Tea Party vs. Occupy Wall Street

        The Tea Party originated in 2007 under a fundraiser held by Republican Congressman Ron Paul, who caused a libertarian divide in the Republican Party. The Tea Party movement was later catalyzed by a rant made in February 2009 by CNBC news reporter Rick Santelli against a proposed government bailout plan that would help pay for homeowners' mortgages. The rant quickly became viral and the Tea Party movement was born. Afterwards, protests for the Tea Party movement started growing. A study conducted by CBS found that the vast majority (89%) of Tea Party members are white. It also found that Tea Party members are more likely to be older. A plurality comes from Southern states. (Montopoli, 2013, 3-5) They mostly call themselves conservative, and tend to vote Republican (60%). Tea Party members voice severe dissatisfaction with the current Obama administration. Tea Party members see immigration as a serious concern (82 percent), doubt the global impact of global warming (66 percent), and call the bank bailout unnecessary (74%). (Montopoli, 2013, 23) The Tea Party has a core platform that calls for reduced government spending and reduced taxation. Tea Party activists take to unconventional forms of political participation, such as with protests, and also use methods that liberals also use. Tea Party events are organized and publicized via social media websites like Twitter and Facebook. In the 2010 midterms, Tea Party candidates such as Rand Paul and Marco Rubio won positions in the Senate. The Tea Party was thus relatively successful initially, although it has fallen back in the 2012 midterms. ('Midterms 2010', 1, 2010)

         The Occupy Wall Street Movement was initiated by a Canadian anti-consumerist publication called Adbusters. The movement largely consisted of young people, 76% have a bachelor's degree. Non-Hispanic Whites constituted 62% of the Zucotti Park protests, although they only made up 33% of the population. (Connel, 2013, 2) The movement is largely fueled by the growing income disparity between the rich and the poor. OWS's goals include the reduction of the influence of corporations on politics, more balanced distribution of income, and stronger regulations on banks, in addition to bailouts of student loans. The movement was initially largely leaderless but grew and converged into an organized encampment of Zucotti Park. Tactics included the use of "human microphones", where in response to electronic amplification needing a permit in New York, protestors would repeat in unison what a speaker said to amplify it. The protestors later moved on to occupy different locations such as universities and board meetings.

        I feel that overall the Tea Party was more successful politically, and that its ideology was one that was easier to persuade people of, along with the fact that it could start with a Republican base. However, the Tea Party does not have clear-set methods to achieve its agenda along with factual accuracies. I personally like the Occupy Movement more because I believe in its ideology but also because I believe its facts. Tea Party members need to learn political thinking from the Occupy Movement, while the Occupy Movement needs to learn from the Tea Party on how to gain political standing. Where the Tea Party was able to gain seats politically, the Occupy Movement had no leaders, and, thus, no impact on American elections. Unfortunately, the Occupy Movement may never have been able to gain power due to its anarchist nature. At a certain point, the FBI was monitoring Occupy protestors through its Joint Terrorism Task Force. The Occupy Movement may also have needed more effective and cost-free ways that wouldn't have disrupted Zucotti Park so much, as the free food handed out in Zucotta Park not only disrupted nearby restaurants but also was taken away by non-protestors - free riders.

'Midterms 2010: Mixed Results For Tea Party Movement - Telegraph'. Telegraph.co.uk, 2010. Web. 7 Dec. 2014.
Montopoli, Brian. 'Tea Party Supporters: Who They Are And What They Believe'. CBS News 2012. Web. 7 Dec. 2014.
Connel, Katherine. 'Study: OWS Was Disproportionately Rich, Overwhelmingly White'. National Review Online, 2013. Web. 7 Dec. 2014.