I just got back from a Tea Party here in SE Texas. They allocated for 1000 cars to park and packed in 2000. I'm sure the hotel lot next door and the post office across the street carried some overflow too. Cars kept driving by and honking so I know the crowd would have been larger if there had been more room. Great rally, and another planned for the 4th of July.
I would bet most of the people there had never been to a political protest in their lives. We've been quite complacent about letting other people protest and demand from us. I think we have finally had enough and are pushing back.