Tapping into the same anger that fuels the conservative tea party movement, a coalition of progressive and civil rights groups marched Saturday on the Lincoln Memorial and pledged to support Democrats struggling to keep control of Congres. 
 
 Activists gather at the Lincoln Memorial to participate in the "One Nation Working Together" rally to promote job creation, diversity and tolerance, Saturday, Oct. 2, 2010, in Washington. (AP Photo/J.... (Associated Press) 
 
 Activists gather at the Lincoln Memorial to participate in the "One Nation Working Together" rally to promote job creation, diversity and tolerance, Saturday, Oct. 2, 2010, in Washington. (AP Photo/J.... (Associated Press) 
 
 Young singers with "Urban Nation" perform on the steps of the Lincoln Memorial as liberal activists gather to participate in the "One Nation Working Together" rally to promote job creation, diversity... (Associated Press) 
 
 Workers prepare the stage as activists gather at the Lincoln Memorial in the nation's capital to participate in the "One Nation Working Together" rally to promote job creation, diversity and tolerance,... (Associated Press) 
 
 Young singers perform on the steps of the Lincoln Memorial as liberal activists gather in the nation's capital to participate in the "One Nation Working Together" rally to promote job creation, diversity... (Associated Press) 
 
 Activists gather at the Lincoln Memorial to participate in the "One Nation Working Together" rally to promote job creation, diversity and tolerance, Saturday, Oct. 2, 2010, in Washington. (AP Photo/J.... (Associated Press) 
 
 Buttons for sale at the "One Nation Working Together" rally are displayed in Washington, Saturday, Oct. 2, 2010. (AP Photo/Jacquelyn Martin) (Associated Press) 
 
 People attend the "One Nation Working Together" rally near the Lincoln Memorial in Washington, Saturday, Oct. 2, 2010. (AP Photo/Jacquelyn Martin) (Associated Press) 
 
 Claudia Hanes, right, of Bowling Green, Ky., attends the "One Nation Working Together" rally near the Lincoln Memorial in Washington, Saturday, Oct. 2, 2010. (AP Photo/Jacquelyn Martin) (Associated Press) 
 
 Singers from the Mt. Zion Praise Team of Arlington, Va., perform on the steps of the Lincoln Memorial as liberal activists gather in the nation's capital to participate in the "One Nation Working Together"... (Associated Press) 
 
 Activists gather at the Lincoln Memorial to participate in the "One Nation Working Together" rally to promote job creation, diversity and tolerance, Saturday, Oct. 2, 2010, in Washington. (AP Photo/J.... (Associated Press) 
 
 With a month of campaigning to go and voter unhappiness over the economy high, the Democratic-leaning organizers hope the four-hour program of speeches and entertainment energizes activists who are crucial if Democrats are to retain their majorities in the House and Senate. The national mood suggests gains for the Republicans, who are hoping to ride voter anger to gain control of the House and possibly the Senate. 
 
 Organizers insist the rally is not partisan. They say the message is about job creation, quality education and justice. However, the largest organizations, such as the AFL-CIO labor federation and the Service Employees International Union, tend to back Democratic candidates. 
 
 But the first speakers hardly shied from criticizing Republicans. 
 
 In a fiery speech that opened the "One Nation Working Together" rally on the National Mall, MSNBC host Ed Schultz blamed Republicans for shipping jobs overseas and curtailing freedoms. He borrowed some of conservative commentator Glenn Beck's rhetoric and vowed to "take back our country." 
 
 "This is a defining moment in America. Are you American?" Schultz told the raucous crowd of thousands. "This is no time to back down. This is time to fight for America." 
 
 "We are together. This march is about the power to the people," said Schultz. "It is about the people standing up to the corporations. Are you ready to fight back?" 
 
 More than 400 organizations _ ranging from labor unions to faith, environmental and gay rights groups _ partnered for the event, which comes one month after Beck packed the same space with conservatives and tea party-style activists. 
 
 Beck and former Alaska Gov. Sarah Palin gathered near the Lincoln Memorial on the anniversary of Martin Luther King Jr.'s "I Have a Dream" speech to urge a vast crowd to embrace traditional values. Though also billed as nonpolitical, the rally was widely viewed as a protest against the policies of President Barack Obama and congressional Democrats. 
 
 One Nation organizers said they began planning their event before learning about Beck's rally, and said Saturday's march is not in reaction to that. 
 
 Obama was spending the weekend at Camp David, the presidential retreat in Maryland. 
 
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 Online: 
 
 Rally site: http://www.onenationworkingtogether.org ||||| A wide array of progressive groups drew tens of thousands of activists to the Lincoln Memorial on Saturday for a rally aimed at firing up their members and showcasing the diversity of their movement. 
 
 It was the left wing's first large gathering designed to counter the conservative tea party phenomenon, and many speakers warned that a Republican-controlled Congress would block or roll back progressive changes. Organizers said they also wanted to show that their supporters represent the majority of the nation. 
 
 "This march was inclusive," said NAACP President Benjamin Jealous, one of the lead organizers. "We have seen cabdrivers come down from New York, truck drivers from Oklahoma. This is about moving the country with the spirit of unity and hope, and getting the country beyond the divisiveness." 
 
 The gathering occurred about one month after conservatives met on the same spot to unite around television personality Glenn Beck's vision of a nation returned to more traditional and religious values. 
 
 Ed Schultz, the liberal host of MSNBC's "The Ed Show," served as one of the show's master of ceremonies and harshly criticized the tea party and conservatives. "They talk about the Constitution, but they don't want to live by it," he said to loud applause. "They talk about the forefathers, but they practice discrimination. They want to change this country." 
 
 Then, he led the crowd in a chant. "Are you America?" he yelled. 
 
 "Yes!" came the loud response. 
 
 Saturday's gathering featured many speakers; at times it appeared that organizers wanted to give everyone an opportunity to have their say. The rally lacked central charismatic speakers like Beck and former Alaska governor Sarah Palin, or the two men who will headline an Oct. 30 event on the Mall - Comedy Central television personalities Jon Stewart and Stephen Colbert. Also unlike the Beck event, the progressive groups were explicit about their desire to reenergize their political base. Beck said his goal was to honor soldiers. 
 
 The more than four hours of speeches, poetry and music were buttressed with testimonials from out-of-work Americans, immigrants, veterans and Native Americans. They focused on jobs, education and human rights issues in particular. 
 
 Edrie Irvine, a laid-off legal secretary from Silver Spring, shared her story with a gathering of unemployed workers that fed into the larger rally. "The recession was caused by the banks, greed and deregulation," she said. "It didn't have anything to do with me, but I lost my job." 
 
 James Keane, who carried a sign that read "Jesus Christ is a Liberal," said he drove from New York City because he felt "it's about time the Democrats marched." 
 
 "We've stood by and watched the tea party people go crazy every couple of months," said Keane, who is unemployed. "It's time for Democrats to stand up and fight for what they believe in. Obama has been a great leader, but so many in the Democratic leadership have been playing the fence."
– Left-leaning supporters staged a rally of their own in Washington today. Tens of thousands of progressives gathered on the steps of the Lincoln Memorial for the "One Nation Working Together" rally, reports the Washington Post. The goal of the event—organized by groups including the NAACP and the AFL-CIO—is to counter the rallies held by tea partiers of late and to gin up support among Democrats a month before the midterm elections, says the Post. "This is a defining moment in America," MSNBC host Ed Schultz told the crowd. "Are you American? This is no time to back down." He borrowed a sentiment from Glenn Beck, who conducted a DC rally of his own last month, and urged the crowd to "take back our country." Except Schultz blamed Republicans and big corporations, notes AP.