Not for very long, but I figured it was my service to the community to report on the events {grin}.
Just to recap, the Uni-tea party is the Tea Party offshoot intended to promote inclusiveness and racial diversity within the party. They were holding a rally today on Independence Mall in Philadelphia, (the site of then-Senator Obama's famous race speech). The stated purpose of the rally was
to expose what the organization considers to be undeserved support for an administration that fosters economic hardship and dependence on government to maintain voting-block loyalty.
and they promoted, all over the website that "13 Famous TV and Radio Personalities unite at one giant free outdoor event". The most famous "personality" on their list, arguably, was Andrew Breitbart. In a strong attempt to promote the diversity angle, they provide photographs on the website of their "13 Famous TV and Radio Personalities" and 10 of the 13 are African American. Three Caucasian. I heard news snippets several times on NPR yesterday about the event, all promoting the diversity angle.
So I was particularly curious to see what kind of diverse turnout they would have.
My synagogue is about 100 feet from Independence Mall, and as soon as I stepped outside with the kids, I could hear the noise of loudspeakers and some cheering. I didn't want to subject my boys (6 and 4) to the event so my husband played with them while I walked over.
Philly.com estimates the crowd at 300. I'll trust them because I'm particularly bad at estimating crowd size. But you must remember that Philly in general, and Independence Mall in particular, is PACKED with tourists at all times, particularly the summer. The Liberty Bell is there, as is the amazing National Constitution Center and the Independence Visitor Center. So what I saw was a somewhat crowded mall, but it was clear that a lot of the people there were tourists, looking at maps, leaving the Visitors Center, stopping for coffee, etc. In other words, maybe pausing for a minute out of curiosity but not there for the Uni-Tea event.
They did have a few tents set up and I saw some guys with some slogan on the back of their matching t-shirts that said "CHRISTIAN" in big letters. There were a few guys draped in flags with signs that said "Proud Gay Conservative". 99% of the faces I saw where white. I walked all around looking for the diversity and it was really barely there.
I only could tolerate a few minutes of a speaker and I didn't catch his name, but looking at the website (shuddering as I do so) I think it was Alan Nathan, host of "Battle Line with Alan Nathan". Not someone I had heard of. He got up and ranted about how the administration is all about mind control, then announced that although he is fiscally conservative, he is socially progressive - "pro-choice, pro-gay rights". Although the mind control line got a smattering of applause (and really, it sounded like 8 people clapping) the socially liberal line was met with silence.
Basically the event seemed not quite like a dud, but hardly like the "giant" event the site promoted.
Interestingly, the local news report on the event is almost exclusively focused on Andrew Breitbart. Although the headline is Tea Party rallies on Independence Mall, the article uses today's rally merely as context to recap the Sherrod scandal and discuss how Breitbart refused to discuss it at today's event because
"This is a preplanned event that predates anything that's in the news," he said, referring to the Tea Party rally, organized to show the diverse appeal of the right wing movement.
"I flew here at my own expense to show my solidarity with a group of people who have the right to gather in the United States of America and express their belief in what I believe is the most important concept in this country that has been lost in the last generation and that is e pluribis unum."
The media, he told reporters, in cahoots with black politicians and the Democratic Party, are dividing the country with false charges of racism aimed at the Tea Party groups.
"It's cynical politics," he said. "I'm more than happy to talk about this very noxious form of trying to stifle political speech in the United States. It's un-American."
I was expecting some recap of the other speakers, a mention of who showed up, something actually discussing the event itself. But no, Breitbart only.
I participate in a Philadelphia forum, general threads on neighborhoods, restaurants, etc. There was a somewhat active discussion (57 posts in a week) on this event, but none in the last 3 days. Even the people advocating for the event haven't come back to report on it.
I don't think this could be called the most successful rally ever...
UPDATE: Talking Points Memo says it better than I did:
It was billed as the most diverse tea party rally ever. For three hours Saturday afternoon, we waited for the diversity to show up.