It would be hard to see this rather rapid change in public opinion as anything but a real victory for the Occupy movement, which is heavily focused on the growing economic inequality in this country. The Occupy movement managed to change the national conversation.

A record number of Americans are now claiming they are independents, according to a Gallup tracking poll of party identification. Since taking control of the House the Republicans’ awful behavior has driven support for Congress to new lows and turned regular people against the GOP, but that hasn’t caused people to start seeing themselves as Democrats again. The American people still feel burned by the Democrats’ failure to deliver from 2009-2010.

Funny how we never hear or see much (if anything) about Occupy Tacoma or Occupy San Antonio on nationally-oriented TV, radio, or newspapers. Or Occupy Detroit, or Occupy Pittsburgh, or Occupy Des Moines, or Occupy Houston, or Occupy Cleveland, or — well, you tell me which Occupies in your area have been getting along well with the authorities (and therefore kept off the national media’s radar screens).

Amazingly enough, allowing the Occupiers some space to make their point, and not ordering up cop-inflicted violence against them, results in not only peaceful coexistence, but far less overtime for law enforcement personnel — which results in saving money!

Really, there was no “need” for the police forces of these cities to spend the past two months engaged in gradually-escalating warfare against the Occupiers in their locales. There was only the growing irritation of the one-percenters at seeing a bunch of “rabble”, to use the Murdoch-owned New York Post’s own term for the ninety-nine percenters, suddenly changing the terms of political discussion from “how much can we destroy of the social safety net so we can give more tax breaks to our wealthy campaign financiers?” to “um, maybe we’d better stop talking so much about cutting things and start talking about jobs and income inequality”.

One week after Occupy Wall Street forced Brookfield Properties to back off of their plans for a “forced cleaning” that would have likely been used to bring an end to the occupation, Mayor Michael Bloomberg is once again publicly denouncing Occupy Wall Street. Bloomberg says the city will begin to enforce laws that supposedly require demonstrators to acquire permits for marches and large gatherings.

Occupy Wall Street is a healthy and robust occupation right now. It is swarming with media, so much media that occupiers are likely growing tired of interviews (which means the best reporting is coming from people who just sit there and observe the occupation). Each and every day there is some kind of an action that pulls into focus how poor, working class and middle class Americans are being made to shoulder the burdens of society while corporations and the richest 1% receive tax breaks, bailouts and enjoy increased influence over government. During the night when the occupation is most vulnerable to raids or a forced dispersal, the camp is at peace because the occupation has largely won this struggle.

I haven’t written about what I think the Occupy Wall Street protesters policy demands should or shouldn’t be because I don’t feel it is my place. Yet as I see more and more people tell the Occupy Wall Street people what they should demand, I feel there is simply one piece of advise I must offer: aim big