I turned on ABC’s This Week this morning to see the latest propaganda about the Occupy Wall Street protests the corporate media is spewing. There was a clip of Eric Cantor expressing his concern about the “mobs” gathering in American cities that were promoting “class warfare, ” another of Mitt Romney saying he wasn’t paying much attention because his goal was to occupy the White House. Ha ha. Another of Nancy Pelosi saying she understood the protesters and basically agreed with them. Another of Fed Chairman Ben Bernanke saying he didn’t blame them. Huh? All righty, then.

The pleasant surprise was that Christine Amanpour actually interviewed one of the OWS protesters(sorry, I forget his name and the Google didn’t help me, maybe one of my fellow Firedogs can supply it), a thirty-something white guy who didn’t look at all bedraggled.

He was sharp and articulate and refused to take any bullshit from either Amanpour or the only one on the panel who accepted her invitation to ask him questions, George Will(were the others afraid to? Probably). He said it was telling that he was the only member of the working class to appear on the mainstream media this morning(Amanpour smiled nervously), that the media had completely ignored the working class until now, and that while “politicians pander to us, in the end they always fold to the interests of the top 1%.”

He said Wall Street financiers had wrecked our economy, that the politicians had allowed them to get away with it, and were now telling the working class they had to endure austerity measures in order to recover. He said, “I cannot name one country that has used austerity measures that has succeeded in recovering. ” No one contradicted him. They couldn’t. There isn’t one.

Amanpour tried to pin him down on the OWS goals. He said the goal was economic and social justice, and suggested that anyone who objected to placing the word “social” in front of “justice” should re-read the Constitution. When George Will tried to say that the OWS movement was avoiding the political process, the guy replied that OWS was engaged in direct democracy, which is the very foundation of the political process. He said that while he personally recommended that everyone vote, that OWS was not part of any political party and that they weren’t going anywhere until their demands for social and economic justice were met.  George Will’s mouth closed with an audible snap.

The guy was tough, smart, unapologetic, and stood his ground. Our ground. I am very proud of him and am kicking myself for not remembering his name. I’m terrible with names, which is why I’d make a lousy politician.

After the interview, George Will said this movement showed that the “strong intellectual tradition of the American Left” was still around, and that just like the Sixties, years of protests would simply result in another Republican victory.

Surprise #2. He got shot down by everybody else. No, this movement is different. It’s its own thing. It is something new. One talking head even intoned that the base of the Republican Party, the bourgoisie(yes he actually used that word) and rural American voters, were being squeezed by the same forces that OWS is protesting, and that if those people see that they have more in common with OWS, with the Left, that the consequences for the Republicans would be “disastrous.” He didn’t mention that the same applies to the Democrats, but that really would have been too good to be true.

Anyway, well done, sir! And, to give credit where credit is due, well-done to Christine Amanpour and ABC for giving OWS a voice this Sunday morning.

Now, I’m off to Occupy Cleveland. I know where it is thanks to the local Fox affiliate, where they interviewed one guy who said he was opposed to everything the protesters stood for, while refusing to interview any of the dozen or so protesters who surrounded him and were asking  pointed questions.  Meanwhile, in the background, a Cleveland cop sat in his patrol car contentedly munching on something, looking totally unconcerned.

It’s going to be a warm day. I think I’ll distribute some Gatorade.