Sunday, September 13, 2009

LARGEST POLITICAL RALLY IN THE HISTORY OF THE USA? ABC NEWS REPORTS 1.5 MILLION ATTEND RALLY IN WASHINGTON

UPDATED AND BUMPED - SCROLL DOWN FOR NEWER POSTS

UPDATES AT BOTTOM OF POST -


Compare that to 250,000 for the MLK speech. Now admittedly, the country had a smaller population at the time, but the problem MLK was dealing with was far more specific. It was a matter of right and wrong.

Honestly, there is a sense in which everyone OUGHT to have been there.


Additionally, in Martin Luther King Jr., that movement had a central Charismatic figure around whom to rally.

This new American movement does not have a central Charismatic figure as a fountainhead.

This Rally is, as I see it, a Rally in support of our Democratic Republic; our Constitution.

That is a complex set of ideas, but obviously it is a set of ideas that Americans have been willing to fight and die for repeatedly throughout our history.

I think Democrats in Congress would be advised to see this crowd for what it is; a massive uprising against the Obama Agenda.



UPDATE FROM PASTORIUS: I just got off the phone with Always on Watch. She tells me the word is, DC Metro Police estimated the crowd at 2.4 million.

I have also received multiple reports that since the time of the ABC estimate of 1.5 million people, hundreds of thousands were still streaming in.

AOW reports that of the tens of thousands of people she personally laid eyes on today, she saw seven Ron Paul t-shirts. That's it.

So, shut the fuck up, Charles Johnson.

Always on Watch promises to post photos tomorrow.


UPDATED:

A Political Rally vs. A National Event

The Obama Inauguration was not a political rally. It is a national event.

The Obama Inauguration drew an estimated 1.8 million people.

The
Lyndon Johnson Inauguration, by comparison, drew 1.2 million people.

By comparison, the Johnson Inauguration was bigger in relation to the relative sizes of the American population at the times of the inauguration.

But, I don't think that counts, because, as I said, Inaugurations are National Events, not Political Rallies.


The largest ever Political Rally, previous to yesterday, was the Earth Day political rally was, essentially, a free rock concert featuring the B-52's, who were at the time riding a wave of popularity with their huge hit Love Shack:

29 comments:

andre79 said...

Either I'm blind or the wiki entry has be removed.

andre79 said...

"has been", doh.

Pastorius said...

The Wiki entry has NOT been removed.

I just checked. It works.

It is a link to Wikipedia page on

"List of largest peaceful gatherings in history"

andre79 said...

I can't see it, lol.

What reference number in the article?

I need a new pair of eyes.

Christine said...

Washington DC,

CAN YOU HEAR US NOW?!!

revereridesagain said...

I can't find reference to today's rally in the list either. All the news online sites are acknowledging only "thousands" or "tens of thousands" when it is obvious just from the photos that there's more than that and it's an enormous rally.

Hey, the largest peaceful public gathering in the US was the Red Sox World Series victory rally in Boston in 2004! GO SOX!

Christine said...

Obviously there more than tens of thousands. I did find one source that said the DC police had estimated the crowd at 1.2 million and growing. Freedomworks had everyone at the rally text a special message to a # to be used to estimate the size. I did hear a number of people at the rally say,(i watched it on cspan) that the crowds had pretty much shut DC down. There was serious gridlock that covered nearly every street & the freeways were shut down. We'll know within days the actual true estimated crowd size. It was a huge success.

Pastorius said...

Christine,
What are you talking about tens of thousands. You're the one who sent me the email saying ABC News was reporting 1.5 million.

Is that the truth or not?

Christine said...

That should say, Obviously there were more than tens of thousands. Sorry about that.

In fact, Michelle Malkin is saying 2 million.

revereridesagain said...

Plus Malkin has video up. Good that the weather held up for them. We got soaked at the little ones up here in NE.

Reliapundit said...

AWESOME. 2.5 MILLION!

midnight rider said...

Million Man March. Psh.

Unknown said...

Way awesome. Hi Christine!

And, I went to the Obama inauguration. When we left there was no problem getting on, or even getting a seat on, the subway. I have no guess, but the crowds weren't that heavy and I think they grossly overestimated them.

Always On Watch said...

I will indeed post photos today.

I'd have posted them last night, but I'd been up and moving since 1:00 AM on the 12th.

Always On Watch said...

Mr. AOW saw no Ron Paul shirts. In fact, just now he asked me "Who the hell is Ron Paul?"

Pastorius said...

Culturist John,
The Obama Inauguration was not a political rally. It is a national event.

The Obama Inauguration drew an estimated 1.8 million people.

The Lyndon Johnson Inauguration, by comparison, drew 1.2 million people.

By comparison, the Johnson Inauguration was bigger in relation to the relative sizes of the American population at the times of the inauguration.

But, I don't think that counts, because, as I said, Inaugurations are National Events, not Political Rallies.

Pastorius said...

The largest ever Political Rally, previous to yesterday, was the Earth Day political rally was, essentially, a free rock concert featuring the B-52's, who were at the time riding a wave of popularity with their huge hit Love Shack:

http://www.riverwired.com/blog/earth-day-blast-past

http://www.nytimes.com/1990/04/23/us/earth-day-1990-music-and-oh-yes-earth-day-in-park.html

Christine said...

Regardless of what number finally gets pumped out in the end, this was the largest Conservative political rally in history.

So, how many people participated in the original Tea Party? You know, the one in Boston.

Cahrels Johnson said...

Shutup!? Moi!? Once I'm declared Internet Czar by the Obamessiah you will all be banned! In the meantime, I will hide out at my rapidly drindling cult of a blog and ban all who dare contradict my August Self! Just because I'm to wussified to engage in debate doesn't make me a pony tail sporting girly-man.

Pastorius said...

CJ,
You'd make a great Czar of Czarist Bullshit Oversite. That ought to be your title.

midnight rider said...

might want some remedial spelling lessons as well, Cahrels

Pastorius said...

MR,
Have you seen the news about the fuckup that fucking fuck Matt Kibbe made, citing ABC News as saying 1.5 million people were at the rally yesterday?

ABC News said no such thing.

Fucking fuck Matt Kibbe, is he a fucking liar, of is he a fucking idiot.

I have no sympathy for that fuck.

He's the new IBA Mancake of the Week.

Get out the spit and the boa and the cigarette holders.

midnight rider said...

Yeah, that's included in the brief bit I put up yesterday here

http://ibloga.blogspot.com/2009/09/well-i-wasnt-there-today.html

though I don't mention Kibbe, only ABC's denial.

Doesn't matter, the pictures betray the lie. Or the spin.

Pastorius said...

By the way, apparently, I was just as fucking stupid.

I believed it, though I didn't see the ABC Broadcast (obviously, because it didn't exist) because I saw the same number and same citation of ABC at so many various places.

Pastorius said...

Yeah, fuck me too.

I'm a fucking fuckwad.

Maybe I oughta be the fucking Mancake of the Week.

Christine said...

Does that make me a womancake? ;)

Afterall, it was me who reported to you, what the fuckwad said.

We do the best we can Pastorius. Obviously, we would not have thunk one of the organizers of the rally would lie to a million conversatives.

Calm down. We need your brain for bigger and better things. :)

Pastorius said...

Well, I'm spending my day digging up all the evidence I can that the rally was, indeed, at least 1 million people.

Matt Kibbe is my enemy.

midnight rider said...

Remember, too, AoW said the D.C. Metro were estimating 2.5 million.

I would doubt she was making it up.

Our numbers are far better than the silly 60-70K they're reporting.

ilona@israel said...

Yes me too. I also don't think that counts, because Inaugurations are National Events, not Political Rallies.
Anyway Thanks for your nice blog job
Have a nice time
bye
ilona@israel