Bachmann Claims Estimate Of 1.6 Million People At Glenn Beck Rally

[meegbear]

Rep. Michele Bachmann (R-MN) is saying that a lot -- a lot -- of people attended Glenn Beck's rally in Washington over the weekend.

Appearing on Laura Ingraham's radio show yesterday, Bachmann said: "The crowds were overwhelming, and if you saw the aerials on the Drudge Report this weekend, there was an aerial photo. Unofficially, off the record, we talked to one of the guys from the National Park Police who told us he thought it was 1.6 million. There had to be over a million people there. People were packed in from the Washington Monument all the way to the Lincoln Memorial. And for anyone who's ever been there, that's a huge area."

In fact, the government does not make estimates of crowd sizes for events. CBS News hired an independent expert who put the number much lower, at 87,000 people plus or minus 9,000. Not surprisingly, there have been various estimates offered by the event's supports -- but even Glenn Beck's own range of 300,000-650,000 is far short of Bachmann's number from this unidentified police official.

So think about that: Michele Bachmann is an even bigger promoter of Glenn Beck's rallies than Glenn Beck is.

http://tpmdc.talkingpointsmemo.com/2010/08/bachmann-claims-estimate-of-16-million-people-at-glenn-beck-rally-audio.php?ref=fpb

[mike r]

1. Cross-eyed estimate from a crazy nut

[MajorChode]

2. "A lie told often enough becomes truth"

-- Vladimir Lenin

[JuniperLea]

7. Bush II knew that all too well...

"Gotta catapult the propaganda!"

Same old tune from the RW loons... pie in the sky lies. Hey, if you're going to lie, make it worthwhile.

[Oceansaway]

3. she's certifiably nuts....nt

[COLGATE4]

4. As another DUer so elegantly explained-

the shit doesn't fsll far from the bat

[Vincardog]

13. +1 the shit doesn't fall far from the bat

[gratuitous]

5. I knew it

I knew there was going to be an appeal to numbers provided by the National Park Police or some other official-sounding agency. As the TPM story correctly notes, the government doesn't provide estimates for crowd sizes anymore, but Bachmann either isn't smart enough to know that, or is banking on her audience not being smart enough to know that. I can't decide which it might be, but I do note that the alternatives aren't mutually exclusive.

Anyway, Daily Kos had a terrific post yesterday on the crowd size estimates. By measuring the space available in front of and on both sides of the Reflecting Pool, as well as the "overflow" area, the poster gave a generous estimate of 1 million square feet of space that the crowd was on. That's not a measure that you can get your head around very easily, so the poster divided it up into by the size of a queen-size mattress. About 33,000 queen-size mattresses would cover 1 million square feet. In order to accommodate a crowd of 87,000, you'd have about three persons standing on each mattress area. If you had a million persons in that space, it would take more like 20 persons standing on each queen-size mattress division. Looking at the aerial photography, it's pretty apparent that unless a lot of people showed up dressed as greensward, the three-person-per-mattress estimate is far closer to reality. To accommodate 1.6 million people? You'd need to crowd 34 persons on each queen-size mattress parcel.

Bachmann is talking out her ass.

[Mister Ed]

25. No way could you cram 1.6 million teabaggers in such a small space

They're generally pretty hefty, and they need those really big lawn chairs...

[Canuckistanian]

6. It was only one million two days ago

By the end of the week at this rate of exaggerating, her estimate will have climbed to 4 million.

[TygrBright]

8. The crazy in this woman's head is loud enough to drown out a cheering Superbowl crowd. Amazing n/t

[Botany]

9. This is 1.8 to 2 million

[Stinky The Clown]

10. The crazy Bachmann woman is wrong by 1.52 million.

[TheMuse]

11. Considering she can barely count

I say we give her some slack.

[anarch]

12. no way! there were at least a billion people there

At least! There is no stopping the awesome force that is Glenn Beck. He is a god made flesh, a mover of worlds. Bow down before him in awe!

[Vincardog]

16. No way there were at least 6 Billion people there. It was held on earth right?

[anarch]

17. you misunderestimate the power of Uber-Beck. it was actually 8 billion people

they had to call in a number of angels from heaven to help out, but I'm pretty sure they did it.

[Vincardog]

18. Do Mormons believe in angels? And How many of them can dance on the head of a pin?

Angels not Mormons.

[Urban Prairie]

14. Doesn't really matter how many were actually in attendance @ Whitestock

What does matter is how crazy-eyes, Faux Spews, and the astroturf-supported Teabaggers will attempt to spin this pseudo-MLK-channeling Dreckkk's "Restoring Honor" event into being how ALL patriotic Americans really feel about how our "Christian" nation is now being led by a socialist/Marxist Muslim usurper and his anti-American administration.

[Initech]

15. That would be what... the population of Sacramento?

Man is she delusional.

[indepat]

19. Absolutely, positively no more off-the-wall than anything Michelle utters

:P

[Vickers]

20. Faith-based math. n/t

[louis-t]

21. I just keep wondering if there was an instruction

to "spread out so it looks like there are more people". Very loosely packed crowd. And they were spread out, too. :evilgrin:

[Botany]

22. w/ out a doubt

lots of green space between the teabaggers

[Bitwit1234]

23. Next she'll say she and Marilyn Monroe are twins

[PBS Poll-435]

24. Homeschool

'nuff said.

[spin]

26. I've heard a large range of estimates ...

but it's hard to deny that it was a large crowd for a conservative commentator on Fox News and a radio talk show host to attract.

I personally believe that Glenn Beck is a buffoon. I also believe that while ridiculing him and the intelligence of his followers is great fun, it's counterproductive. The polls show that a large percentage of the people in our country are very upset at congress and the pompous politicians of BOTH parties. Since we have the majority in both houses and since most of these infuriated voters are conservative, most experts feel we are facing major loses in the midterm election.

It's never wise to underestimate your enemy. It's foolish to feel that your own intelligence is so far superior to your foe that you need not fear him and can play into his hand by insulting him and his followers as uneducated or stupid.

You have to remember that when you go to the polls, your vote will count no more than a Tea Bagger's vote. If you piss them off, they will swarm to the polls like a swarm of irritated bees.

Beck seems to be shifting his focus to a more religious view involving "Faith, Hope, and Charity". He has interested his followers into learning the history of the founding fathers and their opposition to big government. He just doesn't want his viewers to simply believe his views but wants them to do their own research.

He's a force to be respected and fought not with laughter and ridicule, but instead with logic and reason and historical fact.

That's just my opinion. I personally feel that Glenn Beck has carefully baited a trap and we are stepping into it.

[gophates]

27. Zero people. 78,000 subhuman cretins.

That is all.

[kevinbgoode]

28. Well, they are conservatives, of course. . .

and thus, Bachmann believes that just like their votes, their bodies should be counted twice.

[gophates]

29. I don't think there were 1.6 million TEETH there.

Maybe a couple hundred thousand. Tops.