Charlie Dharapak/AP Photo
A OWS protester handing President Obama a note today in Manchester, New Hampshire.
An Occupy Wall Street supporter literally slipped President Obama a note today while shaking hands on the campaign trail in Manchester, New Hampshire. The tiny piece of paper read as follows:
"Mr. President: Over 4,000 peaceful protesters have been arrested. While banksters continue to destroy the
Americaneconomy with impunity. You must stop the assault on our 1st ammendment [sic] rights. Your silence sends a message that police brutality is a [illegible]. Banks got bailed out. We got sold out."
An old school thow-back to get the president's attention. It worked. Check out a close-up after the jump.
Charlie Dharapak/AP Photo
A close-up of the note to President Obama.
Are these unusual tactics the best way to get the attention of Washington insiders? Tweet me or drop me a line in the comment section below.
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That missing word is probably "acceptable"
Or it could be "frosty lobster"
Not that Obama is anything short of a Moderate Republican (in today's political climate), but compared to Rove, Paul, and Bachmann, Obama was at least patient, civil, and thoughtful regarding the "mic check."
He definitely showed leadership in actually listening to "protest."
Forget that on the Right.
Yeah- let's review a little in the way of facts.
1) OWS people seem to be mostly protesting and complaining about bailing out the banks and financials.
2) While no one in Congress actually wanted to do bailouts, Bush II with Dems led the way. The Republicans in the house led to the defeat of the first several bailout attempts.
3) Rahm Emmanuel, as Obama's Chief of Staff, could barely contain his glee at the opportunity to "remake" the economy through the additional bailouts
Seems that while there was plenty of blame to go around, if protestors actually looked into the bailouts- they might be more angry at Democrats thaqn Republicans. You might want to read about Geithner's role in the bailouts before the election.
Rusty, OWS doesn't point blame at any specific Party, but, rather, the broken system as a whole.
It is just that the Party of No is more broken and toddler-like than the Democrats.
Never- technically- you are correct. (I guess- because the demands, etc, aren't being formalized). But- you don't have to read these blogs very far to see that distinction isn't real. In fact- your own post seemingly indicates you think the Left is more in tune with OWS needs than the Right. My post would suggest that in reality, the GOP is more closely aligned to the anti-bailout position. Unless- if there is a bias toward the Dems buit into the movement. Which you and others claim there isn't. Seemingly- the movement lacks consistency on this issue.
Rusty, I'm having a hard time taking you seriously, at least regarding historical accuracy. The Republicans had few problems with the bailouts when W was setting them up in 2007-2008 (along with an $8 trillion dollar series of interest-free loans to those same banks). They became outraged only after the Democrat got into office and had to implement them--the get-back-into-power plan all along, apparently.
Have you seen 'The Inside Job'? A non-partisan documentary that goes a long way in showing the culpability of both parties in the overall ripoff of the Treasury and our wallets--with the Right being far more involved than you're pretending.
Regarding Occupy, real point was to get the focus on income and taxation inequality, and OFF bogus debates like the debt ceiling. All a non-violent mass movement can ever really do is force a dialog.
I'll withhold a comment until I see or hear what Obamma's action , not reaction to this statement. Obamma needs to come out in support of the UC Davis students who were denied their First Amend. rights and treated with brutality.
yes I think this is a great way to get the message to the President. He needs to hear from the people that put him in office. My question to him would be. Why are we still arresting 7000.000 to 800.000 people a year for marijuana? And why are you going against your word by having the Feds going after medical marijuana states?
please note that the president accepted the note and allowed the statement by the OW's but Buackman ran to her car to escape
The amazing portion of this article is that the President actually READ his note. I am almost certain that he will not be silent. President Obama will in some way acknowledge the receipt of the note and the plea that was expressed.
Keep trying to get his attention.. he will do what he can.. l trust him , and we need to re-elect him.
Guys, you think Obama doesn't know about the protests? Really? He's handing someone a note who is making money off of protecting the 1%. You know how many Goldman Sachs partners Obama appointed to key WH staff positions? How much money he received from Wall Street in his campaign? Obama is 1%. Democrats are as much of the problem as Republicans, you are being played in a ping-pong game of public opinion to be kept in control. The 2-party system is a farce and has to go.
Obama's former fund-raiser-in-chief, Tony Rezko, just got a 10 year prison sentence.
rusty post links please
Here is the Reuters link. It is pretty widely reported. Probably lots more google hits available. I just copied the first one.
I'm no Obmabot, but you get no points for distorting reality. Obama's fundraiser in chief? That's totally made-up; I think you got that from NewsMax. You also ignore the dozen or so Republicans that Rezko brought in major bucks for -- like George W in 2003.
Its important to reinforce this message so that we, this country, and our President continues to move forward.
He has a good reason to comment now...he willin some way (his way)
as an old hippie I remain impressed by the OWS tactics. love "mike check"! love handing notes to pols with your message. love using twitter to bring the people out. love the low tech/high tech tactics.
The rich teabaggers get media attention and no harassment.
The poor fleabaggers get arrested (((
The poor fleabaggers - 400 arrested
The rich teabaggers = 0 arrested.
now passing 4000
What a great way to get some attention. Go OWS
Obama should pardon all the protesters who were arrested.
I see where he has already pardoned at least one turkey...
never all should demand a trial by jury and clog the courts
What a joke. This was obviously staged. Where was the Secret Service? Why did President Obama take the note? What if it was laced with something? How often do Presidents take notes from random strangers in a crowd? Never.
You have to love these "99%ers". It shows how great our liberal public education system is. It's spelled "amendments".
I simply remind myself of "pretend" candidate= James Richard Perry...... "Ooops"
Ladies & Gentlemen.... It is SO obvious to what should be Everyone... WE need to "band-together" and VOTE this frickin'-far-right-freak-show called "TODAY'S Republican Party" VOTE them to 100% EXTINCTION !!!!! That bunch of anal tracts prove EVERY DAY how totally Destructive-Destroy-Defeat their attitude toward this Country TRULY is !!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!
Uncomfortable facts that OWS is not even aware of........
1. Their negative net worth lives would be truly hopeless without the TARP.
2. Banks such as J.P. Morgan, Wells Fargo and Goldman Sachs did not want one dime of TARP
injections but were forced to take them by former Secretary of the Treasury Paulson.
3. Taxpayers have made a profit on the TARP injections to the banks.
4. The vast majority of sub-prime loans were made by lenders that are no longer in
business.
5. Virtually all Government regulating agencies were fast asleep during the 8 years of Bush II.
5. The rating agencies rated securities comprised of sub prime loans as AAA.
6. While OWS thinks the term "banksters" is clever, it doesn't cut any ice with the President.
No doubt Generation X was handed a crap sandwich but the Baby Boom generation had a war to contend with where one might be conscripted to fight and the assassinations of three of the best leaders in the history of the Republic. And by the way, the police state mentality in this country has existed long before Zucotti Park and UC Davis.
Now do something about it, organize, vote and elect your chosen candidates.
I would like to say that this isn't a tit for tat issue. It isn't about Dems. or Reps. It's about the whole way the world is run. I don't blame the bankers of the general population. The pyramid system is not suited to suite the weight of all the financial structure in the world. Also, we are producing too much junk that gets chucked out into the environment. We can't sustain it. We have to realize that what goes around comes around, in one form or another. This isn't about being nice to animals or saving the shore lines. It's about the realization that we are acting in a way that is contrary to our interest. If we were to begin to develop a system that works integrally and by that I mean that everything is interconnected and as such must remain that way, we will see all our problems dissipate. If we see that all that's missing is the world market for it to flourish isn't to produce ore and more cheap junk for the west but to provide the all that is necessary for a comfortable human existence for all peoples of the world. When we provide that for all of the third world, thereby eliminating the term, third world, there will be an integral market that will provide for everyone on the basis of what he or she needs and not just for some. The rich will even be richer, and this has been proven mathematically. There will be no shortages. We will stop existing at the expense and misery of others because there will be no reason to do that any longer. Also, when we create such an integrally based market system, based on mutual guarantee, all the bad things we have done to nature will be righted. We won't need to waste resources on experiments and research into trying to figure out what to do to keep the eco system alive. Once we live on the principle of what we need instead of being relentlessness convinced that we need more and more junk to pacify our ego hunger, nature will revive itself. The problem is convincing people that they won't be any worse off than they are now even though we live in a sick, violent, unsafe, bankrupt, ego oriented world that going from bad to worse on a daily basis.