wtf????? Beck's D.C. rally draws 500,000 to honor heroes

[nmbluesky]

PITTSBURGH TRIBUNE-REVIEW
EMAIL TO IDIOT WOMAN [e-mail]

WASHINGTON — Glenn Beck fans, drawn by the conservative TV and radio talk show host's promise of an American revival, streamed to the National Mall on Saturday from the four points of the compass.

Beck's organizers had told the National Park Service that they expected as many as 300,000 people at the rally. Attendance might have exceeded that mark, with a crowd estimate of as many as 500,000 from rally organizers.

The Park Service no longer provides crowd estimates.

Beck fans — many toting water bottles, small picnic chests, sunscreen, blankets, camp chairs and flags — jammed shoulder-to-shoulder on the nation's front yard, from the Lincoln Memorial to the base of the Washington Monument.

People thronged the steps, sides and walls of the Lincoln Memorial for hours in advance, then filed up the steps and walls of the World War II memorial and the grounds of the National Mall.

A blue sky and fleecy clouds made for a picture-perfect late summer day to hear Beck, former Alaska Gov. Sarah Palin and other speakers.

Taking a stage backed by the Lincoln Memorial and framed by a giant "Restoring Honor" arch, Beck greeted the crowd as a series of giant screens flashed images of America to composer Aaron Copland's "Fanfare for the Common Man."
http://pittsburghlive.com/x/pittsburghtrib/news/s_696951.html

[DrToast]

1. Try 87,000

http://www.cbsnews.com/8301-503544_162-20014993-503544.html

[Drunken Irishman]

2. Never trust "rally organizers" for crowd estimates...

That's like asking Peggy Hill what her IQ is.

[WCGreen]

4. Gassy ass for that nugget...

[alphafemale]

3. Way too many open spaces to possibly be that many. And crybaby was wearing a ...bullet-proof vest.

Guess he's afraid of his own people.

:rofl:

[wisteria]

5. The owner of the Tribune Review is probably promoting Beck along with Fox News.

Richard Mellon Scaife is a RW nut job who funded Ken Starr who did his dirty work for him in trying to ruin Bill Clinton. Scaife pomotes anything RW or Tea Partyish whenever he and his newspaper can. There is a Tea Party Rally being held here on September 11th which is being heavily promoted. The last one was mediocre so now they want to make sure they can mislead and lie to enough people so they all go out an vote against Democrats.

[depakid]

6. impressive the degree to which American media outlets feel free to outright lie

about almost anything.

I mean really.

What kind of country celebrates their "freedom of speech" by creating a citizenry that can no longer tell basic objective fact from outright falsehood?

[Mass]

7. Scaife Mellon's paper. Never trust a word they print.

[rasputin1952]

8. From some of the pic's I've seen...

and using a couple of measuring devices I've learned over the years, I'd put it at about 100,000. It would be better if there was a direct overhead from something like the Goodyear blimp, but one can only use the devices one has on hand. The are a lot of opens spaces that are a bit further back. A good 1/3 to 1/2 of the space beyond halfway up the Reflecting Pool is empty, as are the walkways along the Reflecting Pool, the WWI Memorial is practically vacant, as are other areas of interest. 90,000-100,000 would be a good serious estimate.

Another variable is, how many were there for Beck, Palin or both? How many just showed up because it was an "event", and they thought something might happen? Generally about 5% of people at anything like this are just curious or want to be at almost any event, that shaves about 5000 of the #. The ones that I figure are serious about this are the one's that traveled to attend. I saw pic's of people from PA, (not that far), and a couple of women from FL, (that's far to come to a single event).

There is another variable, children under 14, there appeared to quite a few of them there. The majority of people I saw in the pics were either receiving or close to receiving SS. That could mean they had the time and the assets to travel for this. Many of these faces are undoubtedly the same one's that revolve around events like this they are well versed in how these events go.

There were less than were at Woodstock, (most counts are in the 450,000-500,000), then again, the show was far better than this hack could put on...:D

[totodeinhere]

9. NBC News said it was closer to 300,000

http://www.nytimes.com/2010/08/29/us/politics/29beck.html?_r=1

[vademocrat]

10. CBS News says 87,000

http://www.cbsnews.com/8301-503544_162-20014993-503544.html?tag=pop

"AirPhotosLive.com gave its estimate a margin of error of 9,000, meaning between 78,000 and 96,000 people attended the rally. The photos used to make the estimate were taken at noon Saturday, which is when the company estimated was the rally's high point."

From my 30+ years of attending marches, rallies, fireworks displays on the National Mall, my estimate yesterday afternoon was 75,000-100,000 so I'd go along with this number.

The 300,000 number comes from the National Park permit - which was issues for "up to" 300,000 people.

[nmbluesky]

11. I got email from Debra Erdley suprise!!!

Please note I did not say there were 500,000. That was Beck's estimate.

Sent from my iPad


Glenn Beck is an worst!!! he is a liar.

[RamboLiberal]

12. Look at all the grass in this photo - I stick with the CBS estimate

Other DU'ers posted this photo. And as many pointed out these people brought lawn chairs so they are taking up more space. The AirPhotos outfit they contracted estimated 87,000 +- 9,000 margin of error.

[babydollhead]

13. This Paper is a Republican Rag