American flags were burned. ATMs were destroyed. Occupiers were hit by cars as they jaywalked across the street. In other words, Occupy Oakland’s general strike turned into lawless mayhem as anyone with an ounce of common sense would have predicted.
True, the Occupy Oakland general strike was not entirely violent. Throughout most of the day occupiers only terrorized shoppers, destroyed private property, and shut down commerce at the Port of Oakland. The real mayhem didn’t begin until protesters occupied an abandoned building near San Pablo Avenue and 17th Street. The occupiers erected barricades using tires, pallets, and garbage cans and set them on fire when riot police began evicting them from the building. An all-out battle followed with police using tear gas, flash grenades, and bean bag rounds on the occupiers, and the occupiers responding with firecrackers and bottles.
By 12:30 AM, the occupiers had been removed from the building and retreated to their home base at Frank Ogawa Plaza. Despite all the damage and mayhem they have caused, the liberal leaders of Oakland only want to embrace the movement further. The Oakland City Council will take up a resolution today supporting the Occupy encampment and calling on city administrators to “collaborate with protesters.” The resolution is expected to pass over the objection of Council President Larry Reid. “We’ve given up control of the city” to the occupiers, Reid said. “We don’t call the shots anymore – they do.”
Around the Bigs
National Journal, Voters Viewing Occupy Wall St. Unfavorably: According to a Quinnipiac University poll released this morning, American voters have an unfavorable opinion of the Occupy Wall Street movement by a 39 – 30 percent margin.
The Columbian, Occupy Portland man pushes police sergeant into moving TriMet bus: An Occupy Portland protester pushed a cop in front of a moving bus Wednesday night, before running back into the crowd. The officer suffered only minor injuries and the occupier was caught and arrested.
The Wall Street Journal, Europe’s Greece Ultimatum: European Union leaders are demanding to know if Greece wants to stay in the euro currency union. “Does Greece want to remain part of the euro zone or not,” German Chancellor Angela Merkel said. “That is the question the Greek people must now answer.”
The Washington Post, House Republicans make cross-party pitch to embolden debt supercommittee: A group of 40 House Republicans, more than a dozen of whom have signed the Americans for Tax Reform pledge, signed a letter telling the Super Congress that “revenues must be on the table” in negotiations. The letter does not call for any tax increase, but does open the door for the possibility.
The New York Times, Fed Lowers Its Forecast for Growth, but Takes No Steps: The Federal Reserve released a report lowering its expectations for U.S. economic growth next year. Before, the Fed had predicted the economy would grow 2.9 percent. Now they predict it will only grow 2.5 percent. The Fed also predicts unemployment will be 8.5 percent by the end of 2012.
The Hill, Obama administration mulled Solyndra bailout days before company’s demise: The Obama administration considered a taxpayer funded bailout of the solar panel manufacturer Solyndra before it went bankrupt. In exchange for converting debt to stock, the Energy Department would have placed two members on the company’s board.
Campaign 2012
Cain: On the same day that a third woman accused Herman Cain of sexual harassment during his tenure at the National Restaurant Association, Cain’s campaign accused Rick Perry’s campaign of leaking the story to the press. “Rick Perry needs to apologize to Herman Cain, his family, and America for this despicable action,” Cain chief of staff Mark Block said on Fox News. Rick Perry has denied the charges. In related news, Iowa conservative talk show host Steve Deace says Cain made inappropriate comments to two of his staff.
Romney: An Oct. 4 internal Romney campaign memo obtained by The Washington Examiner describes industrialist David Koch as the “financial engine of the Tea Party” and plots how to win him and the rest of the Tea Party over.
Righty Playbook
The Examiner‘s Tim Carney details how the now bankrupt MF Global tried to turn Jon Crozine’s political connections into cash.
The Corner‘s Matt Bowman reports on 12 nurses who were forced to participate in abortions against their religious beliefs.
The Weekly Standard‘s Mark Hemingway notes that the Energy Department’s inspector general has launched more than 100 criminal investigations into spending tied to Obama’s first stimulus.
Lefty Playbook
Mike Konczal tries to absolve Fannie Mae and Freddie Mac from any responsibility for the housing bubble.
Mother Jones‘ Kevin Drum pushes back against a Politico story suggesting that losing the individual mandate could save Obamacare.
Democracy for America is gathering signatures for a petition to the Obama Justice Department asking them to protect the Occupy movement’s “universal rights of assembly and free speech.”
