Scenes from the 'Super Bowl'
Posted: Thursday, November 05, 2009 1:16 PM by Domenico Montanaro
Filed Under:
Congress
From NBC's Domenico Montanaro
NBC's Luke Russert, reporting from the West Front of the Capitol, passes along this photo of a cartoon Pelosi with the words "UNAMERICAN MCCARTHYITE" scrawled across.
The crowd, per Russert, is so far about 3,000 to 3,500, according to Capitol Police estimates.
During actor Jon Voight's speech, he had some pretty hot moments:
"His only success in one year as president is taking America apart piece by piece," Voight said. "Could it be 20 years of 'subconscious programming' from Reverend Wright to damn America?"
More to come...
*** UPDATE *** Three Capitol Hill police officers all guessed that the crowd numbered at about 4,000. (Here's a wide shot picture of the crowd.)
At least 45 to 60 GOP members lined up behind the podium.
Here are some of the more jaw-dropping signs seen at the rally:
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"Get the Red Out of the White House."
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"Waterboard Congress"
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"Traitor to the U.S. Constitution" (Picture of Obama on sign)
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"Un-American McCarthyite" (with picture of Pelosi)
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"I'm the King of the World: Remember the Titanic?" (Drawing of Obama in the mold of the 'Jovial Sambo' from the Jim Crow era doing the Leo Titanic pose."
NOTE: It is important to know that this rally was set up by the GOP. While other groups certainly got people to show up, the folks who came here ultimately came at the invitation of the Republican Party. The GOP provided the speakers and the music, etc.
*** UPDATE 2 *** Nine arrested... NBC's Kelly O'Donnell reports: A statement from the Capitol police concerning protests INSIDE Congressional office buildings: "At approx. 10 am today, USCP arrested 9 people without incident who were all charged with Unlawful Entry in the Hart Senate Office Building, rm. 706."
Luke Russert has more from John Boehner's speech: "Pelosi care is the greatest threat to freedom I've seen in my 19 years in Washington.
Other bites:
"Your voice is critical today."
"You know in August Americans across this nation showed up in townhall meetings all across the country for their members of Congress. They showed up right here on September the 12th."
"They all came to say enough of mortgaging our children's future, they send enough to spending money we don't have. They said enough of the regulation enough of the bailouts."
"They said enough of the insanity of Washington, DC."
"They want nothing more to hand freedom off to their kids and to their grandkids."
"This weekend the House of Representatives is likely to vote on Pelosi care. This bill is the greatest threat to freedom I have seen in the 19 years I have been here in Washington."
"Taking away your freedom to choose your doctor, the freedom to choose health insurance on your own, it is going to lead to government take over of our healthcare system with tens of thousands of new bureaucrats right down the street making your health decisions for you."
"I'm going to stand with you and all freedom loving Americans against this bill."
"Join us in saying no to higher taxes and more deficits. Join us in defending our freedom and join us in defeating Pelosi care."
*** UPDATE 3 *** There are hundreds of protestors between the Cannon and Longworth office buildings trying to get into the building, chanting "Kill the bill."
The line goes around the block.
*** UPDATE 4 *** More scenes, per the liberal Think Progress blog of the Center for American Progress: Rep. Todd Akin proclaiming the importance of the Pledge of Allegiance, particularly "under God" and then forgetting "indivisible."
And there's this sign depicting a pile of corpses from the Holocaust, and saying that the Holocaust was the "National Socialist Health Care."
