Tea Party Express Caravan
Day 4
August 31 – Las Vegas, Nevada and Flagstaff, Arizona
Phew! Whose idea was it to hang out in the parking lot in Las Vegas, in August, at mid-day?! The temperature was at least 102 degrees, but that didn’t keep the tea party crowd from coming out early, and hanging in there for hours waiting for the big buses to arrive, and then exercising their rights at the rally. It had to be close to 2,000 people. Don't mean to complain. The energy was as high as the temperature. And the TPE organizers have done a really good job at planning the stops, locations and times. There are only so many hours in the day, and there are quite a few miles to cover. It's working so far!
Saw our first “counter-protester” in Vegas. It was one guy carrying his “We support Obama Healthcare and Stimulus” sign, but I noticed he was all alone. Or maybe he had a mouse in his pocket. Anyway, it's American to express your opinion, so...good job, guy.
Local news outlets came out to cover the rally, and I heard it was broadcast live on CNN and Fox News. Hmmm…anyone see any coverage of that? I know TPE has several “embedded” media outlet reps traveling across the country with them. From what I’ve heard, the coverage is pretty fair, and I’ve heard several compliments for the CNN reporter’s coverage being courteous and accurate. Good job, CNN.
Wayne Root came out to address the crowd, and Sharron Angle finished up her 6-stop tour on the Tea Party bus. The local organizers in Las Vegas really work hard at these tea parties, and could sure use some financial support. The arrangements, and the continued political activism, can get pretty expensive.
The drive from Vegas to Arizona crosses the Hoover Dam, as most of you likely know. It was the first trip across for our little girl. She was pretty excited to see all the activity. But the heat started to get to our car, towing all our gear. We had to pull over and let the engine rest more than once climbing the hills. It was hot, hot, hot.
Second counter-protest I witnessed was in Flagstaff. We had around 900 Tea Party Patriots gathered in the evening after the workday, and about 15 or maybe even 20 counter-protesters across the street carrying their signs. Most said “Public Option – Yes” or “Healthcare now” or similar. They only hung in there for about an hour, though. Our tea party lasted around 2 hours. I guess it’s just not that fun for some. I sure appreciate the peaceful demonstrations. I feel so American. Just wish they could get some bigger numbers out to support their anti-anti-big-government cause. Too bad.
