Strange bedfellows

Saturday, 400 groups will converge on Washington, DC in what they call the “One Nation” rally. Of course, I’ve seen Leftist rallies which claimed 30 groups were represented and twenty people were there, so the number of groups isn’t really that important – it’s the types of groups that are showing up and intertwined for what they think make up the majority of Americans.

Code Pink and the National Education Association? Really? Our teachers are proud to stand along side the post-op trannies of Code Pink? The American Federation of State, County and Municipal Employees standing alongside Maoist-inspired ANSWER? In fact, every anti-war group you can think of is included and every union organization is right there along with them. So if you’re in a union, your dues money was spent to send people to this political rally. What do I mean? Well, the unions and the NAACP are giving thousands a free bus ride to DC.

And unlike Glen Beck’s rally earlier this month, this rally is purely political;

Unlike Beck’s rally, in which overt politics took a back seat to religious and patriotic themes, the progressive groups will repeatedly remind attendees to vote in the midterm elections, said Arlene Holt Baker, executive vice president of the AFL-CIO.

“We have heard a lot about frustration and anger leading to apathy. What we are finding is that anger is now turning into, ‘Okay, let’s act,'” she said. “We can either sit here and not move forward or we can go backward.”

Holt Baker considers the rally a first step toward more closely unifying the progressive movement, which has often splintered into niche causes.

Organizers told the Washington Post what their focus will be;

Organizers say they are focusing on three unifying ideas: jobs, justice and education. They define those ideas in a set of principles that also lays out a list of causes largely supported by liberals, such as ending discrimination in the criminal justice system, protecting Social Security, spending federal money to create jobs and improving public education.

“These are the bedrock issues that define who we are and why we march,” Jealous said.

Oh, really? Then why is the anti-military recruiting organization Ya-Ya Network coming? Why are The Geezers For Sitting on Our Hands (otherwise known as Veterans For Peace) slated? The National Center for Transgender Equality? American Friends Service Committee (otherwise known as Quakers – big anti-war protesters). US Labor Against the War? AIDS Walk Washington? The Trans-Africa Forum? Iraq Veterans Against the War (of course there are many contradictions just in that 5-word title)? US Campaign to End the Israeli Occupation?

Many of those groups have come out against Obama and certain policies of his administration. Gays don’t like that he hasn’t used his bullypulpit to end Don’t Ask, Don’t Tell. Code Pink, Vets For Peace and IVAW have all criticized him for continuing Bush policies in Iraq and Afghanistan – their reason to exist as organizations. In fact many of the members of those organizations have told me that they didn’t vote for Obama in 2008 – yet here they are at what is essentially a rally to encourage people to vote for Democrats in November.

This isn’t America. Maybe it’s Washington, DC’s perception of America, but no one I know out here, just the other side of the Beltway, belong to any of those groups. And maybe the union leaders think their membership’s dues are justly spent on carrying smelly busloads of hippies who want a free trip to DC, but I’m pretty sure many of you would disagree.

If that rally is an accurate portrayal of America, Those of us who aren’t there ought to buy more ammo.

Category: Antiwar crowd, Barack Obama/Joe Biden, Code Pink, I hate hippies, Iraq Veterans Against the War, Liberals suck, Phony soldiers