Tea Party March 16 Protest Turnout: Democrats MOCK Smaller-Than-Expected Crowd

[babylonsister]

Tea Party March 16 Protest Turnout: Democrats MOCK Smaller-Than-Expected Crowd

First Posted: 03-16-10 04:15 PM | Updated: 03-16-10 04:30 PM


Despite the Tea Party movement's high hopes for Tuesday's Capitol Hill rally to kill health care reform -- an event that featured appearances by numerous GOP lawmakers -- it appears the crowd was not as large as expected.

Tea Party organizers reported that somewhere between 1,000 and 2,000 people gathered today in Washington D.C.

But the Democratic National Committee estimates placed the number of attendees at a mere 300, an amount that they later mocked and used as evidence that "the air is out of the tea party balloon," as DNC spokeswoman Brandi Hoffine said, according to the Hill.

"Today's dismal showing on Capitol Hill coupled with the turnout we're seeing at health reform rallies across the country where supporters are outnumbering opponents by three to one and four to one clearly demonstrates that the momentum is squarely on the side of those who support reform," Hoffine continued.

"I've been to birthday parties that drew more people," the communications director for the Democratic National Committee, Brad Woodhouse, told Politico in an email.

:rofl:

more...

http://www.huffingtonpost.com/2010/03/16/tea-party-march-16-protes_n_501352.html

[Bozita]

1. Ratigan just showed a wide shot of the demonstration. IMHO, looked like about 100, half reporters

I'm sure estimates will be in the hundreds of thousands by sundown.

[Cha]

3. Right..the corporatemedia just can't give a correct number

whether it's underestimating or overesttimating..whatever agenda they have at that particular point in time.

[Cha]

2. I'm thinking Virginia Thomas wife of SC5 Clarence Thomas

is getting ready to put that air back in the balloon.. with the help of the SC5's ruling to relax corp money into politics.

http://www.democraticunderground.com/discuss/duboard.php?az=view_all&address=433x224792

It needs to be pointed out how few there were today since the corporatemedia who is deep fried in the pockets of the gop is always trying to pump the little teabaggers up.

[Morning Dew]

4. Mocking teabaggers is good sport and should be done no matter the size of the crowd.

[yellowcanine]

5. "Somewhere between 1,000 and 2,000..." Ok I am guessing they multiplied by 10.

175 max. And I love that they are championing the cause of Alexander Hamilton - apparently they have not heard about the smackdown of Dick Armey on Hamilton revealing that he was a big central government guy who defended the Constitutionality of a national debt and a national bank - two favorite teabagger whipping boys.

[juno jones]

9. REALLY?

They're quoting Mister "Federalist" Hamilton the anti-Jefferson in defense of their claims?


This I gotta see. :popcorn:


No doubt with age, those founding fathers all tend to look alike.

[yellowcanine]

12. History is not exactly a strong point with the douchebagger crowd.

Armey when challenged on the point of the Federalist Papers (greatest thing before sliced bread according to Armey) and Hamilton being a strong central government kind of guy basically said, "I don't think that is really true." And sure enough - right there amongst the bagger signs are Hamilton quotes. As I said, history is not a strong point with this crowd.

[juno jones]

15. Thanks.

I guess they didn't have the benefit of my dogged US history teacher.

And after reading Gore Vidals novel, I always had a soft spot for Burr :)...

[louis-t]

6. What # did the GOP speakers tell the sheep to use?

"Tell them there were 50,000 people here today."

[Bitwit1234]

7. But Fox will photoshop it in to thousands and so will Bachmann

the idiot.

[Liberal In Texas]

8. I want to know how many of those dozens that showed were paid to be there.

Many of the signs looked professionally designed and printed in full color. Not cheap.

[babylonsister]

10. Maybe the RNC made them? That would follow a pattern...

http://www.democraticunderground.com/discuss/duboard.php?az=view_all&address=389x7924385

RNC Blacks Out ‘Paid for by RNC’ Line on Tea Party Signs

[Liberal In Texas]

11. Huh, interesting. But I would think there's a lot of private and foundation money willing to stoke

up the TPers with transportation, signs, accommodations, per diems, etc.

Not to mention there have to be GOP staffers sent to expand and incite the crowd. We all still remember the Brooks Brothers riot in Florida. They'll do anything.

[JackBeck]

13. We were down in DC today to lobby for ENDA.

Not only were we unimpressed with their turn-out, as we walked to meetings around Rayburn and Cannon, we overheard many staff and Congress members openly mocking the tea party movement.

I saw a few birthers, but the weirdest sign I saw read "Pelosi Spits in America's Face".

Just the flip the script for just a minute, but weren't these the same people who mocked us for protesting the war by accusing us of being lazy liberals, who should be spending their time looking for a job, rather than protesting?

[Arkana]

14. Well, it's kinda hard to keep a movement going when all your members

keep dying of anger strokes.

[rox63]

16. NPR was reporting it as "several hundred" protesters yesterday

Not exactly revolution-sized crowds there, Bagsters.

[JohnnyBoots]

17. I bet you most of those people were Hill GOP Staffers. NT

[hobbit709]

18. Like the freeper rallies, more portapotties than people.