Massive crowd marches against Obama's agenda

LA Times ^

[Chet 99]

Reporting from Washington - Tens of thousands of protesters marched on the U.S. Capitol today, airing a wide range of grievances rooted in a shared sentiment: seething anger at President Obama and his far-reaching agenda.

Led by a fife and drum corps in period costumes, the demonstrators filled Pennsylvania Avenue and swarmed the Capitol grounds with a sea of bobbing placards and hand-lettered signs that spelled out a catalog of dissent.

There were antiabortion protesters and term-limit advocates. Critics of financial bailouts and the federal investigation into CIA interrogation techniques. Marchers worried about rekindling inflation and upset about the soaring national debt. Pickets opposed to Obama's healthcare reform plan and challenging the legitimacy of his election.

"Is This Russia?" one sign said. "Traitors Terrorists Run Our Government," read another. "Don't blame me. I voted for The 'American,' " a third stated.

The protest -- touted by organizers as the largest-ever outpouring of political conservatives -- was organized by a loose-knit coalition of anti-tax, small-government proponents, and widely promoted by sympathetic voices in the blogosphere and on TV and talk radio. Park police declined to provide an official crowd estimate.

The rally was embraced, after some hesitation, by congressional Republicans, some of whom were leery of associating with the more incendiary elements of Obama's opposition.

[Regulator]

Why does the Park police decline to provide an estimate?

They probably didn't. The Slimes just doesn't want to admit that the Right Wing Crazies could put 2 million on the street when their Million-Whatever marches can usually only get out a hundred thousand or so. Which of course they still refer to as a million.

[LakeLady]

It looks wonderful. The signs are fantastic!

[bayliving]

During the entire were there, the grounds were remarkably clean. No trash anywhere from what we saw.

AND.... The Port-o-johns were CLEAN TOO!!! (At least when I used them.) I couldn't believe it!!

This is what happens when you have a LARGE group of people who respect themselves and OTHERS. Things remain clean and unbroken.

[Irish Eyes]

Park police have been refusing to give estimates for years now. Nothing sinister about it-they are just tired of getting attacked by both sides when they release numbers.

There must be someone that has a semi accurate crowd count.

[concerned about politics]

The rally was embraced, after some hesitation, by congressional Republicans, some of whom were leery of associating with the more incendiary elements of Obama's opposition.

WT...???? What "incendiary" element? Who are they talking about? This rally was 100% save America. Since when is being pro-American "incendiary?"

[icwhatudo]

Freedom Works, a major sponsor of the event, says 450,000. NRO says 350,000.

I don't buy the "tens of thousands" or the "2 million."

"A House leadership aide warned fellow Democrats in a memo obtained by FOXNews.com that up to 2 million people may attend.

“It looks like Saturday’s event is going to be a huge gathering, estimates ranging from hundreds of thousands to 2 million people,” Doug Thornell, an aide to Rep. Chris Van Hollen, D-Md., wrote, noting that a demonstration held Thursday turned into an impromptu rally for Rep. Joe Wilson, who has come under fire for his outburst during Obama’s nationally televised speech to a joint session of Congress.

Conservatives have seized on this memo as proof democrats are playing an expectations game. They say the House leadership wrote the memo in hopes it would be leaked and inflate expectations for the turnout anticipating that it will fall short."

[oldbill]

Wasn’t two million and the Washington Homeland Security and Emergency Management Agency did not use that number. That was from a UK newspaper.

More like 200,000 to 300,000 which is a huge number. Be happy with it and don’t play into liberals’ gaame with a number they can easily refute.

No official agency in Washington makes estmates of crowd sizes.

[Walrus]

I was there today in DC. There were WAY more than “tens of thousands” of marchers. I have been to many college football games with 100,000+ crowds. The group today was far in excess of that. Many people marched, but then left, having made their point.

It was the most polite, well-behaved, and good-humored “mob” that I have ever witnessed. If there was any trash at all, it might have been around the garbage receptacles that were full and hadn’t been emptied.

The main themes displayed on signs were, in order:

1. Obama’s “czars”
2. Hell-care, death-care or whatever else you call it, and
3. The career politicians must go, starting on 11/02/10

It was worth the trip just to read the home-made signs. These were very funny, creative people at work. Conservatives are very definitely NOT the soulless, unimaginative drudges that some would have us believe.
We are also highly P.O.’d

I was SO very proud of my fellow citizens today!

Today was not the end, it’s only the beginning of the restoration of America to We, the People.

[oldbill]

They don’t give estimates because the numbers would then be used for political purposes, and the Park Police is not in the business of advancing anyone’s agenda.

[Irish Eyes]

Thanks for the pictures. Lived for a short time in Temecula.

Loved the Golf course, and the only place to shop was Target.

:)

[Old Professer]

They’re a little too smug with that ‘incendiary’ remark; I’d expect it from the caviar crowd in the NY Times but not from a bunch of taco stufffers from America’s biggest barrio.

[Dr.Deth]

Those numbers were decided on before the event. DC Fire Marshal estimates “70,000”. LOL.

[icwhatudo]

[sourcery]

The Tea Party movement's core purpose and motivation is opposing Tyranny and (re)affirming Liberty!

How to distinguish Liberty from Tryanny:

	Liberty	"Soft" Tyranny
1	Rights are inherent in, and unalienable from, individuals	Rights are granted/rescinded by the majority through the government
2	Fundamental rights are life, liberty, and property (absence of coercion)	Fundamental rights are food, housing, and healthcare (absence of necessity)
3	Property is owned by individuals who make decisions as to its use, improvement, and transfer	Property is owned by 'the public' with government officials making decisions as to its use, improvement, and transfer
4	Government exists to protect the rights of individuals	Government exists to plan and direct the resources of society
5	Government authority is decentralized in a federal system with limited and enumerated powers	Government authority is centralized in a national system with broad and necessarily intrusive powers
6	Government action is prescribed by rules fixed and announced beforehand	Government action is arbitrary and at the descretion of "czars" and planning boards
7	Economic activity is driven by a large number of small entities interacting according to simple rules	Economic activity is driven by a small number of large entities operating within the constraints of complex regulations
8	Effective innovation results from contrarian thinking, individual initiative, and the voluntary exchange of property	Efficient implementation of government planning requires conformity of opinion, collective action, and the coerced transfer of property
9	Standards of living for the many increase permanently as they utilize improved products and services conceived by the few	Standards of living for the many increase temporarily as they utilize property redistributed from the few
10	Altruism is using one's own resources in concrete acts to help specific individuals	Altruism is obligating the resources of others for broad-brush programs to help mankind in the abstract

Rights exists solely as a way to fairly decide whose will shall prevail in cases where two or more people disagree. They do not exist for the purpose of enslaving one person for the benefit of another (e.g., the "right" to free medical care.)

Liberty is the right to do whatever does not infringe the rights of others. Rights empower you to help yourself, free from interference by others.

Tyranny makes you a serf to be used by the elite to further their own power. Once upon a time, the nobility used religion to convince the serfs they had to serve the nobility. Modernly, the elite use good people's feelings of altruism to convince them to enslave both themselves and their neighbors. It's basically the same con game, just using a more sophisticated hook.

[USFRIENDINVICTORIA]

How does the size of the crowd compare to the Inauguration Day crowd — which the Washington Post put at 1.8 million people?

[sourcery]

The rally was embraced, after some hesitation, by congressional Republicans, some of whom were leery of associating with the more incendiary elements of Obama's opposition.

United we stand. Divided we fall.

[NorwegianViking]

Awesome shots! Thanks for helping put this in the magnitude that it deserves!

[jennyjenny]

We made note of that as well. They place was possibly more clean when it was over than when we arrived. We've been to DC a few times to counter the “hundreds of millions” (/s) of anti-war protests and they ALWAYS left their trash all over the grounds and streets. It was truly embarrassing.

[Freedom2specul8]

Are you thread hopping with your be happy with it phrase??????

Thread hopper!! ;-)

[savedbygrace]

The important thing isn’t whether there were 500,000 or 2,000,000 at the D. C. rally.

The important thing is that there are many times more than that who were not abler to make it to D. C.

We are many millions. Underestimate us at your own political peril, Future Former Speaker Pelosi.