As the Midterms Approach, Liberals Rally to Build Enthusiasm

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WASHINGTON -- Thousands of demonstrators from around the country rallied on the National Mall Saturday in a passionate and determined display to build enthusiasm for liberal causes and candidates one month before the midterm elections.
The crowd stretched from the steps of the Lincoln Memorial to the edge of the Washington Monument, stoked by a series of speakers, musicians, and even comedians. Sponsors of the event, called "One Nation Working Together," made the case for liberal causes, such as universal health care and immigration reform, and urged voters to fight back against the Tea Party movement.

"Forty Republicans have decided to say, 'no,' while you suffer, while your jobs go overseas, while they strangle the money," Ed Shultz, host of MSNBC's "The Ed Show," told the crowd, referring to Republicans in the Senate. "They don't want to give it to the small businesses. They want to keep it at the top. They want to see President Obama fail. We cannot let that happen. We cannot give up on November 2."

The four-hour rally, supported by more than 400 liberal groups, attracted people with diverse concerns, some of which were reflected in signs they carried. "It is NOT ok to Bash Muslims," read one popular sign. "Don't Ask, Don't Tell, Don't Hate," read another, referring to the ban on openly gay military service members. There were also several attacks on conservatives. One person near the Lincoln Memorial held up a sign that read, "Axis of Ignorance: Tea Party, Republicans, Fox News."

"I want the Republicans to know that we're not afraid," said Ellen Vogel, who traveled to the rally from Alaska. "We're not sitting home, and we don't have voter apathy. We're tired of the lies and the propaganda. It's just ridiculous. We need to stand together, not spread fear."
Several people said they came to the event to address what they perceived as an increasingly divided political environment.
"Over the past eight to 10 years, there have been these forces that have done nothing but divide the nation, pitting one group against another," said Michael Fox of the American Federation of State, Country and Municipal Employees, leading a group down 23rd street in Washington to the Lincoln Memorial.

"We're down here as disparate groups -- civil rights organizations, labor organizations, social justice organizations -- to demonstrate that people of all kinds can get along and work towards a common goal, which is putting people back to work."
The need for jobs was also on Betsy Daly's mind. "People who are out of work are not lazy," said Daly. "They've been characterized as lazy, shiftless, worthless, unemployed people. Well, people want to work. And I think it's poignant that there are many people here of very limited means who took what little money they have to come here today."
James White, who led a group from the Sheet Metal Workers International Association, echoed her remarks. "We're here for one reason -- for jobs," he said. "It's time to put our people back to work. We want to make sure everybody understands that. We know the administration's trying, but the Congress and the Senate need to do something and pass a jobs bill."

The Rev. Al Sharpton delivered a populist speech that touched on the strength of diversity.
"We bailed out the banks. We bailed out the insurance companies. And now it's time to bail out the American people," Sharpton declared from a stage at the Lincoln Memorial. "If we can get blacks connected to whites, Latinos connected to Asians, straights connected to gays...we can make America breathe and make America live."
"We need to organize to make sure that in the election this year, we're able to hold on to the gains we've made for equality and justice for our country," said Dan Hawes, who came to the rally with the National Gay and Lesbian Task Force. "All of that is at risk right now. So I'm here to take a stand for justice and equality."

The proceedings didn't go by without at least one heated, and slightly physical, argument between a lone, determined Tea Party member and some demonstrators. "We accept opposing views," said Roxanne Vunnell, who was involved in the altercation, "and we understand that not everybody is going to agree on things. But to come and get in our faces and put her hands on us, that's not acceptable."

The One Nation event followed a huge rally Aug. 28 on the same site by conservative talk show host Glenn Beck, which was billed as a non-political salute to the military. One Nation leaders said turnout for their event had been larger than they expected -- and that attendance could rival that of Beck's rally last month.
The National Park Service stopped providing estimates of crowd sizes in 1995, after a controversy over attendance at the "Million Man March."
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