It was a great day. There were two rallies. Actually, one rally and one press conference. The press conference was on East Capitol near the steps and hosted by Steve King. It went from 9-12 and then 2-5. The rally was on the West side on the mall and went for. 12-2.
The press conference probably had 1,000 to 1,500 attend and was a more intimate and casual affair with the crowd able to freely interact with the representatives. Pretty cool, actually. When it started up again at 2 pm after the rally, Glenn Beck got up around 2:15 and gave a few words for 15 minutes or so. At that point, there were only 200-300 there. It was very casual. Michele and Steve were there as well. Around 2:30 or so, the reps had to go for a vote and Beck had to go as well. If you get a chance to see a vid of his remarks at the press conference, it is very much worth the time.
The rally was a pretty good size. For those who were at the 2010 rally quickly organized by Michele Bachmann, it was about that size. I think that one was 25,000. Glenn’s speach was good. Tough. Not pandering and challenging the crowd; at times to awkward silence like when he called them out on Foxxconn and their iPhones. Good stuff. Important. When he finished, I headed over to PA and 2 to grab some food and charge my phone (yes, iPhone)
As I said, a great day. Lots of red meat for tea partiers but also a sense a seriousness and urgency I have not felt before at these rallies.
I tweeted it @pberry1_98
25,000 is a decent turnout for such short notice. That’s good news.
Great after-action report! Thanks for being there for those of us who couldn’t!
I agree with you about the feeling in the crowd. Mostly Medicare-eligible folks attending (as am I), pleasant but serious. Many people wore matching tea shirts proclaiming the names of their local organizations, and they were from many different states. Two people I spoke to were from Texas.
I was delighted to see young people with big signs also. It wasn't only grannies and grandpas, although we are the ones with free time to attend this important event.
Great after-action report... thanks!