Talking with Confused Americans in Washington

... I approached a woman carrying a sign reading, "Fox News—America's Only Media!" As a member of the media, I said, I was offended. "Fox News and Slate!" she kindly corrected. She was Kathy Johnson of Woodstock, N.Y., wife of Dave. I asked what brought them there. "You got an hour?" she said. Dave said it was everything: health care, taxes, socialism. He warned me of what he called "DDA": the deliberate destruction of America. He then made a prediction. As the deficit grows, people are going to divest from the U.S. dollar—"currency flight"—forcing the government to either raise taxes or print money. He has already begun to pull his money out and transfer it to foreign investments. "I'm betting against the U.S.," he said.

Nearby, a group of well-dressed men and women, calling themselves Billionaires for Wealthcare, who waved signs—"Less Health, More Wealth," "Let Them Eat Advil," "Do No Harm … To Our Bottom Line"—and sang songs about how health care reform would destroy their posh lives. Not everyone realized it was a joke. One protester sang along with the song, sung to the tune of "The Battle Hymn of the Republic," which had the chorus, "Let's save the status quo." Another protester was baffled. "They spin everything you say!" she said to me. "You think they're on your side, but then they're not!" One volunteer for Tea Party Patriots was convinced they were on his side. "They're for us," he told me. "They're wealthy, so they're thanking everybody for coming."  ... Christopher Beam, in Slate