Occcupied

Do you get the feeling that civilized Western society is coming apart at the seems? You would think that by watching CNN lately with all the baton wielding and mace spraying going on. Makes you wonder what all the fuss is about. But timing is everything. President Obama is sinking. Nothing is working, Time to change the subject. So, we get the usual liberal protest groups, hand out some street money, start building an Internet bonfire, and you get an instant public insurrection.

Then, once the crowd is assembled, enter the double-standard of the state-run media and the coverage of the various "Occupy Insert American City" demonstrations held around the country. The number of people has been relatively small compared to the legions of Tea Party demonstrators, but that hasn't stopped the salivating and mundane coverage by mainstream journalism. The media became bored with the Tea Party when it kept showing up with big numbers, delivered a succinct message and then went home in an orderly manner.

It became a predictable, boring story for the caffeinated TV outlets who have little use for people that waive an American flag, oppose big government, talk about God and pick up after themselves.

There is also a written rule among TV News assignment editors that once a crew has been dispatched, something must be filmed and hyped regardless of the reality of the situation. Local TV has taken this to showing empty intersections where car accidents occurred or burned out condo's where "three-alarm blazes ripped through the tenement."  A demonstration based on the inequality of incomes and unfairness of life with the possibility of violence - that's a cropper.

Occupy Hartford is a case in point, since most of the demonstrators where either state workers or legislative aides on their lunch hour or the usual light-weight leftists that are looking to pick up girls at sit-in.

The Hartford crew moved their tents from the Bushnell Park to another patch of grass near the YWCA when the 14,000 runners from the Hartford Marathon descended on the famed park Saturday.  Two protesters stood at the side of the road with signs denouncing greed and capitalism. Mot of the runners finishing the half marathon were more concerned with having enough to look good at the War Memorial Arch. One sign read "Stop the f---ing Greed." Charming. Does the sign apply to state and federal employees who don't want to give up anything substantive in their compensation? We know the answer. To these protestors, jobs are measured in more cops, teachers, nurses or anyone willing to sign a union card.

Across the country, the Occupy mobs are acting like mobs - begging for a fight and almost relishing it when they can show a bloody skull for an undefined cause. These are not laid off stock brokers, lawyers,  CPA's, developers or blue collars workers who have gone many months without a check. They are lay-abouts with no skills other than a elitist sense of entitlement. Yet, the media gives one the impression that this is a worldwide rebellion. Witness Europe, where public outrage over any reduction in nanny state goodies gets the local hooligans out to turn over a police car.

But our President, an American President, sees these miscreants as his ticket back to the White House. Let us assume that Barack Obama actually believes in the 99 percent argument, which I believe he does. But it is truly dumb politics to think playing to this emotion and crowd will lead a majority of voters in key states to give Obama another four years is truly delusional.

Americans know and believe the banks got sweet deals. They did. Both George W. Bush and Obama fed the banks and didn't get any scalps in return. Angelo Mozillo runs free as do Franklin Raines and the other thieves at Fannie Mae and Freddie Mac. Chris Dodd has a sweet job. The high and the mighty - those who work in government and those who feed off it - have kept their piece of the action.,

Obama policies to prevent the housing market to hit bottom so it can rebound and allow diligent homeowners to regain equity and provide affordable homes to those who can pay, is the defining policy decision that will sink him.

Since Obama has never had to sweat a mortgage payment or understand how a home is the linchpin of American life in terms of wealth and social cohesion, he doesn't grasp how truly scared and pissed off people are. A new study shows the unemployment rate to be much higher than the 9.1 percent that is broadcast monthly. Double it in most cases - especially many white collar workers who threw in with Obama, hoping he would be truly be different.

Obama is different. But at least someone wil be making some good money over this. Occupy Wall Street t-shirts, in sizes small to 3-x are retailing for $20 on-line. Eight colors available.