“Mic Check” Interrupts Newt Gingrich In Iowa

GOP candidate Newt Gingrich, who is expected to come out on top during the Iowa Republican caucuses at the beginning of next month, was interrupted by Occupy protesters yesterday in Iowa city during a speech. After being introduced by Natalie Ginty, a member of Students for Newt and head of the Iowa Federation of College Republicans, audience members shouted, “Mic Check,” as seen at Occupy Wall Street protests all over the country.

Several Occupy sites have steered clear of the political sphere intentionally, but not so in Iowa, where people are gearing up for the earliest caucuses in the country.

According to the Occupy Iowa Caucus website, on December 27, the group will hold a “People’s Caucus” to jump-start a week long “Occupy Iowa Caucus” campaign, which will include a gathering of people hoping to adopt resolutions about issues concerning the 99 percent.

According to the OIC website:

“The resulting document will be introduced into the national public debate as one proposal for how the Occupy Wall Street movement should voice its grievances, turn sentiment into action, and take the power back from the greedy corporations. The final document could be introduced into the Iowa Caucuses as a resolution on January 3 by Iowans who participate in the caucus process.”

According to the Occupiers, the statement is not aimed at the candidates themselves, but at the entire political system in America.

The group has already held a nonviolent civil disobedience training to prepare for these events. After the People’s Caucus, Occupy Des Moines is organizing protesters to visit the candidate’s campaign headquarters, including President Obama’s re-election headquarters.

Local papers said protesters from Kansas City, Chicago, and New York plan on attending the caucuses, and the call has been put out via Twitter to request a presence from Occupy Oakland.