Man, that was one big-ass Teabagger rally in Philly yesterday, wasn't it?

[stevedeshazer]

http://tpmdc.talkingpointsmemo.com/2010/07/diversity-is-in-the-eyes-of-the-beholder-a-day-at-uni-tea.php?ref=fpa

It was billed as the most diverse tea party rally ever. For three hours Saturday afternoon, we waited for the diversity to show up.

Was Saturday's Uni-Tea rally in Philadelphia a success? Well, it depends on your definition of "epic fail." If you're more on the defensive end of the tea party spectrum, you would have left the rally this afternoon even more convinced that the movement is not now about race and never has been. If you're the kind of tea partier who'd like to see that abounding not-racism result in some actual demographic diversity in the movement, the Uni-Tea rally appeared to be a borderline disaster.

For three hours, a small crowd drifted in and out of Independence Park as speakers and musicians regaled them with paranoia about Democratic politicians and policies and reassurances that no matter what anyone says, there's no racism in the tea party.

Even as just a regular old tea party rally, the event fell flat. Though organizers said the event's website had been visited more than 2 million times in the days leading up to today's rally outside Independence Hall, for most of the afternoon there were fewer than 500 in attendance. It was clear from the large numbers of volunteers and the 1,500 bottles the organizers put on ice that they expected a big crowd to turn out. They did not get it by a long shot. They blamed a traffic jam on I-95 for keeping people away (for the record one organizer said that she counted 1,500 on the high end of attendance, but that appeared a bit generous to us).



more @ link: http://tpmdc.talkingpointsmemo.com/2010/07/diversity-is-in-the-eyes-of-the-beholder-a-day-at-uni-tea.php?ref=fpa

What I have to say here is that when a few dozen fat white bigots show up to say they're not really racist, really, some of their best friends are "colored", the entire cable news media gets their underwear all in a wad.

Send out a few million anti-war protesters into the streets a few years ago, crickets.

[raouldukelives]

1. Well, in all fairness to the media

Tea parties support the same pro-corporate agenda they do. Don't want to bite the hand that feeds you.

[upi402]

2. Media reform is prime

These propaganda organs need to be reigned in hard, not tickle around the edges maybe some day.

[KurtNYC]

77. one good left of center outlet would show the average citizen

just how far to the corporate right the rest of the media outlets are. As it is, we have KO and Rachel -- that's 2 hours versus 24.

[elzenmahn]

86. Agreed, but...

...where would the funding come from for such an outlet?

Media speaks for their ownership, who in turn speak for those who fund them - the sponsors seen and heard on commercial advertisements. As you know, corporate America is universally right-wing and Friedmanist in their philosophy, and have a vested interest in maintaining that mindset throughout the culture.

Look at Air America. It went under in part because of mismanagement, and in part because they lost $16 million or so in their existence. Rupert, on the other hand, lost $100 million per year for five years before he made one penny off Foxy Noise.

In other words, for a left-wing media outlet to really work, it takes Rupert Murdoch-type seed money and sponsors willing to buy advertising. The left's wealthy don't seem to be willing to make that investment or take that risk right now.

In short, we need our own Rupert Murdoch.

[femrap]

92. Ed ain't so

bad either....he's been kicking the repugnants quite a bit lately.

[dotymed]

80. I really believe

that if "our" government (President Obama appoints FCC heads,) would merely (lol, now it's a big deal, it protected Americans for decades) REINSTATE THE FAIRNESS DOCTRINE, and enforce it, most propaganda would end. Didn't mean to shout. I just want that idea to stand out.

[MadMaddie]

82. The Fairness Doctirne must be re-implemented

We need another News outlet that actuall reports news 24/7

[Lorien]

99. Unfortunately many DUers who are too young to remember the news during

the Fairness Doctrine have no concept at all of what it was or the effect it had. They regurgitate Rush Limbaugh talking points "it's censorship! Who would decide whose side to air? There's too many sides!" etc. etc. Limbaugh is terrified of having his show branded as "opinion", which is what would happen under the Fairness Doctrine. He also wouldn't like being preceded by "The Young Turks".

[LargeGreenSpider]

102. Along WITH ownership rules

We need to return to the time when there were more owners of media outlets. Radio is the perfect example of how bad things get when two or three monster mega corporations control the whole dial. Shit, I can drive home from work in a BLUE state and get nothing but Limbaugh, etc. Even the sports talk radio is infused with RW talking pts.

[Lorien]

98. The fairness doctrine kept them in check

as those who remember those times well know. No, simply breaking them up won't do it; the smaller portions will just be bought up by other wealthy elites with the exact same agenda. Return the Fairness Doctrine. It's the only way to ever have a chance at a "fair and balanced" media again.

[AlbertCat]

104. No, simply breaking them up won't do it;

I believe Green Spider suggested "ALONG WITH" breaking them up. This is important so there is real competition and more than one POV, angle and method of reporting are available to any given demographic.

[rocktivity]

3. Upholding a near decade-old tradition

of being out-attended by the porta-potties.



:headbang:
rocktivity

[stevedeshazer]

7. LOL!

I thought of that photo.

:rofl:

[underpants]

34. YES!

I was there!!!

[AlbertCat]

75. Obviously, the Dem plants didn't show up, so.....

.... the crowd is small because apparently 2/3rds of Teabaggers are Dem plants.

[KingFlorez]

4. Too bad there wasn't a sudden cloud burst

[Phoebe Loosinhouse]

5. The non coverage of the war protests was the day we should have collectively shut off our TV sets

in protest.

[Warpy]

9. I shut off broadcast news in 2004

because I was sick to death of the way they lie by omission.

The only surprising thing is how little I missed it. I'd only watched out of habit for years.

[DBoon]

22. they'll just accuse you of downloading the news from bittorrent

"If fewer people are watching, it must mean they are pirating our programs from the Internet"

It is impossible for Big Media to conceive of their irrelevance

[TheEuclideanOne]

46. You can turn your TV back on.

There has been no sign of actual "news" for years. You may find a bunch of media today, but you will definitely not find any news. The coast is clear.

[Warpy]

47. No thanks. If I get rid of the dish

I'd prefer to watch The Simpsons in reruns at the same time.

I learn more about the state of the country from them than from the "news."

[alp227]

100. True dat. Sucks when comedy/fictional shows are more accurate than the news

Other shows where you'd "learn more about the state of the country...than from the 'news'":
- Family Guy
- The Daily Show
- The Colbert Report
- South Park
- Law & Order

[LargeGreenSpider]

103. They lie by omission

That's EXACTLY the problem, isn't it, with "news." Brilliant observation.

[EFerrari]

13. You bet. A lot of people are, quietly.

But the corporate media is never going to promote that.

[Mad_Dem_X]

76. True. I haven't watched network news in years. n/t

[ThomThom]

78. I just want to say to all those people that don't watch the news but

still have cable or satellite their monthly payments are still going to those networks through your provider. You have to give it up. You can watch a lot of network shows online and not pay. This way CNN and FOX don't get paid. MSNBC has Keith and Rachael online. Netflix is cheap as another alternative. Vote with your dollars.

[ChairmanAgnostic]

79. I remember when Mcneil lehrer went to 1 hr format

because they could not do the difficult issues any justice in just 1/2 hour. Last time I watched Boredcast news, I so that the trend had reversed. After sports, weather, and a local fire or shooting, what DO they cover these days?

[bobhuntsman]

91. lindsay lohan

[Jeffersons Ghost]

6. K&R

[old mark]

8. TP's were started by the media, many are financed and run by them.

They wouldn't cover a left wing demo if it were in their front yard.

1500?

How many times did she count each one of them?

mark

[CaliforniaPeggy]

12. Your remarks are SO right on!

This is perfect:

They wouldn't cover a left wing demo if it were in their front yard.


:rofl:

[stevedeshazer]

38. True

:)

[harun]

62. Classic astro-turfing

http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Astroturfing

[and-justice-for-all]

10. Mega super FAIL! nt

[EFerrari]

11. Captions for the pix? Is that a gay couple in #1?

Who is the guy shaking hands in #2? The last one looks like an Easter egg hunt.

[stevedeshazer]

14. I should have captioned it.

The first pic is of the two 'gay' teabaggers mentioned in to article:

<snip>

Brendan Kissam and Matt Hissey wandered into the event carrying signs that said "proud gay conservative" and "freedom is fabulous." They said they were "the Gayborhood's envoy to the tea party."

</snip>

The second is their beloved Andrew Breitbart, smear artist extraordinaire.

Good point, E.

[EFerrari]

20. Thank you. I thought that was breitbart but my brain

suppresses recognition.

:hi:

[AlbertCat]

73. "proud gay conservative"

Proving that gay people can be as stupid as anybody else!


Were they bashed in the parking lot after the rally?

[kenfrequed]

83. I always thought...

that 'conservative gays' were just people into extreme bondage lifestyle. "Oh please master, take away my rights, I am worthless" etc.

But it turns out that ANYONE can be a greedy self centered jerk.

[mitchum]

15. I think those are "Friends of Sarah" in that first photo

[Kurovski]

16. Gay teabaggers! Now I HAVE to sign up.

Fabu!

[BrklynLiberal]

17. Gay teabaggers.?! ..no comment.....

[Kurovski]

23. Heehee

Or Bi, or guys who "were just so damn drunk last night."

[stevedeshazer]

35. Aww, come on. What guy wouldn't love Brendan Kissam and Matt Hissey

Like those names aren't made up by these gay-haters.

[Bitwit1234]

18. And I read somewhere on another site that the reporters were

1/3 of those attending. One thing, where are that many reporters and camera men/women showing up for a Dem rally or a protest against the asinine actions of the republicans.

[L0oniX]

19. "diverse tea party" = Dutch, German, Polish, Italian, and Irish American...

and any other blue eyed aryan or caucasian.
:thumbsdown:

[BrklynLiberal]

24. LOL. Perfect!! You have nailed it.

[mikekohr]

60. "I see White People, Old Bitter White People."

nt

[BlueIdaho]

21. Maybe this is a good thing...

Over and over we see photographic proof that the organizers outnumber the attendees at these bullshit events. Could it be the republican party is also overestimating the impact of this Astro Turf kabuki theatre? Are they swallowing their own propaganda hook line and sinker?

[BrklynLiberal]

25. "Astro Turf kabuki theatre" excellent description

[stevedeshazer]

36. I agree. It is a good thing. I think this so-called Republican resurgence is going to backfire.

Repubs have put all their eggs in the tax-cut basket. They've got nothing but that. Most people will see through that.

[BlueIdaho]

49. Let's all hope

The American public have their bullshit detectors set at 11.

[SoCalDem]

26. I think I know that guy on the right..

He might be the grown up form of the kid in my son's kindergarten class...the one who wore Batman pajamas to class:rofl:

[jmowreader]

27. I'm just thinking here...

Coeur d'Alene, Idaho, is really big into summertime events to draw tourists. This weekend there are three: the Street Fair, Tastes of the Coeur d'Alenes (food booths, lots of them) and the juried art show in the park.

On Friday I took the Phil Hart Signature Edition Sledgehammer to the county Democratic Party headquarters at 12:40, so I saw the event. (I went downtown yesterday, and will again today.) It's just outside the downtown area.

The moral of this story is, forty minutes after the event opened on the most lightly-attended day of the event there were, easily, twenty times as many people in downtown CdA as there were at that whole tea rally. And this isn't even close to being the big weekend: Car d'Alene (a classic car show), the 4th of July and Labor Day Weekends are easily twice as big as this one.

Those guys REALLY need to do something to boost their numbers. Maybe if they started paying people to arrive...

[russspeakeasy]

28. You are wrong !!! There was a huge crowd.

Faux "news" said "Wait, you haven't seen the
edit".

[spanone]

29. i'm sure there was worldwide media there to cover the political impact

[marmar]

30. Wow, the Diversity !!!!

I see people in flip-flops, sandals, sneakers......

[annabanana]

31. EVERY picture of a tea party "rally" ought to be accompanied

by a pic of the pre-Iraq invasion crowds, and the crowds outside the Repug convention...





AND (appearing only on DC traffic cams):

[stevedeshazer]

33. THAT's what I'm talkin' about, annabanana

You nailed it.

:thumbsup:

[ElboRuum]

32. Pfffft.

No that wasn't me pffting in regards to the unrepentantly spectacular fail... that was the actual sound of the rally fizzling.

[AnArmyVeteran]

37. According to Beck's secret university source there were trillions at the rally!

[AlbertCat]

74. According to Beck's secret university source there were trillions at the rally!

They were just in the sewers.... not "up top".

[Patiod]

88. +1

[AnArmyVeteran]

110. They didn't count the CHUDS! Cannibalistic Humanoid Underground Dwellers!!!

[underpants]

39. "speakers and musicians regaled them with paranoia about Democratic politicians and policies "

great line

[IDemo]

40. Photo #3 caption:

"I pledge a lesion to the flag, and to the republican four witches tanned."

[hatrack]

85. Wanna bet about how loudly they all shouted "UNDER GOD!!!!!!" at pledge time?

:eyes:

[breadandwine]

41. Obviously, those pictures were cropped. You omitted all those MILLIONS of teabaggers

flocking to the movement and to civic involvement!

[stevedeshazer]

42. Of course.

All those RW radio listeners showed up. They just have superpowers that make them invisible.

Just wait until they unleash the messages from their secret decoder rings. Dick Armey, that chinless dude, that orange-colored guy, and Miss Wasilly are ready to win because that Obama dude is a Kenyan-Hawaiian, Un-American Most Radical President Ever, and did I mention that he's Kenyan, maybe even Hawaiian? And only part White?!!!

[October]

43. I know! So proud of my city! /nt

[enuegii]

44. I like the guy in photo #3 with one hand on his heart

and the other apparently engaged in pocket pool. And the guy in the foreground on the left-- what the hell is that sticking out of his ass?
That's one fine group of "patriots" they've got there...looks more like some kind of volunteer eugenics round-up.

[stevedeshazer]

45. *splork*

"...looks more like some kind of volunteer eugenics round-up..."

:rofl:

[Marie Marie]

48. Hey Can we get Crowd Control over here?

We need reinforcements NOW! This could turn really ugly. Oh wait, it already did - starting with Breitbart.

[HEyHEY]

50. Why would such a rally ever be covered either way?

I worked for the CBC for three years as a reporter and we'd never have sent a news crew to this kind of shit.

[stevedeshazer]

54. The CBC doesn't profit from ads.

In the U.S. even public broadcasting (NPR/PBS) runs ads for Big Agriculture, Big Oil, and Big War companies, because our right wing congress defunded them.

You guys have standards that don't always involve profit. I admire that. And I stream the CBC sometimes. Real news. Wow.

We used to have that. Not anymore.

[HEyHEY]

55. Yes it does. CBC TV allows ads.

CBC news is getting worse and worse. But worse in a "Car accidents and gunfights" way not in a "Give useless groups airtime" way.

[mrdmk]

97. Sorry dude, but that is just the start. The same thing happend back in the mid 70's

with the news in Los Angeles. The next step is the 'soft news' as it called. I call it the 'yuck it up news' which is not news at all, mostly along the lines of some kid found his dog. Supposedly people were complaining that the news was depressing and had to be changed. I guess somebody had to something when the news was pointing out your life could end because of a stray bullet.

[AlbertCat]

105. The next step is the 'soft news'

Don't forget the local-ish "lifestyles" news reports that are really little infomercials for companies.... disguised as some kind of news.

[HEyHEY]

113. Yeah, when I quit CBC is for these reasons

I remember they hauled us into a huge staff meeting one day to talk about the CBC's "new direction" in which the new head man (A 55-year-old who went by the name "Johnny") told us with great glee, "We don't want to be traditional news so much as gatherers and dispensers of information."

I put up my hand and said, "Does this mean we'll be ambulance chasing?" A day later one of the other execs pulled me aside to quell my fears of that by lying her ass off to me. Seven months later I had gone from doing analytical, beat-style reporting on civic affairs to, "Oh hey, you're not busy, there's a big car accident in Surrey, can you head out there?"

I let my thoughts be known whenever possible. Needless to say I wasn't getting any promotions after that and told the whole shooting match to get fucked and left for China, where I know reside.

We always had action news in Vancouver, but never CBC... we were the last bastion of proper reporting, and they wrecked it.

[stevedeshazer]

112. Thanks, you're right, I was thinking of radio.

[HEyHEY]

114. Yeah, now they're

Sliming free ads for the shitty TV news into the radio news by saying "For more on this story watch CBC television's six oclock news." Which HAS to be against CRTC regulations.

[stevedeshazer]

115. NPR slid down this slippery slope 12-14 years ago

It only gets worse from there.

[lpbk2713]

51. I'm still laughing about their "Fire Letterman" rally.

More media types showed up than T-baggers.

[pansypoo53219]

52. where's fux gnews?

all the other gnews that were pimping them out last year?

[Cheap_Trick]

53. "Uni-tea"? More like "Uni-tard" nt

[Mopar151]

56. Cruise night at the ice cream stand draws more people. n/t

[bobburgster]

57. Priorities, I guess

"What I have to say here is that when a few dozen fat white bigots show up to say they're not really racist, really, some of their best friends are "colored", the entire cable news media gets their underwear all in a wad.

Send out a few million anti-war protesters into the streets a few years ago, crickets."


No kidding! :-(

[PCIntern]

58. One of my two vocal teabaggers

tried to convince me to attend...

I told her that I was, unfortunately, quite busy with Family.

really missed a party... :( :( :( :( :( :( :( :( :( :( :(

[political_Dem]

59. Where's the people of color? After all, I thought the Teabaggers were trying to be inclusive.

:sarcasm:

So much for trying to clean up their act, by trying to be "anti-racist".

[Hubert Flottz]

61. "big-ass Teabagger rally"

It takes a big ass to be a teabragger. Armey's Army of dittodicks is out of step...with reality.

[deacon]

63. 'Heyyyy Boo Boo..do you think they have picanic baskets?' n/t

[malaise]

64. Holy Shite - Look at

grass :rofl:

[Hubert Flottz]

67. And they said "Grassroots"

Looks like their grass roots have gone to bad seeds.

[malaise]

72. Hahahahahahha

:hi:

[lonestarnot]

84. Maybe they were smoking grass before they got there.

[Hubert Flottz]

87. Nobody but a hayseed would be dumb enough to join Armey's

Army.

[Vinca]

65. Odd. You'd think those young guys waving the flag might be enlisting.

Of course, the majority of people denouncing "socialism" there are geezers on Medicare and Social Security. What a sick joke.

[lunatica]

66. The party of Angry White Men looks pretty limp

[ThomWV]

68. It is well known that Limp makes white men angry

[TheCowsCameHome]

69. Wow. It was standing room only.

I do see a big-ass in the third picture.

Impressive rally.


Not.

[redqueen]

70. K&R

[lunatica]

71. That first photo looks like two gay men infiltrated the rally

And no one is the wiser. Angry White Men don't use the word 'fabulous'. It simply isn't descriptive of anything they would or will ever feel.

[BR_Parkway]

81. Diverse = 2 gay boys with a "Freedom is Fabulous" sign?

[Blue Owl]

89. A reaffirming glimpse of reality

The teabaggers are a dwindling, desperate minority -- almost a hologram of the shitstream media...

[brewens]

90. Yup. Some of their best friends is colored folk! They just wouldn't

want to go to an event where some were supposed to show up.

[Urban Prairie]

93. "one organizer said that she counted 1,500 on the high end of attendance"

She must have counted what very optimistically looks like at best, about 100 people in attendance, 150 times to arrive at that estimate..heh!!

After checking several Tea Party membership rolls online, out of what appears to be several hundred groups here in Michigan, I noticed that many members registered multiple times for the same group, whether by accident or intentionally to inflate their numbers, I do not know. But I would think that the group founders would purge those multiple registrations..yeah, right!!

For example, the following Tea Party group has at least 10 members out of the 86 that they claim to have, that are just the same names of people who registered more than once, as well as at least two people who I noticed that have registered as members on likely every other Tea Party group in Michigan (Amy Hawkins & Daar Fisher)

http://www.teapartypatriots.org/GroupMembers.aspx?groupId=4666ca8f-d123-49d1-ae7b-ab11c8239518


Edit: After I checked several more Tea Party groups here, there are many groups whose founder is the ONLY member who lives in the region that he or she "represents". The rest of their group's membership are comprised so far of a few people who have also registered for every Tea Party group in the state..lol!!

[Brewman_Jax]

94. Wow! So many!

and so diverse! It looks like a brazillion of those nice open-minded welcoming teabaggers having their rally!

:sarcasm:

[anachro1]

95. Who wants to bet

the event was sponsored by Krispy Kreme?

[xxqqqzme]

96. Devil in the details

1500 bottles on ice? of water? Who paid for that? How was it delivered? At 24 bottles per shrink wrap flat plus the ice plus the coolers or tubs; add in the rental of the pop-up shade, tables, chairs, that was not financed out of a teabagger's garage.

[caseymoz]

101. lol "Some of my best friends are colored."

Funny, even with all the "colored" friends they purportedly had, they couldn't persuade any to show up with them. I'd say that old racist adage has been put to the test, and has been found shy on truth.

[DuaneBidoux]

106. Lots of diversity too: short white people, tall white people, short fat white people and skinny...

white people. Lots of white people with dark hair, lots of white people with blonde hair. Some white people without any hair at all.

Wow.

[DFW]

107. Angry white third-rate demagogues and a cast of dozens!!!!

Hurry, hurry, hurry, step right up! Space is (un-)limited!

[upi402]

108. Media outnumbers the fools at these rallies sometimes

Well almost, but seriously. The guy's sign is "fabulous" too! just sayin'

[DFW]

111. If Fox is involved,

The line between media and attendees gets very blurred indeed.

[Barack2theFuture]

109. pretty much. one big ass

and a lot of empty grass

[muntrv]

116. I heard the recent opening of an Apple Store in Philly drew a larger crowd.

[Anakin Skywalker]

117. More People Turned Out for Comic Books! Ha Ha Ha!

(referring to the recent San Diego Comi-Con).

Is that Andy Breitfart there in one of the pics shaking hands?