I was pretty involved in my local city’s protest on this and I mostly agree with respect to Occupy. I think they were so shy and naive; Obama’s tepid approval was the best they got, but even back then we know who controlled the airwaves — especially two years post-CU decision. Democrats felt like they were in a good spot and sealed the deal for years to come and we just had to “be patient,” but you know how that went… Pissed me off. No use of bully pulpit to pressure from the top left right-wing media to do its thing and eviscerate the movement.

Worth noting that Trump was there since the early days of the Tea Party; I remember arguing with Tea Party members about how Trump was right about Obama’s birth certificate. He was an enormous catalyst to that conspiracy theory bullshit as well. They were always the same people sadly.

I think we’re talking past each other slightly on this. Nobody – literally nobody – disputes that Tea Party platform is polar-opposite to the demands of even SocDems let alone DemSocs; we’re just stating that the astroturfing worked because it tapped into a dried kindling already yearning for ignition. Catalysts aside; platform aside, both are populist movements who reshaped the broader party and suppressed moderates in their own party. Where Tea Party moved Republicans right, DSA can move Democrats Left. That’s pretty much where the similarities begin and end I’ll agree.