The “Occupy Wall Street” crowd may be dramatically out of step with the American electorate, but Big Labor likes what it sees. The AFL-CIO union has bought two prominently-placed Google ads for a pair of initiatives supporting the protests.
The search term “occupy wall street” turns up two sidebar ads that link to AFL-CIO websites, as seen in the screenshot below (click to enlarge). Google Adwords, the site’s advertising service, charges 10 cents per click for a prominently-placed ad on that search results page.
The first ad points to aflcio.org/iam99percent, where visitors are greeted with a contact form, an offer for a free bumper sticker, and the option of subscribing to “Occupy” news and event notifications.
The second ad points to a petition site run by Working America, which bills itself as a “Community Affiliate of the AFL-CIO.” The petition generally outlines the generic “Occupy” position on the evils of Wall Street. It even references Bank of America’s so-called “Durbin Fee” (though AFL-CIO declined to use that term), which compensated for price controls on debit cards’ merchant fees by imposing a $5 monthly fee for debit card users.
Numerous polls over the past couple days have shown that the “Occupy” protestors’ radical anti-capitalist views are far outside the mainstream of American public opinion. But then so is Big Labor’s political platform. The AFL-CIO apparently likes what it sees in these protests, and is willing to pay to support them.
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14 commentsAnd to think, Richard Trumka said the AFL-CIO wouldn't 'usurp' the #OccupyWallSt protesters.
It's interesting that you begin your post with "may be dramatically out of step with the American electorate," when the polls I have seen (1) show that the American electorate does not tend to believe that corporations are to be equated with people and (2) indicate that Americans do not think that the massive bailouts of corporations is necessarily a good thing, especially when asked if the U.S. should go further into debt to do that. Is it terribly out of step to think that, at some point, corporations might have too much sway in our society?
Should I consider this post of yours more "blog" and less "journalism"?
Corporations are run by people! how wouldn't that equate?? To "think" is not to "know" it isn't government's role to bailout ANYONE! who allows corporations who don't equate with people, to have too much sway in our society?
http://blog.heritage.org/2011/10/18/poll-occupy-m…
What the hell is happening to this country? Oh wait, I know exactly! The Fundamental Transformation is in progress. Forget jobs, forget liberty, forget anything we know about this country.
We MUST fix this in the voting booth!!
Well said Patti, this Dear Leader, and his partners in crime must go! But firs…….t they will go ahead and pass everything they can, to bring the TOP DOWN. We have to get our act together NOW!!!!!!!
@Neal: I'm very right-wing, revolted by Occupy Wall Street, don't think corporations are people, and think the bailouts are horrible. I'm big on individual liberty, and believe that liberty and responsibility are intertwined.
OWS is anti-liberty (they want to snaffle other people's money and use the government gun – or their own mob lawlessness – to do it. They are anti-responsibility. They do not acknowledge their debts as the result of their own actions.
Corporations aren't anti-liberty in and of themselves, but when combined with the government they shut down liberty quickly and thoroughly.
The OWS 'solution' – to squash government and corporations into one massive entity – will suck the lifeblood from us all. All the money, all the power, concentrated into one bureaucracy? No thanks, not for me.
The bailouts should never have happened. They took money from honest, hardworking folks and gave it to fatcats that should have been permitted to fall on their faces in what's currently called 'creative destruction.' OWS wants to take money from honest hardworking folks and give it to spoiled brats that got in to debt for the privilege of 4 years of brainwashing. OWS and General Motors are just two sides of the same coin.
It's not only the AFL-CIO pumping their membership dues into this organized criminal actions, but most every major union, including SEIU and most Teachers unions. All are financially supporting this bunch. So, after their success in Egypt, why would we not expect Google to join the unions to overthrow this government. If it worked in Egypt, why not here.
But what is not widely being reported is that in a recent poll conducted amoung the protesters, a full one third, or about 33%, stated they would support violence to achive their goals. Is there any question as to where Obama and the Dems such as Pelosi stand?
Is it not against the law to plot the overthrow of the government of the United States.
"But when a long train of abuses and usurpations, pursuing invariably the same Object evinces a design to reduce them under absolute Despotism, it is their right, it is their duty, to throw off such Government, and to provide new Guards for their future security." – Declaration of Independence.
Is it not against the law to plot the overthrow of the Government of the United States of America?
We should not ignore history, but instead remember that the Red Bolshiviks of 1918 in St Petersburg (now Leningrad) started out (among other issues) as a labor revolt in the name of (someone's) "social fairness".
I am not saying that these usefull idiots (to the left) should not have the opportunity voice their opinions, buit rather the majority should not support this so called "Flea Party", who are tintent on duplicating a socialist utopia that has never worked.. I would hope the Union Member question why their leadership is spending Union dollars to help divide the nation.
When is someone going to start selling " De-occupy Wall Street " t-shirts ?
this whole occupy wall street is a farce. it was started and funded by the very people were trying to fight, it has a hidden agenda. they are further destabilizing the US
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