{mosads}Politicians have taken note of the protests, casting them as symptomatic of some of the partisan divides that lawmakers are grappling with.

Republican presidential nominee Herman Cain denounced the protesters as “jealous” and playing the “victim card” in appearances Sunday. House Majority Leader Eric Cantor (R-Va.) called the protests “mobs,” and Sen. Rand Paul (R-Ky.) said he worried that the movement could soon turn violent.

But Democrats were more sympathetic. The Democratic Congressional Campaign Committee sent out a fundraising email Monday asking supporters to sign a petition in support of the protesters. President Obama said during a news conference last week that the movement reflected “broad-based frustration about how our financial system works.”