Code Red on Capitol Hill: Tea Party Patriots Gather in Resistance to ObamaCare

From across the country, patriotic citizens gathered to voice their objections to Barack Hussein Obama's planned hijacking of our individual sovereignty.

As reported by FoxNews.com, Speaker Pelosi released a memo in preparation for the event, and it seems Congressional DemocRats did not take Americans lightly on this occasion:

House Democrats received a formal memo from the office of House Speaker Nancy Pelosi, listing tips for how targeted representatives should handle the crowds of activists.

"Tens of thousands of conservative and Tea Party activists will be on the Hill as part of what they are dubbing a 'Surge Against Obamacare,'" reads the memo, which also includes a checklist of provisions in the current bill to counter the "caricature of the reform bill presented by right-wing media outlets."

The checklist says: "Reduces the deficit; Cracks down on Medicare waste, fraud, and abuse; Provides historic tax credit for small businesses and individuals to purchase health insurance."

CNN.com offered both sides of the debate over the number of protesters who, on a Tuesday in the middle of March took a day off from work and spent their hard earned money to display their desire for adherence to individual sovereignty:

The Democratic National Committee said their unofficial count was around 300 people.

"There are more people on the blue line during rush hour than there were on Capitol Hill today at the tea party code red rally," said Brad Woodhouse, DNC Communications Director.

The DNC says Tuesday's crowds appeared smaller than crowds at recent events in favor of passing health care reform that were put together by Organizing for America, which is a wing of the DNC.

"Clearly the momentum is on the side of those who believe that we cannot wait any longer to pass this critical legislation," added Woodhouse.

But Levi Russell, spokesman for Tea Party Express, which organized the main rally Tuesday, told CNN that some 2,500 to 3,000 people attended their event, and he says even more activists are in Washington protesting the bill.

"The people simply will not allow this obese bill to be shoved down their throats by the Obama administration. They want to save their careers, but we are here to protect our nation, and there are far more of us than there are of them. The crowd today proves we will not stop," Russell said.

On Monday, Politico reported:

Rep. Jason Altmire, a Pennsylvania Democrat who has positioned himself as a key swing vote, said he thinks leadership is seriously struggling to marshal the votes.

"They're calling the hardnosed people...who have put out firm statements saying no," he said. "They wouldn't be doing that if they were anywhere close."

And today Michelle Malkin points out:

Tea Party activists sure have come a long way — from being greeted by Purple Shirted-Hounds and race-card players and conspiracy theorists and vulgarians…to “light snacks, H20, and coffee” with Talky McTalkingPoints aides on the Hill.

But they’re still not listening.

Malkin continues:

Get louder. Remember: There are no inevitabilities in Washington. Demcare is not a fait accompli. Stop it now, don’t rely on politicians to repeal it later.

Within my circle of blogging friends, Just A Conservative Girl posted last night that she planned on attending today's events; I'm watching her blog for an account and will post an update tonight if available.

Nice Deb has a couple of videos from the event, including Michelle Bachmann and Mike Pence speaking to the crowd on the Hill.

And just for fun... The Huffington Post has a slide show of the "Most outrageous March 16 Tea Party Signs," which of course means they really have a slide show of some of the best signs on display.

As always, more discussion can be found at Memeorandum.