By PHIL KIVER
Contributor
I spent the 9/11 weekend hanging out in downtown Washington D.C. observing the various Tea Party Rallies.
Honestly the last one I had been to was in Gonzales, Texas last August and the one before that had been a healthcare protest in Austin, I believe.
I will make a bold prediction here today. Whatever the highest numbers of congressional seats the experts say are vulnerable I will go 50 seats higher than that. I am talking about total number of new representatives of both parties. Judging people's anger I predict it will be an absolute blood bath and we may see higher voter turnout than at anytime in our memories.
The streets will flow with the blood of the non-believers. I confess I got that line from a captured terrorist while serving in Iraq who was commenting on their (Iraq's) first free elections in 2005. As for my prediction, go back a few issues in this paper and read that in July I told the prosecutor in Chicago to offer the former governor a deal. Yes, sometimes I can see the future, unfortunately it is never very far.
I believe at least 125 seats will see a new member elected to congress. Republicans and Democrats alike are in danger. (In the 5th District Cathy McMorris Rodgers is safe.)
In DC among the thousands of protestors the one common theme was anger at the government, but for various reasons. Spending too much money, too many taxes, no border control, right to life, the wars, the mosque. Literally dozens of issues were bringing people of all backgrounds together in our nation's Capitol.
Folks were dressed up as period patriots; others wore Florida Gators raincoats. State flags from Texas, Maryland, New Mexico and Georgia waved in the wet mist that could not keep the protestors away from the very grounds that belong to us all. Signs expressing frustration and outright rage and contempt against the government were seen in the crowd.
Since I was there I guess there were 30,000-50,000 in attendance, but for every one I saw I imagine there are a 1,000 more back home cursing the over reach of federal government for one reason or other.
Now let me address a few issues and attacks that have come up against Tea Party supporters. They were people of all ages from teens, young families, and retired civil service workers, even blue-collar firemen from New Jersey and New York. A middle-aged couple from Kingston, Wash. Hundreds of people from Indiana, Florida, and Massachusetts came in by the bus load, true patriots willing to give their lives for our Constitution.
Even voters who were not white were in the crowd. I know, it's hard to believe that the Tea Party is not just a bunch of racists' right? Sorry, that sentence rhymes with white. Just a little literary humor. Let's see who's laughing in November.
Phil Kiver is a Cheney High School and EWU graduate.
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