November 5, 2009: Thousands gather to protest health care reform at Rep. Michele Bachmann’s (R-MN) request, joined by a veritable all-star revue of the House GOP. In her speech, Bachmann told the crowd: “You came. And you came to your house. And you came for an emergency house call. And are they going to listen? Oh yeah, oh yeah, they’re going to listen. It was Thomas Jefferson who said a revolution every now and then is a good thing. What do you think?” Go here for full coverage from TPM.
Photo by Christina Bellantoni
Rep. Todd Akin (R-MO) calls for the people to “renew our commitment to the Red, White and Blue, let us with boldness proclaim the fact that we are one nation under God.” Akin also points out that “it is altogether fitting that we should [say the Pledge of Allegiance] — and it drives the liberals crazy.” Akin was one of many Republican lawmakers to address the crowd in a series of passionate speeches.
Jeff Malet / maletphoto.com
Rep. Virginia Foxx (R-NC): “This Congress is on a collision course with the principles of freedom and liberty that our Founding Fathers bled and died for. We will not be silenced. We will kill this bill.”
Photo by Christina Bellantoni
Rep. John Shadegg (R-AZ) calls the crowd “freedom fighters” who will stop the bill.
Jeff Malet / maletphoto.com
Photo by Evan McMorris-Santoro
House Minority Whip Eric Cantor (R-VA) tells crowds “Your efforts to stop this bill are being heard loud and clear.” He continues: “Be assured not one Republican will vote for this bill,” a statement that is met with raucous shouts of “Kill the bill.”
Jeff Malet / maletphoto.com
Photo by Christina Bellantoni
Rep. Joe “You Lie” Wilson (R-SC) gets huge applause, before telling crowds: “Speaker Pelosi didn’t mean for you to be here. In fact, back in July, Speaker Pelosi meant for the takeover bill to be passed. It was supposed to be over in July. But fortunately the American people found out.”
Jeff Malet / maletphoto.com
Photo by Christina Bellantoni
Rep. Louie Gohmert (R-TX) takes the stage, and gets personal: “When I was born I didn’t deserve to be born in this country.” He adds that he also didn’t deserve the rights guaranteed in the Constitution, but “got those unalienable rights because people went before me and went before you and fought for them.”
Jeff Malet / maletphoto.com
Photo by Evan McMorris-Santoro
Rep. Pete Hoekstra (R-MI) says that Democrats “wanna take your freedoms away,” as he lifts a copy of the bill, bound in yellow twine, above his head. In his other hand he holds a pocket copy of the Constitution.
Jeff Malet / maletphoto.com
Photo by Christina Bellantoni
House Minority Leader John Boehner calls the bill “the greatest threat to freedom that I’ve seen in the 19 years I’ve been in Washington.” The Ohio congressman also waxed nostalgic over the “town hall rebellion” in August, saying it “wasn’t about one political party or another. It was a simple statement by Americans that they love our country.”
Jeff Malet / maletphoto.com
Jeff Malet / maletphoto.com
Photo by Christina Bellantoni
Photo by Christina Bellantoni
Photo by Christina Bellantoni
Rep. Paul Broun (R-GA) was brief in his remarks: “Who will kill this bill? (Shouts of “We will.”) You will! You will! And we must! The Constitution of the United States starts with three very powerful words: “We the people.” And we the people are speaking! Nancy Pelosi, listen! Fellow patriots, go tell your Congressman, you’re not going to eat this rotten stinking fish that is — Pelosi health care! We are going to put a stop sign in front of her steamroller of socialism! Go to it, patriots!”
Jeff Malet / maletphoto.com
Photo by Christina Bellantoni
Photo by Christina Bellantoni
Photo by Christina Bellantoni
Photo by Christina Bellantoni
Photo by Christina Bellantoni
Photo by Christina Bellantoni
Photo by Christina Bellantoni
Photo by Christina Bellantoni
Jeff Malet / maletphoto.com
Jeff Malet / maletphoto.com
Jeff Malet / maletphoto.com
Jeff Malet / maletphoto.com
Go here for more pictures from the storming of Capitol Hill.
Jeff Malet / maletphoto.com
