Glenn Beck rally: 'I have a dream' theme takes tea party turn
| Washington
The blankets and lawn chairs at Glenn Beck鈥檚 鈥�Restoring Honor鈥� rally extended from the Lincoln Memorial to the World War II Memorial and beyond 鈥� covering more than twice the ground as the far more racially mixed crowd that heard the Rev. Martin Luther King, Jr. speak on this site at the March on Washington 47 years ago.
Speakers from television commentator Beck and former Alaska Gov. Sarah Palin to Dr. King鈥檚 niece, Dr. Alveda King, referenced the well-known 鈥淚 have a dream鈥� speech.
鈥淕lenn Beck is using his popularity and influence to bring us together 鈥� to focus not on politics but on honor and 鈥榯he content of our character not the color of our skin鈥�,鈥� as her uncle had put it, said Alveda King, director of Afro-American outreach for the antiabortion group Priests for Life.
鈥淭his is the day we can start the hearts of Americans again, and it has nothing to do with politics and everything to do with God,鈥� Beck told the crowd estimated at anywhere from tens of thousands to 500,000. (The National Park Service no longer gives official estimates of crowd size.)
America is about 鈥渇reedom and opportunity, expecting nothing in return,鈥� Beck said.
鈥淭hat really resonates with me,鈥� says Don Vogel, a retired policeman and state worker from Newell, Penn. 鈥淚 worked for what I got. I don鈥檛 know what my son is going to do for a job.鈥�
Many at the rally mentioned the economy and moral decay 鈥� defined as abortion and gay marriage 鈥� as their top concerns.
鈥淭his country is in the worst state of peril it鈥檚 been since its existence. If things don鈥檛 change in about two years, we鈥檝e had it,鈥� says John Nichols, a veteran who says he鈥檚 writing a book about his service with the all-black 鈥淏uffalo Soldiers鈥� in World War II.
About 10 blocks away, the Rev. Al Sharpton led a "Reclaim the Dream" rally marking the anniversary of Dr. King鈥檚 1963 鈥淚 have a dream鈥� speech while also taking political aim at Beck and his 鈥渢ea party鈥� followers.
"We're coming out to fight and we're not going to let you turn back the clock," Sharpton said.
Organizers at the 鈥淩estoring Honor鈥� rally discouraged political signs, but yellow 鈥淒on鈥檛 tread on me鈥� flags adopted by tea party activists were nearly as ubiquitous as American flags.
The back of some 鈥淩estoring Honor鈥� T-shirts read: 鈥淗ad enough hope and change?鈥� 鈥� a reference to President Obama鈥檚 2008 campaign. Out on the street, a protester with a 鈥淒eport Barry Soetoro鈥� sign held forth on the generally discredited 鈥渂irther鈥� conspiracy theory.
So, was the rally, in fact, political? No, said Peter Wandrie, a retired Detroit policeman, who drove all night to get to the rally from Lapeer, Michigan. 鈥淲e are taxpayers and we want our government back.鈥�
His wife Gen disagreed.
鈥淥f course it鈥檚 political,鈥� she said. 鈥淚t鈥檚 not a Democratic or a Republican thing. I hate Republicans, too. They鈥檙e just Democrats 濒颈迟别.鈥�
鈥淭hey think we鈥檙e stupid, that we鈥檙e just flyover country,鈥� she added. 鈥淲e鈥檙e hoping to restore America, but if not we鈥檙e prepared.鈥�
