Occupy Wall Street Objects to the Occupy Wall Street PAC
The formation of an Occupy Wall Street super PAC by an activist in Decatur, Alabama is sparking a backlash from the movement’s organizers in Washington, D.C. and New York City.
This week activist John Paul Thornton opted to fight fire with fire, filing paperwork with the FEC to establish The Occupy Wall Street Political Action Committee, allowing it to raise unlimited corporate funds for federal candidates pledging to get money out of politics. The irony was not lost on a number of Occupy activists who’ve long protested the very existence of super PACs following the controversial 2010 Citizens United Supreme Court case.
“This caught us completely by surprise,” said Bill Csapo, an activist affiliated with the Campaign to Occupy Wall Street in New York. “I don’t think any of us would agree that a super PAC is the right way to go.”
Csapo, a volunteer organizer who handles communications for the the campaign, said he has contacted Thornton to change the name of the Occupy super PAC or else disassemble it completely. “Thornton has no connection whatsoever to Occupy Wall Street or the New York General Assembly,” insisted Csapo.
He added that Occupy Wall Street organizers in New York City planned to issue a statement on OccupyWallSt.org to officially condemn the use of super PACs.
Occupy Wall Street has been a decentralized, populist movement. While PACs and soft money are the most effective way to impact policy, I don’t think PACs quite fit what Occupy Wall Street had in mind.
Let’s see what happens.
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