Nick Gillespie spent some time at the 9/12 rally yesterday for Reason TV, and found a somewhat smaller crowd than last year — but also more intense. Matt Kibbe tells him that instead of having one rally in Washington, as they did last year, they have a number of rallies around the country, which Kibbe rightly calls a success story for FreedomWorks. The rally brought out a diverse crowd, and that was one of the main points:

This year’s event drew a smaller but arguably more intense crowd than last year’s demonstration. Attendees’ attitudes toward President Barack Obama and the Democratic Congress were sharply negative and sometimes strayed from the Tea Party’s traditionally narrow focus on curbing federal spending to issues such as illegal immigration and race relations. Yet there was no mistaking the main thrust of the day’s event, which was, as Matt Kibbe stressed, that “November 3 is even more important than November 2.” As Andrew Breitbart put it, “The beauty of the Tea Party movement is watching it hold Republicans accountable…These people are not going to stop holding their government and elected officials accountable, especially those that claim to represent their values.”

Well, you have to like the infiltrator that Nick Gillespie interviews at the four-minute mark. He admits to being an infiltrator, but when asked what organization he represents, he replies, “I’m not allowed to say.” Maybe the infiltrator should think about that for a while and ask himself what kind of government his organization would impose if they succeed. Open and honest? Or one in which people would “not be allowed to say” things … like the reasons why insurance premiums are going up because of ObamaCare?

Stick around to the end to see Andrew Breitbart put everything in perspective. In 1994, the grassroots turned out to kick Democrats out of Congress. This year, the Tea Party is a warning to both parties about accountability and responsibility. Obviously, that message favors Republicans in this cycle, but only temporarily — and it could turn on them very quickly if the GOP doesn’t heed the message and start delivering on its promises of smaller government and fiscal reform.