Hotline After Dark -- We Gotta Fight For Our Right To Tea Party

"World News", "Evening News" and "Nightly News" each led with the Ft. Hood shootings.

Pols and pundits discussed the 11/5 conservative rally at the U.S. Capitol.

Rep. Elijah Cummings (D-MD), on the 11/5 rally: "I don't think they scared anybody. ... I got a chill, really. I just think this thing has gone too far" ("Countdown," MSNBC, 11/5).

Rep. Steve King (R-IA): "This absolutely outstanding grouping of people that we had today at the Capitol. This is organic. It was a meet up. It was spontaneous. And it spoke volumes to the members of Congress. And it's continuing those ramifications on Capitol Hill."

More King: "The Cannon building, in particular, there was a security issue inside that shut down people going in the doors. So they surrounded the building and chanted, 'Kill the bill, kill the bill.' The hallways echoed. And I just said to them find somebody that wears a pin like this and won't look them in the eye and tell them not to steal your freedom" ("Hannity," FNC, 11/5).

After the jump, more on the rally and Rev. Al Sharpton weighs in on the Rep. Charles Rangel (D-NY) ethics investigation.

(ABBY LIVINGSTON)

Washington Post's Robinson, on Rep. Michele Bachmann's (R-MN) role: "This was an elected congresswoman who presumably was sent here to make laws, out there doing this ridiculous -- what do they call it -- a press conference? I'd love to know the media organizations that all those people represented who were out there bused in by the Astroturf group. It was frankly appalling. But that's Michele Bachmann."

Robinson, on GOP leadership attending the rally: "It seems to me that they gave up any pretense of deniability today. When you have the minority leader out there joining the protest, the rally, whatever it was, with this horrific and frankly disgusting imagery that attended it, there is a certain amount of ownership that they take. And I think this is something that should be remembered. These are video clips that should be kept and should be played" ("Countdown," MSNBC, 11/5).

Sharpton-ing A Defense

Sharpton was interviewed on the "O'Reilly Factor" 11/5 p.m.

Sharpton, on the Rangel investigation: "I don't know if it's embarrassing because I don't think we've seen anyone proven to be guilty of anything. The ethics committee has picked up these cases. Some people feel that they've been driven a lot by these groups that keep trying to make allegations that in many cases have ended up being nothing but allegations. So I wouldn't be embarrassed before anyone has been found to be improper in any way."

More Sharpton: "If people start this drum beat in these kind of policy groups that are really politically motivated, they create the perception that ethics committees have to investigate."

Sharpton, on groups making ethics allegations: "How many times have I heard allegations against my organization? It ended up being absolutely nothing? But if you get enough of these guys to beat the drums, they cause a lot of legal money. And youend up with nobody saying at the end of it, it was nothing. You don't even get the news story saying you were cleared. We don't know about all these allegations against."

More Sharpton: "If we had everybody step aside with an allegation we wouldn't have any chairmans in the House."

Sharpton, on whether the allegations are racially motivated: "I don't think there's a conspiracy of, 'Let's go get blacks.' I think it is very interesting that the only active cases are black. And again, I think this was driven by a lot of outside groups that some of them are politically motivated. Some could even be racially motivated that put this pressure on. But I think that."

Sharpton, on race: "It is very interesting that ends up with the only active committee, the only active investigation is the committee are looking into black. If they were all Irish, you would say they were interesting. If they were all Japanese, someone would say. The fact that
they are all only blacks."

Sharpton, on why the Ethics Cmte, with liberal Dems would go "after black people": "I didn't say they are. I'm saying that they are responding I think to a lot of pressure" (FNC, 11/5).