Jon Stewart on Occupy Wall Street Protesters: ‘How Are They Not Like the Tea Party?’

On Wednesday's episode of "The Daily Show, Jon Stewart decided to counter conservative attacks that have been waged against the Occupy Wall Street protesters. Using a number of soundbites, the comedian attempted to make conservatives look like hypocrites.

In forming his argument, Stewart claimed that the current conservative rhetoric being uttered against the leftist protesters is similar to the past slams liberals made against the Tea Party. Thus, he uses prominent conservatives' praise for the Tea Party protests against them. The Atlantic's Erik Hayden writes:

The takeaway line...was Stewart just leveling: "Look, if this thing devolves into throwing trash cans into Starbucks windows, nobody's going to be down with that ... but these protesters, how are they not like the Tea Party?"

Of course, one could argue that both sides -- the Tea Party and Occupy Wall Street -- are similar in that they have taken to the streets and held rallies to support the ideals they hold dear. But outside of that, many would argue that there are sincere differences between the two.

The Tea Party was an organic movement. The same can't necessarily be said about Occupy Wall Street now that labor unions -- which have tens of thousands of supporters and members -- have joined in on the "festivities." The Tea Party didn't have this luxury when planning its many gatherings and protests.

(H/T: The Atlantic Wire)