Describing itself as a “movement for the 99%,” the rag tag group that has drawn continued national attention has supporters in pretty high places. Just 24 folks who have directly participated or spoken out in direct support of the “movement” have a net worth of more than THIRTY FOUR BILLION DOLLARS ($34,920,500 to be exact). Ironically, all of these supporters are not only in the 1%, they are in the top 1% of the 1% – the group most subject to the venom of the Occupy movement. Some would call it self-sacrificing, others would more accurately call it hypocrisy. Notwithstanding Jesse Jackson’s claims (quoted below), I have NOT included Steve Jobs in the list. Here is the top 24
1. George Soros – (estimated net worth $22B) – Adbusters, whose ballerina dancing on a bull ad (http://www.orangejuiceblog.com/2011/10/occupy-wall-street-protestors-hired-through-craigslist/) launched the entire Occupy Wall Street event was funded in part by donations from a clearing house receiving $3,500,000 from Soros. http://news.nationalpost.com/2011/10/13/did-george-soros-fund-occupy-wall-street/ “I can understand their sentiment,” Soros told reporters last week at the United Nations about the Occupy Wall Street demonstrations, which are expected to spur solidarity marches globally on Saturday.
2. Jim Chanos – ($6B) – When asked about the Occupy Wall Street movement Chanos told Bloomberg that New Yorkers don’t appreciate the impact that government bank bailouts have had on other U.S. citizens. “New York is so finance-centric that people here under appreciate the reaction of the rest of the country,” Chanos said yesterday. “People are angry, they feel the game is rigged, that they didn’t get their fair shake.”
3. Bill Gross – ($2B) – In discussing the Occupy movement on Twitter, Mr. Gross stated “Class warfare by the 99%? Of course, they’re fighting back after 30 years of being shot at.”
4. Hugo Chavez – ($1B) – Mr. Chavez has characterized Occupy Wall Street protesters as justly responding “to their terrible oppression.”
5. Yoko Ono – ($500M) – I love ‘Occupy Wall Street’! John is sending his smile to ‘Occupy Wall Street’. I am sending my love to ‘Occupy Wall Street’. We are all working together.”
6. Russell Simmons – ($325M) – Attended the protests “because we are here trying to give power back to the people – to get the money back to the people.”
7. Al Gore – ($100M) – “From the economy to the climate crisis our leaders have pursued solutions that are not solving our problems, instead they propose policies that accomplish little. With democracy in crisis a true grassroots movement pointing out the flaws in our system is the first step in the right direction. Count me among those supporting and cheering on the Occupy Wall Street movement.”
8. Jane Fonda – ($120M) – Attended the protest and marched in Zucotti Park.
9. Jon Stewart – ($80M) – “I don’t get it! Here’s a group of Americans, disenchanted, railing against big government bailouts, angry because they played by the rules, worked hard, now they’re in debt from student loans and they’re unemployed . . . Aren’t these folks real citizens with real problems? Aren’t they also speaking for America?”
10. Roseanne Barr ($80M) – Attended the protest and marched in Zucotti Park and gave a speech calling for “a new capitalism, one not fueled by wars, one that doesn’t pass out its wealth to handful of white guys and call that free trade.”
11. Deepak Chopra ($80M) – Created video supporting the Occupy movement “What kind of world do you want to live in? This one was created by greed and fear.”
12. Kanye West – ($70M) – Marched with protesters “I am spiritually supportive and want to give back to the people.”
13. Nancy Pelosi – ($58M) – “God bless them for their spontaneity. It’s — you know, it’s an independent people coming. It’s young, it’s spontaneous, it’s focused, and it’s going to be effective.”
14. Michael Moore (pictured)($50m) – “The first time I went down there, somebody tweeted, ‘I saw Michael Moore,’ and there was so much joy on his face that if somebody took a picture, the caption should read, ‘Finally!’ I have been kind of giddy about the grassroots nature of this, and how it’s just sprung out of seemingly nowhere, without organization, without dues-paying members, without political leaders.”
15. Susan Sarandon – ($50M) – “I don’t know that much about Wall Street, but if I was running a business and I made that big of a mistake and lost that many people’s future, I don’t think I would get a bonus or even keep my job.”
16. Tim Robbins – ($50M) – “This is what an actual grassroots movement looks like. It’s a bit sloppy and disorganized but full of passion.”
17. Keith Olberman – ($35M) – Need I say more.
18. Arriana Huffington – ($35M) – ““Meanwhile, the Occupy Wall Street protests intensified, a welcome reminder that, for angry Americans, the Tea Party is not the only option — and that the energy for real change will definitely come from outside Washington. Keep your eye on Zuccotti Square.”
19. Harry Belafonte – ($28M) – Has made a movie about himself and draws parallels between the civil rights movement and the Occupy Wall Street movement.
20. Danny Glover – ($15M) – Glover attended Occupy Los Angeles last Saturday. “I’m so proud of these young people,” he said.
21. Talib Kweli – ($14M) – After tweeting on October 6 that he would be heading to join protesters in Manhattan’s Financial District who have taken roost in the area as part of the scraggly “Occupy Wall Street” movement, rapper Talib Kweli performed a song titled “Distraction” about the Occupy movement.
22. Barack Obama – ($10M) – “I think it expresses the frustrations that the American people feel. That we had the biggest financial crisis since the Great Depression, huge collateral damage all throughout the country, all across Main Street, and yet you’re still seeing some of the same folks who acted irresponsibly trying to fight efforts to crack down on abusive practices that got us into this problem in the first place.”
23. Jesse Jackson – ($10M) – In an interview with Chris Jansing, Jackson said that Apple Founder Steve Jobs (who had died the day before) would have supported the “Occupy Wall Street” movement and listed several things that, in his mind, the movement is attempting to accomplish. “Well, no doubt about it,” Jackson said. “He had the sense — this idea of making computers available for the common people. He was kind of the people’s people. As for the Wall Street protests, you are looking at the reaction of the abuses of Wall Street power extremes.”
24. Mark Ruffalo – ($10M) – “What I’m seeing emerging here is a direct form of democracy meant to address economic inequality. I come from a working-class family. The working class is the heart and soul of this country. And you can’t have a just society of any kind without economic equality.”
Yes, it is pretty disgusting all right. However, for some of them, their true motives as sinister!
Geoff, does this mean that you’ve come around on OWS, or that you don’t realize that the fact that some wealthy people have good values and want a more fair and equitable does not argue against the legitimacy of OWS? Anyway, this is your best post so far.
We could go down the list and describe a self-interest that shows why each of these folks hypocritically support a movement that is specifically attacking them. I think their support shows political opportunism or personal financial gain, not any positive social view.
You just don’t get it. The movement isn’t attacking the rich for being rich. It’s attacking (at least in part) THE METHODS BY WHICH SOME OF THEM HAVE BECOME RICH. You have already acknowledged that some of those methods need to be abolished or reformed.
And some involved with OWS are expressing reticence about the involvement of these “stars”.
http://www.latimes.com/news/nationworld/nation/la-na-occupy-wall-street-20111013,0,7112422.story
right on, most of these people worked for what they, Wall street and the Banks, with the help of our traitor Government, are the ones that recieved blood money from us taxpayers!!
Are you a taxpayer Tom? Really? Come on now . . .
Greg, you mean all of these wealthy men and women – well, at least 8 of 400:
http://www.alternet.org/occupywallst/152681/of_400_richest_americans,_only_8_say_they're_willing_to_pay_more_taxes/
I’m guessing there are a lot of liberals and Democrat supporters on that list.
*Where was Monty Python again? You know…John Cleese! Everyone should watch
“Life of Bryan” and get back to us.
Nice! That’s very inspiring, thank you. I bet there are many more too, who care more about living in a fair society and functioning economy, a nation with a bright future, more than saving a few tens of thousands of bucks on their next tax bill. Kudos to all of ’em!
Thank you, Geoff. Oh, on that note:
(even if he might be a little irritated with Theo…)
Wow, where to start. First, I am not going to get into a scriptual debate with you and talk about what that passage from Matthew actually means. Suffice it to say that I am very comfortable with the consistency between my words and my beliefs. Second, you and anon keep saying that the Occupy movement is not anti-capitalist or anti-wealth but about the means by which some of the rich obtain their wealth. If that were truly the message and that was aimed at closing tax loopholes and ending corporate welfare, I would be all for that. Just where in the “99% v. 1%” message is that relatively subtle point conveyed. I have yet to see a single poster or slogan at these events that say lets modify the systems for the creation of wealth to end corporate welfare. On the other hand, I have seen lots of signs that say “equal pay to all regardless of work” and “forgive all student loans.”
1. Wow, I am honored to be acquainted with someone SO deep and wise that he could tell me definitively what Jesus’ words “actually mean.” *snark* I imagine they sort of mean, to YOU, what you want them to mean.
2. “about the means some of them obtain their wealth?” uh … not really that even. It’s largely about the screaming injustice of the outcome, which we see all around us.
You will see all kinds of signs at these events, and you’ll definitely see the ones you want to see. Nobody’s telling anyone what to write and not write. But I’ll bet you if you look at fifty you’ll find SOME against corporate welfare. Maybe you HAVE hit on a deficit of signage there – I think I’ll make up an anti-corporate welfare one for Irvine, just in your honor! But I’m sure it won’t be the only one.
While you’re on a roll, you wanna try responding to this one?
http://www.orangejuiceblog.com/2011/10/occupy-wall-street-protestors-hired-through-craigslist/comment-page-1/#comment-171715
I agree, people will post what they want or demand. But the overall consensus is that there is Economic inequality, being the 99%. Also the influence of corporate money & lobbyist on politics, along with corporate greed. i.e, the city of bell having high salaries, extended vacations, etc.
Matthew said that, not Jesus…He did say though, “God helps those, who help themselves”.
Jesus did not freaking say “god helps those who help themselves” (although i do think it’s a good saying.) That’s an old Greek saying.
And Jesus DID say “You cannot serve God and wealth.” Unless the Bible lies. You’ve never even read the Bible, have you?
Do you have a citation for that, oh wise one?
OK I’ll help. Actually it’s an ancient Greek phrase that has been co-opted by those who hate the true idea of Christianity. You know, like you.
PS. I do not happily accept Hugo Chavez as one of us. And how come you can’t spell our President’s name right?
PPS, seriously, did you do all this research, and not copy the post from somewhere else? If so, good work – even though I disagree about the whole hypocrisy part.
I guess it’s impossible for “you people” to believe that anyone who doesn’t agree with your ideology could possibly act out of altruistic or patriotic motives – they’ve always gotta have some secret scam going on, huh?
I pulled this together from more than 30 sources. First juice story that took me longer than 20 minutes. You won’t find this anywhere else on the web.
“I do not happily accept Hugo Chavez as one of us”…….. Hmmmm
Here we go!
Please give us list, like GW did, of who else you do not happily accept as one of you.
Everyone else on the list (unless someone I don’t know there) believes in democracy; Chavez falls far short on that count. (I wouldn’t have said that a few years ago, but it’s proven true since then.)
“Everyone else on the list (unless someone I don’t know there) believes in democracy”……… Hmmmm
Could you explain meaning of “democracy” as it is vested in your head?
The Bellecourt brothers, Clyde and Vern, of the American Indian Movement I do not accept as one of my own even though we are from the same band.
Or as Lakota Sioux bad ass brother Russell calls them “hang around the fort Indians.”
And yes, I know. Vernon is dead.
” I have yet to see a single poster or slogan at these events that say lets modify the systems for the creation of wealth to end corporate welfare.” Geoff……..
Slogans are good…..”Burn Bernie Madoff”….have you seen that one? How about “Hank Paulson knows who did the deed!”…..Have you seen that one? How about: “We bailed out AIG…..Fanny Mae, Freddy Mac, GE, GM and the Village People…but we still can’t bailout the other 99%”
Posters? Slogans? Hey, we have a million of them….open your eyes the signs
are all around you. But then that is just what any Cherokee would tell you.
This is like saying that the white people present at the steps of the Lincoln Memorial during the March on Washington speech by Martin Luther King were hypocrites or had some kind of nefarious reason for being there. You should not judge someone by the color of their skin or by the size of their wallet.
RIverview – the predominant point coming out of the protests is that the wealthy are evil and the “ordinary” people are good (the 1% v. the 99%) – therefore wealth is the pivotal issue of these protests making the wealth of supporters a relevant issue. It is the juxtaposition between the intent of the protest and the wealth of some supporters that makes this a newsworthy item.
By the way, you and you alone raised the issue of race which is not a part of this story nor even hinted at in this story and is completely irrelevant. If you read anything that I write about race relations you will know that I am against racism in any form.
“…the predominant point coming out of the protests is that the wealthy are evil and the “ordinary” people are good…”
WTF? Who seriously hears the message that way? Are you joking, or stubbornly propagandizing, or is that really what you think we are saying? And is everything everyone writes in response to you hear a total waste, in one ear and out the other?
The protests building at Liberty Square and spreading over Lower Manhattan are a great thing, the logical answer to the Tea Party and a long-overdue middle finger to the financial elite. – http://www.rollingstone.com/politics/news/my-advice-to-the-occupy-wall-street-protesters-20111012
People power triumphs over Wall Street – http://occupywallst.org/
Over the last 30 years, the 1% have created a global economic system – neoliberalism – that attacks our human rights and destroys our environment. – http://occupywallst.org/
Wall Street is the cause of this systematic displacement of New Yorkers. Wall Street bankers turned mortgages into “securitized instruments” and sold them for profit. Their greed demanded the creation of more and more mortgage-backed securities. Without blinking, they used predatory loans to lure homeowners into mortgages with impossible—and unseen—interest rates. – http://occupywallst.org/article/mr-auctioneer-new-yorkers-call-moratorium-foreclos/
Two secondary themes also emerge in talking to some of the hundreds of people occupying Zuccotti Park. One is that the super rich own the politicians. The other is that the news media, almost across the board, view events through the eyes of the rich. – http://blogs.reuters.com/david-cay-johnston/2011/10/07/occupy-wall-street/
Iran’s supreme leader said on Wednesday that a wave of protests spreading from Wall Street to cities across the US reflected a serious crisis that would ultimately topple capitalism in America. Ayatollah Ali Khamenei claimed the US was now in a full blown crisis because its “corrupt foundation has been exposed to the American people”. – http://www.guardian.co.uk/world/2011/oct/12/iran-us-protests-topple-capitalism
I don’t think that I am the one not listening Vern.
Okay … out of all those quotes, the Rolling Stones’ cocky “middle finger to the financial elite” maybe comes closest to your caricatured characterization of “the richest 1% are evil,” but even that doesn’t make it. For one thing, do you know what’s meant by “the financial elite?” That’s NOT THE SAME as “the folks who made the top 1% of income.”
I guess you thought that little hippie stone-throw was VERY powerful, because NONE of your other quotes sound ANYTHING like “1% of Americans are EVIL.”
And before you quote a foreign loonie like Iran’s leader, you could bother asking ME, I AM a part of this movement and he’s not.
Good to know that you are now the sole gatekeeper for who can speak for “this movement” and who cannot.
I imagine I could get a pretty close to unanimous vote that the AYATOLLAH is not part of our movement or its spokeshole.
Vern, as we see over and over, Geoff is a profligate liar. Also, note that he will NEVER discuss the abyss between his religious “beliefs” and those he supports.
I worry about your comprehension, looking at your second paragraph in response to riverview.
He is not “bringing up race” or implying you’re a racist He is showing how nonsensical your accusations of hypocrisy against these 24 rich people is. I still don’t grasp how they are hypocritical, but maybe that’s just because I’m not stubbornly, purposely misunderstanding the protests.
Riverview was saying that – shit, I thought he said it plainly enough – bashing these rich people for supporting a movement for more wealth equality is as nonsensical as bashing the white people who supported a movement for more racial equality.
Did that work, for you? Did you understand it that way?
I am not misunderstanding (to the extent I can piece together what it seems like you are trying to say), you are simply wrong and are trying to create coherency and simplicity out of the confusion and nebulous nature of the movement. By the way, read anon’s comments – you two disagree pretty strongly as well even though you claim to be on the same “side.”
Me and anon don’t disagree “strongly” – just maybe a little on emphasis.
And it’s YOU that’s trying to create “simplicity” in your own way, out of this movement.
God seriously likes us and he is like a 7000000000,00000000,000000000,0000 aire or maybe even more.
But does God like us like us?
He/She does.
“I am not misunderstanding (to the extent I can piece together what it seems like you are trying to say), you are simply wrong and are trying to create coherency and simplicity out of the confusion and nebulous nature of the movement.”
I am sure you get paid well to spout compete nonsensical gibberish in court, but it’s harder to get away with it here, Geoff.
“Over the last 30 years, the 1% have created a global economic system – neoliberalism – that attacks our human rights and destroys our environment. – http://occupywallst.org/ – GW”
Well, not quite. Everything was just peachy until Clinton signed the demise of Glass-Steagal in 1999. Welcome to the world of “a license to steal”…and Liar Loans for
broke folks that thought they could buy a home…..and later found out it was an inflated price bubble that would fall like a rock….going from $225K to $1 million dollars and now going right back again…to $225K.
Without dropping Glass-Steagal….there would have been no Bernie Madoff rip-offs and we would have had a minor recession but nothing more. We would have had no illegal immigrant problems. We would have had moderate job growth and fewer jobs leaving the US for China. We would have had better Agricultural products remain in the United States and less manufacturing of Aircraft and Autos done elsewhere.
NO, Bill Clinton did the deed for Wall Street…big time!
*Genie out of the bottle? Nah…..just reach right into that back pocket 1% and give back everything you took in the last 10 years for starters!
To all trying to address the idiocy of the leftists on this site: don’t bother. You can’t. Leftists literally deny objective reality because it doesn’t support them, so all your facts are for nothing.
Example: Barack Obama, the Anti-President, and his wife, Moochelle, throw lavish parties to include $100/lb. beef and pizza chefs flown in from hundreds of miles away, go on vacations that cost six figures for a few weeks’ stay, preach healthy eating while eating ribs, burgers and ice cream everywhere they go, and talk about shared suffering while Moochelle wears $40k bracelets.
Then Obama comes out and says he’s part of the 99%, and the idiots lap it up.
You’re better off talking to the neighbor’s cat.
Pretty sure Obama’s in the top 1%, and has never pretended otherwise. If he’s smart he’ll take notice of this movement though, and maybe get re-elected. FDR sure was in the top 1%. His old friends and relatives considered him a “class traitor.”
Do not disturb the fever dream! It’s all he’s got.