Trash on the Mall says it all

Thanks to Richard at Blue Ridge Forum for sending this amusing and interesting Washington Times story about the Tax Day Tea Parties and immigration.  It seems that Open Borders advocates are trying to say that there are points on which Tea Partiers concerned about taxation should be in agreement with Pro-Immigration forces because legalizing illegals will bring in more tax revenue.   That is really a very funny notion that is dispelled throughout the article.

Tea Partiers and Open Borders advocates only have one thing in common that I can see—both represent large numbers of passionate activist citizens.

In 2006 and 2007, immigrant-rights marches and rallies drew millions of people to the streets of major cities and helped propel an immigration bill to the Senate floor both years. Neither bill made it out of Congress, but backers say the strength of Hispanic and immigrant votes helped send President Obama to the White House.

Since Mr. Obama took office, though, the tea parties have become the political movement to watch, with rallies across the nation attracting thousands of supporters, and with lawmakers in Washington trying to figure out how to harness the movement’s energy.

The two forces have even gone head to head. Last month, on the day the health care bill passed the House, tea party supporters gathered on the Capitol’s West Front lawn to voice their opposition, while blocks away tens of thousands of immigrants-rights supporters held a rally to demand legalization.

Trash on the Mall!

Congressman Steve King (Republican from Iowa) after listing other major differences between the groups said the trash left on the Mall was telling.  I’ve been at demonstrations for both groups and I know exactly what he means.

Mr. King noted another difference between the two movements: When they both rallied in Washington on the same day last month, the much larger immigrant-rights rally left far more trash on the nation’s lawn, the National Mall.

“The tea party people leave it clean. That’s not the fact with those other folks,” he said.

King may have said this half in jest, but he is on to something.

Endnote:  Readers should know that there are political actors among the beltway Republicans who do want the two movements to at least not butt heads. I’ve written about them here where I pointed out that the battle over amnesty in the summer of 2007 is where most Tea Partiers of today got their first taste of political power and have not forgotten where they came from and the issues that motivate them.