Occupiers need to occupy GOP enclaves

‘We were sold out’

- Marchers in Philadelphia

‘I got rained on’

- Me

Occupy Wall Street espouses a noble cause, but I spent a few extra minutes in the rain on Friday, Oct. 14, 2011, standing on the sidewalk as 150 or so Occupy activists marched down JFK Blvd. east to City Hall.

The protests in Philly, downtown Manhattan and elsewhere leave me with mixed feelings. Most crucially, I was initially flustered because they were demonstrating in major cities where they preached to the converted.

I was relieved when they took their cause to the suburbs and the offices of Republican members of Congress. In the Philadelphia area, demonstrators crowded into U.S. Rep. Mike Fitzpatrick’s district office a few miles from a major mall in lower Bucks County on Oct. 12, 2011. Next day, 150 people occupied Doylestown, the seat of Bucks County, and protesters marched the two blocks from City Hall to U.S. Sen. Pat Toomey’s Philadelphia office.

A good start, but that effort must expand.

When occupiers moved their tents and other facilities onto Dilworth Plaza of City Hall, one member proclaimed that this was the center of “government.” Huh? Philadelphia is run by Democrats. While they are not perfect, Democrats in Congress along with President Obama have presented proposal after proposal to relieve the nation’s horrific economic conditions.

It was Republicans who principally brought us our $1.3 trillion in wars and billions of dollars in tax cuts for the rich, and it is Republicans who hang tough together to shoot down Democrat-proposed remedies while GOP governors slash millions of dollars to urban centers.

So why bother the Democrats? True, Philly’s City Hall and downtown Manhattan are highly visible sites, but the protesters are pressuring those who are essentially on their side. While Mayor Michael Bloomberg was elected as a Republican and is now an independent, the vast majority of New York’s elected officials are Democrats.

Both Philly and NYC have already spent small fortunes for police coverage, and businesses in lower Manhattan have suffered.

The Occupy crews must transfer their energies to Republican enclaves. With the exception of locals, it would be difficult for many demonstrators to reach GOP enclaves. For instance, Rep. Nan Hayworth’s district offices are far up in the northern NYC suburbs where public transportation is minimal.

At the same time, Rep. Michael Grimm’s offices in Brooklyn and Staten Island should be relatively easy to reach. His SI office is located on New Dorp Lane. From the Wall Street area, take the ferry to Staten Island, transfer to the SI railroad (a glorified subway) and exit at the New Dorp Lane stop. Walk east a few blocks. His office is on your left.

Occupiers scored a victory on Oct. 21 when House Majority Leader Eric Cantor Eric Cantor canceled a speech at the University of Pennsylvania’s Wharton School, explaining in a statement that his office “was informed last night by Capitol Police that the University of Pennsylvania was unable to ensure that the attendance policy previously agreed to could be met,” according to The Philadelphia Inquirer. (I, fp, 10/22/11)

The university in turn issued a statement: “The Wharton speaker series is typically open to the general public, and that is how the event with Majority Leader Cantor was billed. We very much regret if there was any misunderstanding with the majority leader’s office on the staging of his presentation.”

Cantor decided against traveling the 130 miles from Washington after news broke that occupiers would march to Wharton that afternoon. They claimed they planned no disruptions inside Huntsman Hall, where Cantor was to speak, but they certainly intended to demonstrate outside. In Cantor’s absence, hundreds of occupiers marched to Huntsman yelling slogans and brandishing signs.

If Occupy troops would regularly take their protests to the suburbs and the offices of Republican House and Senate members, think of the impact they could have. They already are affecting policy, however slight, but suburban protests would have an even greater effect.

Besides, let Republican taxpayers bankrupt their communities with excessive spending on police protection.