Ed Brayton is a journalist, commentator and speaker. He is the co-founder and president of 
So after the reader meetup on Saturday, I and two of my readers, Barry and Eric, wandered over to Capitol Hill to see the anti-health care protests. The protest was on the West lawn, so we had to walk all the way around the building before we got to it. And before Fox News tries to tell you that there were 50,000 people there, the number was a few hundred tops (we got there just as the last speech was ending and there were maybe 200 people there at the most).
I was hoping to get pictures of some really crazy signs, but they were sadly missing. No pics of Obama with a Hitler mustache or posters of concentration camp victims. There were a lot of "Don't tread on me" flags and there was one yellow sign that a lot of people were holding - mostly because a guy was walking around asking people if they wanted to hold one of the signs. I politely declined.
What struck me about the people who had made their own signs was that they were mostly there specifically to get their picture taken. They wandered around looking for people with cameras so they could pose for the pictures. The whole thing seemed quite contrived, like it was put on for show. I'm not really a protesting kinda guy, so I don't know if this is normal or not.
Here's my favorite sign that I saw:
Sounds like a hell of an idea to me.
There were loudspeakers playing a series of godawful country songs on a loop, including that Hannity theme song and -- of course -- Lee Greenwood's execrable homage to xenophobic idiocy, Proud To Be An American. As the music blared, I saw that Michelle Bachmann was signing autographs and taking pictures. Who could resist that? Certainly not me.
I'm still tingly all over.
And I took this picture not for the woman in the front holding the yellow sign (the one that they were handing out) but because of the giant flag behind her, which these folks were waving horizontally, but in an up and down motion, getting air underneath it and then letting it settle and then doing it again. Why? I have no idea. But they kept it up for quite some time for no apparent reason.
And yes, on the bottom right hand corner of the flag, that is Rep. Pete Hoekstra of Michigan. And the guy he's talking to, also holding the flag, was apparently the ring leader of that particular group of contrived pseudo-patriots. Every few minutes he would start barking out the pledge of allegiance, waiting for people to join in with him, and yelling it with the kind of energy one does for a fight song at a college football game. Frankly, it was all quite creepy.
Except Michelle Bachmann. I still think she's hot. And I think the pictures clearly shows that she wants me, don't you think?
Politics
Comments
She wants you... dead!
Posted by: Squiddhartha | November 8, 2009 9:31 AM
I see no reason at all why you didn't shove your head right into that gap in her shirt and begin washing your face with her breasticles.
Posted by: trog69 | November 8, 2009 9:39 AM
dude... I hope you took a shower afterwards!
Posted by: doctorgoo | November 8, 2009 9:39 AM
Re: the giant flag waving.
I remember in elementary school we used to do something like that during PE, only it was with a parachute-type thing. The class would all gather around the edge and wave it up and down in rhythm and then we'd duck under it and hold the edge down on the gym floor so it would stay inflated while we were under it. Then we'd repeat the whole thing again.
That sort of mindless activity intended to distract hyperactive kids for a half hour seems appropriate for them.
Posted by: jpf | November 8, 2009 9:40 AM
Is that a lei that Bachmann has on? Aren't those from Kenya or sumthin'? What's her true allegiance?
Posted by: Coragyps | November 8, 2009 9:51 AM
Did you take the opportunity to invite her onto your show?
Posted by: The Science Pundit | November 8, 2009 9:52 AM
I notice the picture doesn't show where you & michelle had your hands....
Posted by: Rob Jase | November 8, 2009 9:54 AM
You are a brave, brave man, Mr. Brayton.
Seriously, Bachmann looks nothing short of insane.
Posted by: Katharine | November 8, 2009 10:00 AM
What, maybe 200 people?
Let's wait for Glen Beck's report from the University of IDR (I Don't Remember)for a more, er, conservative number.
Posted by: Rodney | November 8, 2009 10:00 AM
Wow, Ed, Michelle Bachmann is, like, your new BFF, huh? By any chance, did you get her lined up to appear as a guest on your radio show?
Posted by: Dan | November 8, 2009 10:00 AM
Except Michelle Bachmann. I still think she's hot. And I think the pictures clearly shows that she wants me, don't you think?
Doesn't Mr. Brayton realize that he is at risk of being declared a male chauvinist pig by John Kwok for making such a statement?
Posted by: SLC | November 8, 2009 10:01 AM
Sounds like an idea of a hell to me.
Posted by: Phillip IV | November 8, 2009 10:08 AM
ewwwwww ed.. taint like that doesn't wash off easily..
Posted by: lise | November 8, 2009 10:14 AM
Now, if only you could have distracted Nancy Pelosi for awhile.
Posted by: Hathor | November 8, 2009 10:16 AM
Yes the mouth is smiling, but I've seen more expressive eyes in my Barbie "Acticon Figures". Now, them, they are the HAWT!
Posted by: democommie | November 8, 2009 10:20 AM
I heard the protest attracted 7 billion true patriots, too bad you missed it. :) - DJ
Posted by: DingoJack | November 8, 2009 10:27 AM
Brilliant shot with Michelle Bachmann, Ed.
Hilarious.
And I agree that Bachmann (like Sarah Palin) is an attractive lady despite her latent insanity, and lack of basic reading comprehension skills.
Posted by: CHV | November 8, 2009 10:46 AM
I had a great time with Eric and Ed yesterday, though I think Bachmann is far better looking on TV than she is in person. What you can't tell from the photograph is that she is standing a good 30 feet behind Ed. They look like they're standing next to each other because Bachmann's liberally-applied makeup extends her face by about 30 feet.
Posted by: barry21 | November 8, 2009 10:55 AM
Admit it Ed, while Michelle's left hand is at her side, her right hand is grabbing your left buttock like an eagle's claw. An American eagle's claw!
Posted by: Algerine | November 8, 2009 10:57 AM
How many crazy ladies can Mr Brayton get himself photographed with? Could be a weekly feature.
Ed with Michelle Malkin - "The depth in her eyes go on for ever and ever."
Ed with Sarah Palin - "It's true. You really can see Russia from her bedroom window."
Ed with Ann Coulter - "It's a wig, you know"
Posted by: Kapitano | November 8, 2009 11:11 AM
Doctorgoo beat me to it. Oh, Ed...dear, sweet Ed. You must resist the siren call of crazy!
Posted by: Sadie Morrison | November 8, 2009 11:31 AM
I hope you don't catch the Bachmann Virus and turn into a right-wing birther kook. That tingling you feel could be a symptom...
Posted by: Emily | November 8, 2009 11:36 AM
Do you wear an invisible HazMat suit to every reader meetup, or just the ones in DC?
Posted by: xebecs | November 8, 2009 11:49 AM
"anti-health care"? Come on, Ed. You can do better than that.
Posted by: lukas | November 8, 2009 11:56 AM
She can sing, too! Well, when she's Auto-tuned.
Posted by: James F | November 8, 2009 12:38 PM
Re: Bachmann's attractiveness...
ewww. She looks kinda like one of those vampires from the late 90's show Buffy the Vampire Slayer. Only she is out in the daylight. (maybe that caked on makeup is protecting her from the sun?)
Posted by: DJ | November 8, 2009 12:52 PM
bah, that makeup comment was way off. I can't make out any in the photo at all... still she does remind me of a blood sucking member of the undead ranks.
Posted by: DJ | November 8, 2009 1:00 PM
Geez, I thought you were taller. No wonder you play poker.
No, it's not supposed to make sense. Now pass me that yellow sign.
Posted by: Ron Sullivan | November 8, 2009 1:32 PM
Two words, Mr. Brayton:
Silkwood. Shower.
Posted by: JPowers155 | November 8, 2009 1:32 PM
Re: Taller
She was standing on a raised stage, I was on the ground. I'm actually 5'11, a few inches taller than her.
Posted by: Ed Brayton | November 8, 2009 2:14 PM
@7, 13:
Did Ed have his hand on her taint?
Posted by: cognitive dissident | November 8, 2009 2:15 PM
Bachman is an attractive woman. However, in the pic with Ed she looks ghoulish or demonic or something. Scary
Posted by: Sherry | November 8, 2009 2:16 PM
Bachmann is hot but in this picture she's wearing a rictus. It reminds me of Katherine Harris' "smile" from the "election" of 2001 or of how Lucy couldn't smile when Linus told her to try it.
Posted by: Strider | November 8, 2009 2:24 PM
I think the best part of the picture is the smirk on your face, Ed.
Posted by: Strider | November 8, 2009 2:27 PM
She's not bad looking for an insane person - I think she's at least the equal of Palin.
My favorite hot conservative is that chick on the McLaughlin group whose name escapes me at the moment.
Posted by: peter | November 8, 2009 2:43 PM
The photo with Michelle Bachmann is very nice indeed. I suppose you'll put it on a nice frame over the fireplace or the piano like a trophy of some kind. But was she aware of your identity? If she was, it adds a whole new dimension.
Now you have to go for the big one: a photo of you and Orly Taitz. Smiling. Both of you.
Posted by: João | November 8, 2009 3:07 PM
Is it just me, or does Ed in that picture look like a Family Guy parody of himself?
Posted by: Brandon | November 8, 2009 3:24 PM
Set the Michelle Bachmann picture as your science blogs' profile pic.
Posted by: Ryan | November 8, 2009 3:24 PM
So, did she convince you to not participate in the Census?
Posted by: kehrsam | November 8, 2009 3:26 PM
She has no idea that you were trolling her.
Posted by: Insineratehymn | November 8, 2009 3:35 PM
Bachmann looks too scary and too skinny in that pic. Or maybe Ed is just making her look too skinny in comparison? At any rate, she does have a bit of the "undead" look to her.
Posted by: Adrienne | November 8, 2009 4:03 PM
A lot of politicians under the age of 60 are attractive. They have to look good on camera, and they make an effort to look attractive. When I go to "establishment" type political events (as opposed to grass-roots type events), I feel like I'm back in high school, and all the popular, good-looking, shallow kids are doing their best to creep me out with their emptiness. That applies in Democratic circles as well as with Republicans.
Posted by: Chuck | November 8, 2009 4:17 PM
Chuck stated:
Relative to others in their pay grade or more, I'm not sure politicians are disproportionately more physically attractive than the rest of that population, however I have anecdotally observed they have rather large heads.
I met Christie Brinkley once around 1979/80. She was my generation's top SI swimsuit model. My first impression was how big her head was as well.
Posted by: Michael Heath | November 8, 2009 5:49 PM
How could you have left out:
Ed with Orly Taitz and
Ed with Katherine Harris (and oldie, but goodie)?
Posted by: tacitus | November 8, 2009 6:21 PM
Ed:
I think these people were at the Teabagger's ParTay yesterday:
http://www.masters-of-photography.com/S/salgado/salgado_serra_pelada_full.html
Posted by: democommie | November 8, 2009 8:03 PM
Oh, I realized that the congress critter who handed us tickets to the House visitors gallery was Rep. John Culberson of Texas. Knew I recognized him from C-SPAN.
Posted by: Hyuga | November 8, 2009 8:40 PM
Perhaps Bachmann had mistaken Ed for Michael Savage.
Hmmm... both have radio shows, both are outspoken political commentators, have a big internet presence...Does Ed have an evil twin or is he living a sordid second life? Couldn't be... but has anyone ever seen the two of them in the same room?
Posted by: Brad | November 8, 2009 8:41 PM
Ed - it was great seeing you in DC. I am, however, positively green with envy that you got to take a picture with the magnificent Michele. If only I had seen her doing the photo-ops! I had to settle for adoring her from a distance, and capturing her braying on video from afar. You lucky dog, you!
And, yes, she is totally hot for you. I can see it in her eyes.
Posted by: Alicia Morgan | November 9, 2009 12:37 AM
You ought to get that looked at.
Posted by: Pseudonymous | November 9, 2009 5:02 AM
Ed- Was Bachman pinching your butt in that picture? I hear she's really friendly.
Posted by: Jeff | November 9, 2009 7:37 AM
What does it say about me that my first thought upon seeing that picture was, "Hey, when did Ed switch from full beard to goatee?"
Posted by: chancelikely | November 9, 2009 9:05 AM
Come on Ed, you wanted to motor boat those puppies didn't you?
Posted by: Naughtius MAximus | November 9, 2009 9:18 AM
Ed, was Michelle standing on a box or something in that picture?
Posted by: Chilidog | November 9, 2009 9:23 AM
Hey Ed - How long did it take you to carve that Bachmann ventriloquist's dummy? :) - DJ
_______________
PS: If that tingling feeling is anywhere covered by your underpants (going by the latest local public service message), it could be Herpes. :(
Posted by: DingoJack | November 9, 2009 9:24 AM
When did they get Subway Jared involved? (he's behind Bachmann in that picture)
Posted by: llDayo | November 9, 2009 9:44 AM
That last photo? What a bunch of fucking litterbugs.
Posted by: democommie | November 9, 2009 11:39 AM
!! she was smiling like you had your hand up her butt!!
I've heard men say (crude men but still) that the women who were completely bonkers were better in the sack than a normal one. I myself tried to steer clear of the crazy women .. but found that in the end, that was a null set.
"Why? I have no idea."
clearly they were signaling to their alien overlords to come and take over washington...
Posted by: Kevin (NYC) | November 9, 2009 12:10 PM
@democommie -- "That last photo? What a bunch of fucking litterbugs."
---
Blame the trees. Those are leaves on the ground
Posted by: Chilidog | November 9, 2009 1:05 PM
Good ol' Pete Hoekstra -- who solemnly vowed when first running for Congress to retire after 12 years/6 terms. Too noble to be a professional politician, just a man of the people.
He's now in his 17th year.
Likes politics so much he will run for governor of Michigan.
Posted by: Foggg | November 9, 2009 2:04 PM
Maybe the horizontal flag was for the benefit of cameras from the news copters they were expecting? Or maybe they were just showing God how patriotic they were...
Posted by: MemeGene | November 9, 2009 2:28 PM
Chilidog:
Damn, I gotta get new glasses! Okay, okay, theyr'e not litterbugs--they're still batshit crazee.
Posted by: democommie | November 9, 2009 3:11 PM
Hi Ed - this is Fran, from the meet up. Oh this photo of you and MB is rich. And she does have that sort of look that implies some attraction...
Posted by: Fran | November 9, 2009 7:45 PM
Hi Ed- this is Karen from Fran's bloglinks.
Did you bathe in Purelle after Bachmann had her slimy talons all over you?
Did you ask her if she knew Orly Taint?
Did she smell like Ms. Taint?
:]
Posted by: KarenZipdrive | November 9, 2009 8:00 PM
re. showing off homemade signs to photogs
When I used to go to protests it wasn't quite like that but there was always a definite poseury kind of edge to it.
Actually it makes sense: the point is to be seen (thus heard), and you're more likely to reach an audience by being photographed than just by relying on eyewitnesdses.
The old focus used to be the news cameras, but with the Internet you're quite likely to get an audience from a random snapper - the odds of appearing on faux news are much lower. Case in point: your pics above. How many folks have seen those signs now?
Protest is about being heard, not just about having a fun time shouting slogans and meeting wingnuts.
Posted by: outeast | November 10, 2009 9:01 AM