Tens of thousands of people attended a controversial rally at Washington DC's Lincoln Memorial on Saturday.Organised by TV personality Glenn Beck - whose strongly conservative views include calling Barack Obama a racist - the rally was billed as a non-political bid to "restore honour" to the US. But most of those in attendance were politically right-wing and Sarah Palin, the former Republican vice-presidential candidate, addressed the crowd.The rally took place at the site and on the anniversary of civil rights leader Martin Luther King Jr's famous 'I have a dream' speech. Beck called the timing "coincidental" but critics have accused him of trying to hijack the anniversary. Counter-rallies were held in the capital, including one with civil rights leader Al Sharpton.On this episode of Inside Story, we ask: Is a radical new movement developing that could steer the US in a new direction or is it just a passing trend?
Joining the show are Phil Kerpen, the vice-president of Americans for Prosperity, Faiz Shakir, a vice-president at the Center for American Progress who also serves as editor-in-chief of ThinkProgress.org, and Ari Rabin-Havt, the vice-president for research and communication at Media Matters.
This episode of Inside Story aired from Sunday, August 29, 2010.