By Andrew W. Griffin

Red Dirt Report, editor

Posted: October 20, 2011

reddirtreporter@gmail.com

OKLAHOMA CITY --  Occupy OKC, the local arm of the rapidly-spreading “Occupy Wall Street” movement, announced today that they will be protesting a visit by leading Republican presidential candidate Mitt Romney, the former governor of Massachusetts.

According to this week’s issue of the Oklahoma Gazette, Romney is making a fundraising stop at a Friday morning event at the Jim Thorpe Association and Sports Hall of Fame in Oklahoma City. In addition to a breakfast fundraiser, featuring hosts ranging from former Gov. Frank Keating to Devon Energy’s Larry Nichols, the Oklahoma Republican Party is holding their 2012 Victory Rally, later in the morning.

The Occupy OKC activists, who have an encampment at Kerr Park in downtown Oklahoma City, noted in their statement to the media today that “Occupy OKC does not endorse or oppose any specific candidates, but instead focuses on issues that are in line with their position that the 1 percent of the richest Americans have asserted undue influence over our government.”

The press release said that the 1 percent has “been unfairly enriched a the expense of the 99 percent through massive tax breaks and bailouts, regulations that favor the rich, and the manipulation of our financial markets.”

Red Dirt Report contacted Matt Pinnell, the chairman of the Oklahoma Republican Party, asking him if the party and event organizers were aware that they would be joined by the Occupiers. Pinnell confirmed that they were aware of the plans by the Occupiers.

“They are frustrated with what the government is and isn’t doing, both the Tea Party and the Occupy movements are frustrated but both have different solutions to those problems, that’s the key, and we win that debate,” Pinnell said.

Continued Pinnell: “The irony with the Left’s Occupy movement is that the lion’s share of the blame falls on the shoulders of Barack Obama and his policies. They don’t need to be ‘occupying’ our candidates, they need to rent a van to 1600 Pennsylvania Avenue in D.C.”

So far the Occupy movement has steered clear of the White House.

In the press release we received, Occupy OKC protesters emphasized in their press release that the “99 percent” have been excluded from the “democratic process” and that their voices have been silenced. As this took place, jobs were lost, livable wages disappeared, and discrimination rose. Additionally, they argue, cuts to programs that are vital to the continued “ability” of most American families, in their pursuit of the “American Dream” has been thwarted by the 1 percent.

The protesters announced that they would be protesting Romney’s 2012 Victory Rally from 10:25 a.m. until 11:10 a.m. at the Sports Hall of Fame at 4040 N. Lincoln Blvd. in Oklahoma City.

And while Occupy OKC does not protest particular parties, they did offer us a list of the specific policies that Mitt Romney favors that “are in opposition to the best interests and economic future of we – the 99 percent …”

These include:

• Romney specifically opposes foreclosure relief for millions of struggling
Americans despite fraudulent foreclosure practices from major banks.
• Romney supports extending the Bush tax cuts, of which 50% goes to the richest
5% of Americans.
• Romney supports eliminating capital gains, of which 67% of the benefits go to
millionaires.
• Romney supports reducing corporate taxes by a third, mostly to benefit the largest
corporations.
• Romney supports eliminating the estate tax for millionaires.
• Romney supports substantial cuts to vital Medicare and Social Security programs
that will inevitably hurt benefits for seniors and particularly for future generations
of older American workers under age 55, and will push reckless programs to
allow privatization of accrued benefits to be invested in volatile high risk markets.
• Romney will continue the Afghanistan war and delay troop withdrawals in
Afghanistan and Iraq, resulting in increased war spending draining our economy.
• Romney will order, per his website, increased military presence in the Persian
Gulf including deployment of regular aircraft carrier task forces to show Iran “the
military option is on the table,” making a probability of war with Iran more likely.
• Romney will end federal job retraining programs which help workers find jobs.
• Romney will gut regulations and enforcement that protect financial consumers.
• Romney seeks to end programs that protect American workers against Corporate
workplace abuse and allow them to collectively bargain to protect their rights.
• Romney will not seek to overturn Citizen’s United v. FEC, and will continue a
policy of allowing unlimited corporate spending in political campaigns that is
corrupting our political system and making Government less responsive to voters.
• Romney specifically opposes public campaign financing in Federal political races.
• Romney also seeks to repeal Dodd-Frank and will gut necessary financial reform,
particularly those sections of Dodd-Frank that protect ordinary consumers.
• Romney’s campaign is being financed largely by wealthy Wall Street donors.
• Romney has opposed extending payroll tax cuts for American families, but has
routinely favored special tax breaks for the wealthy, banks, and big corporations.
• Romney believes that “corporations are people too,” … we do not.

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