I went to the "Tea Party" last night at Fox Banquets in Appleton. A very nice venue, perched atop the Kimball St. embankment overlooking the Fox River. It was a nice rally, too. Lots and lots of polite folks, I'd say 1500. One thing the Post-Crescent didn't mention is that after the event the parking lot was spotless!
I saw one fellow wearing an Obama t-shirt walking through the crowd with a small video recorder, smiling and shaking his head. He, of course, was in no peril from this crowd.
I enjoyed the history teacher (professor?) the most as he was the best speaker. Jerry Bader may know how to handle a microphone but he needs to practice his public speaking.
The event was nifty in that a lot of frustration and discontent had a public outlet; but it was unfocused. Better to have this kind of rally during an election year. Political action needs to be more focused and consistent. "Throw the bums out" sounds good but it'll take that consistent, focused effort.
After the rally, as people were politely queued up to sign the huge banner that the organizers are going to send to Washington, DC, I spoke to a fellow who runs a cleaning business. He had the same reaction I did regarding the unfocused nature of the event. He told me that when he trains a new hire and shows him the ropes on the first night, everything's fine. The real question is not just whether the new guy will do as good a job the 2nd night, but whether he'll even show up!
Will we continue to "show up" when it comes to registering our dissatisfaction with the new "status quo"? Write your Congress critters. Help people get elected to office that will work towards reducing spending, reducing taxes, reducing regulation, reducing government. Donate money to their campaigns.
Better yet, run for office yourself so that you'll know what it means to commit yourself to tangible political action. Politics is almost as important as your own breathing.