The Tea Party Patriots hosted a rally near Capitol Hill on Thursday afternoon to encourage House leaders to resist compromising with the White House on the budget to avoid a government shutdown.
Compared to past Tea Party rallies, Thursday’s event was relatively small — maybe 300 people, a hefty portion of them members of the media. But the crowd was determined to make their voice heard and make it clear they’re not backing down.
“House Republicans have run headlong in to Harry Reid. Harry Reid actually took to the floor of the Senate and said that our modest down payment on fiscal discipline was reckless, irresponsible, mean-spirited,” Rep. Mike Pence (R-IN) said. “If liberals in the Senate would rather play political games and shut down the government instead of making a small down payment on fiscal discipline and reform, I say shut it down.”
“Take the fight to the enemy!” a tea party supporter standing behind Pence dressed like the comic-book superhero Captain America yelled.
There were signs calling for cuts to NPR, Planned Parenthood and Obamacare, others claiming Obama “is trying to make America no longer a Christian nation” and chants of “cut it or shut it.”
Other politicians at the rally included Reps. Steve King (R-IA), Louie Gohmert (R-TX), Michele Bachmann (R-MN) and Sens. Rand Paul (R-KY) and Jim DeMint (R-SC).
The Tea Party Patriots, the group which organized the rally, told supporters in an email that some would “surely mock our efforts, they will call us names, and they will do everything in their power to place the problems of our nation on our shoulders, but the truth is clear.”
“This fiscal year began under a House of Representatives, a Senate, and a White House all dominated by Democrats and the Obama, Pelosi, Reid ‘Leadership.’ We wouldn’t be battling over continuing resolutions if they had done their jobs and passed a budget at the beginning of the year,” they said.
Ryan J. Reilly
Ryan J. Reilly is a D.C.-based reporter for TPM. Prior to joining TPM, he worked for a news website covering the Justice Department and was a researcher for Bloomberg News. His email address is ryan(at)talkingpointsmemo.com.
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