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The Organizing for America health insurance reform rally Sunday night at the electrical workers’ union hall in St. Louis had to be held on the parking lot because the hall only holds 500. There were maybe three times that many people there. Clark laid out the basics of what happened, and I’ll riff a little bit off of that.
We knew ahead of time that the Tea Partiers were hoping to drum up more supporters than we did for our own rally.
Sunday, August 30 at 6:45 p.m. at the IBEW Hall on Elizabeth and Hampton. The ObamaCare crowd is busing in activists to chant in favor of socialized medicine. Let’s show them we care about healthcare by OUTNUMBERING them on their own turf. The show starts at 7:00, so get their [sic] early.
Match our numbers? Right. As if. Clark’s estimate that there were 75 of them was, I thought, generous. But the teabaggers had one fact straight. We did bus in activists. There must have been, oh, eight or ten of them on that OFA bus.
If I think Clark’s estimate of 75 is a little generous, he and I agree on one important point: what lame excuses for rational human beings the Tea Partiers are. They were only there to disrupt. They sob hysterically at town halls on behalf of insurance company profits and they feign concern about the deficit–now that they’ve let Bush run the economy into the ground. So it was with satisfaction that I watched a few ACORN members start up a “What do we want? Health care! When do we want it? Now!” chant (see Clark’s video) that drowned out the other side. The numbers shouting on each side were about equal, but those ACORN folk, they’ve had experience with standing on street corners pouring their souls and their tonsils into chants for justice. Finally the pro reform people got tired of making the teabaggers look silly and wandered away. Only then could I tell what the other side had to say, and I’m not going to tell you what it was. To get the full effect, you have to listen to their pitiful rendition of a chant.
That OFA bus is hitting at least one city a day, from Phoenix to Fargo to Pittsburgh, trying to rev up the troops and turn the tide against those resisting this reform. What those “bused in activists” want is for us to be talking about the need for reform and about the public option to anyone, including representatives and senators, who will listen. Let’s do it.
WillyK said:
one — at their first local manifestation vis-a-vis town halls, the meeting that AFP set up with a McCaskill staffer, I don’t think there were more than about 300-400 people in attendance and a portion of those were not teapartiers, but folks that came out to lobby for clean energy. The two teaparty types that I spoke too were from Central Missouri, and many of those who asked questions indicated that they weren’t from St. Louis. Drawing from all over the state, 200-300 bodies was the best they could do.
I know that they have dominated some of the health care events, but often it is hard to determine actual numbers since they locate themselves stragegically within the crowd.
UMSL Blog said:
Great piece ty ty!!
Soutier was the best speaker there! They all rocked, but Soutier was so smooth and clear. It’s funny you, could see the flags and banners back in the alley/side street but they got quiet when Bob kicked it in. They couldn’t help but listen.
Same for Lewis Reed. He powered them down and threw the FAMILY VALUES grenade! BOOM! This is a families values issue! It was like a jolt of electricity! Again the “baggers” stirred a bit but quieted down and then began to leave. They sulked down the alley dragging their hating little signs with them! PWNT!
Robin Wright-Jones was there! My State Senator!
Byron DeLear said:
..the complete speeches, check out my google phone videos I shot from about 20 feet from the stage. The video quality’s not so hot, but you can hear most of the speeches — when the crowd isn’t vocalizing their support for reform. Yes We Can!
On another note, a VP from NewsCorp and member of Wall Street Journal’s Editorial Board was just on Washington Journal trying to shut down reform. The calls in opposition as opposed to support were 2-7. The guy was beet red after a while.
merch said:
Here’s the Media Coverage
Here’s the coverage from channel 2, as well: http://www.fox2now.com/ktvi-he…
Subject: CHANNEL 5 COVERAGE
Hundreds gather for healthcare reform rally
http://www.ksdk.com/news/healt…
VIDEO (lookin’ good!)
http://www.ksdk.com/video/defa…