While covering last week’s (overwhelmingly peaceful) Tax Day Tea Party, I came across a few Tea Partiers jawing with counter-protesters led by Alex Lawson, whom I had encountered exactly a year earlier at the first TDTP. What I didn’t realize was that the man who was arguing with him, “Patriot Mark” Hoffman, was the same man I had videotaped issuing a veiled threat to Alex at last year’s event.

While a steady stream of global warming denying, socialism-invoking, Barack Hussein Obama-referencing speakers and country singers graced the stage at Freedomworks’ Tea Party event, the real drama was at the perimeter of the event. A relatively small contingent of about 30 counter-protesters showed up to demand gratitude for their tax cuts on behalf of Barack Obama.

During yesterday’s Freedomworks Tea Party, speakers made frequent references to “infiltrators,” people who might seek to embarrass the Tea Party by posing as a member and acting in an offensive manner. The crowd was told to watch out for any offensive signs, so the event’s organizers could eject them. While mingling with the crowd, some Tea Partiers pointed out 2 young men who they called infiltrators, but who really were just openly satirizing the movement. That’s when things got interesting.

According to estimates by volunteers, between 10 and 20 thousand people gathered for yesterday’s Freedomworks Tax Day Tea Party event, and from what I saw, it was a rousing success (relatively speaking). The crowd was enthusiastic but well-behaved, and the organizers were vigilant in keeping out racially offensive signs.

There were still some offensive signs, and it’s a sign of a low bar that prevalent accusations of “socialism” are barely worth mentioning anymore, but for a movement whose image has been tarnished by highly-publicized ugliness, this was a very good day.

The Tea Party Tax Day protests yesterday were got wall-to-wall coverage yesterday on the different news channels, from Fox News’ heroic depiction over to MSNBC where Rachel Maddow seemed even smirkier that usual. Maddow looked into the major corporations like Exxon and Phillip Morris that have ties to the Tea Party and yesterday’s protests in a segment called “Caught Red Handed” (we see what you did there, Ms. Maddow).

Glenn Beck and Sean Hannity really want Doug Hoffman to win that special congressional election in Upstate New York’s 23rd district. It’s not just because he’s a 3rd party “Conservative” candidate in a race that saw the shunned, moderate Republican candidate drop out. It’s because this race is a referendum on town halls, on tea partying, on the 9/12 Project.