Capitol Hill Tea Party Getting Bigger

Eric Kleefeld and Evan McMorris-Santoro | November 5, 2009, 12:03PM

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The Capitol Hill Tea Party crowd is now at roughly 8,000 people.

A TPM reader texts to us that the subway to the Capitol is clogged with protestors. Hundreds of people are still streaming in.

Late Update: NBC's Luke Russert says a Capitol policeman just gave a crowd estimate of 3,000-3,500.

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59 comments

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kash79

November 5, 2009 12:10 PM

It's fair to say at this point the crowd rivals that of the Equality March on October 11, and they are still coming

But the amount of media attention given to the equality march or even the anti-war protests, in comparision to these militant recruits, is appalling, and says a lot about the collective celebration of a retartded culture.

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Indie Pro

November 5, 2009 12:11 PM in reply to kash79

Amen!!

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superking

November 5, 2009 12:25 PM in reply to kash79

On the contrary, it says a lot about pro-corporate slant in the corporate national media. I know, shocking.

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kash79

November 5, 2009 12:34 PM in reply to superking

Corporate nation media = collective celebration of restarted culture.

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superking

November 5, 2009 1:01 PM in reply to kash79

if by " collective celebration of restarted culture" you mean collective subjugation of the national media to profit motive, then yes.

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superking

November 5, 2009 1:04 PM in reply to superking

Gay equality protest: irrelevant to corporate profits; ignored by corporate media

Anti-War protest: harmful to corporate profits; demonized by corporate media

Libertarian Pro-Lassez-faire Healthcare protest: benefit to corporate profits; amplified by corporate media

Make sense?

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kash79

November 5, 2009 1:08 PM in reply to superking

I was meant to say retarded not restarted, anyway I think we are saying the same thing.

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superking

November 5, 2009 1:12 PM in reply to kash79

Yeah we are *high five*
I dislike playing the refs as a general principle, but some facts of life need to be pointed out. We really need more viable nonprofit/publicly funded news orgs in this country.

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Xantar

November 5, 2009 12:12 PM

Not to malign your reporting, but who's doing the counting here? Does the 8,000 estimate come from Capitol Police or what?

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jenesq

November 5, 2009 12:26 PM in reply to Xantar

Thus far TPM has the biggest crowd estimates so far. Is this Kleefeld being breathless with drama, or is there a source for the estimate? (Other than FOX News' "gagillion" head count by the University of I Don't Remember, of course)

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kash79

November 5, 2009 12:31 PM in reply to Xantar

It's simple:

Total estimate: (the total number of Americans who graduated high school) divided by (the total number of regular fox news viewers)

Fox news numbers: (actual estimate) times (Bachmann's mental retardation index)

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BeeClone

November 5, 2009 12:48 PM in reply to kash79

LOL

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mostman

November 5, 2009 12:16 PM

This is awesome. Take a survey of these clowns and find out how many of them think they hold the same view as 'the majority of Americans.' If you come up with a number less than 85, I'll be shocked.

Played like a cheap banjo. Fools.

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budfox

November 5, 2009 12:20 PM

Limbaugh & Hannity have been trumpeting this thing for days now. They do have a lot of listeners.

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jeffgee

November 5, 2009 12:20 PM

It's Ground Zero of the Stupids.

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realist

November 5, 2009 12:22 PM

Don't these people have jobs? That's what they used to yell at us.
AFP astroturfs them in.

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TexasFilly

November 5, 2009 12:24 PM in reply to realist

Lots of white hair in the shots I saw. Those folks getting socialized income (Social Security) and medicine (Medicare). Saw some younger people who are either unemployed or supported by family or are using their paid sick days. :P

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jeffgee

November 5, 2009 12:27 PM in reply to TexasFilly

Keep the Government away from my doctor!!

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Savannah Evans

November 5, 2009 12:23 PM

If this crowd goes over 10,000, I think the Democratic leaders will have no choice but to admit that they've been defeated on health care reform.

And, I dare say, if they go over 20,000 today, one can expect that both Pelosi and Reid will probably have to resign from office and impeachment proceedings will commence.

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jeffgee

November 5, 2009 12:28 PM in reply to Savannah Evans

Are you serious or is this snarkastic?

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VivaAmerica!

November 5, 2009 12:30 PM in reply to jeffgee

come on, man.

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jenesq

November 5, 2009 12:28 PM in reply to Savannah Evans

Too true. I mean, look at how Bush was forced to end the Iraq War due to sheer # of protesters, and remember how gay marriage became legal a couple weeks back after the huge Equality March? Democracy in action, folks!!

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jsfox

November 5, 2009 12:28 PM in reply to Savannah Evans

Ok where is the snark tag?

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CT Voter

November 5, 2009 12:31 PM in reply to Savannah Evans

You don't go far enough. It's obvious Obama will have to resign in disgrace, as will Biden, and John McCain and Olympia Snowe can then run the country.

I don't know why people aren't pointing this out enough.

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xb1

November 5, 2009 12:36 PM in reply to Savannah Evans

Because clearly 10000 equals the whole country. Its not like there's ever been a gathering of some huge number of people, lets say one million, in protest, or to grab the attention of, Congress. I mean, nothing like that has ever happened in the last 60 years.

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Cleo

November 5, 2009 12:36 PM in reply to Savannah Evans

WTF? Are you joking? Is that sarcasism? 10,000 people don't like it, but 35 million want health care reform so Congress will cancel all their plans and decide health care is not worth it. All because of a few mentally disturbed people, Congress will now give up on healthcare.

Oh, wait It IS sarcasism.

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Savannah Evans

November 5, 2009 12:49 PM in reply to Savannah Evans

Sorry everybody. But that was 100 percent pure snark on my part. I'll look for the tag next time.

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MsJoanne

November 5, 2009 12:49 PM in reply to Savannah Evans

And if it reaches 30,000, they should make a pact to kill each other at high noon on Fox News.

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Overreach THIS!

November 5, 2009 12:24 PM

If they can really prove that they are stupid enough, like stupider that *anybody*, then Congress will be forced to kill the bill.

Is that the strategy?

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karkoe

November 5, 2009 12:29 PM

I just walked through the Capitol grounds and the West lawn in front of the steps is mostly filled. I saw lots of Don't Tread On Me flags. It was strange to hear The Who blaring from the speakers -- meet the new boss, same as the old boss. . .

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AdAbsurdum

November 5, 2009 12:30 PM

A TPM reader texts to us that the subway to the Capitol is clogged with protestors.

How good for them that they could and did make use of the public option to get there.

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CT Voter

November 5, 2009 12:30 PM

I just felt the need to repost this comment about Bachman from yesterday:

A conservative Republican House member, speaking on the condition of anonymity, suggested that Bachman's views - and her willingness to state them - make it hard for her to keep staff.
"When your captain's crazy, it's time to find a new ship," the lawmaker said.

You protesters? YOUR CAPTAIN IS CRAZY. FIND A NEW SHIP.

AND IF YOU HATE GOVERNMENT INTERFERENCE IN HEALTHCARE, GIVE UP YOUR DAMN MEDICARE.

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geofu54

November 5, 2009 12:45 PM in reply to CT Voter

Sadly, I bet those idiots probably cash government unemployment check, see a doctor using Medicare, get a new car via Cash for Clunkers, etc.

... and believe they are 100% self-made (or independent-minded. or freedom-loving. or whatever).

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CT Voter

November 5, 2009 1:30 PM in reply to geofu54

Oh, definitely. And if there is even the remotest recognition of this paradox, it usually seems its of the "I deserve this. The rest of you don't" variety.

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thejoshuablog

November 5, 2009 12:31 PM

Is it just me, or does TPM sound like it's cheer-leading rather than heaping scorn?

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kash79

November 5, 2009 12:36 PM in reply to thejoshuablog

TPM is also the victim of ratings flu.

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thejoshuablog

November 5, 2009 12:38 PM in reply to kash79

Like Huffington Post, which I stopped linking too despite like certain journos. This site now has all the same massive, screaming headlines & an overall tabloid feel to it. What the hell is happening to this TPM?

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VivaAmerica!

November 5, 2009 12:36 PM in reply to thejoshuablog

It's trying to be fair and balanced.

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henk

November 5, 2009 12:39 PM in reply to thejoshuablog

Obviously cheer leading, its not uncommon for a popular blog to do a 180 degree turn and start supporting everything its worked against since its inception. Happens all the time.

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BeeClone

November 5, 2009 12:41 PM in reply to thejoshuablog

No, TPM is just reporting.

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Dorn76

November 5, 2009 1:02 PM in reply to thejoshuablog

It's just you, dude.

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Nicnack74

November 5, 2009 12:33 PM

If these wingnuts mess up my commute home, I will be pissed.

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714Day

November 5, 2009 12:33 PM

This will get favorable media attention. They won't bother to remind viewers of Bachmann's inflammatory calls for "armed and dangerous" baggers to unite. I hope somebody is getting shots of the misspelled signs. The brilliance of the types that are shouting "Don't take away my health care" is inestimable.

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Subliminability

November 5, 2009 12:39 PM

Serious national security threat to have the nation's braintrust all in one place. Hopefully Glenn Beck is elsewhere, at a secure location.

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Bat Guano

November 5, 2009 12:44 PM

Has anyone noted that today is Guy Fawkes Day?

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agio

November 5, 2009 12:48 PM in reply to Bat Guano

Penny for the guy...

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kash79

November 5, 2009 12:55 PM in reply to agio

At the risk of sounding condescending kid, there is never "just reporting" When you report something, it means you have ranked the issue as the more important to all those issues you ignore to report.

I don't think TPM took a"180 degree" turn, but blogworld is all about number of hits. Josh Marshall is trying to survive the competition of the corporate world.

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kash79

November 5, 2009 12:56 PM in reply to kash79

Wrong reply, was meant as a reply to the above comment.

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Walter Mitty

November 5, 2009 12:55 PM in reply to Bat Guano

Remember, remember the 5th of November...

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Avvocato

November 5, 2009 12:50 PM

Their ire is misplaced against "liberals". They need to protest all corporatist politicians. More "conservatives" than "liberals" in that group. Plenty of both however.
That's a protest I can get on board with!

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Beagle

November 5, 2009 12:57 PM

This is the advantage of being a puppet master. You can stir the puppets any which way you want.

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shooter242

November 5, 2009 12:58 PM

The whistling I hear, going by the graveyard, certainly is loud. Heh.
I suspect the crowd is made up from the 53% of the country that pays income taxes. And votes.

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Bat Guano

November 5, 2009 1:00 PM in reply to shooter242

I bet it's made up of many suckers of the teats of Medicare and Social Security.

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AdAbsurdum

November 5, 2009 1:05 PM in reply to Bat Guano

Who used public transportation to get there.

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Stroszek

November 5, 2009 1:55 PM in reply to shooter242

And votes.

Yes, after seeing what happened in NY-23, I'm sure congress is recoiling in fear at what's comes out of the pube-filled mouths of the teabaggers.

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LFO

November 5, 2009 2:09 PM

I just wanted to say though I am late to the thread that the idea that 8k+ (though it seems it is not even that) is in any way like the equality march is perverse. They had 70k+ people marching the streets, is tea bag math contagious?

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momof6

November 5, 2009 3:03 PM

You people are very sad...You obviously are not at the rally. I have family and friends there and there are close to 50,000 people there that love this country...and care about our future with health care. This bill is 1900 pages long and no one has had time to even read it before they go to vote. You don't need to reply I won't be on here long enough to read a reply, I'll go back to Fox News where you can hear the truth.

By the way, I'm proud to be a "tea party" person. After all, we were the ones who won against the British! I only wish we could throw pelosi in the Boston Harbor.

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Stroszek

November 5, 2009 3:13 PM in reply to momof6

You don't need to reply I won't be on here long enough to read a reply, I'll go back to Fox News where you can hear the truth.

You had me fooled for a second, but this was a little too much. Subtlety is the key to fake-trolling as a tea bagger. Bad grammar too.

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xargaw

November 5, 2009 3:05 PM

Awhile back, Max Blumenthal went to a tea party rally and asked questions of the protestors. It was illuminating that most of the crowd had almost NO FACTS. I would like to see someone in the media wander through the crowd and ask questions of this group. I suspect, like the previous tea baggers, most have little actual information about the reform bills before Congress, how it would actually affect them and who will pay for any public plan. I am not saying that the bill is not flawed, because it is, only that these people tend not to have a clue about the specifics they are protesting against. They have an aggenda whipped up by Dick Armey and his corporate marketeers and they are too dumb to know they are being duped. Most of them are posters for the dumbing down of America.

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