warning Hi, we've moved to USCANNENBERGMEDIA.COM. Visit us there!

Neon Tommy - Annenberg digital news

Occupy Anniversaries Reflected In Presidential Candidates Opinions

Joseph Krassenstein |
September 18, 2012 | 5:47 p.m. PDT

Staff Reporter

Creative Commons
Creative Commons
Oct. 1 will mark the one-year anniversary of the Occupy Los Angeles movement.

The movement is ongoing even though the encampment ended on Nov. 29, 2011, when LAPD raided the campsite at the command of Mayor Antonio Villaraigosa.

As the anniversary approaches, many are beginning to wonder if it will bring further conflict and demonstrations. In addition, will the Occupy movements be an influencing factor in choosing candidates in the presidential campaign?

Some Occupy protesters are asking to keep jobs in America, provide health care for all, get money out of politics and reinstate the Glass-Steagall Act. Some of these fighting points have been restated in the goals for the two presidential candidates: President Barack Obama and Mitt Romney.

However, how the two candidates handle the Occupy movements and its’ goals may be a strong factor for Americans to consider in the upcoming elections.

The “99 percent vs. 1 percent” is the most popular slogan for the Occupy movements. A video that surfaced of Romney telling donors that the nation is better divided based on the amount of federal tax citizens pay, though, could change things.

To Romney, who spoke at a Florida dinner, the “47 percent” of Americans who pay no federal income tax are “freeloaders” who, he said, “are dependent upon government, who believe that they are victims, who believe the government has a responsibility to care for them, who believe that they are entitled to health care, to food, to housing, to you-name-it."

The “47 percent” consists of people who do not make enough money to be required to pay federal income tax and includes workers in low paying jobs who earn less than $9,750 a year.

This type of comment could hurt the chances of many of the participants of the Occupy movements voting for Romney because, for the most part, it is directed at them.

Obama, on the other hand, has not made any bold, negative statements like his counterpart.

Last year, in an interview that aired on ABC News, Obama continued to share his commitment to the Occupy movements saying that the movement was an opportunity for angered citizens to voice their opinions and that the people in leadership understand their struggles and are on their side.

Although Obama has not said anything recently regarding the Occupy movements, many of his plans for the upcoming year involve tackling the problems presented by the movement.


Reach Staff Reporter Joseph Krassenstein here.



 

Buzz

Craig Gillespie directed this true story about "the most daring rescue mission in the history of the U.S. Coast Guard.”

Watch USC Annenberg Media's live State of the Union recap and analysis here.