AOL News has a new home! The Huffington Post.

Click here to visit the new home of Politics Daily!

Hot on HuffPost:

See More Stories
Politics Daily

D.C. Rally Promotes Jobs, Justice, Schools -- And the Midterms

1 year ago
  0 Comments Say Something  »
Text Size
Peter W. Fulham
Peter W. Fulham
Contributor
Author Bio »
Contact Author »
Subscribe :
WASHINGTON -- Huge crowds gathered along the national Mall Saturday afternoon for a rally intended to re-energize liberal voters before the midterm elections next month. Attendees enjoyed clear skies while listening to an array of speakers from civil rights activist Rev. Al Sharpton to television pundit and host Ed Schultz.

The collection of more than 400 liberal groups' goal was to attract tens of thousands of supporters in an effort to stir interest in what may be a tough midterm Election Day for Democrats.
"We hope that everyone who comes to the rally is committed to jobs, justice, and quality public education and is committed to going out to the polls on November 2 and voting for candidates who want to help shift our national priorities to these issues," said Denise Gray-Felder, communications director for the event, dubbed "One Nation Working Together,"
Organizers were still working Friday afternoon to coordinate bus transportation for supporters around the country. The clear day helped their optimism about the number of attendees. Pre-rally estimates were as high as 250,000.

The event comes slightly over a month after Glenn Beck, the conservative radio and television host, held a rally on the same site, which attracted a huge crowd.

Sponsors of the "One Nation" event say they hope to reclaim enthusiasm from conservatives, who have helped Tea Party candidates upset establishment favorites in several primaries.
"Our people are working very hard on the ground, and they know what they're doing," said Michael Mitchell, the executive director of the National Stonewall Democrats, a network of gay and lesbian Democratic clubs and individuals. "We're seeing a lot in the press that there's going to be this huge Republican wave, but our people are doing some of the best get-out-the-vote stuff we've seen in a long time."

The groups supporting the rally represent diverse constituencies, and in some cases, their positions clash. Human Rights Campaign, the gay rights organization, for instance, will march with the National Baptist Convention, which forbids clergy from officiating at same-sex marriage ceremonies. But representatives of the event's sponsoring organizations indicated the theme of the day would be the core issues that unite liberal voters.

"We lose separately, and absent of a strategy to work together, we will continue to lose," Phaedra Ellis-Lamkins, chief executive of Green for All, an environmental group supporting the event, told The Washington Post. "We have to be able to take critical action on all of the issues facing this country. We're at a critical moment in history, and we have the opportunity to move forward in a really significant way."

As one organizer explained, rally sponsors are also attempting to reach a broader demographic than the Beck event. "It was not as representative as it could have been in terms of different walks on life being present," Carmen Berkley, a field director with the NAACP, said of Beck's "Restoring Honor" rally. "People will really feel like they can come down to this march. They will see other people who look like them. They won't feel bad if they're a different kind of person or if they come from a different background or sexuality."

"One Nation Working Together" is the first major liberal rally in Washington this fall. The second, "The Rally to Restore Sanity," will take place on October 30 and is sponsored by Jon Stewart, who hosts "The Daily Show" on Comedy Central.
Filed Under: Education, Jobs
Tagged: glenn beck, Glenn Beck Rally, liberals, One nation working together, rally, tea party
More articles from Peter W. Fulham »

Our New Approach to Comments

In an effort to encourage the same level of civil dialogue among Politics Daily’s readers that we expect of our writers – a “civilogue,” to use the term coined by PD’s Jeffrey Weiss – we are requiring commenters to use their AOL or AIM screen names to submit a comment, and we are reading all comments before publishing them. Personal attacks (on writers, other readers, Nancy Pelosi, George W. Bush, or anyone at all) and comments that are not productive additions to the conversation will not be published, period, to make room for a discussion among those with ideas to kick around. Please read our Help and Feedback section for more info.

Add a Comment

Sign in »
*0 / 3000 Character Maximum Comment Moderation Enabled. Your comment will appear after it is cleared by an editor.

3 Comments

Filter by:
ajcook111

The republicans will did a lot for the wealthy if they take control of congress. The democrats will continue fighting for the other 97% of us.

October 02 2010 at 7:06 PM Report abuse -3 rate up rate down Reply
1 reply to ajcook111's comment
monseigneurdev

It should be that way but it is NOT. They increased the gap between the rich and poor. Gave bailouts to foolish decisions made by a few of the rich who then gave themselves bonuses. You and your children will be forced to support and prop-up those who spent recklessly. $3 Trillion was supposed to reduce the unemployment rate but it failed because they gloriously rewarded very poor decisions. Too Big To Fail? No it's not! Unfortunately as a result America and its people may not be too big to fail anymore.

October 08 2010 at 4:29 AM Report abuse rate up rate down Reply
Beautiful

Hilarious that it takes 400 liberal groups and paid union demonstrators with provided transportation to turn out 10's of thousands. Beck's rally, put on by one person, turned out hundreds of thousands. Why are these groups trying to hold a counter rally against faith, hope, & charity? Is this rally to support the faithless, hopeless, & greedy?

October 02 2010 at 9:30 AM Report abuse -1 rate up rate down Reply
KMA

Remember that the GOP plans would have had an additional 8 million people without work by this time. You could be one of them. Get them back in power and your nightmare might just come true.

October 02 2010 at 3:41 AM Report abuse -14 rate up rate down Reply
Dorrall

Just think about all the carbom emmissions from all those buses heading to D.C. on saturday. hat cant be good for the environment. Oh well, most of them will be empty if they make departure at all. Vote republican.

October 01 2010 at 9:05 PM Report abuse +20 rate up rate down Reply
anita

I pledge allegiance to the flag of the United States of America and to the republic for which it stands, one nation under God, indivisible, with liberty and justice for all.... I have not only said our pledge countless times, but I truly believe and mean it. What we need are more elected officials who truly believe and practice this pledge! Rather than divide, we need those who work towards uniteing us. GOD BLESS AMERICA

October 01 2010 at 8:31 PM Report abuse +24 rate up rate down Reply
anita

I love it! One Nation Working Together! That is what President Obama has been trying to do all along! All he received was NO..NO...NO from the Republican Party which got our Nation into this fiancial mess! It is time that American voters rally and say NO..NO...NO to the Republicans at the polls this November! GOD BLESS AMERICA!

October 01 2010 at 8:19 PM Report abuse -32 rate up rate down Reply

Follow Politics Daily

  • Comics
%PostTitle%
robert-and-donna-trussell
CHAOS THEORY
Featuring political comics by Robert and Donna TrussellMore>>
  • Woman UP Video
politics daily videos
Weekly Videos
Woman Up, Politics Daily's Online Sunday ShowMore»
politics daily videos
TV Appearances
Showcasing appearances by Politics Daily staff and contributors.More>>

News From Our Partners