There were (State Patrol estimate, as reported by various news agencies) 5,000 people in Olympia, WA today for the Tax Day Tea Party there. It was perhaps the largest crowd I've ever performed to.
All the speakers were great. State Auditor Brian Sonntag (D) and Senator Janea Holmquist (R) showed, as expected, great bipartisanship in calling for fiscal responsibility and respect for the rights of the people.
And this guy showed he wasn't giving up hope that the Sonics won't leave Seattle.
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Overall a great day. Couldn't have asked for more. Having that many people on that day at the Capitol surely sent a message to Olympia. Gregoire campaigned on no tax increases. She realized that she needed to say that to win a majority vote in this state, but many Democrats in Olympia want to raise taxes anyway. We reminded them that the voters are still watching.
The TV coverage wasn't great. KIRO barely mentioned what happened, and didn't give any detail or interview anyone. The other three major local networks at least interviewed some people (KING and FOX put The Piper on camera!), and all three broadcasted intelligent responses and explanations from attendees rather than focusing in on some "crazies" to try to make the rest of the attendees look bad.
They didn't interrupt people or try to make inane arguments against them, like "reporter" Susan Roesgen from CNN in Chicago.
I can't recall seeing such a disgusting display from a "reporter" (sorry, I just can't bring myself to call her a reporter without quotes around it). Words can't easily express how completely unprofessional she was.
She complains about how a man shouldn't depict Obama as Hitler, arguing with the protestor that he shouldn't call Obama a fascist because "he's the President of the United States," and asking "do you know how offensive that is? (Never mind that two years ago, the very same reporter when confronted with a puppet of Bush as both Hitler and the devil, she offered no criticism of any kind.)
Then she goes over to a man with his child and asks him why he is there, and as he is explaining, she interrupts him to ask him what liberty has to do with taxes (duh); and then she won't let him answer that question, either, asserting that he is eligible for a $400 tax credit, implying that therefore he shouldn't be complaining.
She finally lets him try to finish answering the first question, and when he talks about people enjoying the fruit of their own labor, she interrupts again, saying that Illinois is getting $50 billion from the stimulus, as if that is in any way relevant.
She then walks away without letting him respond, and says, "I think you get the general tenor of this," when she's the one who did most of the talking (and interrupting, and arguing, and so on). Roesgen should have been fired on the spot. I suspect CNN will reprimand her, if not fire her. We'll see. If she had been on MSNBC, they probably would have promoted her to anchor.
If you're interested in the press coverage of the Tea Parties, I suggest you watch Reliable Sources on CNN this Sunday morning at 7 a.m. PT. Host Howard Kurtz has done a good job in the last year pointing out pro-Obama and anti-Republican bias, and I suspect he'll give Roesgen and others a good smackdown.
Cross-posted on <pudge/*>.
Posted by pudge at April 15, 2009 11:13 PM | Email ThisAllowing that kind of thing to go unanswered is NOT "good reporting" as you seem to believe.
Good on ya, Susan Roesgen.
Posted by: Steve Elliott ~alapoet~ on April 16, 2009 01:35 AMDo you understand how childish you sound? your locker room humor is what a 7th grader would use. Grow up. next you will be making fart jokes or something.
there were 100,000's of people across the nation that protested big government today. they were protesting you and your left-wing statist views. today was a good day for America and for freedom and liberty. It was a bad day for your Stalinist views.
Posted by: unseen on April 16, 2009 02:17 AMDo you understand how childish you sound? your locker room humor is what a 7th grader would use. Grow up. next you will be making fart jokes or something.
there were 100,000's of people across the nation that protested big government today. they were protesting you and your left-wing statist views. today was a good day for America and for freedom and liberty. It was a bad day for you Stalinist views.
Posted by: unseen on April 16, 2009 02:17 AMDo you understand how childish you sound? your locker room humor is what a 7th grader would use. Grow up. next you will be making fart jokes or something.
there were 100,000's of people across the nation that protested big government today. they were protesting you and your left-wing statist views. today was a good day for America and for freedom and liberty. It was a bad day for your Stalinist views.
Posted by: unseen on April 16, 2009 02:18 AMA post so good it deserves to be posted 3 times!
Isn't it funny how "reporters" are supposed to be defenders of Obama and the government now?
Again, the left wing crazies show themselves to be everything they always accused Bush of.
Posted by: johnny on April 16, 2009 06:14 AMI believe she will be deified by CNN. Hell, she'll probably get a pulitzer prize for her "reporting". Maybe even the Nobel peace prize.
I believe that's exactly how low the MSM "reporting" standards have fallen. But that's just me sayin'...
Posted by: Swibbie on April 16, 2009 08:00 AMUm, that CNN "reporter"'s arguments were, literally, entirely irrational.
Again: in response to him talking about liberty, she interrupted him and asked what that had to do with taxes. This was doubly irrational: she asked him why he was there, and he never mentioned taxes, so she had no reason to try to link it to taxes; further, it is absolutely self-evident what liberty has to do with taxes.
She then brings up a $400 tax credit, to tell him that he shouldn't be complaining about the other thousands he pays in taxes. Again, self-evidently irrational.
And when he started talking about not getting to make his own decisions about his property, she interrupts and says Illinois gets $50 billion in "stimulus," as though that argues against him in any way: in fact, it illustrates his argument, because he is the one paying for it, and he doesn't want to!
alapoet, she didn't call anyone on any nonsense: it's clearly demonstrated that she was the irrational one.
I am not implying, of course, that there are no rational arguments against what he said. But she offered none.
Posted by: pudge on April 16, 2009 08:34 AMTaxes & Overspending are strongly resonating Conservative issues.
Now if we can just get all the State Employees TOTAL COMPENSATION...
Salary + 30% Benefits + 16% for Paid time-off
No way will citizens vote for a tax increase to support over-the-top government TOTAL COMPENSATION PACKAGES...and excessive numbers of government employees.
Need to get the info out...you have a strong, Conservative base building.
The KLOWNS smoke way too much pot.
Heck, they can't even remember 1994!
Unseen @4, 5, & 6, says "there were 100,000's of people across the nation that protested big government".
"100,000's of people" Really? Where? I didn't see anywhere near that many people. Many of the venues had only a few hundred, some only a few dozen. Best accounts so far put the number at about 100,000 all told. Those are hardly the breathtaking numbers we were promised. Given the week long plus hype for this thing by Fox News, I'd have to say it flopped.
"protested big government". "big government" Whose "big government" were they protesting? Certainly not the "big government" of the last administration.
All the folks I heard interviewed wanted to talk about Obama, and they wanted to talk about him in very personal ways, like where he was, and wasn't born, and that he was a socialist, or a communist, or a fascist. A FASCIST.
Where does that come from? What evidence is there for calling him a fascist?
I'd have to conclude those people were protesting the fact their guy lost the last election and now we're going to try something different than tax cuts for the wealthy.
Unseen says "today was a good day for America and for freedom and liberty." He is correct. It was all of that and more.
It's a good day for America when a group of angry people, however large or small, can take to the streets and voice their opinions without violence. It's a good day for America when thousands of people can take to the streets and call their duly elected President the most vile political names they can think of and no one gets hurt. That's freedom of expression and one of the most important foundations of what makes this country great.
Yes.
Where? I didn't see anywhere near that many people.
Shrug. 538.com -- which leans left -- used mainstream media and law enforcement estimates to count over 100,000 people at 126 rallies. They did not include hundreds of other rallies. They estimate conservatively around 250,000, which is "hundreds of thousands."
Best accounts so far put the number at about 100,000 all told.
False. To reiterate: actual mainstream media and law enforcment tallies for only 126 of the several hundred rallies put it at over 100,000, which means there was a lot more than 100,000.
Those are hardly the breathtaking numbers we were promised.
I never saw anyone promising any numbers, and I've been a lot more involved in this than you.
All the folks I heard interviewed wanted to talk about Obama, and they wanted to talk about him in very personal ways, like where he was, and wasn't born, and that he was a socialist, or a communist, or a fascist. A FASCIST.
Then you only heard people that the far left wanted you to hear. ALL of the people interviewed for the local TV stations talked about the size and scope and cost of government, and NONE of them talked about those things you mention.
I'd have to conclude ...
As I have deftly provenm, your information is seriously flawed, so your conclusions are not meaningful.
Most estimates (outside of CNN) are that between 200,000 and 350,000 people attended total, but the absolute number is not as important as the demographic.
These weren't college students, unemployed people, "professional" mobs ala ACORN or Sharpton. It wasn't a union rally.
These were average everyday people and (and I'm sure Uncle/Facts/Sockpuppet doesn't want to believe this) their political affiliation was not strong in most cases.
I was at two different rallies yesterday, and while the tv cameras spent a lot of time on anti-Obama messages, but the venom against the estabishment GOP was just as strong. This was anti-spending rally. It wasn't an anti-dem or pro-GOP event.
These are the people in the middle that were so disgusted with Bush that they voted for Obama and realized that his solution was perhaps worse but certainly no better.
The people that listen to this message instead of ridiculing it will win the next election. (So just keep talking Uncle.)
Posted by: johnny on April 16, 2009 11:45 AM
More than 800 tea parties across the country. (hint witless: use YOUR 'insignificant numbers" and multiply them by 800...)
5000 estimated in Olympia
Double that in Atlanta
3000 in Hartford
3700 in Cincinnati
>1000 in Des Moine, Iowa
>1000 in Chattanooga
2000 in Trenton
4000 in Lansing Michigan
>1000 in Salt Lake City
3000 in DC
2000 in NYC
...with estimated crowd sizes of 5,000 to 15,000 in Atlanta, San Antonio, Oklahoma City, Olympia, Wash., Lansing, Mich., St. Louis, Mo., and Sacramento.I do believe our opet liberals feel all warm and cozy with their heads in the sand...or some other equally dark moist spot.Posted by: Ragnar Danneskjold on April 16, 2009 01:01 PM
Nice try.
I do believe our pet liberals feel all warm and cozy with their heads in the sand...or some other equally dark moist spot.
Nice try.
Perhaps a credible news source next time, pets... you know, one that gives FACTS rather than prefers to shape opinions by omission...
Posted by: Ragnar Danneskjold on April 16, 2009 01:05 PMIt's really hard for the left to fathom that Obama's massive spending may not work, although he does a masterful job of selling it in his speeches.
And just why aren't the big TARP recipient banks lending? Economy has turned and everything is great now right?
Posted by: Jeff B. on April 16, 2009 02:56 PMDo you have a job yet?
Since you don't pay any income tax, I'm sure it's hard for you to relate to those who do.
Have a great day Rich...you loser. Posted by: dude on April 16, 2009 04:38 PM
That means if 250,000 turned out yesterday that could easily represent a number approaching 10% of all Americans supporting this cause.
I personally do want to see less government spending, particularly if it lowers my taxes that are at the top rate - this can only be good for me. I wonder what third party will come out of all this than can do the job. There hasn't been a party in office in my lifetime demonstrably capable of any fiscal restraint.
Posted by: BA on April 16, 2009 04:41 PMBecause people like us WORK and pay taxes. Unlike the fools who tore up Seattle for WTO plus ACORN fools.
++++++++++++++
BA
There hasn't been a party in office in my lifetime demonstrably capable of any fiscal restraint.
++++++++++++++++++
Yet 53% just elected a guy who is going to spend like FDR all over again.
You asked for it, you got it. Sure hope you have no children to leave this mess to.
The mess we're in we've been in for years and yes, it is too bad that my children will likely have to pay for all of this. It didn't start this year - where were our balanced budgets during the recent years of economic expansion?
The recent election is as much a reaction to the last 8 years of poor governance as it was a projection of what the future might bring.
I'll be delighted with lower taxes, I'd be delighted for social security to end tomorrow - don't give me back what I've paid into it - just let me pay no more.
Wouldn't you agree?
Posted by: BA on April 16, 2009 05:24 PMIt didn't start this year - where were our balanced budgets during the recent years of economic expansion?
For the umpteen millionth time, no one is saying it began with Obama. But Obama is making it far worse.
The recent election is as much a reaction to the last 8 years of poor governance as it was a projection of what the future might bring.
The former is understandable; the latter is sad.
Sorry. Don't believe a word of it when you "we aren't taxed and regulated enough" crowd claim to have thriving businesses with many employees.
Anyone that has ever applied for a business license or attempted to get a construction permit in this town knows that we have have plenty of tax and regulation. So much so that it really does cut back our ability to do little things like do business and solve customer problems. (And of course we need those profits to hire more employees.)
It's not that I don't think some dems (actually many dems) run their own businesses, but I think those that do are too smart to make statements about lack of regulation and about how it doesn't matter when a business dies or moves out of state because ten more will spring up in it's place. They know better.
Just as aside, I regularly check email addresses for posters because as the old saying goes, the most important part of any message is the messenger.
(Also, I've always found the whole "sockpuppet" thing really amusing. I mean how pathetic is it when you have to invent imaginary friends to agree with you right?)
It's hard not to notice that while a lot of people here posting both left and right use generic email addresses (yahoo, gmail, etc.) those posters most venomous and disruptive tend to use completely random and fake email addresses like your own (which is a random series of xxx's and y's.)
It leads me to believe that most of the disruption on these boards comes from a single individual or two just looking to be dismissive and condescending.
To be fair, I did recently see the Chair of the West Seattle democrats posting on here under his own name/email address. Also a working member of the Island County dems. Both - amusingly - posted long and hard about how the Tea Parties were so small and inconsequential that they weren't any big deal and certainly nothing the dems have to worry about.
That process ranges from sending a check for $10 in for a building permit and getting a certificate back in the mail, to having to send notices to surrounding neighbors to attend a public hearing because a client wants to install a basketball hoop above their garage door.
You can believe what you want - I don't care. I don't use my real email address because, frankly, there are those like you that I suspect are nuts and I don't need you cluttering up my inbox.
I've also been on the side of writing development regulations - which is very interesting since almost universally everyone wants to regulate their neighbors (and of course not themselves) and when you propose eliminating a body of regulations people go nuts. In my experience that behavior was just as prevalent among conservatives as liberals - there is no monopoly on hypocrisy.
Who ever said they're not taxed and regulated enough? I didn't, did you?
What you do with your socks is of no interest to me.
Pudge, if the Republican party had shown any fiscal restraint during their term of controlling congress and the administration they'd still be in power. They didn't, and now the hole to climb out of is really deep. You're right, it is sad - because the alternative to the Democrats seems to be Democrats "lite".
Posted by: BA on April 17, 2009 08:10 AM**I used to be a died-in-the-wool northeastern Democrat(Marxist.)**
I went to Olympia and here's what I DIDN'T see/hear:
Profanities
Vandalism
Antagonistic behavior towrds Law enforcement
Law enforcement in riot gear
Anti American sentiments
Recreational Chemical use
Trash(afterwards)
But we're "EXTREME" and "KOOKS"
??????????????????????
We aren't willing to give all of our earnings to someone else and 'trust" that a nanny state will provide for our families better than the government.
As I understand it,that puts us out of step with everything the NEA has been teaching generations of students in our taxpayer funded school system since the Carter Administration.
Posted by: johnny on April 17, 2009 10:32 AMThe problem that we have here are left-wing nut jobs using every vulgar andedote in the book. Calling us racists, unintelligent, etc. However, most Republicans I am friends with are highly educated, and emit common sense - whereas teh majority of Democrats (just look at Steve Elliots comment) - including MY family (of which I am the only Repbulican, and the first to ever receive two college degrees) are not as educated and do not understand teh premise and potential outcome of the Obama administration. A significant amount of Obama supporters, support him on the novelty, as well as white guilt. BAsically "You can;t call ME a racist, I voted for Obama". Trust me, you will hear that for teh next 50+ years!
Posted by: cb on April 19, 2009 10:19 AM