Opponents to the 9/12 protest (mostly folks in favor of public-option health care) had organized a counter-rally to take place today.  Organization of the event began shortly after the 9/12 protest was announced.  After yesterday's protest, the posters on left-leaning message boards felt confident that they would easily outnumber the 9/12 protesters (who they believed to number around 25-50k).

Their rally, according to one progressive media source, drew less than one thousand attendees...



http://www.dailykos.com/story/2009/9/13/165038/212

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Healthcare Reform Rally in Washington, DC - 9/13/09 - Small, but Mighty! UPDATED
by coquiero
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Sun Sep 13, 2009 at 03:04:40 PM PDT

There was a rally today at Upper Senate Park in Washington, D.C.  It was massive!  There were at LEAST two million people there!  We filled the entire park, with overflow filling the mall, the Capitol Building, and the White House.  There were so many people that many were pushed into the Potomac and floated around on their signs for awhile.

OK, so not that many people made it to the rally.  If pushed, I would estimate there were between two and three hundred people there.  (UPDATE: other attendees estimated 500-700, and another said 1,000.  Perhaps my estimate was a little low.) But we had something beside numbers, something more important.

If you'll be patient with me, I'll try to post some photos of the event, and if I am very brave, some video.  I'm new to posting media, however, so I'll probably keep my expectations aimed low and just go for the photos.

Whew!  May I first say that linking to an image is quite a journey for those of us who have never done this before?  I think I've got it now, though.

Now, what did our rally have today that was lacking in the Tea-bagging Hate Fest of 9/12/09?

I'll tell you what struck me as I walked up those steps holding our signs, clutching my daughter's hand, hoping for an event that my children could remember happily: warmth, camaraderie, passion, sincerity, and compassion.  It was like a big, warm hug...here are some pictures:

This sign was ours!  Look at those numbers, they're true.

It was mostly the warmth that filled me up and made me proud to be an American attending a rally in Our Nation's Capital.  People smiled at us as we approached.  A few people asked to take our picture.  We had great signs and my kids are the cutest ever, so it was to be expected.  **Lowers Eyes Modestly**

Honestly, it was a great crowd.  We marched around the central fountain, chanting, "No is Not an Option!", and "What do we want? Healthcare! When do we want it? Now!"  My husband threw in his own special chant, that no one seemed to pick up, "Joe Wilson's Mama Drives a Picklewagon!"

We listened to story after story on the loudspeaker.  Stories of lost loved ones, of coverage denied for life-sustaining treatments because of pre-existing conditions like teen-age acne, of uninsured adults who feared the one accident or health condition that would ruin their health, their finances, and their lives.  The crowd around me nodded and cheered and booed and chanted.  

But for me, the most moving moment was when my cynical 11 year old son looked up at me and said, "Mama, you know none of this is going to make any difference."  He didn't say it to be cruel, he felt it was a statement of fact.  I smiled at him and said, "It gives people hope, Nikos.  It gives me hope that things can change for all these people here."  He nodded thoughtfully.  I'm just glad he was there.  The kids enjoyed yelling things and holding their signs.  Everyone was smiling at them and taking their picture.

Another great thing about this rally?  No tea-baggers!!  Not a one.  I almost didn't go because I afraid there would be some kind of confrontation and I didn't want to get my kids mixed up in anything, but there wasn't a negative feeling at that rally.  It was pretty great.

Here are a few more photos.  I let my son roam around with the camera and gave him instructions to take pictures of the signs.  He took me literally and took pictures of the signs only, no faces!!  So sorry if there are no smiling faces to go along with the signs, but I suppose I should be glad the boy follows directions!
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The progressive message boards are full of posters now asking "where is the MSM coverage of today's huge counter rally?  They must be bought by the big corporations and thus covering it up..."

any pics of this?

Yesterday, the MSM was too afraid to give coverage to the anti-Government protest, because of the huge numbers.

Today, they were too embarrassed to give coverage to the pro-Gov anti-protest, because of the pitifull turnout.

Que the Nelson "Hah ha!" pic.

Ha Ha motherfuckers.

Didn't know acne would cause an insurance company to deny you coverage for life threatening issues later in life.

Bwa HAHAHAHAHAHA.

Idiot.

You can't water astroturf

Fox showed a live shot yesterday. Looked like 100 people in DC for their event. The lines for the toilets on 9/12 were larger than their event.

Nice.




 

Perhaps not a fair comparison of their skills as they did not have time to organize it?

I need some pics to go post up on DU to stir trouble.

So are they still going with the 30k estimate for the tea-party turnout






The propaganda here is worse than Pravda ever was

Saw it on Fox yesterday.  It was hilarious.  2-300 is generous.

similar thing here.  local talk show host organized a anti-obama care rally a few weeks ago...around 500 attendees.  the pro obama folks hosted a similar rally the next week in the same exact place.  they had a whopping 34 people show up.

cue nelson ha-ha pics.

Geez local bands can draw more than that!

Look at the poll at the bottom of the OP's link!

Did you attend a healthcare reform rally today?
Yes
11%82 votes
No
24%178 votes
I did in spirit
51%382 votes
I had pie instead