Last updated on September 25th, 2023 at 08:41 pm
A massive crowd attended the March on Washington today to honor Dr. King’s dream, and to let Republicans know that they are ready to fight for their rights.
The size of the crowd was best captured in the photo by AirPhotosLive:
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Compare this to the photos from the last tea party protest in DC over the “IRS scandal”:
Both events contained their share of heavyweights. The Republican/tea party/conservative rally had Rep. Michele Bachmann, Sens. Rand Paul and Ted Cruz, plus Glenn Beck. The Democratic/liberal/progressive rally featured Reps. Nancy Pelosi, John Lewis, Attorney General Eric Holder, MSNBC host and event organizer, Al Sharpton. Both events expected crowds of 100,000, but the March on Washington came a whole lot closer to that number than the IRS protest.
The reason for the disparity in attendance can be found in the substance of the two events.
The Republican event was designed to do nothing more than whip up outrage and create an Obama scandal. The tea party, which was intended to function as the pro-business/anti-Obama grassroots arm of the GOP, had no agenda. They were just mad.
The Democratic event featured speakers from different groups and organizations that all agreed on an agenda. Speaker after speaker at today’s event discussed issues like raising the minimum wage, fighting voter suppression, restoring the gutted sections of the Voting Rights Acts, economic opportunity, civil rights for all Americans including the LGBT community, stand your ground laws, and immigration reform.
The Democrats offered a broader more inclusive agenda, and this big tent was reflected in the difference in the diversity of attendees at each event. The IRS protest featured an almost completely white, male, and older American crowd. The March on Washington was striking in its diversity. There were Americans of all ages, shapes, sizes, colors, and sexual orientations at the event. The March on Washington included more Americans from every part of America.
Real America showed up today to not only honor Dr. King’s dream, but to also announce to the Republican Party that they aren’t about to give their country back.
Jason is the managing editor. He is also a White House Press Pool and a Congressional correspondent for PoliticusUSA. Jason has a Bachelor’s Degree in Political Science. His graduate work focused on public policy, with a specialization in social reform movements.
Awards and Professional Memberships
Member of the Society of Professional Journalists and The American Political Science Association
