House Democrats Embrace Their Occupier-in-Chief

Democrats Align Themselves With President Obama After His Occupier-Themed State of the Union Speech, But Occupiers Aren’t Returning the Favor

• Fresh off their annual retreat and President Obama’s attempt to rally the Democrat base in his State of the Union address, House Democrats are embracing President Obama and his 2012 re-election effort.
• President Obama decided to align himself with the themes of the Occupy movement in his State of the Union address in the latest attempt by Democrats to build an alliance with the scofflaw Occupiers.
• Democrats are understandably desperate to find some sort of magic issue to distract from their impossible-to-defend failed policies. The problem is that as radically left-wing as the Occupy movement is, even they don’t want anything to do with Democrats. In fact, just this week we saw the first announcement of an Occupy primary challenge to a sitting Democrat incumbent. Will this be the first of many?

Fresh off their annual retreat and President Obama’s attempt to rally the Democrat base in his State of the Union address, House Democrats are embracing President Obama and his 2012 re-election effort:

HOUSE DEMOCRATS EMBRACE WITH PRESIDENT OBAMA FOLLOWING SOTU:“The on-again-off-again relationship between President Obama and House Democrats appears to be on again with the president’s turn toward a more populist, confrontational tone toward the Republican Party.” (Jonathan Weisman, “House Democrats Welcome Obama’s Confrontational Tone Towards GOP,” The New York Times, 1/27/2012)

HOUSE DEMS SANG “I’M SO IN LOVE WITH YOU” FOR OBAMA: “Obama says House Ds gave him a CD in which they all performed a rendition of Al Green’s ‘I’m So In Love With You.'” (Tweet from Felicia Somnez, The Washington Post, 1/27/2012)

President Obama decided to align himself with the themes of the Occupy movement in his State of the Union address in the latest attempt by Democrats to build an alliance with the scofflaw Occupiers:

SF CHRONICLE: “OBAMA’S SPEECH ECHOES OCCUPY MOVEMENT THEMES”: (Joe Garofoli, “Obama’s Speech Echoes Occupy Movement Themes,” The San Francisco Chronicle, 1/26/2012) 

OBAMA CO-OPTS CLASS WARFARE RHETORIC OF OCCUPY MOVEMENT IN STATE OF THE UNION: “Heavily emphasizing income inequality and its causes, Tuesday’s speech included several ideas that have already gotten a cold reception in Congress, including a program to upgrade roads and bridges and a fee on banks to help “responsible” homeowners refinance their mortgages.” (Christi Parsons and Kathleen Hennessey, “Obama Points to Income Inequality, Calls for Millionaires’ Tax in Address,”Los Angeles Times, 1/24/2012)

DEMOCRATS’ LONG COURTSHIP OF OCCUPIERS:

DEMOCRAT LEADER NANCY PELOSI: OCCUPY POLITICALLY HELPFUL TO DEMOCRATS: “Despite some unfavorable polling, House Minority Leader Nancy Pelosi still thinks the Occupy movement has been politically helpful to Democrats.” (Brian Beutler, “Pelosi: Occupy Movement Enhances Dems’ National Message,”Talking Points Memo, 12/5/2011)

DEMOCRATIC CONGRESSIONAL CAMPAIGN COMMITTEE HAS PETITION FOR “STANDING WITH OCCUPY WALL STREET”: (“Goal: 100,000 Strong Standing With Occupy Wall Street,” Democratic Congressional Campaign Committee, Accessed 11/23/2011) 

WHILE 51% OF AMERICANS THINK OCCUPIERS ARE A “PUBLIC NUISANCE”: (“51% See Occupy Wall Street Protestors as a Public Nuisance,” Rasmussen Reports, 1/5/2012)

AFTER DEMOCRATS LAVISHED PRAISE ON OCCUPIERS:

HOUSE DEMS BRAINSTORMING WAYS “TO MAINTAIN TIES WITH THE LEFTIST PROTESTORS,” “INCORPORATING THE GROUP INTO THEIR MESSAGING”:“Congressional Democrats still haven’t quite figured out how to harness the energy behind the Occupy Wall Street movement for political gain, but they nevertheless are incorporating the group into their messaging as a way to maintain ties with the leftist protesters.” (Jessica Brady, “As Occupiers Protest Democrats, Democrats Court Occupiers,” Roll Call, 12/3/2011)

“DESPITE ATTACKS, DEMS STANDING BY OCCUPY WALL STREET”: “For weeks now, Republicans have attacked Democrats for voicing support for the Occupy Wall Street protesters, in particular faulting the DCCC for standing up for them. And the incidents of violence and excess have led some neutral commentators to predict that Dems will pay a political price if they align themselves with the movement.” (Greg Sargent, “Despite Attacks, Dems Standing by Occupy Wall Street,” The Washington Post’s Plumline Blog, 11/22/2011)

“NANCY PELOSI STANDS BY OCCUPY WALL STREET IN FUNDRAISING E-MAIL FROM DCCC”: (Aliyah Shahid, “Nancy Pelosi Stands by Occupy Wall Street in Fundraising E-mail from DCCC,” NY Daily News, 11/22/2011)

OBAMA TO “OCCUPIERS”: “YOU ARE THE REASON I RAN FOR OFFICE”: (Bernie Becker and Alicia Cohn, “Obama Heckled by Protestors at New Hampshire Speech,” The Hill, 11/22/2011)

EARLIER PELOSI COMMENTS ON OCCUPY WALL STREET: “GOD BLESS THEM”: “‘God bless them,’ Pelosi said, ‘for their spontaneity. It’s independent … it’s young, it’s spontaneous, and it’s focused. And it’s going to be effective.'” (John McCormack, “Pelosi on Occupy Wall Street Protestors: ‘God Bless Them,'” The Weekly Standard, 10/6/2011)

Democrats are understandably desperate to find some sort of magic issue to distract from their impossible-to-defend failed policies. The problem is that as radically left-wing as the Occupy movement is, even they don’t want anything to do with Democrats. In fact, just this week we saw the first announcement of an Occupy primary challenge to a sitting Democrat incumbent. Will this be the first of many?:

SKEPTICAL DEMOCRATS TOLD TO NOT TO RUN AWAY FROM THEIR RECORD OF FAILURE: “House Democrats are spending their retreat time on Maryland’s Eastern Shore boosting morale and finding new ways to pound Congressional Republicans ahead of the 2012 elections, with one key adviser urging them not to run from their records but to ‘stand and defend’ their accomplishments. … Former Pennsylvania Gov. Ed Rendell, who participated in a separate panel on messaging today, said he encouraged Members to ‘stand and defend what you’ve done, because you can’t run away from them.'” (Jessica Brady, At Retreat, Democrats Urged to Defend Past Record,” Roll Call, 1/26/2012) 

“THE FIRST OCCUPY CANDIDATE: NATE KLEINMAN,” CHALLENGES REP. ALLYSON SCHWARTZ (D-PA): “Nathan Kleinman, a 29-year-old member of the Occupy Philadelphia movement, intends to run for congress in Pennsylvania’s 13th district against Democratic incumbent Allyson Schwartz.” (Dylan Byers, “The First Occupy Candidate: Nate Kleinman,” Politico, 1/24/2012)

OCCUPIERS HAVE REPEATEDLY SPURNED DEMOCRATS:

“DEMOCRATS BECOME TARGET OF OCCUPY PROTESTS”: (Steven Yaccino, “Democrats Become Target of Occupy Protests,” The New York Times, 1/4/2012)

IOWA OCCUPIERS TRIED TO “OCCUPY OBAMA”: (Tyler Kingkade, “Occupy Obama,” The Huffington Post, 12/19/2011)

“AS OCCUPIERS PROTEST DEMOCRATS, DEMOCRATS COURT OCCUPIERS”:(Jessica Brady, “As Occupiers Protest Democrats, Democrats Court Occupiers,” Roll Call, 12/3/2011)

“OCCUPY, LIBERALS CAN’T GET TOGETHER”: “A planned meeting today between the Congressional Progressive Caucus and Occupy Wall Street activists was scuttled late Tuesday after Roll Call inquired about it, highlighting increasing tensions between Democrats and the movement.” (Janie Lorber, “Occupy, Liberals Can’t Get Together,” Roll Call, 12/14/2011)

MAYBE DEMOCRATS’ “FAIRNESS” HYPOCRISY IS A REASON WHY:

DESPITE EMPHASIS ON “FAIRNESS” DCCC CLINGING TO $130,000 IN SCANDAL-TAINTED CORZINE CASH

(CQMoneyLine, accessed 1/8/2012)

EVEN AS DEMOCRATS CALL FOR TAX HIKES, “36 OBAMA AIDES OWE $833,000 IN BACK TAXES”: “How embarrassing this must be for President Obama, whose major speech theme so far this campaign season has been that every single American, no matter how rich, should pay their ‘fair share’ of taxes. …

“A new report just out from the Internal Revenue Service reveals that 36 of President Obama’s executive office staff owe the country $833,970 in back taxes. These people working for Mr. Fair Share apparently haven’t paid any share, let alone their fair share.” (Andrew Malcolm, “36 Obama Aides Owe $833,000 in Back Taxes,”Investor’s Business Daily, 1/26/2012)