The next time a wingnut tells you that more people watched Reagan's inauguration ...

[11 Bravo]

ask them how many tuned into Ronnie via the internet. (Hint: that would be ZERO)
The new favorite RW talking point is that 4 million more people watched Reagan, but that simple response shuts them right the fuck up.
CNN reports 21.3 million live streams, breaking the previous record of about 5 million. And that's just ONE internet source.
Let's nip this particular bit of dishonest winger bullshit in the bud.

[Kajsa]

1. Thank you!

That's good information to have when they claim
Ronnie had a larger audience.

[stray cat]

2. Not to mention movie theatres and auditoriums

[Window]

24. Technically, you can add Times Square and all the squares the world over, too.

Peace:thumbsup:

[VADem11]

3. Exactly

It's amazing how people fail to take the internet into account. Plus the two million people on the mall far exceeded any crowd that Reagan ever had.

[TTUBatfan2008]

7. Yep, 1.5 million more to be exact...

Plus, the report I have seen on the TV ratings seemed to indicate that the cable networks weren't included in Obama's ratings. Well guess what, back in 1981 those networks didn't even exist. So comparing the broadcast networks for Reagan vs. the broadcast networks for Obama isn't exactly a fair comparison when people have more channels to choose from today.

[Mayberry Machiavelli]

4. Yes, and also add the number who went to SEE IT LIVE.

[avaistheone1]

9. I think the proof is in the pudding. I don't think anyone can find a picture like that of the Reagan

inauguration---that is unless it was Photo-shopped.

Obama clearly set a record in terms of most attendees.

[Hissyspit]

18. Me, me, me!

I'm in that picture. Next to the big clump of trees toward the middle on the left. Well in front of the crowd in front of the Reflecting Pool. By the way, it was that crowd who booed and chanted "Na, na, na, na, hey, hey, goodbye."

[AtomicKitten]

5. The wingnuts are clinging to anything no matter how anorexic at this point. :)

[Arkana]

14. Their despair and anguish is as sweet to me as a rare wine.

[AtomicKitten]

23. Let us toast them with their bitter tears.

[4lbs]

6. I also doubt that people in Africa and South America watched Reagan's inauguration with as much

enthusiasm as President Obama's.

Any freeper/GOP'er/member of the MSM care to show the pictures of people in those countries with smiling faces and the name "Reagan" written on their foreheads?

Didn't think so.

[underpants]

8. I saw CNN's first report on this

and couldn't help but think of how many people watched it live NOT on TV
and then thought-how many people skipped (work etc.) knowing that they can watch in on-line whenever they want
and then thought that CNN only had network numbers. I know not a lot of people watch C-Span but those numbers weren't in there anyway


When Reagan came in you pretty much HAD to watch it live or you would miss it. Hell I am sure that Entertainment Tonight and Inside Edition lead with it giving their audiences at least a glimpse of it.

Typical CNN.

[TeamJordan23]

10. Do we know how many people watched on internet - all streams, not just CNN? nm

[Life Long Dem]

11. We just went through an election where we saw some were out of touch with the internet.

The same thing with these people. They are ignorant to the internet. After this past election, this doesn't surprise me.

[otohara]

12. MSM Failed to Even Mention Internet

in initial reporting of how many watched.

How pitiful is that?

[11 Bravo]

13. Pitiful, yet eminently predictable.

[pipi_k]

15. Just for the hell of it....

let's pretend more people DID watch Reagan's inauguration.

So what?

What would that prove to them?


Their pride...their whole reason for living...is based on something that happened 20 years ago?

Losers.

[Hissyspit]

19. See post #17. nt

[discopants]

16. no mention either of the millions that used TIVO and DVDR

[Hissyspit]

17. Also...

Reagan was an asshole. Obama not.

[FrenchieCat]

20. Let's not even mention worldwide viewing......

Now we are into the billions. Seriously.

[VolcanoJen]

21. Also, I read a piece somewhere, where the author was flying on JetBlue...

... during the Inauguration, and noticed that every single seatback monitor in Coach was tuned into the event, save for one guy playing FreeCell. :-)

I wonder how many Sky TV's there were in 1981? ;-)

[Political Heretic]

26. Dude, I want to meet the one guy playing free cell.

Seriously... I just want to know what goes on in a mind like that. :)

I mean, I could imagine some plausible things that are less lame than just hating Obama or being totally indifferent...

[SheilaT]

22. And more than one company

had problems with their servers because of people at work watching.
Here's one:
http://www.kmbc.com/news/18522097/detail.html

[Pacifist Patriot]

25. If a wingnut tells me that more people watched Reagan's inauguration...

there is no point in asking him or her anything. Clearly too stupid to process any information short of how to stick a finger up the nose and quite possibly which end of his body to apply toilet paper. Though I wouldn't place any bets on that.

[Political Heretic]

27. PS - thanks for the inspiration for the subject of my latest blog post.

[Jennicut]

28. Well, its obvious tons of people watced Obama and Biden be sworn in on the internet

More women work today as well then in the 80's, less people at home and more at work, possibly watching on the computer.

[tex-wyo-dem]

29. Seriously?!? They're comparing NETWORK numbers...

(i.e. NBC/CBS/ABC/PBS) from 1981 to NETWORK numbers from 2009? That's obsurd. Might also want to take into account Ronnie's little "October surprise" where, entirely cooincidentally :sarcasm:, the embassy hostiges were being released at the exact moment that raygun was being sworn in...maybe, just maybe might account for the higher level of interest in watching the tube that day.