Obama: Occupy Wall Street 'Not That Different' From Tea Party Protests

President Barack Obama said Tuesday in an interview with ABC's Jake Tapper the Occupy Wall Street protests are not that different from some Tea Party protests.

"I understand the frustrations being expressed in those protests," said Obama in Jamestown, N.C., where he is campaigning for his jobs bill. "In some ways, they're not that different from some of the protests that we saw coming from the Tea Party. Both on the left and the right, I think people feel separated from their government. They feel that their institutions aren't looking out for them," he added.

Vice President Joe Biden recently expressed similar sentiments. "Let's be honest with one another. What is the core of that protest? The core is: The bargain has been breached. The core is, the American people do not think the system is fair, or on the level. That is the core is what you're seeing with Wall Street. Look, there's a lot in common with the Tea Party. The Tea Party started, why? TARP. They thought it was unfair," Biden said at the Washington Ideas Forum, according to Slate.

Obama spoke on the Occupy Wall Street protests earlier this month as well, in a press conference at the White House. "We had the biggest financial crisis since the Great Depression -- huge collateral damage throughout the country, all across main street. And yet, you are still seeing some of the same folks who acted irresponsibly trying to crack down on abusive practices that got us in the situation in the first place," he said. "I think people are frustrated."

Obama and his reelection team have decided to use the anger against Wall Street for his reelection campaign, according to the Washington Post. "We intend to make it one of the central elements of the campaign next year," Obama senior adviser David Plouffe told the paper. "One of the main elements of the contrast will be that the president passed Wall Street reform, and our opponent and the other party want to repeal it."

The Occupy Wall Street protests have lasted in Manhattan's Zucotti Park for over a month and have sparked similar protests throughout the country and worldwide.

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Check out the reactions of the 2012 Republican presidential candidates, President Barack Obama and Vice President Joe Biden to the growing Occupy Wall Street movement:

 

Comments

[dbrett480]

06:05 PM on 10/30/2011

As much as both the Tea Partiers and OWS protesters might disagree, both sides have a lot of similarities.

[susiee29]

09:03 AM on 12/09/2011

No similarities.OWS are thugs!

[Bonnie Parmenter]

02:09 PM on 10/19/2011

We have the best economic system in the world, which includes Wall Street to finance our ideas and give us opportunities to pursue our dreams. The job of government is to keep the corruption out Wall Street not participate in the corruption. We also have the best governing system but it is corrupt because of greed and power. The people need to keep each of these entities from having too much power. We still have the opportunity to vote out of power the corrupt and also not purchase the products or services of the corrupt corporations. Unfortunately, we have a very corrupt media that keeps the truth from the people. We all need to stop watching mainstream media and start doing our own research and start studying every issue and every candidate.

[Bonnie Parmenter]

01:38 PM on 10/19/2011

Many of the grievances of the Wall Street demonstrators are truly the same as many of the Tea Party Protesters. The way they are handling their demonstrations are completely different. The Tea Party gatherings are peaceful, family oriented, fun and yet serious. Our government betrayed the people of the United States when they gave the bailouts to the financial institutions. They first made a mistake by deregulating them and then they furthered the mistake by bailing them out. This was completely against our Free Enterprises System and how it works. The core of all of this is with our Federal Reserve not doing the job they were hired to do and participating in the huge corrupt money and power grab. The second core is corrupt politicians. The more I study the ideals of each candidate running for 2012 Presidential race the more I am moving to support Ron Paul.
He is the only candidate that has the guts to stand up to the Federal Reserve

[susiee29]

09:07 AM on 12/09/2011

No similarities.The Tea Party against govt waste.Not businesses who provide good jobs.Those OWS protesters needs to get a life and go get a job.Obama worst president ever!~Our country is in disarray from his presidency!

[mrsm00the]

09:46 PM on 10/18/2011

OWS is the same as the Tea Party in that it is comprised of Americans who are dissatisfied with the way the country is being run.

OWS is different from the Tea Party in that Tea Party members respect law enforcement officers and comply with their orders.

[QuakerJewish]

10:36 AM on 10/19/2011

Absolutely wrong. The difference between the Teabaggers and OWS is that the Teabaggers support the corrupt corporate power structure and the status quo of the 1%, and OWS does not.

So far, all the violence at OWS protests have been rogue cops denying Americans their rights under the first ammendment, and its all captured on video, for the world to see.

[Bluegirl85]

02:56 PM on 10/20/2011

Yes. And they carry their perfectly lawful firearms and show them off during their peaceful riots...I mean rallies. I'll take the OWS crowd anytime.

[mbarth0725]

09:35 PM on 10/18/2011

Anything to change the subject from jobs!

[sviolette]

09:24 PM on 10/18/2011

There is a big difference between the two.

Occupy Wall Street approval = 54%
Tea Bagger approval = 23.4%

[depoly]

09:56 PM on 10/18/2011

OWS attendance in NY = 6,000
TP attendance in DC = over 500,000

[sviolette]

10:49 PM on 10/18/2011

Both lies.

How did they get 20,000 in Times Square if there are only 6000 in attendance?

Link to the total TBags in DC?

[QuakerJewish]

10:41 AM on 10/19/2011

That's plain silly, depoly. The OCS is protesting across America, and world, not just in NYC, and over 90% of its support is online. The Teabagger movement has stalled and has higher disaproval numbers than support. You play with numbers in a very dishonest fashion, or you don't understand the movement at all. Why not get off the couch and check it out for yourself?

[Bonnie Parmenter]

01:42 PM on 10/19/2011

It depends on who's poll you are listening too. Some small town Tea Party demonstrations have more attendances than the New York City paid Occupy Wall Street protestest.

[sviolette]

06:52 PM on 10/19/2011

LINK?

[huff-fan]

09:04 PM on 10/18/2011

Both the tea party and the Wall Street protesters are on the wrong track. In the short-term the Wall Street protesters should be most concerned about keeping the tea party out of power. There will be no jobs or justice will under the corporate astro turf race baiting neanderthals of the tea party. In the short term, we need a democratic house, senate and executive. Those claiming that this isn't a lefty righty protest are naive. Everything is about politics. Economic justice, job, financial regulation and universal health care are not a priority for the republican party.

[QuakerJewish]

10:49 AM on 10/19/2011

Much of what the Tea Party originally stood for is now part of the OWS. Much of what the Democrats have done in the past is now being protested by OWS as well as the Republican follies.

This is not a partisan movement. This is about the people retaking our country from the International corporate cartel. This movement will back politicians that embrace its anti-corruption/anti-fascist message and its pro-democracy/pro-reform goals. That Democratic politicians are in a better position to embrace this movement is little more than an accident of our two party system.

Once the elections roll around, Democrats will reap the most of this movement, but it will not be business as usual.

[huff-fan]

01:21 PM on 10/19/2011

Occupy Wall Street is about two and half years too late. They should have been out en masse from the beginning of the Obama administration demanding strong Wall Street and health care reform. President Obama need public pressure and public sentiment on his side. Instead, we only heard the social extremists, small government, cut spending tea party.

[Tom Rugg]

09:01 PM on 10/18/2011

And the folks in the middle feel connected? Are you kidding me. Look Mr. President. The entirety of society feels disconnected from the aristocrats who are bought and paid for by corporate money - yourself included - who always claim to be governing in the best interests of the people. We are less than a generation away from chaos. Get the message. Get the picture. This will not be pretty.

[LovelyGirl]

09:00 PM on 10/18/2011

Progressives, don't get upset. The enemy of our enemy may be our friend. Just as the GOP likes to play divide and counter, our we have a few tricks up our sleeves as well. I would not expect the President to blast the Tea Party. He's very clear to blast Congress and not citizens.

[teachone]

08:48 PM on 10/18/2011

The President is only making referencing the fact that the Wallstreet Protesters have every right to protest in the streets, just as the Teaparty Protesters did, they are the same this way, they have equal rights!! He is telling the world, he supports their first amendment rights!!!!!

[QuakerJewish]

10:52 AM on 10/19/2011

Well said, correctly analyzed, Teachone. F&F.

[automan 57]

08:36 PM on 10/18/2011

Mr. Obama please wear a cap when you go out side or throw your Blackberry away. Something is affecting your brain. The TEA Party stands for smaller Goverment and more private enterprize non socialist health care and the right to have the oppurtinuity to be sucessful in a Capatilist Nation !!!~~Where as the Wall Street protesters thinks America owes them something for nothing !!!~~~The Wall Street protesters can't even keep their protest area clean and sanitary !!!~~~Surprized you have not sent some White House Czar down there to wipe their A__es !!!~~~

[Tom Rugg]

09:04 PM on 10/18/2011

You are kidding right? We have a successful capitalist nation (even if you can't spell it). We have the best government money can buy. The reason you aren't benefiting should be obvious.

[QuakerJewish]

10:57 AM on 10/19/2011

You missed the news! They are keeping it clean.

What you just described is fascism, which is what the OWS is all about stopping. America is more socialist than capitalist, but we have mostly socialism for the corporations and the 1% since Ronny and his merry band of Neocons took over our government with their corporate lobbyist money.

No system on earth is without components of both concepts. They are inseparable.

[glenhilda]

06:41 PM on 10/18/2011

How could Obama possible make such a statement about the wall street protests being like the tea party.......without his teleprompter?

[miketothad]

07:08 PM on 10/18/2011

How could a teabagger discuss politics without whining about Obama with a worn out joke.

[walkingman50]

07:59 PM on 10/18/2011

How can an obamapologist form a sentence without the term tbagger ??

[justoneguy60]

08:49 PM on 10/18/2011

how many TEA Party rallies have you gone to, or is this just an opinion without basic facts?

[QuakerJewish]

11:10 AM on 10/19/2011

You are aware that the Republicans use teleprompters for their speaches too? It is not a speaking tool only of Obama, what a silly notion.

[crossaddicted21]

06:26 PM on 10/18/2011

HMMMM......hundreds of arrests, dope smoked and sold , open nudity, fornication in public, urinating and defacating(that's # 2 libs) in public, garbage strewn all over, and now they are even stealing from each other..
Sorry mister I don't see any resemblence to a tea party rally.

[Jambala99]

07:15 PM on 10/18/2011

You're right, they weren't all fat, white and paid for.......

[Jenny Olson]

08:00 PM on 10/18/2011

No there isn't much resemblance. The OWS protesters make sense and the tea baggers just want to take cents. The OWS protesters also have a considerable percentage of the entire world that agree with them while the tea baggers only have themselves. The OWS protesters want the Wall Street crooks to cease and desist whereas the tea baggers try their damnedest to pretend to be a part of the top 1% that truly occupies Wall Street.

[Jambala99]

06:20 PM on 10/18/2011

The difference being, that the "Tea Party" was PAID FOR by Dick Army and the "Heritage Foundation", and the Occupy movement is a "Grass Roots" level organization publicly funded by people like me :^)

[glenhilda]

06:42 PM on 10/18/2011

And his buddy George Soros.

[Jambala99]

07:11 PM on 10/18/2011

George has nothing to do with this at all. Ya see, legitimate protests don't have to be bought and sold.......some things aren't for sale dummy.....

[Jenny Olson]

08:09 PM on 10/18/2011

That snappy little retort didn't even come close to making sense. You do realize that Dick Armey is a staunch republican Dick and that George Soros is not, don't you? I didn't think so!

[Ann Starke]

06:05 PM on 10/18/2011

17 hours ago (12:34 AM)
The beauty of OWS is that it is the manifestat ion of a long-simme ring feeling that the "middle-cl ass" have been having that no one is doing anything about their problems and it us finally up to us to do it for ourselves. It starts with a small demonstrat ion with a few folks who demonstrat e for a nebulous reason somewhere, and slowly grows into a cohesive movement that moves into the public consciousn ess and might even become a political force.

This is big deal, folks.