Replies

All these are good points that should be made to the media every time they are covering a protest, and/or counter-protest.

However, a disapointing turnout is still a disapointing turnout. Our organizers shouldn't be talking big to the media about how many people WILL or MAY show up at a rally. Conservatives are not demonstrators or activists by nature. Many undoubtedly chicken out at the last minute, or are distracted, or whatever. It is something that we need to overcome, and perhaps are, however gradually.

I disagree with the other poster who used the tired, self-righteous, completely unproductive excuse that "our people have jobs." I'm sure many Rats who demonstrate have jobs too. Say what you want about them, they're not lazy. I'm not saying that we should be calling in sick to work. I am saying that giving up a weekend, or half of one, if you live within driving distance of a major FReep-type event is not a big sacrifice once or twice a year.

To rely on the "we have jobs" excuse on a weekend is a poor, poor substitute for the Spirit of 1776, to which we owe our entire country. It also must sound pretty hollow to the men and women who are putting their lives on the line in Iraq.

Thank you so much for your comments, very well said. I'm a member of the DC Chapter, and all positive comments are very uplifting.

Yes, a low turnout is disappointing. I wasn't a demonstrator-type either, but as I tell my 9-year-old, "If you want to be good at something, you have to practice." We do have lots of opportunities to practice in this area, but even if you don't live here, you always meet very nice people at the FReep who are willing to help you get started. Excitement is VERY contagious!

My husband (who has been a FReeper much longer than I have) says that 5,000 Freepers were on the mall in '98, why can't we do that again?

I hear the various excuses about low turn out, jobs, the liberals being bussed in, etc.

But, I'm starting to think it's just mainly that most of the liberal protesters are young. They have the time and energy to spend on these protests. It makes them feel good to be doing something 'positive'.

Unfortunately, when they mature, settle down, have families, more responsibilities, and start to realize how wrong they were, they don't have the time to protest anymore.

The DC Chapter and their partners did a good job on this rally and although the numbers weren't as high as expected, the effort was worthwhile. There was a group of us doing the protest thingy in FR since '98. After the March for Justice (3500), the Judgment Day Rally (800) and the House Managers Rally (400) most of us came to conclusion that calling for large central rallies in DC, NY or LA was never going to get the kind of crowds like the left could generate. Having rallies opposite the left inevitably leads to comparisons by the media leaving us at the mercy of these kinds of headlines. Giving the appearance there is much less support for our position than theirs can backfire from a public relations standpoint since the objective is to create the impression of mass support...not the opposite.

Instead we formed the FR Network and decided to concentrate in having more numerous yet smaller rallies in cities across the US. During both the election debacle in 2000 and the "Rally for America" we had over 200 rallies across the country with crowds between 50 and 5000 and were able to represent attendance at between 100k-200k...the media and the left were never able to touch us with those numbers.

Unfortunately, FR infighting has left too many of the troops tired and demoralized and most of that crew has gone on to work in areas other than direct protest. Too bad.

Just got your post...

Still, the fact is--- a lot of the dems protestors are PAID to protest...they are shipped from one place to another.

So, unless the pro-troops people want protest whores to so the same, we will always have a smaller turnout.

Remember all of the Deaniacs that supposedly went from house to house getting people to fill out election applications??? They weren't "volunteers" doing it in their communities to get the right person elected FOR their communities..

They were paid and didn't care if there was any "follow-thru"...they just wanted "numbers".

I dare say...that the people at the anti-war rally had the numbers...but no follow thru, because they are protesting the same things they have been protesting for YEARS...and our side has gotten STRONGER...