Keeping Fear Alive
I must admit, I'd been a little skeptical of the Stewart/Colbert rally when it first was announced. I was concerned that while Comedy Central fans streamed to Washington for a day of feel-good entertainment, teabaggers would be at home in their communities, doggedly going through voter rolls and knocking on doors. And I also imagined that the Mall might fill with the legions of heterogeneous, snickering twenty-something hipsters that I thought might attend a joke rally like this. Not necessarily my kind of peeps.
Today, though, I was out for my morning breakfast at Sticky Buns and early in the morning, crowds were already gathering and heading southward (though temporarily distracted by a giant dragon mounted on a truck at 14th and Irving). It evoked some of the same feeling that had come with the Obama inaugural. So I decided to head down and check it out. I ignored the ill-considered and questionable advice given by WABA to not ride a bike to the event, rode down easily and parked near the FBI building and walked the rest of the way.
The crowds were impressive -- such that it was impossible to get anywhere near the stage, and I could barely hear anything (although I did hear a few strains from Ozzy Osbourne's "Crazy Train -- whoo!) All that was left to do was wander around people-watching. But that was OK, because with Halloween upon us, there were plenty of oddities to view, and it was a beautiful day.
Although Stewart and Colbert left the purpose of their rally ambiguous, the people that came took ownership of it. Above all, the day was a huge rebuttal to Glenn Beck, Sarah Palin, and the teabaggers, by a diverse crowd representing all ages, all walks of life, and seemingly from all over. This gathering effectively refudiated the claims by the right to represent the "real America."
Was it worth it? Signs still point to a disastrous teabagger takeover on November 2. But if today's events reminded even some people of the spirit of 2008, makes the media a little less accepting of Tea Party claims to represent the heartland, and motivates people to vote who might not otherwise have bothered, then yes, it was worth it.
Here's the slideshow:
2 comments:
Upon reading recaps of Saturday's rally, I am beginning to discover that someone forgot to inform me of the requirements to attend.
Because I am one of those Libertarian-leaning, Iraq war veteran, nearly Tea Party types, and, yet, I found my experience at Saturday's rally totally fulfilling.
It was politically mellow and much more so then reviews (not yours particularly) keep informing me it was. It all felt like a big Halloween party to me. I really enjoyed the event.
I'm glad you enjoyed it. It was politically mellow, and very much unlike any Tea Party rally. And that's exactly the point.
Also, with all respect -- I don't know what you mean by "one of those Libertarian-leaning, Iraq war veteran, nearly Tea Party types," which suggests those three things belong together. And yet, there are plenty of Iraq war veterans who are adamantly opposed to the right wing and Tea Party agenda.
Post a Comment