More on Occupy Wall Street (preferred hashtag #OWS, by the way), this time from Matt Taibbi and Keith Olbermann on a recent Current TV episode.

Good discussion. Everyone’s chewing on the “What is it?” and “What’s the endgame?” points. Good; those are the right questions.

http://current.com/e/93469175/en_US

Did you catch that Olbermann opens with a Tahrir Square reference? This feels like that, in early Tahrir days anyway — and in my opinion, it needs to feel like (and be) that to succeed.

What is success for Occupy Wall Street? Obviously, (1) an awakened citizenry, in both broad senses; and (2) ultimate, large-scale institutional change (i.e., a reversion to constitutional government).

That is indeed is a big agenda, but no bigger than the Movement Conservative agenda (so don’t be scared, folks; be proud and know others have walked the path before).

Note also that success (especially constitutional success as defined above) will require the cooperation, enforced or otherwise, of those in power.

As Taibbi wrote earlier:

[D]emonstrations could be very important just in terms of educating people about the fact that there is, in fact, a well-defined conflict out there with two sides to it. … [A] huge number of Americans … simply don’t realize that they’ve been victimized by Wall Street – that they’ve paid inflated commodity prices due to irresponsible speculation and manipulation, seen their home values depressed thanks to corruption in the mortgage markets, subsidized banker bonuses with their tax dollars and/or been forced to pay usurious interest rates…. I would imagine the end game of any movement against Wall Street corruption is going to involve some very elaborate organization. There are going to have to be consumer and investor boycotts, shareholder revolts, criminal prosecutions, new laws passed, and other moves. But a good first step is making people aware of the battle lines. It sounds like these demonstrations have that potential.

I personally don’t believe these demonstrations have just an education function; like Tahrir Square, they could have a power function as well — especially if they persist. No revolution is one-shot-and-go-home. The last leftwing revolution in our history — the New Deal and its lead-up — took at least a decade, and lots of activism. Same with the last rightwing revolution.

It’s a tricky game, admittedly. And co-option is always one outcome. But a “ground up” movement needs that “up” part as well. Ignore that and you lose.

Again, learn from the Tea Partiers as they navigate (and manipulate) the Republican gate-keepers like Boehner and McConnell. There is a road, and this movement is on it.

Let’s stay on it.

GP