Our local teabaggers have held 3 rallies in front of our Democratic Congressman's office. (Dennis Moore - KS 3rd District) A couple weeks ago at another event I signed on to their email list and got an email telling me they were going to hold another rally today. So I sent out a few emails asking for friends to come stand with me at the teabag rally to promote health care reform and someone posted my email to the OFA list and it kind of snowballed from there. Yesterday the state Democratic party sent out an email announcing today's rally in favor of health care reform. Moore is a blue dog but he has said he supports a public option.
So we showed up today and had a grand time! The cops were there in force and right away they asked us to move to the other side of the street. We resisted at first but as our numbers grew, we were running out of sidewalk so we moved across the street. So it became a two sided rally, with the teabaggers on one side and those of us supporting reform (and Obama and Cong Moore) on the other side.
Us:
Them:
Lots of support for Cong Moore:
This lady came right over to where we were standing and started talking about the evils of socialized medicine. I asked her if she had refused Medicare and she walked away.
Then I made this sign:
This guy shows up at all kinds of events with his video camera and literally sticks it in your face and starts asking questions. Check out his hat.
The cops asked him to go over to the other side of the street. Looked like they helped him get back over there.
These guys were a trip. They came over to our side and had these lovely pictures sticking out of their pockets.
I told him that he needed to take that picture out and hold it up high if he really believed it. Be brave enough to show it off. So he took it out of his pocket and held it right in my face, just a few inches away. Then I walked over and told a cop he was causing problems and the cop told him to go back across the street. As he left, I told him he needed to be sure and refuse any more Medicare.
In all fairness, we also had folks on the other side of the street.
These are a couple of our wonderful Young Dems. Right on the front of the teabagger line. And when the media showed up, they were there with their signs that said WE LOVE TEABAGGING:)
At the end of the rally, a teabagger asked them if they would be willing to add their signs to the pile so they could use them again. And our generous YDs said but of course!
Loved this guy!
The teabaggers started yelling at us asking where was our flag. It just so happened one of our folks had this one in her car!
The late arriving teabaggers had to walk past us on the opposite side of the street from where they had to park. Some were dumb enough to yell over at us:)
We reminded them that they needed to be sure and refuse Medicare!
Here's an intelligent screamer!
After two hours the teabaggers lost energy or something and started to leave.
So we got more honks and we outlasted them. :woohoo: