Biden, Hoyer Talk Of Solidarity w/"Occupy Wall Street" Before Sumptuous Lunch With Bankers

Politics - and politicians - as usual.  The Weekly Standard notes the recent defenses made of the "Occupy" crowd by the Vice President:

“What is the core of that protest, and why is it increasing in terms of the people it’s attracting?” Vice President Joe Biden recently said. “The core is the bargain has been breached with the American people. The American people do not think the system is fair or on the level

And by Democratic Whip Steny Hoyer:

"This is a democracy and one of the good aspects of democracy is people get the opportunity to express their concerns and hope that action will be taken to address those grievances....One of the problems that we have in this country is that a minority controls the United States Senate and that the majority of the representatives of the United States Senate are precluded, too often, from considering the merits of proposals which have a majority support but not 60 votes support,” he said. “I think that’s unfortunate.”

So who and where and with whom did our two "men of the people" have lunch today?

Today, at a State Department luncheon featuring the South Korean president, Biden and Hoyer are sharing a table with Lewis B. Kaden, the vice chairman of Citigroup bank, Michael K. Wirth, Chevron Corporation's executive vice president for Downstream & Chemicals, and banker James B. Flaws, vice chairman and chief financial officer of Corning Incorporated.

The State Department's menu does sound pretty tasty:

Appetizer: ROASTED TOMATO, AVOCADO, QUINOA TOWER with pistachio mint pesto, fennel, caper dressing

Entrée: LEMONGRASS SESAME CHICKEN with ginger-tamarind sauce, carrot-ginger puree, broccolini, pearl onions

Dessert: WARM CHOCOLATE TART with milk chocolate mousse and malted milk ice cream

And the design pretty snazzy:

The luncheon will feature a mix of Sky Blue, Cerulean Blue, and Apple Green linens inspired by the beauty, color and tranquility of the South Korean mountain range. The floral arrangements will be comprised of a mix of Pink Lotus flowers and bamboo branches.

...Jennifer Epstein of Politico, adds: "A harpist welcomed more than 200 guests to the eighth floor of the State Department, leading them to drinks in an anteroom and, from there, into the Benjamin Franklin State Dining Room, a high-ceilinged space with eight chandeliers that State’s website says are Adam-style cut-glass."

Franklin's sense of humor and irony would be well-served here...

If the Tea Party and the "Occupy Wall Street" crowd ever got together and realized that their common enemy was the politicians in Washington, DC, well...the enxt election will look less like 2008, or 2010, and more like 1776...