Be careful what you ask for! I asked PL readers to send us photos of the tea parties they attended, and the response was overwhelming. I didn’t have time yesterday to go through them and post pictures, but I’ll try to get it done today. Here is the first batch; I’ll update as the day goes on.
Two preliminary comments: First, this is what a real grass-roots uprising looks like. Whether it develops into a movement remains to be seen, but it’s easy to understand why the Left is so agitated about the tea parties and so anxious to discredit them. This is the sort of citizen activism the Left would like to inspire, but hasn’t for a very long time. Second, there was a great deal of diversity among the protesters–cultural as well as ideological–but they were united by a common desire for smaller, more efficient, less intrusive and more fiscally responsible government. The success of the tea parties suggests that these bedrock conservative values can once again be the basis for a broad, and potentially winning, coalition. So, now for some photos (only one per rally); cllick to enlarge:
Boston:
Charleston, West Virginia:
Chicago:
Cincinnati:
Richardson, Texas:
Tyler, Texas:
Vero Beach, Florida:
Washington, DC:
Much more to come.
UPDATE:
San Francisco:
Corpus Christi, Texas:
Asheville, NC:
Baltimore:
FURTHER UPDATE: The day has pretty well gotten away from me, as I’ve been in meetings until just now, 11:00 eastern. Well, OK, the last meeting took place in a bar, but still. I’m going to continue updating this post until I’ve included a photo from everyone who contributed. That won’t be complete until some time tomorrow.
—–
EXTENDED BODY:
Abingdon, Virginia:
Carson City, Nevada:
Dallas, Texas:
New York:
Pleasanton, California:
San Antonio:
St. Cloud, Minnesota:
Notice: All comments are subject to moderation. Our comments are intended to be a forum for civil discourse bearing on the subject under discussion. Commenters who stray beyond the bounds of civility or employ what we deem gratuitous vulgarity in a comment — including, but not limited to, “s***,” “f***,” “a*******,” or one of their many variants — will be banned without further notice in the sole discretion of the site moderator.