Jeff Smith: Occupy Wall Street Could Become Progressive Tea Party

Occupy Wall Street has the potential to become a progressive tea party, if its energy and passion is effectively channeled.

The spontaneous uprisings in a variety of cities demonstrate that the dissatisfaction isn’t limited to liberal NYC students and professional activists, but has struck a chord with regular folks around the country.

And the Reid millionaire surtax amendment to Obama’s jobs bill this week suggests that this new populism is being heard in the nation’s corridors of power.

(Cross-posted, with permission of the author, from Politico’s Arena)