Comparing the Tea Party Movement and Occupy Wall Street

Common ground between the Tea Party movement and Occupy Wall Street (OWS)

• Oppose Wall Street bailouts

• Oppose crony capitalism

• Unhappy with the state of the nation.

 

Differences between the Tea Party movement and Occupy Wall Street (OWS)

• Tea Party inspired by the American Revolution

• OWS inspired by the French Revolution

• Tea Party values individualism, entrepreneurialism, and limited government

• OWS values collectivism, third-way socialism, and expansive government

• Tea Party opposes current labor union laws

• OWS favors greater unionization and union power

• Tea Party favors private sector solutions to social problems

• OWS wants government intervention to solve social problems

• Tea Party sees unions and government acting together with business interests as crony capitalism

• OWS sees little or no difference between crony capitalism and free market capitalism

• Tea Party dislikes bailouts of any kind; distrusts government involvement in business

• OWS favors government involvement, subsidies, or bailouts of favored business entities

• Tea Party wants lower taxes and less government regulation

• OWS wants more taxes and more government regulation

• Tea Party demonstrations are clean, orderly, and respectful of authority

• OWS demonstrations are dirty, disorderly, and disrespectful of authority.