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. <br /><br />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.<br /><br />The comparison is one that neither side is likely to be flattered by.<br /><br />But what these movements do have in common is that both are emotional responses to the economic upheaval being experienced across the US. <br /><br />Al Jazeera's Kimberly Halkett reports from Washington DC.