On Politics, We Can Always See the Whites of Their Eyes.
The Incredible Shrinking Inauguration Crowd
by: Bill Dupray posted: 2009-01-09 10:27:00
Viewed 5300 times. 29 Comments.
It will be massive, unprecedented, and historic. The One will summon the masses from near and far to witness an event for the ages. And there will be 5 million people there to watch it, said the Chicago Sun-Times.
In November, in the afterglow of a satisfying election victory, the Washington Post agreed that it would certainly be huge, but thought it might be more like, say 4 million. But hey, what's a million people between friendly MSM rags?
The Denver Post piped up and said that actually it could be a little more like 3 million. But that is still tons of people, right? Everybody still loves Obama even if 2 million fewer people show up for the party.
CNN, the august, Number 2 rated cable news channel weighed in and thought the other guys may be overstating things just a wee bit. But their estimate of 2.5 million spectators, even if it is half of the Sun-Times' estimate, is still pretty massive.
Even for a city used to big crowds, Obama's inauguration promises to shatter records for attendance. City officials predict up to 2.5 million people will converge on the capital January 20, and they are taking unprecedented steps to accommodate the masses.
See. It will shatter records.
By Christmas, the Post thought that maybe their November prediction of 4 million might have been a bit high and perhaps a bit school-girl crushish. So they cut it in half.
Turnout could easily reach 2 million, officials said, far outstripping the 400,000 who attended the 2005 inauguration of President Bush.
But hey, at least 2 million is still waaaaaay more than the detestable Bush got, right?
But there is always one guy who pees in the punchbowl. The Miami Herald says it might only be 1.5 million, but they say Bush got even fewer people than the 400k the Post gave him, so the percentage difference is still good for Obama.
As many as 1.5 million people may come for Obama inaugural festivities, according to officials at Destination DC, the District of Columbia's official convention and tourism corporation. By comparison, President Bush's inaugurations each drew about 300,000 people, according to Rebecca Pawlowski, a Destination DC spokeswoman.
The Seattle Times, Huffington Post, and Metro News think that only about 1 million may show. Must be right-wingers running those shops.
With the crowd estimates dropping like a stone, and the inauguration rental market going bust with no turnaround in sight, one starts to wonder if maybe, like Obama's candidacy itself, the inauguration crowd size fever is a left-wing media creation.
Maybe Obama is just another run-of-the-mill Democrat president. After all, Lyndon B. Johnson had 1.2 million people show up for his inauguration in 1965, and that was 44 years ago. What if Barry can't even beat old LBJ's numbers? Even Eisenhower had 750,000 folks come to see him in 1953.
The media is smitten with Obama, and so they exaggerate, fudge, and lie to make it look like he is the second coming of Christ. Unfortunately for the left, the facts have not proven Obama to be Christ. Instead, it seems he is just a well spoken, very liberal black guy from Chicago, who may draw an inauguration crowd somewhere between those of Eisenhower and Johnson.
Tags: Liberals, MSM, Obama, Inauguration,
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Comments 29
Remember, DC even extended legal drinking time at bars to 5am from 2am for the week in anticipation of the throngs of Obama supporters.
At least we'll have fewer deaths than predicted.
You will be happy to know that my Giant grocery store in Baltimore is promoting their Inauguration Day party platters, I wonder if they will just repackage the Ravens party platters that do not sell this weekend?? Remove purple and gold insert red and blue.
Sounds like a health code violation or something.
"The media is smitten with Obama, and so they exaggerate, fudge, and lie to make it look like he is the second coming of Christ."
Oh come on now. . . . . .
Do you really think that our main stream media would be as gushing about Jesus Christ as they are about Obama?
Most of them sure don't seem to like Him or respect Him all that much now.
They'd call him an intolerant, right-wing, Jesus freak, trying to tell everybody what to do.
Or they might label him as a left-wing looney with all that "set the captives free, give everything you have to the poor, blessed are the peacemakers" nonsense.
John -
The mainstream media doesn't label anyone as a left-wing loony. Loonies are all right-wing.
But as to what was probably the real point of your attempt at snarkiness, Christ's teachings have nothing to do with left-wing, because they are not instructions to government. He was concerned with personal behavior. And to the extent he gave a rat's ass about government, it was with the wish that people be free to make decisions.
Scott,
I think you make a good point, and one that people on both sides of the political aisle forget. Jesus was not a democrat, even if his job description was something like "community organizer." He is also not a republican.
On the other hand, following him does compel us to examine our personal behavior as well as our political views.
Let's face it: It's historic and there will be lots of people there.
Regardless, though, of how many actually will be there, the advocacy media will report some number, any number, that is higher than either of the Bushes and the nation's first white "black" president.
Good point! The national media (I refuse to call them mainstream) largely do not respect Jesus or anyone who does respect Him.
Narniaman: "Do you really think that our main stream media would be as gushing about Jesus Christ as they are about Obama? Most of them sure don't seem to like Him or respect Him all that much now."
You're kidding, right?
The advocacy media loathe, if not outright hate the Christ. About Him, they are ignorant as rocks. And for Him, they have as much respect -- and have had as much respect for him for a while -- as Obama has for anyone who criticizes or disagrees with him.
They'd call Jesus crazy and dismiss Him outright.
And, as Bil suggests, they would call the Christ intolerant and right-wing.
Actually, He is intolerant: of sin.
And that's why the advocacy media would rail against Him. Because He was not a secular humanist or moral relativist or moral agnostic.
amen, brother. agree completely. if only the MSM were so defensive of Christ as they are of Muhammad (PBUH)
Here's a bold prediction...more people will watch the Super Bowl than Obama's inauguration.
Oh, come on, I can't wait until they put the crown on his head and give him his sceptre.
I got HDTV so I could hear the angelic chorus in Dolby 5.1!
Here is another bold prediction...He won't lower the ocean levels, but He will be able to lower expectations.
Here's a prediction for you:
http://righteousrantings.blogspot.com/2009/01/my-crystal-ball-and-eloquent-one-trick.html
"...if maybe Obama's candidacy itself, the inauguration crowd size fever is a left-wing media creation."
Um, I hate to break this to you but Obama's candidacy really DID happen. It was not a "creation."
"Maybe Obama is just another run-of-the-mill Democrat president."
I don't see how he is ANY kind of "Democrat" president, since he is not president yet.
"The media is smitten with Obama,..."
The Fox "News" Channel is not part of the "media?" Who knew?
Maybe two people will show up on the mall. His popularity is going down like a stone.
"Maybe two people who show up on the mall."
Dream on.
Yes. And hopefully your politics fosters the necessary conditions needed to allow people to utilize positive freedom to exercise their personal convictions.
This is blog worthy news...please...how does this qualify in any way. And don't use you default "this is how the MSM shapes things". Weak content.
we have no idea how the MSM shapes things, jack. we're just observers like you.
why was this posted? because we found it amusing.
kindly go to another post that you find to be "strong content" and let us know.
thanks.
Weak content you say? Lots of views and 20+ comments, I say.
I'm sorry, I missed your high-traffic blog Strawman. You do have one, right? Didn't think so. Let us know the next time you want random shitty advice from people who don't know anything about your job; we'll be here for you.
If 500,000 people show up, the media will gushingly call it 4 million.
It's even more problematic when all those existence-challenged (i.e. dead) voters and never-existed voters (but someone voted 3 and 4 times) aren't able to attend and show support for Dear Leader.
"Dear Leader" ... an NK reference ... ouch! good one, bohema.
I give you half credit for this article. You managed to point out that crowd figures tend to be exaggerated and I agree, in fact, it is well documented. But because you see everything through your partisan lens, you have overlooked the actual story. All crowd number counts that don't involve a turnstile are subject to misrepresentation and are tainted by the party giving the estimates. Concerts, parades, marches, protests, block parties, and past inaugurations have always been puffed up by those who feel that it is in their interest to represent a larger showing - and they are marginalized by others who would like to portray a smaller one. This is not news and it is not a Democrat-only occurrence - nor is it a phenomenon limited to the MSM (btw - I am consistently amazed how Fox, the WSJ, the NY Post, the Weekly Standard, and most syndicated radio political talk shows manage to continually be omitted from the list of MSM outlets). And lastly - how many white Harvard Law Grads would you refer to as "well-spoken"?
joe, you write - how many white Harvard Law Grads would you refer to as "well-spoken"?
depends on how well they speak. keep your racist remarks to yourself, and stop looking for it in others. not very becoming.
the term "MSM" is used in the conservative sphere to refer to the blindly liberal outlets - cnn, abc, cbs, and so on. it's a term of art, but you know that. you're just picking nits. same goes for the comment on achieving mathematical certainty on head counts.
the point of the article, not lost on you, is that numbers will be exaggerated. it will be similar to the strike-shortened nfl season when all the crowd shots on tv were taken from field level up so as to avoid showing the empty seats.
half credit? thank you. appreciate you playing along.
Half credit? Our readers grade us now? How nice for us.
Since Clyde already took you to task for the ridiculous MSM comment, I just thought I'd note that calling "The Weekly Standard" and its 64 readers mainstream-anything is pretty funny.
And I've met very few Harvard grads of any race who were well-spoken.
Have an opinion?
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The question is will NBC, CBS , CNN and the NY Times really let 1 million of their "journalists" off to attend the coronation of their "messiah".
It will be about like the fiasco with that idiot Sheehan in Texas. 100 attendees followed by 998,000 media scum swooning after the Chicago Dope.