The protests in Columbus were, um, interesting.
The crowd was almost exclusively white and somewhat older (with the exception of those parents who brought their kids out as “Don’t steal from my future” props). I also saw that there were basically two groups: the pro-gun/anti-tax/get-rid-of-the-government folks and then some campaign/political Republican elites.
It will be interesting to see what, if anything comes from this. It’s clear that the elites want to use this energy, but I’m not quite sure how they could do it. These are votes they’re going to get anyway, and they’re not exactly the type of people you want doing much in the way of outreach. I didn’t get the impression that these folks would be good at working on “persuadables” or Independents.
I saw state Auditor Mary Taylor address the crowd, starting with a prayer and then talking about her vote against then-Gov. Bob Taft’s tax hike. Gubernatorial candidate-to-be John Kasich had a tent there and was supposed to be speaking later at the rally. I was offered a sticker by a volunteer for his efforts. He, apparently, wants to Recharge Ohio.
More pictures below the jump, including kids, a birther, a gun group and a John Galt sign!
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Chris Geidner is the award-winning senior political editor at D.C.'s Metro Weekly and has written for The Atlantic Online, The American Prospect, Advocate.com, Salon and other publications, as well as at his blog, Law Dork. In 2011, he received the Excellence in News Writing Award from the National Lesbian and Gay Journalists Association for his coverage of "Don't Ask, Don't Tell" repeal. Prior to moving to D.C. in 2009, he served as an attorney on the senior staff at the Ohio Attorney General's Office and had earlier worked for a leading Columbus law firm. An extended biography can be found
Birthers united with gun nuts. What a combination.
Personally I liked the woman screaming about Obama being the Antichrist while John Kasich spoke with the American flag flying upside-down in the background.