Tea Party notes
I didn't make it to any of the Tulsa Tea Parties. I had a quick lunch so I could get home in time to have a nice dinner out with my wife on her birthday -- just the two of us. (We went to Bangkok at 33rd and Harvard. It's a Thai buffet. Wonderful, spicy, tasty food and a wide variety of choices. No MSG, everything is clearly labeled, they put small portions of each dish out at a time so it stays fresh.)
Here are reports from the various Tea Parties around Oklahoma, Tulsa first and in chronological order:
Chris Medlock on the 11-1 downtown event with talk radio host John Gibson (with photos):
Reasonable estimates for the event place the peak attendance at between 750 to 1000.
Chris has also posted a Washington Post graphic that explains at a glance why Obama's budget has engendered so much more grassroots unrest than Bush's budgets.
KFAQ's website has photos of the downtown event. Bland Bridenstine has more photos here, including photos of the 5 - 7 pm event at Veterans Park.
The Tulsa Tea Party blog has a thorough report with photos.
Joe Kelley on the 12-2 LaFortune Park event with Congressman John Sullivan (with video):
The Tulsa Police put the crowd size at 3200 and a petition that was passed gathered in excess of 3000 signatures.
Joe Kelley has also posted some helpful links about the Tea Party movement and resources for taking further constructive action, including the After the Tea Party website.
Here's Jenn Sierra's report and photos of the Veterans' Park event.
Muskogee Politico says there were 220 at that city's event (video and photos to come).
Tyson Wynn has audio of the Claremore rally (and explains the cool way he was able to post it live using his iPhone).
The Red Dirt Reporter was at the State Capitol for the Oklahoma City event:
Well over 5,000 people crowded onto the south plaza of the Oklahoma State Capitol Wednesday, taking part in the Tax Day Tea Party movement that has swept America, with 2,500 Tea Parties reportedly taking place nationwide.This grassroots gathering was amazing in that it drew people from all walks of life and political backgrounds. All agreed that the federal government has taken things too far in regards to taxing the American people and bailing out Wall Street and the banks.
NewsOK.com has video and photos and quotes an Oklahoma Highway Patrol estimate of between 4,000 and 5,000. (Via dustbury.com.)
Kick the Anthill has more photos of the Oklahoma City event. Videos are here on the OKC Tea Party website.
RELATED: Randy Brogdon, who may have been the only prospective candidate for Governor at any of the Tea Parties, succeeded in raising $15,000 in a single day today for his exploratory committee.
MORE: CNN reporter Susan Roesgen drops any pretense of objectivity in her coverage of the Chicago Tea Party. Michelle Malkin compares Roesgen's reporting today to Roesgen's coverage of an anti-Bush rally.
And to those who claim that Tea Party-goers are just out to attack Democrats, Michelle Malkin reports that the Sacramento Tea Party organizer acknowledged the California GOP chairman, who was present at the event, then denounced him for "waffling on massive tax hike ballot measures."
Will this make the MSM coverage? It doesn't fit the narrative. But it's yet another demonstration that this movement is not partisan and equal opportunity when it comes to holding politicians' feet to the fire for fiscal irresponsibility and fecklessness.
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I saw the CNN report yesterday as it was happening. I was dumbstruck (more than normally).
Thanks for the link!
Went to all 3 Tulsa t-parties. Used quick count estimate technique and agree with estimates of crowd number. Would note that means total attendance probably a bit larger, as people drifted in and out.
Except when I saw same person at two parties or a family or a group who had made same or similar signs, did not see two signs with same words at the 3 parties. Same themes, similar messages, but not same words. Means no centralized planning, but individuals thinking. Signs showed humor, wit, large variety of subject matter. Means not screwball people, but thinking, concerned people.
Delighted to see clear representative spectrum of ages present, albeit not so many public school age kids. Means issues motiviating parties did not come from some very limited, special interest section of the population.