Here’s one possible explanation offered by a friend of mine: the Democrats are solidly behind this embarrassing feat of adolescent exhibitionism because they hope it will pressure Republicans into accepting Obama’s “jobs bill” (I mean his latest round of stimulus spending) which in turn will help bring down the unemployment rate at least temporarily and thus contribute to his reelection.
I grasp the logic but I am skeptical of the premise. I do not, in short, believe the Republicans will accede to a new round of federal largess. Nor, come to that, do I think it would have much effect on the unemployment rate were the bill passed. So I don’t believe the endorsements will have the desired effect. The 53 percent who actually work and pay income taxes represent a lare slice of the putative 99-percent the children downtown are skirling about. Not many of those taxpayers, I reckon, are amused by the congeries of anti-American, anti-capitalistic nonsense that is emanating Zuccotti Park. And it is worth noting that the anxious carnival spirit that has been coursing through the park has a tenuous hold on the proceedings. Already, widespread theft has instilled a certain grumbling wariness into the populace. It’s hard fighting against the evils of private property when some unfranchised redistributionist collars your laptop or makes off with your wallet. I wouldn’t be at all surprised if the nastiness quotient in the protests grew. And what would happen then? What happens if there are violent confrontations? As I said yesterday, the Democrats own these protests. It’s something fragile we’re talking about. It might easily break. And then the Democrats will discover the price tag that comes along with the merchandise. I suspect they’ll find it a good deal more expensive than they bargained for.
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