The Occupy Movement Has Jumped The Shark

Jumping the shark according to Wikipedia, shorthand version:

The usage of "jump the shark" has subsequently broadened beyond television, indicating the moment in its evolution when a brand, design, or creative effort moves beyond the essential qualities that initially defined its success, beyond relevance or recovery.

The longhand version is here.

Well, the so-called occupy movement has jumped that shark.
What is the turning point?
The recent events in Oakland is the flash point that will make the movement the left-wing fringe that it is.
Yesterday, the movement called for a general strike and the strike went so far as to close the Port of Oakland. If that was not enough later in the night, thugs went on to riot throughout the downtown area. The rioters even hit a paragon of left-wing virtue, Whole Foods.
This is a culmination of rather disturbing events that have marginalized this left-wing answer to the Tea Party movement.
Some of the disturbing events include multiple rapes, robberies, well just a cross-section of Middle America.
NOT!
You know what this is a repeat of?
The anti-Vietnam war movement.
And you know what was the turning point?
The Kent State Shootings in which the Ohio National Guard was called in to quell student unrest in opposition to the war in Vietnam. On May 4, 1970, the National Guardsmen opened fire on a crowd killing four unarmed students and wounding nine others.
The anti-war crowd went ballistic and the unrest kept building up on college campuses throughout the United States.
And yet in 1972, when the Democrat party nominated anti-war dove Sen. George McGovern (D-SD), he lost the election to President Richard Nixon in a landslide. Sen. McGovern only won in Massachusetts, of course, and the District of Columbia. Sen. McGovern could not even win his home state of South Dakota.
To most Americans, the continuous unrest and violence at the colleges and universities was too much. Even those that were sympathetic to the anti-war cause did not like what they were seeing. Hence the phrase "The Great Silent Majority" coined by President Nixon in a famous speech in 1969. Although that speech was before the Kent State Shootings, needless to say it stuck in the majority of American minds come 1972 when they had the chance to vote for or against President Nixon.
Why am I sharing this seemingly ancient history?
Because it is relevant to the events of today.
One thing that Americans do not want to be a part of is a violent movement. After all, we have had one bloody and horrific Civil War. Though it is but a distant memory for us, the reality is that knowledge of that and the long-term cost to our Great Land keeps us from ever wanting or having another one. That is why extremist movements are abhorred by The Great Silent Majority.
Now that the Occupy movement has gone to violence, whatever support it may have had will dwindle.
And it may have already started even before the events in Oakland.
According to polling from Quinnipiac, the movement has a 30% to 39% support/oppose. Although the Tea Party movement does fare worse, I would like to see questions regarding violence and anarchy and what is taking place at Occupy sites throughout the United States. Bet the Q won't like those results.
And the real danger is that the Democrat party has embraced this movement. From the Dear Leader, President Obama, on down to the congressional leadership. What fire the Democrats support will burn them in the rear come election day in November, 2012.
People will turn against a movement that descends into violence and that is what is beginning to happen to the Occupy movement. And violence is this movement's Jumping the shark moment.