Glenn Beck rally: Why is it on the anniversary of King's speech?
| Washington
Why, exactly, did conservative talk-show host Glenn Beck choose this Saturday for his 鈥�Restoring Honor鈥� rally at the Lincoln Memorial?
That鈥檚 47 years to the day after Martin Luther King Jr. made his famous 鈥淚 Have a Dream鈥� speech at the same spot. Some civil rights leaders are upset and say that Mr. Beck is trying to hijack Dr. King鈥檚 memory.
鈥淲hen we heard about Glenn Beck, it was puzzling,鈥� said the Rev. Al Sharpton. 鈥淏ecause if you read Dr. King鈥檚 speech, it just doesn鈥檛 jell with what Mr. Beck ... [is] saying.鈥�
Mr. Sharpton鈥檚 National Action Network is planning a counterrally at a nearby school. Participants then will march to the site of a proposed King statue near the Lincoln Memorial, potentially bringing them near Glenn Beck rally participants.
Beck himself says that it鈥檚 only a coincidence that his mass meeting will be held on the MLK anniversary. For months he has insisted that it was originally planned for Sept. 12 鈥� the 9-12 Project is the name of a Beck-led values revival effort, after all. Then he realized that date was a Sunday this year, and he did not want to rally on Sunday. So he changed it.
Saturday, Aug. 28, was the best match for the schedule of other people involved in the rally, Beck has said.
And it is true that the coming weekend is a big one for 鈥渢ea party鈥�-related events in Washington. Many tea-party members probably would have been in town anyway, and this way they can add a Beck rally to their schedules.
FreedomWorks, a tea-party organizational group, is holding its own 鈥淭ake America Back鈥� convention on Friday evening at the Daughters of the American Revolution鈥檚 Constitution Hall. The conservative political advocacy group Americans for Prosperity, founded by billionaire David Koch, is holding a big 鈥淒efending the American Dream鈥� summit on Friday and Saturday, as well.
Beck says that his rally is nonpolitical. Sarah Palin is speaking, but no elected GOP lawmakers are scheduled to appear. The tea-party group conventions, however, decidedly are political.
Among the FreedomWorks speakers on Friday will be outspoken conservative Rep. Michele Bachmann (R) of Minnesota and GOP Kentucky Senate candidate Rand Paul. The Americans for Prosperity meetings include break-out sessions on 鈥淭he Ticking Tax Bomb,鈥� 鈥淩epealing ObamaCare,鈥� and 鈥淔ree Speech vs. Media Reform.鈥�
鈥淪ummit attendees will join thousands of grassroots activists from across the country at Glenn Beck鈥檚 鈥楻estoring Honor Rally鈥� on the steps of the Lincoln Memorial,鈥� notes a on AFP鈥檚 website.
