Gas Price Protest Showdown in Maryland

When a member of FreedomWorks staff heard that MoveOn was planning to hold an event for their “Day of Action for an Oil-Free President” outside a gas station in nearby Bethesda, MD he immediately began to rally troops to counter MoveOn’s nonsensical message.

 

FreedomWorks interns tipped off local media and other staff members contacted conservative allies and friends to join in the fun.

 

Just a day later, on the afternoon of June 9, the group gathered at the Bethesda Hyatt, the same location MoveOn planned to march from. While the website with details about the protest had promised about 30 MoveOn protesters, only a handful showed up. As the small band of progressives began to march down the street toward the first gas station (where prices started at a shocking $4.29 for regular), their MoveOn banner proudly clutched by two volunteers leading the pack, they were at first excited to see a group of young, enthusiastic people join them. Waving our own posters mocking the group that said things like “Drill? Yes We Can,” “Mr. Obama: You Can’t Have My Car,” and “Buy Local, Drill at Home” the counter-demonstrators more than doubled the ranks of marchers.

 

Still unaware that our own pro-energy message wasn’t the image MoveOn wanted to project, the group stopped at the first Exxon station for a group photo. At first, MoveOn gladly encouraged our unexpected newcomers to get into the picture until one gentleman suggested that perhaps one person’s “Dill, Drill, Drill” sign shouldn’t be so close to the MoveOn banner.

 

The next hour proceeded much in that manner. Signs calling for more energy exploration appeared anywhere the anti-economy MoveOn signs were placed. The MoveOn members, while they questioned the signs, never grew combative and seemed to accept that we were going to stay there as long as they were. However, before their banner was finally packed away in a duct-tape covered bag two protesters were overheard wondering where the opposition had come from, these were supposed to be secret demonstrations (that can easily be found on MoveOn’s website) and there must be a mole!

 

The FreedomWorks message of increased energy production was well received by the public who drove by waving and honking supportive horns, while in contrast MoveOn couldn’t even produce more than a few people to support their defeatist slogans. Real solutions once again prevailed and the opposition folded.