Via NPR;
Liberals Rally In DC To Light Fire Under Democratic Base
J. Scott Applewhite/AP Photo Liberals gathered at the Lincoln Memorial for their "One Nation Working Together" rally, Saturday, Oct. 2, 2010,
Liberals had their Washington, D.C. march and rally Saturday about a month after conservatives had theirs.
A noteworthy element captured in some of the reporting on the progressives' event was that people who are ideologically left-of-center are frustrated too, just like those in the Tea Party movement.
Economic anxieties and fears that the nation was headed in the wrong direction were picked up by reporters who talked with some of the estimated 175,000, who attended according to organizers.
Of course, attendees at Saturday's "One Nation Working Together" event had a different analysis of the causes of the nation's problem than those who attended the much larger Beck rally.
On this first Saturday in October, much of the blame was placed on Republicans and corporations as opposed to President Obama, obviously.
A passage in a Washington Post article made that point:
But most political experts say that's a tall order, especially during a mid-term election which typically generates much less excitement than presidential elections.
Even so, these are not the worst of times for Democrats, not with a Democrat in the White House and their party still controlling Congress, if only for the time being. So they had a little more fuel for their hopes than has been true at some points in recent decades.
Another element worth noting: Saturday's rally showed some of the fissures in the Democratic Party. Just as the Tea Party movement has its different strands, like those who believe the movement should forswear social issues and focus solely on fiscal matters and those who disagree, the liberals had their differences too.
Again from the WaPo:
A noteworthy element captured in some of the reporting on the progressives' event was that people who are ideologically left-of-center are frustrated too, just like those in the Tea Party movement.
Economic anxieties and fears that the nation was headed in the wrong direction were picked up by reporters who talked with some of the estimated 175,000, who attended according to organizers.
Of course, attendees at Saturday's "One Nation Working Together" event had a different analysis of the causes of the nation's problem than those who attended the much larger Beck rally.
On this first Saturday in October, much of the blame was placed on Republicans and corporations as opposed to President Obama, obviously.
A passage in a Washington Post article made that point:
Edrie Irvine, a laid-off legal secretary from Silver Spring, shared her story with a gathering of unemployed workers that fed into the larger rally. "The recession was caused by the banks, greed and deregulation," she said. "It didn't have anything to do with me, but I lost my job."Coming exactly a month before Election Day, the rally was meant to fire up the voters essential to the Democrats' hopes of maintaining control of Congress, especially the House.
James Keane, who carried a sign that read "Jesus Christ is a Liberal," said he drove from New York City because he felt "it's about time the Democrats marched."
"We've stood by and watched the tea party people go crazy every couple of months," said Keane, who is unemployed. "It's time for Democrats to stand up and fight for what they believe in. Obama has been a great leader, but so many in the Democratic leadership have been playing the fence."
But most political experts say that's a tall order, especially during a mid-term election which typically generates much less excitement than presidential elections.
Even so, these are not the worst of times for Democrats, not with a Democrat in the White House and their party still controlling Congress, if only for the time being. So they had a little more fuel for their hopes than has been true at some points in recent decades.
Another element worth noting: Saturday's rally showed some of the fissures in the Democratic Party. Just as the Tea Party movement has its different strands, like those who believe the movement should forswear social issues and focus solely on fiscal matters and those who disagree, the liberals had their differences too.
Again from the WaPo:
The socially conservative National Baptist Convention stood beside members of the Human Rights Campaign, and members of the mine workers union rallied with environmental activists.To a large extent, whoever can hold their coalitions together longer, the conservatives or the liberals, will probably prevail in the end.
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