Nationwide union rallies to support Wisconsin’s striking teachers, organized by MoveOn.org, have fallen far short of predictions, though the “mainstream media” “take” on the day is that it was a smashing success for Big Labor. : Let’s walk back that part about “smashing:”
Tea Party member assaulted by union thug in Sacramento
In Sacramento, a mob of union goonians suddenly surged from their own protest area towards a Tea party crowd. A Tea Party activist was assaulted and injured by a Teamster who had been yelling on a bullhorn.
I spoke to Stanhope, as he drove to the hospital for x-rays and treatment for the injuries sustained at the rally, and asked him what happened. Mr. Stanhope said that he was with a group of about 150 Tea Party activists across the street from the MoveOn.org-organized union rally. A union man with a bullhorn, Richard Andazola, 28, was yelling across the street at the Tea Party activists, calling them “fascists.”
Then one of the Tea Party activists, also bullhorn equipped, replied, “We pay your salary!”
This enraged Andazola, who, according to Stanhope, rushed the Tea Partiers, chanting “Fascists go home! Fascists go home!” He violently shoved Stanhope twice, the second time apparently striking Stanhope in the throat.
A week of violence, obscenities, and Nazi/Hitler/Mubarak references ignored by mainstream media
[ It is no surprise that the local media downplayed the event. The major networks and newspapers ignored last week’s violence: A TV cameraman was told “I will F+++ you in the A++, you Fa+++t,” Marty Lamb being shoved to the ground in Boston; a black, gay Tea Party activist taunted with racist, homophobic remarks in Denver, a FreedomWorks employee smacked in the face in Washington D.C., a Jewish Tea Party protester called a “Bad Jew” and so on.] [See links below for coverage]
Washington, D.C. union thugs have a child carry a sign w/ obscenity
Gabriel at Ace of Spades, along with @mamaswati, @alwaysonoffense, and @mattdelucafile this report full of bizarre labor union posters from the Washington D.C. rally…including this photo of a CHILDcarrying a sign that refers to TEABAGGERS.
Photo by Gabriel Malor at Ace of Spades
[In case you need a refresher on the meaning of “teabagger,” and why it is inappropriate if not child abuse to subject a child to this kind of pornography, go HERE.]
Professor Bill Jacobson of Legal Insurrection has been reviewing coverage from around the country and finds the mainstream media are GREATLY exaggerating crowd sizes and DOWNPLAYING the union attacks on the Tea Party counter-protesters.
The turnout in Madison was sizable, with estimates ranging from 50-70,000, which included protesters bused in from other states. (Dayen is trying to pump the crowd estimate to over 100,000.) But elsewhere, the crowds numbered only in the hundreds or low thousands.
In Washington, D.C., only about 500 people showed up (go to link for good photos of crazy signs). (Note, WaPo says 1000.)
In Columbus, OH, where you would expect a big crowd given a similar controversy, only “several thousand” people protested.
While I don’t have a complete count, based on these numbers from some major cities and labor states, total protesters nationwide (excluding Madison) likely totaled under 100,000 combined.
So the big labor unions have spent a week bullying, and assaulting Tea Party members, using foul language, posters with obscenities and Nazi/Hitler/Mubarak references and the media ignore it. They “over”-focus and inflate the union message. So what else is new? Pass the butter.