From Accuracy in Media:

“Protesters have erected a “tent of dreams” over the statue of General McPherson in McPherson Square in defiance of the National Park Police’s enforcement of a ban on camping.” –NPR, January 30, 2012

AIM has reported just about everything regarding the Occupy Movement in these past months. We’ve challenged key media narratives that sought to justify or apologize for Occupier’s actions. On Eviction Day, AIM wanted to find out what this “tent of dreams” was that  NPR was breathlessly reporting on. What did we find? Oh, you know, smelly hippies and misguided college kids with too much Critical Theory.

Back in October, Sherrod Brown (D-OH) made one of his frequent MSNBC appearances to chat with Chris Matthews about the hot new show in town: Occupy Wall Street. Matthews and Brown seemed equally enthusiastic about the left’s answer to the Tea Party movement.

Here are two of the most telling exchanges from the segment, which you can view in its entirety courtesy of YouTube user toddfein:

My favorite part of this clip is Sherrod’s self-contradicting statement, “this isn’t a liberal/conservative, left or right, it’s whose side are you on?” Sherrod is a Progressive, you see, so he’s not divisive – he just wants you to pick a side, and if you pick the wrong side he’s going to demonize you.

As reported in November at Third Base Politics, an Ohio conservative blog I help manage, Sherrod Brown’s campaign site even used the Occupiers’ “stand with the 99%” rhetoric for an email-harvesting web petition. Occupy Wall Street’s whiny demands that government do everything are a perfect match for Sherrod’s pitiful class warfare, and it seems obvious Sherrod had high hopes for the movement.

In an October 2010 USA Today editorial titled “How to fight Tea Party’s faux populism,” Sherrod was less excited about organized protest:

Tea Party populism is driven by anger at our government and at our country. Real populism fights for all Americans, while Tea Party populism divides us.

Republicans have always been good at coming up with catch phrases and slogans that traffic in fear and misinformation.

What changed between 2010 and 2011? Rallies against Obamacare’s unconstitutional overreach – for which Sherrod Brown was the deciding “Yea” vote – were replaced by riots against The Rich. Where is Sherrod’s editorial decrying the rampant violence and hatred we’ve seen from the Occupiers he endorsed on television not 4 months ago?

By December, Occupy camps across the country had racked up more than 400 criminal incidents – leading the movement to win coveted Time “Person of the Year” recognition and the illustrious Breitbart “Ambiguous Entity of the Year” award. Last week, even Nancy Pelosi walked back her support for Occupy Wall Street.

Search for evidence of Sherrod Brown’s disapproval, and the best you’ll find is a snarky PolitiFact Ohio hit piece against his Republican opponent, Josh Mandel. As of this writing, Sherrod’s “Stand with the 99%” petition is still online.

It’s odd that Sherrod took to the pages of USA Today to wag a finger at Tea Party anger but is now giving the Occupiers a pass, don’t you think?

For the entire miserable picture, you can watch the full Hardball segment, review the transcript, and read Sherrod’s tea party smear in USA Today. When you’re done, I suspect you may want to send a few bucks to Josh Mandel’s campaign.

For more from Ohio, follow me on Twitter: @jasonahart

Cross-posted from that hero and Big Government.

Thank goodness for Newt! It literally amazes me how everyone and I mean everyone (yes, even all of them on Fox News) are attacking and criticizing Newt like he is the devil or something. The establishment wants who they want (Romney) and like democrats they will do anything to get their person the nomination. Pretty sad what has become of the GOP.

At first glance I also cringed when I heard Newt’s attacks on Romney and Bain Capital but in his defense Newt has made it VERY clear he is not attacking free enterprise in anyway. When you actually listen to Newt and not just the spin on what he said it makes sense. He is just questioning Mitt’s judgment and decisions not free enterprise or capitalism despite what the media keeps saying he is doing. Also, remember Newt did not start this plus it is better that it all comes out now instead of next fall. At least Romney has a chance to practice his response now because Obama WILL bring it up again.

Again, Newt has made it very clear that this is not an attack on capitalism but no one seems to be listening. He says it is about questioning Romney’s tactics in some situations. Not all, but some. Of course, no one on Fox or anywhere else will make clear what Newt is saying. Instead they just bash him and call him names like ‘Angry Newt’, ‘Road Rage Newt’, ‘Crazy Newt’, etc. I watch Newt all the time and I never see ‘Angry Newt’. I only see someone who is serious and makes solid points in a professional “matter of fact” manner. I like that! I want that in a President!

I get so sick of seeing Romney constantly smiling like a fake beauty pageant contestant and standing there with his hands in his pockets. I was in the Navy and standing around with your hands in your pocket was not a professional thing to do and not allowed.

Fox has really been disappointing me lately. It seemed to start back when Glenn Beck left the network. Does anyone else see them trying hard to be much more “middle of the road?” It is like listening to Michael Smerconish the way Fox is now. As if being a ‘moderate’ is the answer. Republicans falling for the trap of being a ‘moderate’ is why the country is in the shape it is now! Bi-partisanship and the phony notion that being a moderate is a ‘good’ thing are bringing our country to its knees and must stop. We need strong conservative leaders or there is no chance of fixing things.

The way Fox is attacking Newt makes me hope he succeeds if only to tic them off even more. Newt is not my first choice but I defend him on this one. I have a long history of being in business myself. I have dealt with venture capitalists before and while they do some good they can also do some bad. It is not like a regular business. Newt wants an explanation of Bain’s tactics in certain situations. This is a legitimate challenge! Mitt has hammered Newt over ‘certain’ situations in his past. This is no different.

People who are criticizing Newt so much saying he is attacking free enterprise are wrong. He is not. I love business and free enterprise more than anyone and will defend it to my death but I also realize that sometimes people do things in business that are wrong. Newt is asking the question of Romney to explain something in his past just like Romney challenged Newt on his past. Romney brought this up by bragging about how many jobs Bain Capital had created. If he had never brought that up this would be probably not be a topic of conversation right now.

Sure, Mitt had every right to do what he did. No one is saying he did anything illegal. I have no problem with what he did but the greater point here is that his VC background makes him the PERFECT opponent for Obama.

The Democrats have long been suggesting it will be Mitt Romney they will face. As Rush told us before, they always tell us who they want to go against and who they don’t. They have been telling us they want Romney for a long time. Now why in the world would they want Romney as the Republican nominee? The Occupy Wall Street movement did not just come about for any reason. It was not simply a spontaneous outcry. There is a reason it happened and helping Obama defeat Mitt Romney is one of them.

I can see it vividly…20,000 Occupy protesters camping out and rioting at the Republican convention this summer…Protesting Mitt Romney and his Wall Street pedigree. Is that what Republicans really want? That is coming if we nominate Mitt Romney. I would rather take my chances with Perry or Newt. I think their ‘issues’ are less damming than Mitt’s. Also, there is no doubt they are much more conservative than Romney.

I just don’t agree with the narrative that Romney has the best chance to beat Obama. CNN, MSNBC and the Republican establishment telling me that everyday confirms my belief it is not true.

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