What I find a little chilling is the report of Gabrielle Gifford's office being attacked. Some time later similar extremists nearly kill her.

They added at least four--and possibly five--zeros compared to the actual turnout. Teabag math is on par with Teabag spelling.

On the other hand, there were no Occupants or Seattlites marching around the Billionaires Summit.

But those are the Good Rich Guys, right?

I would set up a gay kissing booth and watch the fun.

I wonder if they'll tear gas them like they would if they were liberal protesters?

@2 That's just what the media will tell you - would have us beleive. The real tally defies calculation technology.

By the way, here's the biggest political story in the world...1 billion people in India just shifted from the historic Congress Party of the Gandhi's to the Hindu nationalist BJP and it looks like Modi will be their PM.

1 billion people are affected....1 billion.

http://www.cnn.com/2014/05/16/world/asia…

@1 Gabby Giffords was shot by most likely a paranoid schizophrenic with easy access to guns. If the Tea Partiers/Baggers had any role in the shooting, it was strong support for free access to firearms, including those with severe mental health issues, besides refusing to fund or cut funding to those who need to be identified with mental health issues, or be treated for it.

Basically medication and keeping the shooter away from firearms could had saved many people lives, and wouldn't left Gabrielle Giffords brain damaged.

"Let's stage a coup against the federal government on the last day of the big DC cop convention!"

The number might be 10 million people if you get to count all the voices/personalities in each head as individual people.

Anxiously checking the headlines:

"Congress Party Concedes Defeat As India Backs Modi"

"US Fines GM $35mm For Lapses on Ignition-Switch Defect"

"Barrage of Gunfire Damages S Seattle Businesses"

"SoCal Wildfires Rage On"

"Republicans Turn On Each Other Ahead of Key Primaries"

"Housing Starts Rose 13.2% in April"

"Unemployment Rates Below 6% In 25 U.S. States"

"Kardasian & West To Wed In Italy"

Hm, not a peep about the tens of millions of Angry Americans descending on D.C. to violently overthrow the Evil Gubbamint.

Damned Librul Media!

It's only white dudes who use the word "teabagger"--under the delusion that they're being edgy and radical--when they're really just demonstrating their bourgeois white male privilege by insulting women and People of Color, who are by far the most sexually victimized by this kind of act.

If feeling superior to these white, right-wing terrorists by using language degrading to all the rest of us is all you've got, you're actually an oppressor, not an activist.

As I sit in my cubby at , a block from the mall, I think the most interesting thing about this story is simply this: the Federal government tends to transmit information about anything... ANYTHING... that might be a disruption to normal work activities. Any kind of event, whatever, usually couched with phrases like "awareness" and "security". And there's been nary a peep about anything, not even a "be aware of your surroundings" type note. I'm think even Homeland Security is laughing these nutballs off.

Of course, it was also a torrential downpour this morning, which I'm guessing cuts way down on how interested a lot of these folks are in standing around, blocking traffic or whatever.

10 million, you say... well I'll be...
And they don't like the “socialist-fascist-communist-Marxist dictatorial, tyrannical system" either? Ok, but which is it though? Those words don't make actual sense together. It just sounds like a lot of uncritical bile.

What really surprises me is the single-minded focus of all their rage on the politicians alone (and the executive, in specific, who has far less power than Congress, generally),.. while totally ignoring the corrosive influence of capitalist money.

I mean, if anything we're closer to a fascist ("corporatist") arrangement than any of the others in that list, technically speaking.

You can't fight the problem with one eye blind.

Inherent pessimism compels me to infer that the reason a lot more nutballs aren't showing up isn't that there aren't a lot more nutballs out there but rather that those nutballs are too busy either stockpiling weapons or too apathetic to protest.

Why does Lois Lerner hate America?

@16 It's not the real Raku. But it's sufficiently convincing that it tricked Dan, so don't feel bad. It's a pretty impressive troll.

Hmm...I still haven't taken lunch. Perhaps I'll see if I can find a square inch to stand on the Mall and eat. I'll report back on the crowding conditions. ;)

(I can see the Mall where I'm from...there's a couple hundred tourists milling about the Washington Monument taking pictures and whatnot.)

*I can see the Mall from where I'm at...

Friday hard is sentence make on.

I got off Metro a couple of hours ago a stone's throw from the White House and would not have any idea anything was planned for today were it not for the news reports. I'm confidently calling this one a bust.

They love the Constitution but hate democracy. What patriots they are!

I like how an armed coup deposing a democratically-elected government and setting up a kangaroo court is apparently the SOLUTION TO, rather than the CAUSE OF, tyrannical and oppressive governance.

@26,

Their proposed kangaroo court would also include the likes of Allen West and Ben Carson, I guess to fill their "we're not racist" black quota. Of course, Allen West no longer holds elected office, and Ben Carson never has.

My troll @13 does a good job, but it's disgusting that they name themselves after a tomato/corpse sauce derived from a white colonial culture. If you have the means to eat pasta, you are morally obligated to eat it without adding tortured mammal carcass.

@28: Ragu also comes in organic tomato and basil, no meat.

@13,

Actually I use the term TBaggers as a way to deride the extreme rightwing who claim they are "patriots" while seeking to depose a duly elected Black President. As a Black female, I don't see any connection between the term "teabagger" and people of color.

So I'm guessing this coup hasn't happened?
Scary stuff, though. Surely the organizes can be tried for treason / inciting. Gods wind blew them all off course, maybe?

@29:

That's it? That's ALL you have to contribute to this thread?

Oh, how the mighty have fallen...

Not surprising that it was a bust, but I spent an hour this morning trying to book a hotel anywhere near the National Mall for next Tuesday. Scores of hotels were sold out and the closest I could find was at least 7 miles away.

Maybe 10 million of them couldn't get away from their well-defended compounds, but they booked lot of rooms on Priceline?

They all showed up, but they couldn't figure out how to use public transportation. DAMN SOCIALISM!

Ragu/raku, how did you DO that? Was Raku just a long set-up for the parody troll? For the first time, today, I literally can't tell the personas apart, and you are breaking my brain!

Dear David,

It's near-peak tourism season in DC (peak for school groups). On top of that, the city wasn't a cake walk up until a few years ago, so we currently have a dearth of hotels in the city core. That is being corrected and there will be ample hotels available within the next year or so. For now, booking last-minute right downtown is going to be hard or expensive.

I suggest you ditch internet searches for availability and start calling hotels directly. I, personally, recommend trying the Courtyard at 2nd and N NE, the Harrington Hotel at 11th and E NW, and ANY hotel in Crystal City (it's a quick Metro ride into downtown, and they have lots of hotels including Radisson, Holiday Inn, and other mid-range options). If you're feeling spendy, you might find something at the JW Marriott at 14th and Penn or the 4 Seasons in Georgetown. Also, you might want to go more than 7 miles if it's on a Metro. There are great options out near the end of the Metro lines that don't book up as fast.

It's not teabaggers, it's the millions of other folks who come here every spring/summer/fall and plan WAY ahead.

Molly Ivins had a phrase for people such as these: All hat, no cattle.

Add up all the voices in their heads and they are Legion.

It's so pathetic I almost feel bad mocking them. Almost.

a real American is not someone who is brainwashed by any one party, he thinks for himself and acts on belief he made the right choice in voting, he goes back and studies the speeches politicians made , reviews the promises and out right lies they made and looks at how they voted on all issues, in his mind he is adding all the positive and negatives did the candidate vote for what is best for American's or was his vote politically motivated or for financial gains , is he man enough to buck party line or does he just go with the flow, does he or she read a bill of law before its voted on and signed, can he or she follow the constitution as written and heed to it, are they subject to all the laws American's must abide by or do they think they are above these laws and have special privileges, since over 50 percent of politicians are multi millionaires are they in touch with everyday working American's and their families trying to make ends meet and put food on the table for their children when in reality to them meat could be a 100.00 a pound and they would still be able to eat meat, is throwing subsides out there to them much different then throwing a rat a piece of cheese to shut them up for awhile, I'm the American voter that will vent you I could care less what party your with, it means nothing to me , to get my vote you will of had to earn it , the billion dollars of adds crossing the tv every 5 minutes filled with dung and main stream media taken sides won't cut it in my book

Hey Harry? Sock puppet troll accounts on your website don't count as warm bodies that have any intention of showing up at your rally.

I liked some of the images from that open-carry rally.

These dudes that are that batshit crazy really *do* look like they're that batshit crazy.

Also, I remember back in the early days of the internet someone saying "we want to see what will happen if you give everyone a printing press". Freedom of speech is one thing, but if you're going to hand out free bullhorns to everyone, don't be surprised when it's only the craziest among us who are the most successful with them.