Joshua Green didn't want to go, was dragged there by a visitor, seems to have had a good time after all, had a few comments.
-DC Metro expected smaller crowd, got blindsided, gave up and let people ride free
-Rallygoers' main object of contempt--mild, detached contempt--was Tea Party, not GOP
-Signs a lot cleverer than your usual rally
-But, with exceptions, usually less so than authors seemed to think
-Comedy Central viewers MUCH better spellers than Tea Partiers
-Illustration of several of the preceding, sign reading: "Will Spell-Check Tea Party Signs for $5"
-Curiously large number of people dresses like Charlie Chaplin (did I miss an in-joke?)
-Pretty sure 75% of young-ish crowd had no clue who Cat Stevens was
-Ozzy sounded surprisingly good, considering
-Genuine, non-ironic Democratic signs were scarce. Saw a couple "Obama Cares," little else
-Mood was heavily ironic, slackerish. "Enthusiasm," such as it was, didn't seem voting-directed.
-Didn't get the sense too many people understood the purpose of rally (me either).
-Or care (meaning "all still had a good time").
Only complaint: Joshua Green doesn't have a clue what a real "hipster" looks like. The people I saw looked positively heartlandishly unhip.
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When I saw the crowd -- briefly -- on CSpan, my first thought was, "This is what the teapartyers once liked to imagine they look like but don't." In other words, educated, cheerful, kindly, independent-minded, and well-behaved.
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