FEBRUARY
6,
2007 --
It
was a sunny, mild January day in Washington, D.C.,
Saturday, the 27th of January -- the kind of day when warnings
of global warming might fill the media.
Conservatives
were, however, indoors, at the J.W. Marriott, for a gathering
held under the auspices of
National Review.
It was the political left that
enjoyed the appropriately blue sky over the Capitol
building, first at a rally on the National Mall and
then on a short march
to the venue of the federal legislature, again
controlled by the Democrats.
LPR, next day, heard Tim
Russert refer to this outdoor assemblage as an "anti-war" gathering.
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Sitting
down while standing up to the president.
|
LPR saw it more as an
Anti-Bush Rally and March (ABRAD), confident that this
view is confirmed by the accompanying images.
The "conservative summit" -- as it was expansively
called -- got underway Friday evening with a reception
honoring Amb. John Bolton our former permanent
representative at the United Nations whose major sin
in the eyes of Democratic senators -- suggested by
National Review editor Rich Lowry in his introduction
-- was that he
saw himself as America's representative to the UN and
not the UN's representative to the U.S.
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Amb.
John Bolton
|
Made
ambassador by presidential recess appointment, this
very able diplomat was denied a floor vote in the
Senate and forced to resign his UN post.
Following the reception, the group -- a few hundred by
LPR's estimate -- attended a panel discussion on the
state of the Republican Party.
The panel, chaired by
Kathryn Lopez, was comprised of white right women
writers: Kate O'Beirne, Mona Charen, Michelle Malkin
and Laura Ingraham.
Ms. Ingraham warned that the GOP
will keep losing elections unless it connects with
ordinary Americans. This point is also being made,
lately, from his vantage point, by Democratic
Senator Charles E. Schumer, who calls on his party to
link up with the people
at large, not with the special interests, if Democrats
are to retain power.
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Laura
Ingraham, January 26, with an expression that she could
have had on seeing
Jane Fonda with the VN Vet button.
|
Clearly,
however, the motivation of both approaches is
partisan, not a quest to promote liberty and the
common good.
LPR, for a number of years, has urged Republicans to
get close to the people, and has argued that reliance
on consultants does not narrow the distance between
politicians and the ordinary citizens.
At breakfast
the next morning, LPR heard Newt Gingrich decry
reliance on consultants and sharply criticize
presidential aspirants who have already declared for
2008.
 |
LPR
Note: LPR put Newt Gingrich's photo after the poster
about conservatives not
conserving because he could be responding: "Now
wait
a minute…"
|
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Newt
Gingrich
|
Thankfully,
historian Gingrich resisted this
update on Churchill: Never in the history of free
elections have so many unqualified candidates
declared so early to win so high an office.
The curious comment by Senator / Candidate Joseph Biden about
Senator / Candidate Barack Obama suggests that
early expressions of presidential candidacies leave a lot of time for political
self-destruction by word or deed.
Senator Biden would have avoided his particular verbal misstep by following the
the rule that a candidate does not mention his opponents.
LPR left the conservative summit, for the anti-Bush demonstration soon after
Mr. Gingrich completed his remarks. (The former House speaker tarried to autograph
copies of his books on sale outside the meeting rooms.) |
|
Other speakers
listed at the conservative conclave included former Florida governor
Jeb Bush and former Massachusetts governor Mitt Romney. Not having heard their
remarks, LPR does not know if either of the former governors -- or any speaker
at this conference -- answered the plaintive cry from the floor at the Friday
evening panel:: "Why don't Republicans fight [back at attacking Democrats]"?
LPR believes
these photos of the ABRAD speak for themselves, and here offers
just a few observations: there was no massive police presence as is evident
at
demonstrations held in New York City; there were tens of thousands of demonstrators
and no criticism, let
alone condemnation, of suicide bombers, or of Syria and Iran.
LPR is not aware of comment about the
"Vietnam Veterans Against The War" button worn by Jane Fonda. Ms. Fonda
has gotten attention for telling the rally that -- referring to her outspoken
opposition to the Vietnam War -- after 34 years she could not longer remain silent.
 |
Jane
Fonda speaking to the Marchers.
|
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Jane
Fonda
|
LPR, however,
is not certain that Ms.
Fonda had much opportunity for a leftist anti-war protest the
past three decades. Did the usual anti-warniks protest our
bombing of Serbia, for example?
Congressman Kucinich, one of the speakers at this rally, did.
 |
Rep.
Dennis Kucinich (D-Ohio)
Candidate for President
Chair of the Domestic Policy Subcommittee of the
House Oversight and Government Reform Committee
[Rep. Henry Waxman, D-Cal. - chair]
|
LPR, however,
can think of no anti-war rally organized by the left during the
Clinton presidency.
The usual, few counter-protesters to leftist
demonstrations maintained a vigil just below the Russell
Senate Office Building, with members of this small contingent
occasionally
engaging in spirited
exchanges with the marchers -- the two sides separated by
a wire fence.
 |
Outside
the Russell Senate Office Building
|
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The
fellow on the bike was in the march and he
exchanged views with on of the counter demonstrators,
shown in the previous image.
|
 |
A
sign
put up by the counter demonstrators that has an effigy
of Jane Fonda hanging alongside.
|
 |
Replying
to the protest …
|
Perhaps in recent
years, the left has marched -- the right has voted.
Apparently conservatives cut back on voting last November.
But the left remains ready to march -- when a Republican
occupies the White House.
|
|
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Rally
Photos from D.C.
|
FEBRUARY
6, 2007 --
 |
The
three MC's for the event - Rep. John Conyers, Jr. (left)
Rep. Jerrold Nadler (second from right), Rep. Maxine Waters
(right),
with Rev. Jesse Jackson (second from left.)
|
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Rep.
John Conyers, Jr (D-Mich.)
Chairman of the House Judiciary Committee,
Member of Congress since 1965; as Judiciary committee
member in 1974, voted to impeach President Nixon.
|
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Rep.
John Conyers, Jr. speaking to the crowd.
|
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Rep.
Maxine Waters (D-Cal.)
Member of the House Judiciary Committee,
Co-Chair of the House Democratic Steering Committee
|
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Rep.
Jerrold Nadler (D-N.Y.)
Member of the House Judiciary Committee,
Chair of its subcommittee on the Constitution,
civil rights and civil liberties
|
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A
view of the crowd, with the Washington Monument in the
background …
|
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Close-up
of the crowd …
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Rev.
Jesse Jackson
|
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Actor
Tim Robbins, with a view of the Capitol behind him.
|
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Actor
Sean Penn
|
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Susan
Sarandon with Jane Fonda.
|
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Celebrities
on the podium …
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An
assortment of posters …
|
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Posters
framing the Capitol …
|
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While
Tim Robbins addressed the throngs, cameras
fill the back-stage area …
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Photos
from the March in D.C. -
"United for Peace and Justice" |
FEBRUARY
6, 2007 --
 |
After
the rally but before the march …
|
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This
band
was playing on the
flat area between Mall and Capitol Hill, as the march began.
|
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Marching
up Capitol Hill …
|
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An
end of the day visitor from New Zealand
|
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Marchers
displaying their signs and posters …
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