In his Daily Journal, JLF’s John Hood assesses the Occupy movement’s failure to effectively mobilize as a political force and contrasts it with the Tea Party movement. Hood writes that the failure boils down to bad branding, bad tactics, and bad optics. This piece is guaranteed to inform and make you chuckle. Here’s my favorite passage:
Instead of just staging rallies and then going home, some encamped. While initially interesting to politicians, the media, and the general public, these camps were destined to become less interesting over time, as well as less presentable. Protests need breaks, and media narratives follow cycles. “Fifty protesters set up camp in front of city hall” may be an interesting story. “Twenty-five protesters still living in tent village” is less interesting. “Twelve people insist their month-old camp isn’t full of lice” is either not interesting at all or a message harmful to your cause.
Yuck. When your “encampment” becomes a public health problem, it’s over.
