Rep. Peter King Calls Occupy Wall Street Protesters 'Ragtag Mob,' 'Anarchists'

WASHINGTON -- Rep. Peter King (R-N.Y.) joined Herman Cain among the ranks of Republican pols who are unimpressed with the Occupy Wall Street protesters and their nationwide counterparts, calling them a "ragtag mob" and "anarchists" on the Laura Ingraham radio show Friday.

"The fact is these people are anarchists. They have no idea what they're doing out there," King said. "They have no sense of purpose other than a basically anti-American tone and anti-capitalist. It's a ragtag mob basically."

King, whose Long Island district includes many Wall Street commuters, dismissed the demonstrators as "a bunch of angry 1960s do-overs" trying "to create chaos and take away the focus on the Obama record."

The congressman's comments echo those offered by other leading GOPers, including former Godfather's Pizza CEO Herman Cain, who told the protesters that they had no one else to blame for their lot in life.

"I don't have facts to back this up, but I happen to believe that these demonstrations are planned and orchestrated to distract from the failed policies of the Obama administration," Cain said Wednesday to the Associated Press during a book signing event. "Don't blame Wall Street, don't blame the big banks, if you don't have a job and you're not rich, blame yourself!"

Democrats have, by and large, been much more sympathetic to the protesters. During his press conference on Thursday, President Obama said they demonstrated "the frustrations that the American people feel that we had the biggest financial crisis since the Great Depression....you’re still seeing some of the same folks who acted irresponsibly trying to fight efforts to crack down on abusive practices that got us into this problem in the first place."

Despite chastizing the "mob" that had descended on downtown Manhattan, King spent much of the Ingraham interview arguing that the protesters didn't deserve the attention they were getting.

"[W]e have to be careful not to allow this to get any legitimacy," he warned. "I'm taking this seriously in that I'm old enough to remember what happened in the 1960s when the left-wing took to the streets and somehow the media glorified them and it ended up shaping policy," he said. "We can't allow that to happen."

 

Comments

[lotus65]

05:35 AM on 11/21/2011

paraphrasing: "when tyranny is power, revolution is democracy".
i suppose from his perspective it might look like anarchy...

btw, there are plenty of dems who need to take note of this too!

[SisterAnn]

12:11 PM on 11/17/2011

King has a superior attitude. He did his best to paint a picture of OWs as living in the dirt, having dope and being raped.

He wants to discredit OWs. He doesn't want anyone to influence him.

He may find himself dealing with the unwashed masses whether he wants to or not. (Actually, we aren't unwashed, but Peter wants to say that we are.)

[SisterAnn]

11:51 AM on 11/17/2011

His picture above would scare a pit bull dog.

[rubenoc]

10:28 AM on 11/17/2011

Mr King ,you and all the others menbers of the republican partyin congress ,are the reasons that the people protest become a fair way to said ,you are blood suckers of the 99 % of the american people who pay taxes to suport a bunch the do nothing .Use your energy to do the job to serve the citizens of this country, May be you really do not understand what democracy mind.

[RespectMyAuthoritah]

09:01 PM on 11/16/2011

Don't get angry. Get even.

Vote out the GOP next year.

[almchrl13]

08:38 PM on 11/16/2011

Funny Pete, I look at you and don't feel so secure.

[TyneCrescent]

10:42 AM on 10/22/2011

"[W]e have to be careful not to allow this to get any legitimacy," he warned.

Listen to this dittol head. He wasn't singing that tune about the tea leafs "grassroots" protests.
This is the same idiot who had hearings titled "The Extent of Radicalization in the American Muslim Community and That Community's Response" about Muslims in America, which didn't go over to well by the way. He made plenty of allegations, and didn't have an iota of proof to back up his claims.

King railed about putting the underwear bombing suspect, into the justice system, including reading him his Miranda rights.

He's a right-wing demagogue of the worst order. His description of protesters being some "rag-tag mob" is way off base, and so is he. And to think "he" of all people, is on the Homeland Security Committee? America needs security from the likes of him.

King's trademark is trying to stir up hysteria any way he can.

[Eric de Haan]

08:55 PM on 10/16/2011

"...and take away the focus on the Obama record."

According to what I have read on American politics and developments I had to learn that it where the Republicans whom obstructed 'Obama's' Change policies, time after time. So for me the ball you play is back in your courtyard !

[Tim Balogh]

08:24 AM on 10/14/2011

The Republicans calling the Occupy Wall Street protesters a ragtag mob remind me of Marie Antoinette saying to the hungry--"Eat kaka!" (My personal belief is that she wasn't talking about chocolate cake!:-) It was only a matter of time before she lost her head over that remark, so to speak. In a similar manner, it's only a matter of time before these unfeeling supporters of a dying regime get their comeuppance, IMO!

[markettalker]

01:55 AM on 10/14/2011

I cannot believe a US Congressman, my US Congressman, said this.

"[W]e have to be careful not to allow this to get any legitimacy," he warned. "I'm taking this seriously in that I'm old enough to remember what happened in the 1960s when the left-wing took to the streets and somehow the media glorified them and it ended up shaping policy," he said. "We can't allow that to happen."

Congressman King, I am shocked. Shame on you.

[treehugger5]

09:49 AM on 10/12/2011

I am hoping, hoping that the 99% are ready and prepared to make it through the winter. Maybe they can start constructing tents from cultures that live through cold winters without fire, without electricity. The more I think about it the more worried I get.

[LFox6]

11:10 AM on 10/18/2011

The more I think about it, the happier I get, and the more I wish for a White November

[sabdouch]

10:24 PM on 10/11/2011

next thing they will want to call them terriorists than drone them

[Mike Rock]

01:23 PM on 10/11/2011

Yeah, we don't want what happened in the 1960s, where people protested and it resulted in horrors like the Voting Rights Act and withdrawing from a war where we'd lost 50,000 American soldiers in a futile cause ... Who would want stuff like THAT repeated?

[Itsyaboy yaowa]

10:57 AM on 10/11/2011

Maxine waters: "tea party should go strait to hell."
Andre Carson: "they want to see us hanging from trees"
Joe Biden: "tea party are terrorists"
Just some examples on how the left can get away with saying anything but if someone on the right says something they are demonized.

[stargazer13]

09:58 AM on 10/11/2011

with congress ,s rating at an all time low !

Peter King decides to go in to labeling mode !!

by labeling Americans as rag tag !!

[LFox6]

11:13 AM on 10/18/2011

The relevant definition of anarchy is: "the absence of any guiding or uniting principle; disorder; chaos"

If it walks like a duck, talks like a duck, it 99% (tongue in cheek) of the time IS A DUCK