I was in DC on Jan. 20th when there were 2 million people inside the park. There were another 2 million outside the park trying to get in. During that day, the Metro was totally overwhelmed running nonstop, even bringing in extra trains just to keep up. None of that happened this past Saturday. Mass transit wasn't even affected.
All throughout Bush's two terms, there were numerous protests well close to the million mark. None of these marches, of course, were advertised on cable news 24/7, or being promoted by one of the most popular cable talk shows on television. They were simply spontaneous grass roots movements organized not by the media. We can't say the same about the Tea Baggers so I can understand their embarrassment when their attendance numbers are dwarfed by silly war protesters and people full of Bush hatred syndrome. I'm almost embarrassed for them.
*Update:
Amanda at Pandagon makes a great point about the need for Republicans to lie about turnout numbers. It's really second nature for Republicans to not only lie about such easily discredited things, but to also take them on and just keep lying about them. The people lying about 2 million Tea Baggers are the same people that lied about death panels, killing old people, concentration camps, socialist takeovers, free health care for illegals, fake birth certificates and ultimately gave us 8 Great years of George W. Bush. They are the very same people. None of us should be terribly surprised that exposing their lies only makes them lie more.
**Update:
I love this quote by Tea Bagger organizer Brendan Steinhauser describing all the nut sacks involved.
[Tea Baggers] should be put in the same category as Martin Luther King's historic march on Washington for civil rights or the Vietnam War protests. It was "definitely the largest conservative protest in American history," he told me, "and it's really not received the coverage it deserves."Never mind the first part about being in the same category as the Civil Rights movement, I can't think of anything more ridiculous than that. The people affected by the Civil Rights movement were being denied many basic freedoms, like the right to vote. Tea Baggers are just mad their guy didn't win. There's a huge difference between the two.
It's the second part that really sums this up. Uuuuhhhh when was there ever a "conservative protest?" I can't really think of any. Unless you want to consider torch baring crowds in the South demanding slavery for people like Obama after Lincoln's election, but other than that I really can't think of any.
I do know one thing, this is not conservatism:
That's a sign from a wonderful Great American Patriot at Fox News' 9/12 Tea Bagger event. {"when we smell the burning flesh from the ovens it will be too late for us all"}-- truly sickening
That kind of stuff has nothing to do with conservatism or its movement. Conservatism used to be fresh with ideas of controlling government and keeping its focus on people by emphasizing individual liberties and restraint when necessary. What they had on Saturday is unrecognizable to conservatism. Saturday was just a bunch of crazy, angry people who watch Fox News all day long and listen to a drug addict for advice and think 8 years of George Bush has nothing to do with why government is the way it is today. Crazy is mainstream for the GOP.
