Is it any wonder why many high-profile Democrats, including President Obama, have supported and defended the Occupy Wall Street (OWS) movement and continue to do so? It holds out the promise of a return to the heady and influential days of the anti-Vietnam War movement where Democrats, now in their 50s and 60s, cut their teeth. They see it as a tool to rally frustrated Americans to support them in the coming elections. Unfortunately, the OWS protesters are unguided missiles that haven’t lived up to Democrat’s expectations and expose the weakness of their fundamentally-transform-America argument.

The OWS movement appears to be losing its momentum. Big city (mostly Democratic) mayors reacting to pressure from businesses and complaints about crime and unsanitary conditions are cracking down on tent cities. Cold weather also is beginning to take its toll on the protesters. But don’t let all this fool you. The OWS movement still has plenty moral and financial support; and what we’ve seen so far is just a warm up. Like Democrats beloved anti-Vietnam War movement, it will be around for a while.

I certainly have no fond memories of the anti-Vietnam War movement. I served two tours in Vietnam and was one of the so called "baby killers" they demonized. I didn’t go to Woodstock, nor was I one of those that reveled in the counter culture, drugs (abundantly available in Vietnam), or rebellious behavior. My career in the U.S. Army kept me too busy for all that; but I knew and understood them, and I know why they had such an impact.

The protestors of that time had an anti-government revolutionary zeal and self confidence aptly captured in the lyrics of Bob Dylan’s song, The Times They Are A-Changin'. They were the baby boomer generation freed from convention by rock n roll, drugs, and free love. But those were just their recreational activities. They had causes they believed in—getting the U.S. out of Vietnam, exposing corruption in government, and the overlap of Democrats in the the anti-war and civil-rights movements. Their new-found freedom and mobility empowered and motivate them.

Even today, after four decades, when just about all of them have blended back into mainstream society, they look back on those years with fond memories and pride. They’re proud that they helped play a role in getting U.S. forces out of Vietnam. They believe they contributed to the post-Vietnam War downfall of the Richard Nixon administration and the election of Democrats to the White House and Congress.

Like popular movements then and now, however, there was the good, the bad, and the ugly. They don’t want to talk about the traitorous activities of Jane Fonda, Bill Ayres, Bernardine Dohrn, or the Weather Underground. And if you ask them about the millions killed in Southeast Asia after the fall of Saigon or the disdain and disrespect they showed for men and women in uniform, mostly you get a blank stares.

So when the OWS movement popped up, those old Democratic protesters, younger Democrats they’ve influenced, and President Obama spoke positively about it and welcomed it with open arms. They looked upon OWS as the cavalry riding to their rescue to save them from Tea Party hostiles. Democrats haven’t done well in recent elections; and the President’s poll numbers indicate he may be a one-term president. They’ve circled the wagons, looking for help in all directions.

The OWS movement, however, is a far cry from the Democrats-in-training of the 60s and 70s. It’s comprised of a more eclectic group of liberals, progressives, communists, anarchists, criminals, and the homeless. And, fortunately for the party in power, they aren’t so much anti-government as they are anti-capitalism. They’re not marching on Congress or the White House they’re marching on the system, however they define it.

If there is a unifying theme for the “occupy whatever” groups around the country it’s the redistribution of wealth, and it’s that theme that high-profile Democrats have latched on to. The very wealthy “one percent,” big banks, and Wall Street brokers are the bogeymen that exploit and suppress the middle class. They must be taxed, tightly regulated, and otherwise kept in check—a central theme of President Barack Obama’s reelection campaign. It’s a Bolshevik, class warfare, transform-America message that hardly resonates with the overwhelming majority of Americans that depend on the private sector for their livelihood.

The liberal mainstream media, like “useful idiots” remembering their affinity for the anti-Vietnam War protest movement and all the awards and accolades they gave themselves for covering it, are doing their best to portray OWS as “predominantly peaceful” and in the most positive light possible. It gives minimal coverage to the rapes, assaults, and unsanitary conditions prevalent at big city OWS sites.

The majority of American’s, however aren’t buying it. What they see and hear when the listen to the OWS protesters, not the media coverage of them, are confusing messages at best. They may resemble in appearance their hippie predecessors, but that’s as far as the comparison goes. Despite what they say, they’re not out for peace and love or to change the world, they’re out to change the rules for their own benefit.

I’m sorry Democrats; OWS isn’t the cavalry you’ve been waiting for. Only the people can save you now, and you’ll have to give them an awfully good reason to do that. Protecting them from the Frankenstein you helped create would be a good start.

Post a comment on this column at Ed's Blog