Celebrities have been visiting the Occupy Wall Street protests for the last few days now, with the aim of supporting the effort and cheering the demonstrators.
Former Saturday Night Live star Victoria Jackson, however, had a different reason for going. In a lengthy YouTube video, Jackson — a born-again Christian and outspoken Obama critic — traveled to downtown Manhattan to, in her words, “ask the protestors what they’re protesting. I think they are against capitalism and I think capitalism is a great thing.”
She basically ended up speaking with one bespectacled protestor. Here are just a few of her questions, presented verbatim:
1. “Don’t the rich people — aren’t they the ones that create all the jobs? Poor people don’t create jobs.”
2. “So you’re not concerned that [Obama] is a Marxist?”
3. “So if socialism is so good, why does everyone around the world come to our country?”
4. ”So right now 50 percent of Americans pay taxes, and 50 percent do not. So if everyone gets free stuff, who’s going to pay for it?”
5. “Okay, you want to everyone to be equal? How are you going make everyone equal in good looks and smart brains? Everyone’s not created equal.”
I mean, regardless of your politics, that’s just some solid comedy, right? Check out the full exchange below. Personally, I think it runs on just a bit longer than your average draggy SNL sketch, but what do you make of it? [HuffPo]
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She is an idiot.
Thank God we have someone smart like Victoria Jackson to explain politics and the intricacies of finance and economics to us common folk. What would we do without this national treasure?
Maybe she and Hank Williams Jr can combine each of their 1/2 brain cells to form one complete cell. Lordy.
She’s insane. Lost her mind somewhere along the long, lonesome road.
I think you and the wall street protestors are the idiots in these whole things
Victoria Jackson pointed out the obvious flaws of the thinking of the wall street protestors.
Yes, they want equality of everything…including teeth whiteness and height.
This isn’t funny, it’s painful to watch. She needs to watch the Daily Show to see how to make the funny.
She’s an idiot. Does she explain that the 50% who don’t pay taxes is not a true statistic? That there is a poverty/low income level where taxes are not charged? No, of course she doesn’t. Does she also look at the idea that not all wealthy peopl have their own companies? So I’d you raised their personal income tax, that would have nothing do to with their company’s ability to hire? She should stop watching her old biddy Dennis Miller on Fox and learn some actual facts.
Damn iPad correcting in my comment. Still, she’s an idiot.
right, like gay people and muslims are working together to destroy America…she is a psycho freak show, nothing more
You should really educate yourself about the people you support. Just because she is spitting out popular right wing talking points doesn’t mean she’s someone you want to get behind. Check out her website. She is coocoocachoo! LOL! She’s a bit off balance and has some hateful beliefs. I’m not putting down your beliefs I’m just saying don’t stick up for everyone that says what you like to hear. Dig a little deeper cause there some wingnuts on both sides.
Victoria Jackson didn’t point out “the obvious flaws of the thinking of the wall street protestors” as she isn’t addressing what they stand for at all.
She used to play the dumb blonde roles on SNL. Now we see that it was no act.
Sound like a bunch of common sense questions to me. Poor adults are poor because they don’t use their brains to move up in the world (see I said poor adults). Yes they are disadvantaged, but they are going to be more disadvantage once they start listening to the bull that liberal politicians and philosophers give them. They may not ever be rich, but they could pull themselves up to at least the lower middle class.
you say that as if no hard-working Americans have been screwed by the economy in the past few years. What about the folks that went to college, worked hard, and got boned anyway? Those poor adults are poor because the system failed them, not because they’re stupid or lazy, or any other stereotype you want to assign to the OWS protesters. The American Dream (work for success and get what you deserve) is long dead.
Move up in the world? It’s hard to do that when there aren’t any jobs. If we keep up the republican “trickle down” economics there won’t be a middle class anymore.
These dimwhits either don’t get it, or they’re trying to spin it. They’re not protesting against capitalism and democracy. They’re protesting against the elitists, who’ve bastardized the two institutions, to a point where 1% of Americans have 99% of the assets in this country, while everyone else is just a slave with no opportunities and future.
She is a washed up, overweight, has-been (I know it the same as washed up but she really deserves it twice). She is certifiably nuts and her Christianity is so delusional that it borders on insane. She lost the funny many many years ago and is now just a pathetic loser.
I’ve been watching some of those old skits, and she never really had the funny. She was very cute, and maybe the first couple of times she played the ukulele and did a handstand, it might have been slightly amusing, but that was literally her whole act. She just appeared in the occasional sketch that needed a wife or a girlfriend. She must have been having sex with Lorne Michaels or something. I always thought her voice was a put on, a parody of a dumb blonde. Aparrently not.
She’s the Abby Elliott of her day.
I was trying to remember if she was ever funny to begin with. Why doesn’t she go on an reality show like every other desperate hasbeen instead of making an @$$ of herself on Faux News?
Please don’t insult Elliott by comparing her to the unfunny Jackson. Elliott does a great Angelina Jolie and Rachel Maddow.
Capitalism works…ask the 1%
the 1% = outlaw biker gangs genius.
Yeah I always thought that she was on drugs or just kooky, I don`t know.
I don’t understand how a born again Christian can rage against stuff like this…Jesus talked mostly about taking care of what God gave you (i.e., the earth, resources, etc) and taking care of the POOR. But you get these nutcases that swear that if you tilt the Bible in a certain direction it kinda says that being gay is wrong (it doesn’t. I’ve read it). Two gay dudes marrying is not evil – but GE paying less taxes than me, that is evil. #Occupywallstreet.
Read it again Matt.
Hooray Matt!
This
Jesus was a gainfully employed carpenter, so don’t even try to put him in the same boat as the lazy herpes infested criminals at the Wall Street parties. And that’s what it is, a party for purposly unemployed hipsters, a place to have sex and smoke dope. Victoria Jackson is a good American, God bless her!
@Ann
Translate the ancient Greek writings of the New Testament gospels and you will not find the word, or any word associtated with “carpenter”. Simple fact is Jesus was a radical LIBERAL who rebelled against the conservative Roman authority, and conservative Jewish establishment. Jesus did NOT believe in profit (wealth) for an individual, but Jesus did support the poor and believed ALL OF US should too.
If the top 1% shared 10-20% of their wealth, we would have FAR less poor people. Jesus would approve.
And if the top 1% did share 10-20% of their wealth withe poor, they’d still be the top 1%. The rich SHOULD approve.
Then Jesus quit his job to drink wine all day with a bunch of sandle wearing hippies.
Please, you are obviously an atheist liberal, why should I believe your rantings about what you read in Greek writings. Yes, Jesus believed all of US should, not the government. I have been out of work for the better part of two years, and before that I never made more than 17k a year, but do I go looking for Obama to give me your money? No I do not! I will be rich someday, and when I am, I don’t want some bleeding hart taking the money I earned and giving it to some bum on the street that doesn’t want to work. The bums can go to church missions and private charity, let the captains of industry do their jobs, and create jobs for those of us that want them, don’t burden them with excessive taxes and regulation.
You read it again Reese. Should we just pretend that in the Bible there are in fact not the words, “If anyone has material possessions and sees his brother in need but has no pity on him, how can the love of God be in him? Dear children, let us not love with words or tongue but with actions and in truth.” 1 John 3:17-18
And again I say unto you, It is easier for a camel to go through the eye of a needle, than for a rich man to enter into the kingdom of God.
~ Mathew 19:24
Taxes may save your afterlife.
Why are all you atheist liberals so keen to quote the bible anyway, aren’t you the ones that are always on about seperation of church and state (which isn’t in the constitution by the way).
Those verses are all well and good, Carrol and Sam J. But, somewhere there’s gotta be something about beating the poor away from the rich’s goodies with a blunt axe and a solid gold butter knife, right? Look harder!
@Ann
This isn’t Church or State, this is an Entertainment Weekly comment board. Frankly I could care less what is written in the Bible, the point is that YOU DO CARE!!!
Some of the ideas atributed to the world’s first liberal activist know as Jesus Christ I happen to agree with. Just b/c I don’t believe in Heaven, Hell, Miracles, and the Church, doesn’t mean I can’t use biblical quotes to prove you and many conservative Christians are hypocrites.
This america and I am excercising my 1st Amendment right to show fallacy in part of your 2nd Amendment right. You believe in Freedom don’t you???
“Even the devil can cite Scripture for his purpose.”
-William Shakespeare
And before the conservatives on this board start going on about how Shakespeare was a wanton liberal neologistic hippie, it was Sarah Palin herself that referenced Shakespeare as an inventive mind to be celebrated. She only did so as a means of saving her own ass for accidentally “inventing” the word “refudiate”, of course, but hey, you gotta celebrate the guy.
Well said, Sam J. I learned about the separation of church and state in 7th grade Civics, but some remain in the dark…
““Even the devil can cite Scripture for his purpose.”
-William Shakespeare”
I couldn’t agree more Shannon. Matt is taking them out of context, and many aren’t meant to be taken literally, like the camel and needle thing. Matt, what does the 2nd amendment have to do with this, I don’t remember bringing up the right to bear arms. Are you trying to change the subject?
Ann, I love agreeing with people, but my Shakespeare quote wasn’t directed at only those who are quoting Bible verses. I happen to think the verses quoted are beautiful and “the camel and the needle thing” quite clever. But, why are we suddenly talking about certain Bible verses as being disingenuous or dismissible? I’m not (despite what you might think) an atheist and believe that God does indeed have a sense of humor, but don’t those who take God at His word take Him quite seriously?
Of course, another Bible thumper picking and choosing what Bible verses are to be taken “literally”. It amazes me how people will use the religion to justify the hatred of others. Grow a heart and a brain Ann.
LOLZ!!! Ann you need to stop being so entertaining! “Separation of Church and state isn’t in the constitution!” Except it is… sure that exact phrase isn’t in the constitution but the meaning and principle of it is. And we get it Ann, you take the bible to be the absolute word of God (except those pesky verses about shellfish, stoning your wife, selling your daughter into slavery… LOL you ignore those parts because [insert excuse here] ) and you hate the idea of gay people getting married (Did you know that every time a gay couple gets married, a straight person dies? That is science! There must be a connection!) So please stop trying to spread your crazy ideology. BTDUBBS, evolution is real!
Ann, it is alleged Christians like you, who do more damage than good to our image. As some have said, Jesus was actually quite liberal. If He were here today, you can bet he wouldn’t be at any GOP (or any other political party) fundraisers. He’d be in the most desolate, downtrodden, disease-filled places in the world. For you to assume that anyone who isn’t a kook like Jackson, is automatically liberal and atheist says way more about *you* than any of those you that you think are beneath you. I’m a politically independent, devout Catholic. But extremists like you, don’t usually acknowledge my faith as “really” Christian, so there we are. You would do yourself well, to actually try to comprehend that Bible you so generously thump. You don’t get it.
Jesus also told us to pay Caesar back what belongs to Casear, i.e. tax.
So half the people are not doing what Jesus told them to do.
Most of the Americans who actually pay taxes also donate to the charity. This is what Jesus is about.
^^^@Above Poster^^^
Our “Caesar” hasn’t “asked” the bottom 47% to pay income tax. Neither “Caesar Bush” or “Caesar Obama” have demanded a tax from lower income Americans. So you are wrong Above Poster, 47% of Americans ARE doing what Jesus told them to. They pay State, Pay roll, and Local taxes as Caesar demands.
Jesus is satisfied with their efforts.
According to these protestors, they would like the government to provide everything for free. So why someone want to work or run a business, if everything is free. If no one is working or running a business, who is going to pay tax to the government? Where does the money comes from to pay for all the free things that these protestors want?
You can see the protestors have a flaw argument.
Ann, couldn’t help but notice you said you’ve been out of work for almost 2 years, but plan to be rich some day. How did republicans dupe so many people into beliving they need to vote as if they’re millionaires now, although they’re flat broke in reality (in order to protect their money when they do “eventually” get rich)? Honey, 99% of the population will never be rich. How do you think your unemployed butt is going to get into that 1%? Please share.
Don’t forget, she was also only making 17K before that, hardly a “living wage”. In two years she still hasn’t even found a job that is below the poverty line, but she’s going to be rich. Now that is rich!
oh, and if you really think this is a party for trust fund hipsters, Ann, try changing the channel from the stereotypes Fox news is spoon-feeding you. Yes, protests attract annoying hippies, but who else is there? Uniformed workers, adults, the employed who want more for their peers. If protesting against greed is good enough for our remaining WWII Vets (also out in the OWS crowds) it’s good enough for me.
@Wickeddoll
Awesome post. I am a devout Catholic as well and when I read posts like Ann’s I get really embarassed because not all Christians are like that.
@Ann: “Jesus was a gainfully employed carpenter”
How do you know he was gainfully employed? You do know that he travelled around with 12 men and lived off the kindness of strangers.
-
@Ann: “why should I believe your rantings about what you read in Greek writings”
He’s talking about The bible, which was originally written in Greek. So I guess you don’t believe the bible.
@Ann: “Why are all you atheist liberals so keen to quote the bible anyway, aren’t you the ones that are always on about seperation of church and state (which isn’t in the constitution by the way).”
Liberal and Atheist aren’t the same thing. Most liberals I know do believe in God. Jesus was a liberal, and in order to follow His teaching you have to be a liberal. Helping the poor, not judging others, turning the other cheek – all Jesus’ teachings & all liberal stances.
The separation of church and state is in the First Amendment to the Constitution. It means that the government can’t establish an official religion or prevent anyone from practicing whatever religion they want.
@Ann: “I will be rich someday”
Good luck with that. lol
If you do become rich, are you going to give money to the “church missions and private charity” that you say should be helping the poor rather than the government? Because they depend on people giving them funds in order to help people.
Psycho!
Just replying to this to put my post on the first page – I think it’s pretty cool, that, for the most part, we’re all having a civil conversation about something politically charged. This has to be a first for the internet. I’m glad to have been a part of it.
@Ann
There’s nothing like good ole aspirational voting.
After now watching the ENTIRE video, I truly think she is nuts. This is HER video and yet she is the one who looks like a woman who has not taken her medication.
Yeah, Victoria put it on the internet to discredit the Occupy Wall Street people, but it only serves to make her look bad.
Her questions are obviously poorly phrased, but the fact of the matter is: the basic points are valid. Jobs are created by people with wealth. Socialism does lead to slow to negative economic growth (ask Greece and Italy). Obama is by word and deed very left-wing. And 50% of this country pays no income tax. The top 10% pays 70%. You can call her all the names you want, but it doesn’t make you any more right.
So those are our only choices? Our government right now, or Greece? That helps your argument, but little else. The last time the top 1% of the nation controlled this much wealth, it was the 1920s (which is kinda foreboding, no?).
I don’t get it. I’m 25 years old, and from the day I was born until this point right now, there was only ONE administration that reduced our debt and yielded an economic surplus, and that was a LIBERAL who RAISED taxes. So, ‘Rita’, thank God Obama is left-wing, cause as of this point, a liberal is the only person in my lifetime who IMPROVED the economy. The same nutcase who gave us the trickle down theory also told us that ketchup is a vegetable.
Well which is it? The current failing economy has been blamed entirely on the last presidency. Why should Clinton get all the credit for a thriving economy? There was 12 yrs of Republicans in the White House beforehand, and the the dot com boom was just starting. Explain to me why it’s only Clinton who gets credit.
I don’t give Clinton all the credit, frankly, Bush Sr. got the ball rolling with his tax increases, that and Clinton getting serious on the deficit led to some great prosperous times.
I felt sorry for you for so much rage and misinformed.
If you want to blame someone, blame both parties and not the rich people.
I ask you do you have a iphone, ipod, itouch, ipad, imac. If you do, ask yourself, who create these stuffs? the politicians or the wealth guy like Steve Job?
Clinton worked to balance the budget by raising taxes on the wealty and making budget cuts. His administration worked to get the internet companies going. He didn’t just sit back and enjoy a booming economy.
Clinton was in a position to work with a republican controlled the house and senate and raising taxes on the rich at that time worked because our deficit was way smaller than it is now and shrinking, because he was working with the Houses undo some restrictions and regulations on business. Also Reagan’s tax cuts and reforms were so deep that when the economy caught on it lasted through Clinton. Taking absolutely all the wealth from the rich, not just raising taxes would only run our gov’t for three months. Gov’t getting out of the way has been shown to help the economy way more than anything else the gov’t has and could ever propose.
People can keep on saying the same O’Reilly lines, but sooner or later the facts like Matt said will come out. That is true, Clinton is the only one that reduced the deficit in a long-a$$ time, but the thought of doing the same to the super-rich now has people screaming “Socialist” at Obama, which we all know is code for a different word.
Health plan was like Bob Dole’s (or Romney’s). And even Reagan raised taxes.
Rita’s Ice SUCKS.
Question Rita so according to your logic the rich create the jobs and pay the most in taxes if that’s the case why is the unemployment rate still hovering 9.1% despite the fact that the rich have still maintained if not increased profits and not only bailouts in some industries but also tax loopholes?
Tae, in your mind, who creates jobs?
First off it was a satirical question looking at the latest reports 80% of jobs come from small business not the huge corporations that a lot of republicans seem to want to put off as the so called job creators. The point I’m trying to make is that I’m a 20 year old laid off college student with two children I need a way to not only support my family but also pay for school and I find it very hard for republicans to beg for my vote to do nothing more than just tell me oh out of work too bad not my problem and continually give more to the people who have more than enough to live despite the fact we saved their behinds numerous times with no results. If you wanna be successful great that’s what America is about the dream i would just like to reach my own and get a chance to be a part of that one percent.
Well…O’Reilly is fine with raising taxes – he rephrases it as everyone having to sacrifice.
I think the problem, Jeff, is that while the rich are in some cases job creators, RIGHT NOW they are, as a general rule, not. So while I could maybe get behind tax breaks for companies that ARE creating jobs (for Americans, that pay a living wage and provide benefits), it bothers me just a little that we continue to heap breaks and praise on companies that are, at best, hypothetical job creators and at worst, shipping jobs overseas and doing their best to keep their current employees from unionizing, from getting full work-weeks, from having benefits, and so on.
One thing in Victoria’s defense ,She didn’t edit the video as far as I can tell.She must be on the 99% ers side as she picked the smartest guy I could of hoped for to accurately state the reason for the movement to peaceably seek redress from their government.
Check your facts, Rita, cause you’re wrong. Everyone pays taxes of some sort: sales taxes, payroll taxes, excise taxes, property taxes, state income taxes, etc etc. Some poor people don’t earn very much so they may break even or get a refund on Federal income taxes. But they sure as heck pay the rest of those taxes.
Just because FOX says it, does not make it true.
She clearly said income taxes
Try reading first, Darren.
That 10% own 90% of the wealth.
From what I gather, certain segments of the wealthy are saying that their taxes should never be raised again…ever. Tax loopholes should never even be eliminated…ever. That just doesn’t seem realistic to me.
Rita, I agree. She is kind of a kook….but she has a point. When was the last time a poor person hired anyone?
IF most of the private sector jobs are being created by small businesses, who do you think owns these small businesses? It’s not the super-rich. The middle-class is creating the most private sector jobs. The rich spend their time moving money and paper around, not hiring employees.
” Obama is by word and deed very left-wing.”
Maybe in the ’08 campaign you could argue that he was left-wing in word(although, not enough for my liking). Certainly he hasn’t be left wing in deed since taking office. He’s given the republicans at least 90% of what they want everytime, even when he had the house and senate by almost overwhelming margins. The bailout? Mostly tax breaks jammed in by republicans, who still voted against it. Health Care? He dumped the wimpy public option almost immediately and passed an old republican plan that makes insurence companies even richer. Taxes? He extended the Bush era tax cuts that even Bush had agreed to let expire last year. Foreign policy? Still in Gitmo, still in Iraq, still in Afgahnistan, now also in Libya, maybe heading to Iran next. I don’t know why you’re ranting about socialism, it has nothing to do with any conversation about Obama. Heck, neither does left-wing. Democrat barely does. I don’t know what republicans are complaining about, next year seems like a win win for them.
50% of the country is not unemployed (yet). 100% of people who are employed (well, aside from those getting paid under the table, I suppose) pay payroll taxes. Which is, guess what, a tax on gross income. The only difference between me and the 53% who “pay income taxes” is that I pay all mine up front and then get a refund of the extra the government’s been sitting on. Until they pay me back, they have MY money on THEIR balance sheet. And they don’t pay me interest on it.
So don’t tell me I don’t pay income taxes.
Oh, I’m so sorry that you don’t get interest back when you’re getting your refund. How awful for you.
AJ–not her point. If she kept the money, it would earn interest at her bank, one would assume. My husband owns a small business (under 50 employees). He provides jobs, pays taxes, etc. And things are tough now. Where’s his bailout?
Well, that’s funny, the gov sure gets THEIR interest when the taxes are paid late.
Well, as unfathomable as this must be to you, a lot of people don’t get money back. Go figure.
I’d rather ask Sweden and Norway, you know ACTUAL Socialist countries. Where crime rates are down, education and employment are up, poverty and drug addiction is much lower… what about this is negative? Greece was mismanaged – don’t blame the system for the management. Unless we should now irrefutably claim capitalism as a failure – after all, look at what happens under poor management (and no, I don’t mean Obama. I mean the abortion that was Bush, although Obama is not doing much to make things better). p.s. I do think capitalism is a failure, but that’s a personal opinion. Bankers and stock brokers should never make more than people who actually improve our society like doctors and teachers and firemen, etc. There’s something wrong with a society that values money over people.
What a cuckoo! Everyone wants to come? The only reason i came was Disneyland & to see New York, then after a week i went back home again. Then on the plane home i got sick but seeing i don’t live in America when i spend a night in hospital, i didn’t pay a cent!
The people who ruined the economy and the housing market are running around free with not one person being punished. That is the protest.
Yes! The big banks got bailouts, and then paid the executives huge bonuses. They were given funds to help ease the mortgage crisis, then they didn’t do much restructuring of mortgages, and people are still losing their homes. They were given government funds to increase lending to small businesses, but haven’t done that.
Why are we giving these banks and corporations our money to help the economy, when they aren’t helping anyone but themselves with our money?
I was really hoping when they said SNL alum vs Occupy Wall Street we were going to find out whatever happened to Ellen Cleghorne…oh well…
Amy –
Ellen Cleghorne is attending NYU and teaching Black Popular Culture at Hunter College in NYC. How do I know? I take her class. Query answered!
She’s mentally unhinged and her questions are ignorant. Why give her the publicity?
Hmm. She went there to make them look foolish, eh? Funny how this turned out then.
How many of the protestors have iPhones?
Probably the same percentage that live in their mom’s basements. I’m guessing 70%+.
As one of the 53% of Americans who pays income taxes, I wish the 99%ers would stop calling themselves that and lumping me in with their insanity.
She never had any talent and this is her only way of getting attention. Please stop giving it to her and stop representing her as an SNL star. Nobody remembers her anyway.
Freakshow.
GOP fears The People. GOP fears Truth.
martin luther king jr. = member of GOP , genius!