Philly tea party: Almost 200 people:

Nearly 200 people have gathered at Center City’s Love Park for a noon hour “tea party” to protest excessive government spending.

I said two days ago that given the degree to which Fox was pimping this, these protests needed massive turnout to prove Fox - and the wingers themselves - as relevant as they’d like us to think they are.

I said they needed 5,000 in Lancaster. Maybe an overstatement.

But they couldn’t even get a tenth of that in the state’s biggest city.

Methinks Glenn Beck is gonna cry tonight…

Update: Oh my. WGAL has pics up from the Harrisburg rally. “Hundreds,” sez WGAL - from the looks of the picture we’re maybe talking 200. At the State Capitol. Rain? Sure. But if these events were as important as Fox made them out to be, what’s a little rain?

Update II: In DC - and this from the conservative Washington Times:

Around 200 people gathered outside the White House for a “Tea Party,” modeled on the tax protests in the American Colonies against the British government before the American Revolution.

200 in DC?

It’s raining, it’s pouring, these protests are boring.

Update III: Better. 3,000 in Cincy, though the petitions demanding city council reject stimulus funding are signed by only 1,700.

And - turnout is down:

The first “Tea Party,” on March 15, drew about 5,000 to Fountain Square.

Maybe Fox’s pimping had a negative effect.

Update IV: Pittsburgh gets about 1,000.

For reference, January 2003 anti-war protest - in a 6 degree wind chill - had 5,000.

I said 5,000 for Lancaster, which we obviously won’t get. Will any city in any state get 5,000 today? Atlanta maybe - Hannity’s speaking ranting there.