Comparing movements on the US Left and Right

US President Barack Obama has said that the Occupy Wall Street protesters and the ultra-conservative Tea Party movement are not that different from each other.

While the Occupy movement began as a response to the growing gap between the rich and poor, the Tea Partiers are united by a desire to see the size and scope of government reduced.

The comparison is one that neither side is likely to be flattered by.

But what these movements do have in common is that both are emotional responses to the economic upheaval being experienced across the US.

Al Jazeera’s Kimberly Halkett reports from Washington DC.