An Occupy Wall Street PAC?

By: Leigh Ann Caldwell
Topics: Campaign 2012

(Credit: KAREN BLEIER/AFP/Getty Images)

A supporter of the 99 percent is one of the latest citizens (or corporations) to apply to raise unlimited sums of money for politics.

John Paul Thornton of Decatur, Alabama submitted an application to the Federal Election Commission on behalf of Occupy Wall Street to create the Occupy Wall Street Political Action Committee.

Thornton said the type of entity applying is a "cooperative" and listed the mailing address of the organization as having "none" but also being "everywhere."

Thornton only partially stuck to the movement's anti-Wall Street philosophy. The primary bank listed to collect funds raised for the PAC is a credit union -- a preferred financial institution. But the second financial outlet listed on the FEC forms is a corporate regional bank -- not one of the big Wall Street firms -- but a member of the S&P 500.

"[I was] watching ["The Colbert Report"] and I thought, 'Wouldn't be nice if Occupy had a PAC,' and ... like a lightbulb, it came to me!" Thornton told a CBS station in Atlanta.

From the forms, it's unclear for which candidate(s) or issues the PAC would be advocating or opposing.

Leigh Ann Caldwell
Leigh Ann Caldwell is a political reporter for CBSNews.com.
Follow on Twitter »

17 Comments +

Add a Comment

See all 17 Comments


by Donttweetblog February 18, 2012 1:48 PM EST: The Occupy movement can definitely do more and has underachieved so far. It's the old adage not how hard you work, but how smart you work (or something like that)

http://policy-change.com/2012/02/18/every-day-im-hustlin/; Reply to this comment

by Zann-Zel February 17, 2012 11:59 AM EST

I would donate to help get Occupy's 99% message out there! But I'd hope they stick to getting their message out and not to throwing their support behind politicians.

Reply to this comment


by RobAla February 17, 2012 3:18 PM EST: If occupy people spent less time trashing the parks and streets paid for by taxpayers, people might pay more attention to whatever their "message" might be. I have heard a collection of "messages" from this group - everything to wanting taxpayers to pay for their student loans to complaining about the tact that some people have become more financially successful than other. If the message is that 1% of people are more financially richer than 99%, I couldn't care less. If someone has $billions more than I do, well good for them. As long as me and my family have enough, I am certainly OK with some people having a larger amount of money. We continually see wealthy entertainers dying in personal misery. Money isn't everything.


by DocD--2008 February 17, 2012 5:50 PM EST: "As long as me and my family have enough, I am certainly OK with some people having a larger amount of money."

Wow are you an A$$HOLE. That is how MOST of the 99% feel and want you idiot. Only they had that taken AWAY from them by rich corporations who felt they would make more money making their products in CHINA, and less pay for WORKERS so they can be even richer and some give MILLIONS to BUY ELECTIONS. I sincerely hope you lose what you have and you end up losing your family ending up on the street, then and only then you might start listening to the REAL message and why its so bad. Many in the 99% DON'T HAVE the modest part YOU seem to be so proud of having. What if you lost yours too??????

by Jaylah54 February 17, 2012 5:51 AM EST

A PAC is a good idea. But I still say the focus of OWS is misplaced. Wall Street only does what Congress allows them to get away with. We should be occupying the Capitol building, not Wall Street.

And if OWS really wants to accomplish something, they've got to stop walking away with their tails tucked between their legs whenever the police tell them to move. The only reason Egypt accomplished anything with their protests was because they refused to leave Tahrir Square when told.

Reply to this comment


by Phunt555 February 17, 2012 4:42 PM EST: They aren't running with their tails between their legs every time the cops tell them to move in oakland when they evicted the protesters in october, thousands of people showed up to stop them. That was the night scott olsen got his skull fractured from a tear gas canister.

by RaySlapper February 17, 2012 2:03 AM EST

Wow!!
The lies are so thick in here you can walk across them.
Numbers don't lie, only democrats lie.
By the way, Bush funded the wars and "D" in his supplemental budgets.
Next lie, please.

Reply to this comment


by fiberglass3 February 17, 2012 6:10 AM EST: Well, former President Bill Clinton balanced the federal budget two years in a row, lowered the national debt, left a projected $5 trillion surplus by the year 2010 and helped to pass legislation requiring the federal government to "pay as you go."

President George W. Bush did away with the "pay as you go" law; and he borrowed money from China to double the national debt, to pay for a prescription drug program costing $400 billion a year, to pay for a trillion-dollar war started with the "weapons of mass destruction" lie and excuses, and to give the richest 1 percent a tax break.

Obama inherited the worst economy since the Great Depression. Guess who the captain was that sailed the ship into the rocks?

Maybe Obama sounds like a preacher because he knows only God can save America after the Bush Republican'ts.

Obama was handed a platter of stupid, ignorant, insane governing, and it isn't going to get straightened out in 38 months or even a decade.


by sailrick February 17, 2012 12:36 AM EST: Goals for OWS and America in general

Public funded elections to get the money out:

End personhood for corporations:

Reverse Citizens United case:

Outlaw the revolving door between govt and corporations/lobbyists:

Return the Glass Steagal Act

Return the Fairness Doctrine in the media

Tax the rich more - 70% of Americans say this; Reply to this comment


by sailrick February 17, 2012 12:35 AM EST: Occupy supporters:
Don't forget to make the connection between Corporate dominance and the climate change denial PR machine.

You know the GOP has gone around the bend of extremism, when only candidates who don't believe in science are considered conservative enough to be President.

Every candidate is a global warming denier. Nearly every GOP congressman is also in this non reality based camp.

Whats wrong with this picture, is that these scientifically illiterate politicians, presume to know better than the entire world of science.
At least 97% of active climate scientists agree on AGW.
Virtually every major science organization in the world agrees on AGW.

Over 100 science organizations of national and international standing have issued statements saying that AGW is real, and we must act immediately to reduce our emissions and avoid catastrophic consequences of global warming. That includes every national academy of science in the world.

The U.S. National Academy of Science issued four such statements.

The prestigious science journal, Nature, issued a statement this year, heavily criticizing the GOP for it's anti science posturing, especially on climate change.

Only two professional science organizations, in the world, do not agree with the scientific consensus on global warming. And they are the only groups most GOP poiticians agree with.

They are:

American Association of Petroleum Geologists

Canadian Society of Petroleum Geologists.

The GOP is bought and paid for by the fossil fuel industry, especially the Koch brothers, who spent $25 million last year spreading climate change disinformation PR.

And this disinformation is what FOX spreads every day. Another Murdock media outlet, the Wall St. Journal, is also notorious for this journalistic malfeasence.

See: "Panic Attack: Murdoch's Wall Street Journal Finds 16 Scientists to Push Pollutocrat Agenda With Long-Debunked Climate Lies"
at Climate Progress

Only a few of the 16 were actually climate scientists and only 2 had ever published peer reviewed climate papers in the past 30 years.
And they are well known crank skeptics.

The WSJ can print this piece of pseudo scientific rubbish Op-Ed, and yet wouldn't publish a letter from 255 members of the National Academy of Science on climate change.

Murdoch spreads misinformation on climate change at all his media outlets. In Australia, where he owns 70% of newspapers, it's particularly bad.; Reply to this comment


by Not_An_Amateur February 17, 2012 12:32 AM EST: Interesting. I'm the first to comment.

Still, another sign that The Movement will evolve into one run by grownups. Understand, while there were tent encampments all over America the total of 'Occupiers' was never likely over 40,000..a generous estimate. That's 1/3 of 'the wealthiest 1%.' Another statistic would reveal there is ONE OCCUPIER for every 3250 voters on the last election.

Considering the awareness they helped to create would not have happened without their efforts, immense credit is due. In a tactical or organizational sense, they may go down in history as the worst run organization in the last 100 years. Why so harsh? Their 'Demands' should have arrived at every desk on Capitol Hill 60 days ago. Leaderless, they have been co-opeted or 'taken over' by a small group of a few who assumed control of most Occupy cities..the list of pure blunders is so long they could become the model for a thesis titled 'Organizational structures destined for failure.'

The slogan "We are the 99%' Madison Ave. perfect, other than the fact Occupy is actually just 'The 33% of 1%.' Voting on issues is only reserved for those who attend the meetings called GA's. The entire structure is totally flawed, as are their techniques of protesting.

They are turning off the 99%, yet the ideas scrawled on the 'List of Demands' are sound. This PLATFORM must be met and turned into law....or this country is all but finished as a union of progress. The irony of this, is that a self proclaimed Socialist, Sen. Bernie Sanders is knocking himself out introducing one bill after another that encompasses these very issues.

There is only one other way to save this country besides turning every Occupy Demand into law. That single remaining option would be no less than a national recognition that The Republicans are no longer a political party, but are acting as elected deal makers who work for big business. There would be no problem if they worked for industries who were a benefit to their customers. But the GOP are simply agents on behalf of criminal enterprises such as Monsanto, Sub Prime Mortgage giants, the defense industry, Big Oil, Big Pharma and an entire enterprise we'll call Wall Street, know has one option left to make money: Sell derivatives without the reserves needed to pay these bets should they loose.

There aren't 100 people left in New York City who can predict the stock market. If there are...they are gone from 'The Street'running their own hedge funds. Business in America on the scale these multi nationals operate, is now a zero sum game. To make big money, someone has to lose theirs. These alone explain the ENTIRE US fiscal deficit.

America has two choices. Destroy the now psychopathic Republican party for at least several generations or start a NEW OCCUPY movement. One run by professionals and whose participants want to influence legislation via letters, petitions,phone calls and the threat of 'You work for the good of the people or we will vote you out'

Follow this man and donate to his cause. Show your patriotism and love for country by discovering the NEW RULES that will be part of Occupy 2.0. You can find these ideas on Facebook at Occupy Wall St-Phase Two.

Your country depends on your choice. There are just two that remain after the criminal enterprise of George W Bush and policies that began in the early 80's. Reagan was no hero. He, George HW Bush and the 200+ in his cabinet who were under investigation, lit the match that has nearly burned this country to the ground. Occupy Wall St- Phase Two has many of the answers. Give them thorough consideration.; Reply to this comment


by sailrick February 17, 2012 12:30 AM EST: Romney's Bain
{from IdiotTracker blog}

"I'll even follow Lowry up to the point that the dismal reek of failed businesses and crushed lives that Bain Capital exudes may be in part the result of a "Buy low, sell high" philosophy that associated Bain disproportionately with companies already in trouble."

"But here's the problem: Bain Capital was not prepared to wait and take their chance that they could sell high: they wanted their money whatever happened, so they used the companies to borrow heavily to pay dividends to themselves. They forced these multiple companies to go deep in debt, feeding the borrowed money to themselves, the investors. Then the companies eventually went bankrupt, and the money Bain had borrowed and turned into their personal wealth did not have to be paid back."

"To buy control of a company, use its good name to borrow heavily, and funnel that money to you as profit, ensuring bankruptcy, is loathsome. That is not "creative destruction"; it's Bernie Madoff with better legal advice."; Reply to this comment


by sailrick February 17, 2012 12:29 AM EST: Message for Mitt Romney

People have hopes and fears, heart and soul, dreams, love and faith, children and parents, morals and ethics, needs like decent water, air, food, clothing shelter, medical care, etc.

Corporations have none of those qualities

Corporations are not people, my friend.; Reply to this comment


by sailrick February 17, 2012 12:28 AM EST: To find an equivalent amount of extremism on the left, as we now have on the right, you would have to go back to the 1960s, but imagine that 100 activists like Abbie Hoffman and Jerry Rubin were actually in congress, with several of them running for president.; Reply to this comment