Progressive Mag Encourages Readers to Support Occupy Wall Street by Applying for its Visa Card

Want to support Occupy Wall Street? Apply for our credit card!

That's essentially the message from progressive magazine The Nation in promoting its Visa program. In its latest advertising pitch, the magazine encourages readers to apply for the card from a bank recommended by the Move Your Money project -- an Occupy Wall Street-endorsed campaign to get people to divest from top Wall Street banks.

"Show your support today for OWS's Move Your Money Relay by applying for The Nation Magazine Platinum Visa Rewards Card from UMB Bank of Kansas City," an email to readers signed by associate publisher Peggy Randall states.

The email, sent Friday, adds: "UMB is a small, regional bank recommended by the Move Your Money project, a project we support."

There's no mention of any purchases from the card benefiting the Occupy Wall Street movement; the card program is primarily a fundraising tool for the magazine. Still, it raises a question about invoking Occupy to promote a credit card when the movement has called for debt forgiveness.

According to Daily Finance, the magazine's Visa card program goes back to January 2010 -- more than a year and a half before Occupy Wall Street got underway.

"People have credit cards, we have credit cards and from a business perspective, it seems that if our readers are going to be using credit cards, an affinity program like this gives them one more way to support the work of the magazine," The Nation publicity director Ben Wyskida told Daily Finance at the time.

Still, Friday's pitch gives The Nation the appearance of capitalizing on Occupy's news value to raise money.

"The more of us who participate, the bigger the impact," the letter states. "Show your support today for Occupy Wall Street and The Nation magazine and Move Your Money!"

Read Randall's full letter below: