occupy wall street commentary by michael heaney

My co-author, Michael Heaney, has been cited by the media regarding the Occupy Wall Street movement. A few choice clips. In The Telegraph:

Michael Heaney, a political scientist at the University of Michigan and author on protest movements, says that the broad church of concerns is common to many modern movements because it’s “critical to getting turn-out on the streets.”

While it boosts numbers, it doesn’t deliver much in the way of answers.  Unlike the Tea Party, which gained plenty of traction from anger at the bail-out of Wall Street in 2008, there’s no sign that those involved in Occupy Wall Street, which professes on its website to be leaderless, plan to channel their grievances through more conventional political channels.

And, from the Boston Globe:

But Heaney said he doubts the activists will try to work with political parties in the same way many Tea Party movement members have aligned themselves with conservative Republicans, because they harbor too much distrust of mainstream political institutions. Even so, Occupy Wall Street could potentially have an impact on elections if Democratic or Republican candidates decide that many voters share the same resentment and incorporate those concerns into their own platforms, he said.

He  was also interviewed for Canadian television. A nice summary of recent economic justice movements, discussing framing and tactics as well. Check it out.

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