Leadership and the Tea Party and Occupy Movements (2011)
By the end of November 2011, panelists on The Emily Rooney Show (on WGBH in Boston) reflected on the impact of the Occupy movement in Boston and across the country. By that time, Occupy encampments that hadn’t already been closed down by local authorities dissipated as cold winter arrived. In this segment, the commentators explicitly compare the Occupy and Tea Party movements, arguing that the Occupy movement was leaderless, whereas leadership roles in the Tea Party were filled by politicians and various organizations, like Americans for Prosperity and Tea Party Patriots. Indeed, many liberals argued that these well-funded entities were engineering the Tea Party, and therefore the movement wasn’t an authentic expression of grassroots anger. Tea Party supporters challenged this characterization. The panelists consider what impact this leadership difference had on the movements’ coherence and effectiveness.
The Emily Rooney Show | WGBH | 2011 This video clip and associated transcript appear from 10:37 - 14:54 in the full record.
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“Unemployment and the Economic Impact of the Great Recession” (2009)
The Federal Government Responds to the Financial Crisis (2009)
“Tea Party Activists Rally in Washington, D.C.” (2009)
“Tea Party Activists Protest ‘Obamacare’” (2009)
“Tea Party Candidates” Challenge the Republican Establishment (2010)
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The Occupy Wall Street Movement Emerges in Zuccotti Park (2011)
The Occupy Movement and City Authorities in Conflict (2011)
Political Commentators Assess the Potential and Limits of the Occupy Movement (2011)
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