly arrived. Behind that this whole area back here, this is the media area. It’s filled with bloggers and other people getting the word out and powered by donated generators. And this is the food station. It’s all free and all donated including some cookies that came in today from a grandmother in Idaho. The one thing they don't have, a clear focus. Experts say social movements often start small and disorganized as happened with unemployment protests during the great depression.
HARRIS, TO WARREN: So if I'm tempted to write these kids mostly kids off as people having a good time in a public park, I should rethink that.
DORIAN WARREN, PROFESSOR. COLUMBIA UNIVERSITY: Yes.
HARRIS: Because there is potential here?
WARREN: There is potential here especially now that it's being legitimized.
HARRIS: They may not have concrete demands but they say their makeshift city is a model for how America should live and they're not leaving any time soon. Dan Harris, ABC News, New York.
NBC Nightly News:
BRIAN WILLIAMS: Now we turn to the story that's been unfolding on the streets of this city and others – the movement that started here in New York about a month ago with a small group of protesters blaming Wall Street for the nation's economic problems, now has thousands of people joining in and it's spreading across the country. NBC's Michelle Franzen is on Wall Street tonight with the latest of the protests that have netted hundreds of arrests so far. Michelle, good evening.
MICHELLE FRANZEN: Good evening, Brian, and those protesters are surrounding our live shot at this moment holding signs and holding rallies in the park nearby united by what they see as corporate greed and social injustice playing out around the country. They are demanding change but by design they have no set plan or end goal in mind. But that hasn't stopped this movement from gaining strength in numbers.
MAN, SHOUTING: Trickle down economics is working!
FRANZEN: On the march, demonstrators dressed in suits and their faces painted, turned out to rally against bankers on Wall Street, government corruption and social inequality.
CROWD: We got sold out!Story Continues Below Ad ↓
FRANZEN: What began as a small sit-in just over two weeks ago at this small park in lower Manhattan-
MAN: I work 40 hours a week so I can struggle!
FRANZEN: -has swelled into a chorus of hundreds and on some days several thousands where anyone dissatisfied with just about anything has a voice.
MAN: This is the melting pot.
FRANZEN: That melting pot of gripes has turned into a nationwide movement. Protesters in Chicago, LA and Boston are also taking to the streets, inspired in part by the writings of anti-Wall Street authors like David Degrau.
DAVID DEGRAU: It's people taking it all themselves to fight back against what they consider economic oppression.
FRANZEN: Protesters may have found their biggest support yet. Major unions, including the steel, health care and transport workers, are joining in.
JOHN SAMUELSON, TRANSPORT WORKERS UNION: We're going to bring attention to the idea that working families are getting shafted in this country right now.
FRANZEN: As you can see, they are very passionate about their cause, Brian. A few arrests today -- about three arrests for people who wearing masks that concealed their faces but nothing like the 700 arrests that we saw over the weekend.
- Brent Baker's blog
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Comments
Mainstream Media Marginalizes Itself
Submitted by VideoSavant on Tue, 10/04/2011 - 10:43am.
It is simply amazing to me that these major media corporations are sitting by idly as the journalists, editors and producers they pay determinedly push their publications and broadcasts further to the political left with a net result of fewer readers and viewers.
Watching the Occupy Wall Street coverage and comparing it with the Tea Party coverage of the past 2 1/2 years leaves me with little doubt that a key part of the mainstream newsroom agenda is to stick a finger in the eye of 50% of the potential audience, whenever and wherever that opportunity presents itself.
At some point, a CEO has to wake up and realize the incredible folly of what is happening.
Right? Right?
I simply try to avoid all things
Submitted by Bodini on Tue, 10/04/2011 - 12:11pm.
GE/Comcast and Disney. If enough people did that, these Marxist Media types might soon get the message.
Huh?
Submitted by pcnav on Tue, 10/04/2011 - 3:48pm.
"Fueled by Cookies from a ‘Grandmother in Idaho’" If it was a tea party Grandmother would be there waving a flag. F@ck these socialist b@stards that are protesting the weather or whatever is the fancy today. This country doesn't need them.
Global Unwarming will put a stop to this soon enough.
Submitted by SickofLibs on Tue, 10/04/2011 - 10:50am.
"They're not leaving any time soon!"
LOL. Wait til the NYC nighttime temps start dipping into 30s, which will be soon.
Dan Harris seems quite enamored with this little model city... only thing it's missing is sanitation, which is right up there with food and shelter. FYI, there NO porta-johns allowed and these cretins ARE peeing and crapping in alleys, in sewer grates and between cars. They should be forcibly removed by the NYPD for this fact alone.
Of course, Nanny Bloomberg is in charge. He cares about your salt, soda and cigs but apparently is OK with public defecation.
... anybody think Rudy would've put up with this for even a week?
oh yuck..
Submitted by kata on Tue, 10/04/2011 - 11:01am.
I had heard that it rather reeked down there, but you framed it a lot more accurately than my brain really wanted to go.
kata,
Submitted by Agnostic on Tue, 10/04/2011 - 11:02am.
coming from someone who greased up Roseanne on ice? - your brain has received justice.
hey!
Submitted by kata on Tue, 10/04/2011 - 11:18am.
I never said anything about her state of dress. If your brain went there it's not my fault. (lol)
state of dress?
Submitted by Agnostic on Tue, 10/04/2011 - 11:18am.
I didn't say anything about it either so please don't go there I'm still recovering from the last thread on Helen Thomas.
We're looking at the "OBAMA 2012" reelection drive!
Submitted by Newsbubba on Tue, 10/04/2011 - 10:56am.
He's gettin' his peeps in da streets for the election.
Check Drudge and see the article where our "special ed" graduate vice president doesn't even recognize the name, Van Jones, whose organization is stepping into a leadership role in these demonstrations nationwide.
The unions are starting to roll out for them now. Soon the thugs will be coaching the pothead kids in the violent tactics needed to get the Dear Leader reelected. I predict that someone, very soon, is going to die in one of these clashes (probably engineered by the unions) and all hell is going to break loose.
Hey folks, He promised us this if we didn't get our Shiite together and support his "fundamental change of this country."
How's that "Hope and Change" working out for you, America?
Good morning bubba
Submitted by cocodrie on Tue, 10/04/2011 - 12:48pm.
My nine year old grandson is in special ed. He is smarter than Plugs and Obabble put together.
Jesus Loves You so much He died for you
"No leader, no demand, only one aim: to overthrow the System."
Submitted by kata on Tue, 10/04/2011 - 11:13am.
How many of these kids have ceased to pay their student loans?
Wait till they start getting TEXTS from collection agencies
Submitted by SickofLibs on Tue, 10/04/2011 - 12:17pm.
about their delinquent student loans.
Students For Obama 2012!
Hey, hippie relics -- don't drink the Kool-Aid
Submitted by lgeubank on Tue, 10/04/2011 - 11:45am.
The Left is descending into mass hysteria. They seem to need an enemy to scape-goat, if only to prove they are "holier than thou," to some "thou."
Wall-Street financiers have been chosen, apparently at random, as the designated object of these disgusting Yahoos' daily "Two-Minute Hate." These ranting & raving, capitalist-bashing, Obama-worshipping morons are turning into a mindless, superstitious Jonestown-style cult.
Well, at least they didn't pick the Jews as their #1 object of vilification -- Israel and Jews only come in at about #4 on the hit parade of enemies for this mob of barbarian brown-shirts.
"Well, at least they didn't pick the Jews"
Submitted by Newsbubba on Tue, 10/04/2011 - 12:29pm.
Well, not yet. Give them time.
I would argue that a great number of the Wall Street types that they are targeting have a much higher proportion of Jews running them and working in them than the population as a whole.
It won't take the little commies long to take off the mask and just go for the HATE.
These stoopid idiot commies are protesting in the wrong places
Submitted by Dave. on Tue, 10/04/2011 - 11:48am.
They need to be hanging out in front of Bawney Fwank's and UpChuck Shumer's pads.
… but just where would we be today, economically speaking, if Barney Frank hadn’t blocked reform in 2004? What if we hadn’t had Barney Frank telling Bush’s Treasury Secretary that Fannie and Freddie were “fundamentally sound financially.” What if Chuckie Schumer hadn’t insisted that Fannie and Freddie had done an “incredibly good job.” What if the Democrats had listened to the hated George Bush? What if new regulations had been put in place. Would hundreds of thousands of people have jobs who aren’t working right now? Would hundreds of thousands more be living in the homes they thought would be theirs for the rest of their lives?
-Dave
Vote for the American in November
Fines
Submitted by djaymick on Tue, 10/04/2011 - 11:51am.
New York City should fine each of those arrested $1,000. This will teach them that there is a right way and a wrong way to protests. It would also be a boon for New York City.
Evil Wall Street and Bankers
Submitted by Kingfish17 on Tue, 10/04/2011 - 12:07pm.
Wall Street and Banksters were "Bailed Out" with Federal Government People's Money! It doesn't matter that most of them paid it back with interest, because I don't understand any of this complicated financial government power grab stuff anyways. All I know is, we had to BAIL THESE B@STARDS OUT!
Sure, the feds could have done some sort of temporary regulatory reform and given these financial institutions a chance to raise more capital on their own, like they did under TARP, but then I wouldn't be able to join the voice of left wing, right wing, and independent populists and scream every chance I get: WE BAILED THESE B@STARDS OUT!
"You can’t go take a trip to Las Vegas...on the taxpayer’s dime." Barack Obama
"financial government power grab stuff" ...
Submitted by Newsbubba on Tue, 10/04/2011 - 12:35pm.
... has a name. It's called FASCISM. The little RBFSOB in the White House is as fascist as Mussolini or Hitler ever was. Just give him time. We already see the street mobs led by the union organizers and commies like Van Jones getting it stoked for 2012.
Funny how Hank Jr. got booted off ESPN for calling Dear Leader a "Hitler." He was more right than he realizes.
Of course, just like the fascists and the communists, they will have a falling out if they ever manage to win this country over. Then we can really have a street mob scene.
And these nimrods are the ones that claim to want World Peace. Good luck with that.
So now we have Obamavilles full of the wannahippies....
Submitted by drsamherman on Tue, 10/04/2011 - 12:17pm.
...just like Hoover had his Hoovertowns and Hoovervilles during the Great Depression. The major difference is the majority of the Hooverville residents wanted to work and provide for their families, while a good deal of the Obamaville idiots are rich brats trying to stick it to their parents without the intention of ever working. Just like every other left wing hoopla, the minute the news cameras go away so will they.
I'd love to hear a reporter
Submitted by Free Stinker on Tue, 10/04/2011 - 12:47pm.
I'd love to hear a reporter ask the "Occupy Wall Street" punks this question.
"So, if you had a job, what would you do?". (h/t - Don Draper)
/// Sarah Palin Fan since July 11, 2007 /// خال
The lack of intelligence...
Submitted by almostacowboy on Tue, 10/04/2011 - 12:51pm.
displayed by these news readers astonishing - nearly as much as the "protestors".
"WE WANT CHANGE", the "protestors" shout. But, when asked "What kind of change?" the reply is, "You know, "CHANGE!".
Mark Levin had a caller who railed against the evil capitalists whom he asked if he wore pants. When the called responded in the affirmative, Levin asked him, "where do those pants come from". The genius's reply - "The thrift store, who got them from someone else", as if pants morphed onto the body of the magical "pants wizard" who then delivered them to the thrift store.
The talking heads are demonstrating this same level of stupidity in their support. Because if I were of the same type of people that are rioting (non-working anarchist), when it came time, the types of people I'd be targeting for my food, clothing, shelter, and new i-Phone, would be soft, rich, stupid people like the ones who read news on TV for a living.
Questions
Submitted by Model850 on Tue, 10/04/2011 - 4:34pm.
I see where almostacowboy77 noted Mark Levin asking about where some caller got his pants.
I'd like to see some reporter -- it likely would have to be someone from Fox -- ask these "protesters" where did they get the laptop they're using to write their blog posts? Who provides the internet service that allows them to go online to post their pearls of wisdom? Who hosts their blogs? Where did they get their cell phone, and which company do they use for phone service? The food is donated apparently, but where did the people who donated it get it? Where did the donated generators come from?
So what is it again about capitalism you're against?