Who Is Behind Disobedience at 'Occupy' Protests?

Is violence at demonstrations taking away from the original message?

This is a rush transcript from "Hannity," November 3, 2011. This copy may not be in its final form and may be updated.

SEAN HANNITY, HOST OF, “HANNITY”: More than 80 people are in police custody after a massive ‘Occupy Oakland’ anti-Wall Street protest turned violent overnight. Now, cops say, the peaceful protests of the day descended into chaos after hours resulting in the shutdown of the country's fifth largest port. Now, buildings were vandalized and broken into as destructive rioters set blazes in the street and hurled explosives at police, leaving at least eight people injured. Many who participated in the earlier daytime demonstration are disavowing the late-night violence. And port officials say that operations have partially resumed, but the damage has now been done. So, who’s to blame for this reckless escalation of disobedience?

Joining us now with reaction, the co-host of "The Five" dealing with Beckel every day, Kimberly Guilfoyle, and from the Fox Business Network Lori Rothman is back with us. The president has embraced this movement. Nancy Pelosi has embraced this. Joe Biden has embraced this. Debbie Wasserman-Schultz. The president has been going out there talking about the, you know, the rich aren’t paying their fair share. Does he have a role to play in the motivation of this?

KIMBERLY GUILFOYLE, CO-HOST OF, "THE FIVE": Well, he's definitely encouraging them, isn't he? Because he wants them to say to blame the one percent and blame Wall Street and blame the Republicans, everybody but him. Although, he's the president of the United States, the commander in chief, he's the one that’s supposed to lead by example and I don't know why he thinks it's a good idea to associate himself with this kind of lawlessness, disrespect for people’s safety, for public property, shutting down the port of Oakland. I mean, if you look at the images here, they are disturbing. How is this in any way a peaceful demonstration, expressing your opinion? This is something that's injurious to people, if they go down there, and you can see by the numbers.

HANNITY: Yes. Lori, I predicted two things would happen. One, this would backfire politically for the president, vice president, Pelosi and company. And I think the polls now show that the American people are aghast at what they’re seeing. And number two, I predicted the violence.

LORI ROTHMAN, FOX BUSINESS NETWORK: Absolutely. The whole situation has devolved from a protest, which was legitimate in its inception, fight the bank bailouts, fight the executive compensation, the crony capitalism - - excuse me if you will. But again, it has devolved into chaos and violence. And I don't think it behooves any political party at this point to encourage this behavior, which in the sense, they’re doing more harm than good there with their protesting is totally backfiring because they are creating more problems with business owners, laying off workers and business stoppages, residents also being impacted all this.

HANNITY: Look. This is happening in Philly, in New York, in Seattle, the CEO of J.P. Morgan Chase, you know, is giving a speech and they're like, blocking and surrounding the hotel where he’s speaking, the Sheraton in this particular case. You know, have we gotten to the point where anybody that’s successful is now a target?

GUILFOYLE: Is demonized. Yes.

HANNITY: And maybe at risk of some type of physical harm? Do they not have to all now hire bodyguards because they are the one percent that's supposed to be hated?

GUILFOYLE: Well, over 3,000 arrests or rapes, vandalisms, assaults, destruction of property, going and picketing in front of people's homes, wouldn't you be afraid or worried if you were one of those banks, you’re the head of the bank, you’re the CEO, you're the person, the figure head that they associate with their lives being so miserable because you won't give them the redistribution of wealth?

ROTHMAN: It is so hypocritical how they're protesting.

GUILFOYLE: Yes.

ROTHMAN: Again, people are losing jobs because they can't get to work because business owners can't turn a profit and they can't pay these people because they can't physically get to where they need to be.

HANNITY: Does this open a window into the soul of modern-day liberalism, and that is that, you know, America should no longer be an opportunity society, we should redistribute the wealth, spread the wealth around as the president said. And that, we’ve sort of gotten away from the notion of individual responsibility, freedom, you take advantage of freedom. You have a chance to work hard and achieve things versus have the government give it to you. Has the mentality changed when nearly half the country doesn't pay federal income tax?

GUILFOYLE: That is so striking. And they want one percent to carry the rest of what, the 99 percent? It's really shocking and appalling because you look at the direction of this country's going in, if you support that kind of movement, versus a peaceful demonstration and listing things in a fashion that is civil, how you can support this kind of movement when the type of things they’re doing, encouraging and inciting violence and.

HANNITY: This is going to get worse?

GUILFOYLE: To hand them over a paycheck.

HANNITY: Will this get worse?

GUILFOYLE: Well, I think it's gotten worse, and unless they stop it, with the mayors and the chief of police coming in and shutting it down than they should in New York, too. Yes. I think it's just going escalate.

ROTHMAN: I see this as an employment problem. We'll get the October unemployment. In October, we are expected to see the unemployment hold at 9.1 percent with even fewer jobs added to the economy. So, if you’re a Democrat, the president's saying, this is why you should pass my American jobs bill. But the GOP is basically saying, this is yet another example of why the president's economic policy.

GUILFOYLE: Class warfare.

HANNITY: We're going to play more of my interview with Herman Cain in just a few minutes. I had him for an hour today.

ROTHMAN: Yeah.

HANNITY: And he answered every question. He adamantly -- he's passionate in his denial. Does this go away for him? Or does this stick around?

GUILFOYLE: Yes! Look at poll numbers. I’m telling you, I mean, this is something, if you look at all the recent polls, it's consistent across the board, they actually encompass some of the days where the scandal was emerging and coming through. He answered all the questions; he was forthright with you in the last interview, absolutely. And now again, you said today, I think he’s actually handling it well by getting out in front and saying it. Do I think it's going to better if it goes away sooner than later, yes, if other details emerges it could be problematic.

ROTHMAN: I think the problems are compounding for Herman Cain. And I know he's on with you a couple of weeks ago and I said, he's the frontrunner, I see him as a candidate. But I'm changing my mind now. I do think Mitt Romney walks, talks, walks the walks, talks the talks. Now, I think that this is the opportunity.

HANNITY: You think Newt Gingrich had a pretty dramatic jump on this Rasmussen polls. What do you think?

ROTHMAN: He's always come off to me very smart and very educated, but he also comes off from academia, which is the key criticism of our current president that that's the economic policies that --

HANNITY: His views are polar opposite of Barack Obama.

GUILFOYLE: Bob Beckel predicted it. I hate to say.

HANNITY: Quoting Beckel, what is happening to "The Five?" You're hanging out there too long.

GUILFOYLE: He hypnotized me.

HANNITY: All right, guys. Good to see you.

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