calfoxwc Posted September 13, 2009 Report Share Posted September 13, 2009 Tens of Thousands Protest Obama Initiatives and Government Spending By Emma Brown, James Hohmann and Perry Bacon Jr. Washington Post Staff Writers Sunday, September 13, 2009 [/size] Tens of thousands of conservative protesters, many complaining that the nation is racing toward socialism, massed outside the U.S. Capitol on Saturday, angrily denouncing President Obama's health-care plan and other initiatives as threats to the Constitution. The crowd -- loud, animated and sprawling -- gathered at the West Front of the Capitol after a march along Pennsylvania Avenue NW from Freedom Plaza. Invocations of God and former president Ronald Reagan by an array of speakers drew loud cheers that echoed across the Mall. On a windy, overcast afternoon, hundreds of yellow "Don't Tread on Me" flags flapped in the breeze. "Hell hath no fury like a taxpayer ignored," declared Andrew Moylan, head of government affairs for the National Taxpayers Union, urging protesters to call their representatives. The demonstrators roared their approval. "We own the dome!" they chanted, pointing at the Capitol. The demonstrators are part of a loose-knit movement that is galvanizing anti-Obama sentiment across the country, stoking a populist dimension to the Republican Party, which has struggled to find its voice since the 2008 elections. With Democrats in control of Congress, battling the president legislatively has been difficult. But after a spring of anti-tax rallies and summer health-care protests proved to be effective, a growing number of GOP leaders are dropping their wariness and seeing the political possibilities of latching onto this freewheeling coalition. Others are cautious about embracing views that can be seen as extremist. The protests in recent months come as Obama is trying to regain control of the health-care debate and bolster public confidence in his leadership. Authorities in the District do not give official crowd estimates, but Saturday's throng appeared to number in the many tens of thousands. A sea of people surrounded the Capitol reflecting pool, spilling across Third Street and along the Mall. The sound system did not reach far enough for people at the edges of the rally to hear the speakers onstage. "You will not spend the money of our children and our grandchildren to feed an overstuffed government," Rep. Tom Price (R-Ga.) said of the Obama administration, drawing raucous applause. "Our history is decorated by those who endured the burden of defending freedom," Price said. "Now a new generation of patriots has emerged. You are those patriots." The group's sponsors included FreedomWorks, a Washington-based group headed by former House majority leader Richard Armey (R-Tex.), and the groups Tea Party Patriots and ResistNet. They and others involved in the rally comprise a loose coalition of conservative groups that helped organize the health-care and anti-tax demonstrations in the spring and summer. "Health care is not listed anywhere in the Constitution," said Brian Burnell, 45, who owns an insurance company on Maryland's Eastern Shore. His placard read, "How Is That Hopey Changey Thing Workin' Out For Ya?" "You want socialism?" said Susan Clark, a District resident marching with a bullhorn. "Go to Russia!" The huge turnout indicated the growing frustration with Obama among conservative activists and showed that his nationally televised speech Wednesday did little to move his political opponents on health care. Although it is unclear whether the demonstrators represent a large segment of voters or even of Republicans, Saturday's march illustrated that activists, some of whom are not enthusiastic about the GOP, have been galvanized. The White House declined to comment on the demonstration, but Democrats said the rally and other protests in recent months represent a small minority of voters and will not slow Obama's proposals. "There is a lot of intensity on the far right to defeat the president's agenda, but I am not sure that holding up signs that say we have to bury health reform with Senator Kennedy will go over well with moderates and independent voters," said Doug Thornell, an adviser to Rep. Chris Van Hollen (D-Md.). Saturday's demonstrators spanned the spectrum of conservative anger at Obama, including opponents of his tax, spending and health-care plans and protesters who question his U.S. citizenship and compare his administration to the Nazi regime. Most signs were handmade: "Socialism is UnAmerican," "King George Didn't Listen Either!" "Terrorists Won't Destroy America, Congress Will!" and "The American Dream R.I.P." Many protesters carried the now-familiar poster of Obama made up to look like the Joker, captioned "Socialism." "Nobody's standing up for us, so we have to stand up for ourselves," said Phil Chancey, 66, who drove to Washington from Clinton, Tenn. "We're all endangered!" shouted Dave Rue, 67, a retired Mobil Oil employee who traveled to Washington from New Jersey. "We're endangered because they're pushing socialism on us." Some came to protest what they see as government interference with gun ownership. Shaun Bryant, 40, a leadership trainer, was among eight people who flew in from Salt Lake City. They fashioned a sign with a drawing of an AR-15 assault rifle and the words, "We came unarmed from Montana and Utah . . . this time!" Debbie Wilson, 51, of Apollo Beach, Fla., flew to Washington a week ago, driving to Colonial Williamsburg with her husband for sightseeing before the rally. "We want our country to go back to the roots of doing what our Founding Fathers wanted us to do -- less government in every aspect of my life," she said. "We walked the streets of Williamsburg, and it felt like we were learning how to be a patriot." Dozens of signs mentioned Rep. Joe Wilson (R-S.C.), who heckled Obama during a Wednesday night speech to Congress. Dee Meredith, 62, of Callao, Va., said she had never heard of Wilson before he shouted at the president, "You lie!" At the rally, Meredith waved a placard: "Thank You Joe Wilson." "We're the forgotten people," she said, "and he's given us a voice." When Armey, speaking to the crowd, referred to Obama having pledged to uphold the Constitution, the protesters shouted at the president in absentia: "Liar! Liar!" Jeff Mapps, 29, a stagehand and labor union member from South Philadelphia, left home about 6 a.m. to attend the protest. He said he had not been involved in previous demonstrations but that he watches Fox News host Glenn Beck "all the time" and wanted to be part of an event that he thinks will be historic. Beck had drummed up support for the march. Holding a sign that said "Preserve, Protect, Defend" on a Red Line Metro train packed with conservative activists, Mapps fretted over a "blatant disregard for the Constitution." "We've been watching it for six to eight months," he said. "It was finally an opportunity to get involved. It's been boiling over. . . . It's not just about health care. It's about so much more than that." Anna Hayes, 58, a nurse from Fairfax County, stood on the Mall in 1981 for Reagan's inauguration. "The same people were celebrating freedom," she said. "The president was fighting for the people then. I remember those years very well and fondly." Deriding what she called "Obamacare," Hayes said: "This is the first rally I've been to that demonstrates against something, the first in my life. I just couldn't stay home anymore." Staff writers Joel Achenbach, Paul Duggan, Dan Eggen and Anne E. Kornblut contributed to this report. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
calfoxwc Posted September 13, 2009 Author Report Share Posted September 13, 2009 If Heck had nads, he'd admit Obama was a mistake. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
calfoxwc Posted September 13, 2009 Author Report Share Posted September 13, 2009 Thousands Rally in Capital to Protest Big Government Amanda Lucidon for The New York Times A crowd marched toward the Capitol as people from around the country gathered to express their discontent with the government. More Photos > By JEFF ZELENY Published: September 12, 2009 WASHINGTON — A sea of protesters filled the west lawn of the Capitol and spilled onto the National Mall on Saturday in the largest rally against President Obama since he took office, a culmination of a summer-long season of protests that began with opposition to a health care overhaul and grew into a broader dissatisfaction with government. http://graphics8.nytimes.com/images/2009/0...protest_600.jpg Brendan Smialowski/Getty Images Protesters gather and wave flags on Capitol Hill during the Tea Party Express rally on Saturday in Washington, DC. More Photos » Amanda Lucidon for The New York Times Protesters in Washington D.C. during a rally on Saturday. More Photos > On a cloudy and cool day, the demonstrators came from all corners of the country, waving American flags and handwritten signs explaining the root of their frustrations. Their anger stretched well beyond the health care legislation moving through Congress, with shouts of support for gun rights, lower taxes and a smaller government. But as they sang verse after verse of patriotic hymns like “God Bless America,” sharp words of profane and political criticism were aimed at Mr. Obama and Congress. Dick Armey, a former House Republican leader whose group Freedomworks helped organize the protest, stood before the crowd and led the rallying cries in nearly the same spot where Mr. Obama took his oath of office eight months ago. “He pledged a commitment of fidelity to the United States Constitution,” Mr. Armey said, suggesting that Mr. Obama was in violation of what the founding fathers intended the size and scope of the government to be. “Liar! Liar! Liar! Liar!” the crowd shouted back, echoing the accusation that Representative Joe Wilson, Republican of South Carolina, hurled at the president three days earlier during his address to Congress. The demonstrators numbered well into the tens of thousands, though the police declined to estimate the size of the crowd. Many came on their own and were not part of an organization or group. But the magnitude of the rally took the authorities by surprise, with throngs of people streaming from the White House to Capitol Hill for more than three hours. The atmosphere was rowdy at times, with signs and images casting Mr. Obama in a demeaning light. One sign called him the “parasite in chief.” Others likened him to Hitler. Several people held up preprinted signs saying, “Bury Obama Care with Kennedy,” a reference to the Massachusetts senator whose body passed by the Capitol two weeks earlier to be memorialized. Other signs did not focus on Mr. Obama, but rather on the government at large, promoting gun rights, tallying the national deficit and deploring illegal immigrants living in the United States. Still, many demonstrators expressed their views without a hint of rage. They said the size of the crowd illustrated that their views were shared by a broader audience. “I want Congress to be afraid,” said Keldon Clapp, 45, an unemployed marketing representative who recently moved to Tennessee from Connecticut after losing his job. “Like everyone else here, I want them to know that we’re watching what they’re doing. And they do work for us.” As Mr. Obama traveled to Minnesota on Saturday to rally support for his health care plan, he flew over the assembling crowd in Marine One. The helicopter could be seen flying overhead as the demonstrators marched down Pennsylvania Avenue. “This is not some kind of radical right-wing group,” Senator Jim DeMint, Republican of South Carolina, said in an interview as dozens of people streamed by him. “I just hope the Congress, the Senate and the president recognize that people are afraid of what’s going on.” Mr. DeMint and a few Republican legislators were the only party leaders on hand for the demonstration. Republican officials said privately that they were pleased by the turnout but wary of the anger directed at all politicians. And most of those who turned out were not likely to have been Obama voters anyway. Protesters came by bus, car and airplane, arriving here from Texas and Tennessee, New Mexico and New Hampshire, Ohio and Oregon. The messages on their signs told of an intense distrust of the government, which several people said began long before Mr. Obama took office. For the most part, Democrats stayed silent on Saturday, with the exception of a small group of counterdemonstrators who gathered behind a roadblock to protest what they called a “right-wing rally.” Many were members of the clergy, who said they were concerned about misinformation propagated by opponents of health care legislation. “We’d like to have an honest debate,” said Chris Korzen, director of the nonprofit Catholics United. “I don’t see a lot of substance here.” While there was no shortage of vitriol among protesters, there was also an air of festivity. A band of protesters in colonial gear wended through the crowd, led by a bell ringer in a tricorn hat calling for revolution. A folk singer belting out a protest ballad on a guitar brought cheers. In conversations with demonstrators, people identified themselves as Republicans, libertarians, independents and former Democrats. Several speakers denounced the Obama administration’s health care plan as “socialism.” A few Confederate flags waved in the air, but there were hundreds of American flags and chants of, “U.S.A.! U.S.A.! U.S.A.!” A young girl held a sign saying, “Don’t redistribute the wealth of my Barbies.” Ruth Lobbs, 57, a schoolteacher from Jacksonville, Fla., said she flew to Washington on Saturday to protest how she believes the government has violated the Constitution. She said she did not vote for the president, adding that her anger has been building for years. “It’s more than Obama — this isn’t a Republican or a Democratic issue,” Ms. Lobbs said as she held a yellow flag that declared, “Don’t Tread on Me.” “I don’t know if anything will come of this or not,” she said, “but this is a peaceful way of showing our frustration.” Theo Emery and Ashley Southall contributed reporting. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Mr. T Posted September 14, 2009 Report Share Posted September 14, 2009 Up to two million march to US Capitol to protest against Obama's spending Obama, Can You Here me Now? Lots of pics! The size of the crowd - by far the biggest protest since the president took office in January - shocked the White House. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
calfoxwc Posted September 14, 2009 Author Report Share Posted September 14, 2009 We have a culture war starting. It started with the communist flag being waved at an Obama victory celebration. Then with a COMMUNIST put in Obama's admin by Obama himself. And now, the evidence of the Obama lies and corruption has gotten an AMERICAN reaction. Meanwhiole, a HALF MILLION black voters who voted for Obama now have buyer's remorse. Obama is the most dishonest, anti-American, anti-Israel president, the most divisive... in our entire American history. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Mr. T Posted September 15, 2009 Report Share Posted September 15, 2009 The media downplay or ignore what does not suit them (again) Two million people go to Washington DC to protest universal health care reform and their out-of-control Congress on Saturday and on Sunday Morning’s Meet the Press the protest isn’t even mentioned. As it was the largest protest in American history you now have positive proof that our media is not just biased but criminally complicit in failing to carry out the duties our Constitution gave them to report the facts not their political bias (by omission). What galls me is two Republicans being interviewed claimed that they agreed with 80% of the HR 3200 plan. They remained silent while the Democrats said to them “You don’t have a plan” and “You can’t be for nothing, you have to be for something.” Well folks NO WE DON’T. We are not for their plan or any part of it as written. We don’t believe the President when he says he won’t add one dime to the deficit when his own government budget office says it will add over $2 trillion. from Dick McDonald of the Ownership Society Institute. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
heckofajobbrownie Posted September 15, 2009 Report Share Posted September 15, 2009 There weren't two million people. You just believe evertthing you hear. There were somewhere between 50 and 70 thousand, which is a respectable showing. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
calfoxwc Posted September 15, 2009 Author Report Share Posted September 15, 2009 50-70 THOUSAND is RESPECTABLE? I beg to differ. That many Americans from all walks of life is a huge message, a profound number of Americans protesting. Especially, when the Leftist Dems and the Obama admin want to ignore them. Not good. Ten protesters against anything conservative = "the people have spoken" 50-70 THOUSAND against anything marxist and wrong. is only "respectable, but we can ignore them" Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Mr. T Posted September 15, 2009 Report Share Posted September 15, 2009 There weren't two million people. You just believe evertthing you hear. There were somewhere between 50 and 70 thousand, which is a respectable showing. And they were comparing the photos to that of the inauguration and they were equal in numbers. and so does the white house staffers. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Mr. T Posted September 15, 2009 Report Share Posted September 15, 2009 We Don't Get Fooled Again A tribute to all Tea Party, Town Hall and 9.12 Patriots. Crank Up The Volume! Crank Up The Protests! We CAN Stop This Insanity! Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Mr. T Posted September 17, 2009 Report Share Posted September 17, 2009 Not a bad View........ how many did they count? hmmmm. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Guest mz. Posted September 17, 2009 Report Share Posted September 17, 2009 Up to two million march to US Capitol to protest against Obama's spending Man, that's a lot of mullets in the same place... Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Chicopee John Posted September 17, 2009 Report Share Posted September 17, 2009 Man, that's a lot of mullets in the same place... mullet –noun Heraldry. a starlike charge having five points unless a greater number is specified, used esp. as the cadency mark of a third son. Also, molet. Also called American star, Scottish star. -------------------------------------------------------------------------------- Origin: 1350–1400; ME molet < OF molete rowel of a spur, equiv. to mole millstone (F meule) + -ette -ette Dictionary.com Unabridged Based on the Random House Dictionary, © Random House, Inc. 2009. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Kosar_For_President Posted September 17, 2009 Report Share Posted September 17, 2009 So NOW the Left Wingers are the minority. Sucks doesn't it. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Kosar_For_President Posted September 17, 2009 Report Share Posted September 17, 2009 mullet –noun Heraldry. a starlike charge having five points unless a greater number is specified, used esp. as the cadency mark of a third son. Also, molet. Also called American star, Scottish star. It also a fish and Cal's cousin Billy Bob Jo. He's thinking about how the hell he's going to put his kids through college and get health care. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Chicopee John Posted September 17, 2009 Report Share Posted September 17, 2009 I didn't know that Cal and Travis Tritt were related!! Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Mr. T Posted September 17, 2009 Report Share Posted September 17, 2009 Are you ready for a revolution? Gordon gets an e-mail from a veteran who predicts we're on the verge of one. The G. Gordon Liddy Show - 9-17-09 H3 Listen to download Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Chicopee John Posted September 17, 2009 Report Share Posted September 17, 2009 From my brother friend who specializes in all things urban: Pronounced "MUHL LET" A hairstyle in which the front is cut trim, but the back is long, left wild and often uncut. Even when the back is cut, it is still longer than the front. It is the sign of the redneck. Alternate names include: Ape Drape. Beaver Paddle. Bi - Level. Camero Cut. Buisness in the front, Party in the back. Canadian passport. Coupe Longveuil. El-camino. Hockey hair. Kentucky waterfall. Missouri comprimise. Mudflap. Neckwarmer. Ranchero. Shlonc (short + long). Achy-breaky-bad-mistakey. Soccer rocker. Squirrel pelt. Tennessee tophat. Yep-nope Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Legacy Fan Posted September 17, 2009 Report Share Posted September 17, 2009 More names: 10-90 (10% up front, 90% in the back), The Bolton, Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
calfoxwc Posted September 17, 2009 Author Report Share Posted September 17, 2009 My cousin isn't that guy. I've been slimed ! @@ I didn't know K would post a picture of himself. That's gross, the truck needs a paint job... if I did have a cousin that looks like that, he'd be disowned. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Kosar_For_President Posted September 17, 2009 Report Share Posted September 17, 2009 My cousin isn't that guy. I've been slimed ! @@ I didn't know K would post a picture of himself. That's gross, the truck needs a paint job... if I did have a cousin that looks like that, he'd be disowned. Yea right you were holding hands at the Tea Bag Party. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Kosar_For_President Posted September 17, 2009 Report Share Posted September 17, 2009 From my brother friend who specializes in all things urban: Pronounced "MUHL LET" A hairstyle in which the front is cut trim, but the back is long, left wild and often uncut. Even when the back is cut, it is still longer than the front. It is the sign of the redneck. Alternate names include: Ape Drape. Beaver Paddle. Bi - Level. Camero Cut. Buisness in the front, Party in the back. Canadian passport. Coupe Longveuil. El-camino. Hockey hair. Kentucky waterfall. Missouri comprimise. Mudflap. Neckwarmer. Ranchero. Shlonc (short + long). Achy-breaky-bad-mistakey. Soccer rocker. Squirrel pelt. Tennessee tophat. Yep-nope Tennessee Waterfall, party in the front and business in the back. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
DieHardBrownsFan Posted September 17, 2009 Report Share Posted September 17, 2009 Man, that's a lot of mullets in the same place... Is this type of slam really necessary mz the pussy? Can't we have intelligent discussion in here without insulting each other? Please try and refrain from this in the future. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
choco Posted September 17, 2009 Report Share Posted September 17, 2009 mz the pussy.'s always accusing folks of posting useless drivel......how could this happen? Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Guest mz. Posted September 17, 2009 Report Share Posted September 17, 2009 The Browns Board Political Forum...Home of the Intelligent and Civilized. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
ballpeen Posted September 17, 2009 Report Share Posted September 17, 2009 Anybody can have a dumb moment, but people who are generally smart don't stay dumb for long. President Obama has lost his luster faster than any president I can remember, and President Eisenhower isn't just some faded memory from my youth. That belongs to President Truman. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
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