The Rear Guard of the Proletariat

The vanguard of the proletariat that Occupy Wall Street tried to be was embraced by a retreating liberalism in hopes that it could let them regroup and counter-attack the forces of fiscal sobriety that are trying to slow our spending spree. As cities across the country power wash the residue of the OWS temper tantrums into the sewer systems (pray they don't feed into the drinking water supply), it is clear that the movement was no vanguard of an advancing army:

Occupy Wall Street has been an act of desperation by the liberal Left, which now represents a small minority of Americans in terms of ideology. In many ways, OWS has been the antithesis of the Tea Party. It has failed to shape the political debate on Capitol Hill and has been driven by an anti-capitalist agenda that does not resonate with most Americans. In addition, while the Tea Party has been an unfailingly law-abiding movement, with tremendous respect for the police and the rule of law, Occupy Wall Street has descended into anarchy. In many ways, OWS is an anachronism, a wannabe 1960s-style protest movement in an America that has moved on. And it is above all a symbol of a Left in decline amidst an increasingly conservative nation that has had enough of the kind of big government, anti-free market policies the liberal protestors crave.

It was the rear guard. And it could not hold the line.

UPDATE: Hey, as the Occupy folks ponder what to do next, consider that Spain could see some real unrest as a conservative party tries to instill some spending restraint over the objection of unions. The Occupy people could form their own Abraham Lincoln Brigades and head to Spain! Screw the 60s. Go for the '30s!