In a blog entry at the Washington Post, Jonathan Capehart makes a salient point about Occupy Wall Street. He says it needs to meet several important criteria before it emerges as a serious counter to the Tea Party. One such move involves heading to Washington, D.C.

A question was asked of me yesterday about the Occupy Wall Street movement that has been a presence in lower Manhattan since Sept. 17. Are there any parallels between it and the Tea Party movement? Yes. But if it doesn't do four things -- 1.) broaden its base of support to include those who share its values or goals; 2.) get specific about what the goals are; 3.) bring the protests to Washington; and 4.) get support from members of Congress -- it could squander its momentum.

Both Occupy Wall Street and the Tea Party are organic movements. They rose up from everyday people who got tired of being pushed around or ignored by powers they believe are beyond their control. Both movements eschew having one or a crew of recognized leaders who speak for everyone. So far, it’s worked for the Tea Party. For the nascent movement centered in Lower Manhattan, there’s still time for it to get its act together.

Occupy Wall Street is already doing the first and second things I proposed. A look at the calendar on www.occupywallstreet.org shows rallies with organized labor. And it released a "Declaration of the Occupation of New York City," detailing its beliefs and grievances.

Read Jonathan Capehart's entire blog entry at the Washington Post.

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