After covering the anti-globalization/peace marches of the last decade, yesterday’s revolution march in Washington was a refreshing, stark change in aesthetic, as well as rhetoric. The peace marches of late, most often than not organized by A.N.S.W.E.R, had turned into a depressing mass of disparate, angry special interests, glommed together by teeming college kids and professional protesters, a minority of whom seem ever-ready for a physical altercation with mounted police. And, in many cases, they got what they wanted. Either that, or intimidating, half-cocked “counter-protesters” whipped up by online provocateurs like Michelle Malkin were willing to oblige. The whole thing had a paradoxical corporate tinge to it, and I think that, and the confusing message and ugly face, hurt its overall success as a movement.

Right wingers who typically push the whole counter-protest concept have been like to call the Ron Paul movement a booby-hatch of tin-foiled headed geeks, misled teens, college dopes and proto-unabombers. It is the easiest way to delegitimize what has become a phenomenon in presidential politics, if not the body politic, today. What I saw Saturday was anything but that pathetic caricature. College-age activists were in full force, but they were no more in number than young families with children, and older Americans — who were not, as we would say the ‘aging children’ of the day-glo generation — spanning seemingly, different social strata. Mostly white, but certainly not all. There was definitely a “geek” element, but in the most earnest and not at all unconnected way. Sure, there were the fringe types — those pushing the “9/11 was an inside job” trope come to mind — but they were clearly disregarded by the larger crowd, which seemed genuinely interested in promoting a unified message, one that supported Ron Paul, while demanding a constitutionally-driven, accountable government for everyone.

In fact, the biggest complaints I’ve been reading on the Ron Paul forums concern the size of the crowd — estimates range from 2,500 to 3,500, far below the 15,000 “pledged” online — and some of the 9/11 conspiracy stuff and Christian themes expounded on stage at the rally.

Again, there seems to be some lessons learned from the anti-war activists, that the nuttier digressions from the main message always get the press coverage. There are reasons for the defensiveness, when everyone seems poised to laugh you off, like the uber-self-conscious Wonkette — which, buck it as they may, are the Washington establishment — spending an entire day reporting on the “toothless” “paultards.”

I think maybe there was some unintended competition between the organization for the Ron Paul rally during the Republican convention in September and the rally yesterday, thus the lower-than-expected turnout. But, given the timing — the middle of July, 90-degree jungle weather — the crowd’s passion seemed to make up for the lack of bodies, or as Wonkette jeered, lack of teeth.

UPDATE: I’ve seen estimates on the blogs for upwards of 10,000 people in attendance Saturday. Not sure if there were that many, but since the National Park Service or any other official entity stopped counting crowds, it is anyone’s guess at this point.