There’s a “Big ‘Ol T.E.A. Party” Coming to Washington
ABC News' Teddy Davis reports: Tens of thousands of anti-big government activists are expected in Washington on Saturday as part of a "March on Washington" being organized by FreedomWorks, a conservative group headed by former House Majority Leader Dick Armey, R-Texas. In a telephone interview with ABC News, Armey said that one goal of the event is to retake the initiative in the health-care debate from President Obama who attempted to seize control this week with a speech to Congress. "It's always nice to have a pretty speech and I love to watch them," Armey told ABC News. "But at some point, he is going to have to have a real bill. That real bill is going to be read by the American people and you're going to see the same thing that you saw in August." "He can't pass a law without providing a bill," Armey continued. "When that chapter and verse comes out, you are going to find out whether or not his $900 billion cost estimate is realistic. How does he propose to pay for it? What kind of trespasses on our liberty does it contain?" Armey's opposition to the president's plan runs well beyond the public insurance option. He is also adamantly opposed to a series of new mandates contained in Democratic proposals including the employer mandate, the individual mandate, and the new requirements on insurance companies to provide coverage without regard to health status. "He is going to force everybody to insure the uninsurable," said Armey, referring to President Obama's proposal on guaranteed issue and community rating. "The whole concept of insurance is the management of risk and the management of risk is expected to be equally shared by the insurer and the insured." Armey's group, which counts 400,000 valid e-mail addresses and 700,000 members, does not know exactly how many activists are planning to attend Saturday's rally. They predict, however, that tens of thousands will turn out and that it will be the largest ever gathering of "fiscal conservatives" in Washington, D.C. Activists will gather on Freedom Plaza at 9:00 am ET. At 10:30 am ET, they will march to the West front of the Capitol. Speakers will include Armey, Sen. Jim DeMint, R-S.C., Rep. Mike Pence, R-Ind., and Rep. Marsha Blackburn, R-Tenn. Organizers are also working to pipe in a video message from FNC anchor Glenn Beck.
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I wish I had known earlier. I have never been to a march, but I would have made it to this one!
Posted by: wheresmymoney | September 11, 2009, 6:02 pm 6:02 pm
Good Job Protestors……thankyou, for your hard work in stopping thei massive government abuse and rip off of the american people.
Posted by: PotatoeGater22 | September 11, 2009, 6:31 pm 6:31 pm
It does not surprise me freedomworks is behind this after all republicans have been using freedomworks as a way of manipulating the healthcare debate for quite some time.
Posted by: Nathan | September 11, 2009, 6:33 pm 6:33 pm
I’m tired of being called a conservative. I’m a pro-choice, pro-gun, pro-union, anti-war atheist and I am to go to the march and protest this government. Even I can see what these people are …. Communist!
Posted by: Be Afraid, Be Very Afraid | September 11, 2009, 6:57 pm 6:57 pm
I wish I could go, but I’m helping my daughter-in-law with the four kids while my son is in Iraq.
At last, a conservative group to organize things like the dozens of liberal/socialist organizations that continually march here and there with “volunteer” protesters.
Posted by: pam | September 11, 2009, 7:16 pm 7:16 pm
Anti-Government? HAHAHAHA!!!! This is about going back to the constitution and the principles it was founded upon! Amazing how ABC and Obama are trying to paint innocent American civilians who have strong American Constitutional values as enemies when it is to the exact contrary! Go away ABC or should I say, All Barak Channel.
Posted by: 1MANA55 | September 11, 2009, 7:24 pm 7:24 pm
Technicaly, its the 9-12 project(the912project.com) “is designed to bring us back to the place we were on September 12, 2001. The day after America was attacked we were not obsessed with Red States, Blue States or political parties. We were united as Americans, standing together to protect the values and principles of the greatest nation ever created.”
Posted by: deanbob | September 11, 2009, 8:40 pm 8:40 pm
I am tired of the ignorant smear of the Bots trying say it is just republicans protesting and fed up with the government. Either wake up and smell the coffee or grow a brain…either case the facts are that the protestors are republican, democrate, independents and those that even vote because they are so fed up with the system. It isn’t one group—its a large number of different people. I btw wasn’t able to go to this one…but I am a Libertarian.
Posted by: PotatoeGater22 | September 11, 2009, 9:28 pm 9:28 pm
Make sure you check out the demographics of the marchers. It will not look like a cross-section of America’s population, I assure you. Yet, they will claim to represent The American People.
Posted by: Mike from Carolina | September 11, 2009, 11:03 pm 11:03 pm
Don’t cover it ABC. Spend the day telling us how the Obama garden is
doing…and how Michelle has grown
pumpkins for ACORNers to carve and
hand out at Halloween time. You
know…the stuff your viewers want
to hear.
Posted by: Trajan | September 11, 2009, 11:29 pm 11:29 pm
It is shocking to me to see how many ignorant, hateful, and small minded idiots post on this website.
Is this just a magnet for any rightwing nutjob???
The single biggest threat to the US doesn’t come from terrorists. It comes from selfish, racist, irrational, morons who watch Glenn Beck and listen to Limabaugh.
Posted by: Susan | September 12, 2009, 1:15 am 1:15 am
These people are RACISTS and SICK. March all you want too, that your right. Your President Obama want you to excercise your rights. Have a GOOD Day!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!
Posted by: Ruby Fletcher | September 12, 2009, 1:41 am 1:41 am
“He is going to force everybody to insure the uninsurable,” said Armey, referring to President Obama’s proposal on guaranteed issue and community rating. “The whole concept of insurance is the management of risk and the management of risk is expected to be equally shared by the insurer and the insured.”
oh yes the poor oppressed insurance companies with their execs paid up to 125 million per year..your right Arney some people in poor health should not be allowed insurance, that would be stealing their liberty,and that of the insurance companies they should just die if they are not rich..talk about “death panels”! You know what if its unfair to force the insurance compnanies to insure people when that is how you get health care (short of being a multimillioare) then how about a public insurance option? oh and Arney please give up your communistic governmemt health care plan you freakin hypocrite phony I resent having my liberty taken away to pay taxes to pay your rich creepy butts insurance when i cant alway afford to pay my own after im done paying my taxes to help pay for your arney! If you beleive so strongly in liberty quit forcing me to pay for your health care Arney you commie!!!
Posted by: dan | September 12, 2009, 2:12 am 2:12 am
yeah Good Job Protestors. thank you for being tricked into being used by the lobbyists, hmos, and big insurance companies for your work in contining to insure that insurance companies and HMOs can continue to cheat the living crap out us and line thier pockets with up to 125 million per year annual compensation form theier execs while average americans go bankrupt when they get sick, cant get or afford insurance if they loose or change there job or start a business..the world has changed if you have not noticed..we dont have the “family doctor” of the early 20th century anymore.. we have hmos and big insurance and pharma, govt. is a necessary evil at times to protect us from the other thieves..Americans pay 10 times as much for health care as other, the american drug companies subsidized by the us taxpayer charge us 10x as much for drugs as other countries and the hmos often cancel people coverage as soon as they get sick, right now we get little help from the govt. but still pay big taxes..the worst of both worlds!
so go ahead and protest chumps, but most of you are being manipulated by those smarter and richer than you
Posted by: dan | September 12, 2009, 2:23 am 2:23 am
Wish I could be there. It’s really about money..and what we’re spending. Our children and grandchildren are being given a massive debt to pay. It’s about taking back our government and getting rid of corruption. Is there anyone defending the non-defensible ACORN? Is it OK to vote for a bill without reading it? That’s what it’s all about!
Posted by: John Nelson | September 12, 2009, 7:16 am 7:16 am
”I wish I had known earlier” says an earlier poster here. It’s time for many like that person to reevaluate where they get their news from. They need to change or at least augment their traditional sources of news. This is because the traditional major news media is not covering stories of national importance and their readers and viewers are getting surprised more and more when the stories, e.g. Van Jones, finally do break.
Posted by: joey123 | September 12, 2009, 7:45 am 7:45 am
Man!
So many angry people quick to denigrate their fellow citizens who disagree with them. to sum up, if you don’t agree with the current administration you are:
1. a racist
2. a bigot
3. a moron
4. an anti-government militiaman
5 a shill for big pharma/insurance
6. working against your own self-interest.
What I don’t see is any refutation of the criticisms raised against the healthcare takeover. Could that be because they know them to be valid? when you have facts on your side you dont have to attack the messenger.
Posted by: Timothy | September 12, 2009, 8:58 am 8:58 am
Many people on here are afraid of the movement that these people represent. They are afraid because they still believe that Obama and his people were telling them the truth during the campaign. But ask yourself this: where is the integrity we were promised? Most of his appointees didn’t make it through the vetting process due to shady pasts and financial dealings. Bipartisan relations? “We won. That’s why”. Peace in the world? He wants even more troops in Afghanistan and oh by the way March 2009 has come and gone and from what I see the troops are still in Iraq. Face it people: He Lied.
Posted by: Old Navy Chief | September 12, 2009, 9:43 am 9:43 am
Healthcare reform or healthcare insurance reform. I suppose it depend on which day you hear the Dems talking and which side of their mouths they are talking out of. Frankly, after reading HR3200, it looked like the largest violation of the US Constitution was stopped dead in its tracks by a handful of Patriots. Those same Patriots are now represented by the largest grass roots movement in recent history. This is no longer about health care. It is about the survival of our very Constitution. Obamacare would create new taxes and penalties that exist outside of the provisions of Article 1 section 8. There would be no congressional oversight of these new taxes and the power to regulate would be directly passed to the White House for the first time in our nations history. I wouldn’t even vote for that to happen in a legitimate President no less the current one. Face it people: He Lied
Posted by: Old Navy Chief | September 12, 2009, 9:48 am 9:48 am
Chumps? Lets see now… which candidate conviced his constituents that he would not tax the middle class yet supports HR3200 which will specifically tax every single member of every class (except the ruling class). This stopped being about health care reform a long time ago. The creation of a Commissioner of Health Care that is beyond the control or overesight of the duly elected congress is the most egregious affront to the American Constitution in the history of the Republic. This new commissioner will have the ability to levy taxes and penalties in a way that completely bypasses elected officials. Since that person serves at the pleasure of the president, it transfers power form the congress to the white house with absolutely no recourse. Even the court systems are addressed in the existing bills to ensure that the commissioner’s decisions are beyond judicial review. Where is the ACLU now? Face it people: He lied.
Posted by: Old Navy Chief | September 12, 2009, 9:55 am 9:55 am
Old Navy Chief Said: “Lets see now… which candidate conviced his constituents that he would not tax the middle class yet supports HR3200 which will specifically tax every single member of every class.”
=================================
LOL….. this is coming from a Navy guy, who has lived off of “government provided health care his entire career” (i.e., a “government option”), and is probably using a combination of the retired military health care system (TRICARE) and Medicare right now.
Go figure the brainless thoughts of some nut-case “Right-Whiners”.
Posted by: Current Army Soldier | September 12, 2009, 11:50 am 11:50 am
The “Million Moron March”…. LOL …. thank God it’s only in the “tens” of thousands. I would be concerned for our country if we had more Morons than that.
Posted by: X-Republican Because of Bush | September 12, 2009, 11:56 am 11:56 am
im here, count is 1-2 million protesters..peaceful, loving crowd..it’s a joy…
the people are speaking. and the prez left town. pffft.
Posted by: mjishernameo | September 12, 2009, 2:54 pm 2:54 pm
I have no idea what these people expect to accomplish….Just a forum to snipe and accomplish nothing…
Posted by: indy_voter | September 12, 2009, 3:38 pm 3:38 pm
“LOL….. this is coming from a Navy guy, who has lived off of “government provided health care his entire career” (i.e., a “government option”), and is probably using a combination of the retired military health care system (TRICARE) and Medicare right now.”
Since you don’t know me “soldier” you have no clue> I work a fifty (+) hour week as a program manager and do not use either tricare or medicare. Haven’t since I left the Navy over fifteen years ago. In the meantime, I have watched my taxes go higher and higher under both R and D administrations. Someday when you grow up, you will feel that pain too. If you have any sense of duty and honor, you would see that an attack on the constitution you have sworn to defend is still an attack no matter where it comes from.
Posted by: Old Navy Chief | September 12, 2009, 4:03 pm 4:03 pm
Anything happen with ACORN this week
that you might tell us about?…tick..
….tick….tick
Posted by: Trajan | September 12, 2009, 4:10 pm 4:10 pm
“Photoshopping” of the crowd pix will
be the buzz-word of the media. If that
doesn’t work, then, “They’re all right
wing whackos” will be the mantra. They
are very scared about this turnout.
And this will bring out the panicked
vitriol we’ll hear next week.
Posted by: Trajan | September 12, 2009, 8:57 pm 8:57 pm
I’m glad to see that it took you eight years to protest. You were all AWOL under 43.
• President Bush expanded the federal budget by a historic $700 billion through 2008. President Bush began a string of expensive finan¬cial bailouts. President Bush created a Medicare drug entitle¬ment that will cost an estimated $800 billion in its first decade. President Bush increased federal education spending 58 percent faster than inflation. President Bush became the first President to spend 3 percent of GDP on federal antipoverty programs. President Bush tilted the income tax burden more toward upper-income taxpayers. President Bush presided over a $2.5 trillion increase in the public debt through 2008. Setting aside 2009
Posted by: torcik | September 12, 2009, 10:44 pm 10:44 pm
I am just testing. I am not sure if this is the way to log in anymore.
Posted by: Diane | September 13, 2009, 11:08 am 11:08 am
Okay, I will try to comment. I never know if my comments are going to go through or not and then I have wasted my time writing. I think all comments should go through. My comment is I don’t think many of you are getting the whole picture. Do you realize that with all of this big government, health care talk, it is just taking your minds away from your own local government and what they are doing. They are busy imposing policies that ignore the demands of the people. Don’t any of you wonder why nothing changes. There are international groups that control them. They are run by non-elected councils and boards. What they want is sustainable development which Agenda 21 will tell you about. This encompasses gun control, taking private property rights away from everyone, telling us what to eat, how to eat, and I could go on. That is to me the reason for Obama throwing so much at us at once. This is a type of brainwashing. Do any of you know that over 1000 cities in the U.S. are already in the U.N. Yes, the treasonist local governors and mayors have helped get this done. But of course all government is committing treason on us. Remember they are not working for us, but for much higher and hidden people. Just a note. The word governance as opposed to government means complete control, and that is the word they are using lately.
Posted by: cape cod | September 13, 2009, 11:36 am 11:36 am
Now Hiring for the Tea party Express
$10 an hour free food free transportation,Free hotel
Experience none needed Just Protest scream yell and Hold Signs up Paid for By Insurance Compaines and the RNC!Funny Most of the People look to be about 65 years old or so Protesting Anti-Goverment Give up Social Security and Medicare what a joke! hahah lol
Posted by: Angie in PA | September 13, 2009, 12:08 pm 12:08 pm
I can’t believe that your so-called “national” network, ABC, has NOTHING on the Tea Party march!! Could it be that this ABC network is PARTISAN. This is not even a Republican OR a Democrat event. It’s a CONSERVATIVE event and therefore not “newsworthy” by your editors. HOW DARE YOU censor my news.
ABC, you have just illustrated why you are losing viewers right and left. Free people don’t want their news censored.
Yours is a manipulated viewpoint that you have been foisting on the American public for over half a century. We’re on to you. I hope you go bankrupt.
Posted by: Songbird | September 13, 2009, 2:22 pm 2:22 pm
“I can’t believe that your so-called “national” network, ABC, has NOTHING on the Tea Party march!! Could it be that this ABC network is PARTISAN. This is not even a Republican OR a Democrat event. It’s a CONSERVATIVE event and therefore not “newsworthy” by your editors. HOW DARE YOU censor my news. ABC, you have just illustrated why you are losing viewers right and left. Free people don’t want their news censored. Yours is a manipulated viewpoint that you have been foisting on the American public for over half a century. We’re on to you. I hope you go bankrupt.”
Jeez Louise, Songbird, calm down.
Go to the ABC News home page. Then, keeping your eye on the right side of the page, scroll down until you see the “Most Popular” section. There are two headlines that might interest you:
ABC News Was Misquoted on Protest Size
and
‘Tea Party’ Protesters Slam Spending, Obama
Click on the headline you like best and you’ll be taken right to that story.
Feel better now?
Posted by: WWW | September 13, 2009, 5:31 pm 5:31 pm
Way to go people. Maybe all of the sheeple in this country will actually take notice. Perhaps the protest signs should look like the American Idol logo so the soft brained public will tune in and watch something that matters to them and their children or perhaps I am just stupid giving the public the benfit of the doubt. Maybe the government should run every aspect of their lives. Most Americans embarass me.
Posted by: bill | January 13, 2010, 12:49 pm 12:49 pm