I present this data merely as a reference; it is not intended as a value judgment about the success of the protests or their lack thereof. One should bear in mind that ours is a large country, and that gatherings of this magnitude (if several hundred individual protests can be thought of as a “gathering”) are not especially uncommon. For instance, protests in favor of immigration reform drew several million participants in the spring of 2006, including several individual events of at least 300,000. Likewise, anti-war protests in 2003 involved attendance of at least 300,000 in a single American city (New York) on a single day.

As of midnight last night they had 450,000 and were still counting. So it’s safe to use a ballpark figure of half a million

No its naaaaaaat.

Remember this guy, Nate Silver?
He was pretty spot-on in the election.

How “rightwing” could Fox be if it gets more viewers than CNN, MSNBC, CNBC and Headline News — combined?

Fail argument.
Only works if you include Colbert and Stewart, local news channels, etc. in the total.
Your stats only prove more republicans watch cable news.

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=Dd2tg8gxCDU&feature=player_embedded

Listening to WSB radio news an hour later, owned by the same company, they reported fifteen to twenty thousand people attended the rally.

When I checked in on the AJC web page later on somehow the story had changed to thousands attended.

Obama had 100,000 people show up for a rally in St Louis last fall. Now thats grassroots.

athensboy on April 15, 2009 at 8:22 PM

Yess’m. It was a mixed crowd, too. Welfare recipients, illegal immigrants, felons and federal government employees.

The media sickness is epidemic. Fortunately, it also appears to be terminal

Great line. Can I steal it?

jgapinoy on April 15, 2009 at 8:22 PM

I don’t mean to be the “word police”, but if you are going to use it you might want to change the word “epidemic” to “pandemic”.

MB4 on April 16, 2009 at 1:13 AM

Fixed it for you. No charge!

My husband was there. Media making it out to be angry white guys, but it wasn’t. Protest was against spending and about sticking up for your principles.

But, this is amazing because these people actually have jobs that they took time from.

Rogue Traveler on April 16, 2009 at 6:43 AM

RT …you got it right there. This is the Big Story of the Tea Parties. I was amazed that the turnout was so high with the events being held during a workday.

It is difficult to find, ladies and gentlemen, in American history, a time when so many liberals have spent so much time slinging so much mud on an embryonic movement. They are petrified and scared to death of the 500 tea parties scheduled for today in 50 American states. They’re out there snarling, “It was created by Fox News; it’s a right-wing plot; this is all Limbaugh’s doing; it’s white people who are afraid of Obama,” and that nutty professor from Princeton, Paul Krugman. It’s backed by right-wing billionaires. Oh, even though that’s BS, I guess it’s okay if a movement is funded by George Soros; it’s okay if MoveOn.org is behind it. But what if it’s a grassroots bubble-up movement started entirely by average, ordinary, everyday Americans, then somehow it poses a great threat, and it’s something that must be discredited; it’s something that must be rained on; it’s something that must be destroyed or at least interrupted and tampered with.

So the liberals, who love the common man, the liberals, the American left, tell us daily, weekly, monthly, they are the ones looking out for the little guy, they now have to use every weapon at their command, from NBC, to the New York Times, to the Obama database, to the Twitter crowd, to mock, smear, and trash what is real democracy. What is real democracy is occurring in 50 states, in 500 different locations, and the American left, standing for the little guy, protecting the little guy from the onslaught of disaster. They have to go out and destroy these people, to mock them, to smear them, to trash them, because it is real democracy, it is the expression of individual liberty and freedom and the clamor for more, which is upsetting to no end to Barack Obama, the Democrat Party, and the American left. You want to do a Million Man March, no problem. You want to have a MoveOn protest or Code Pink panties showing up at any congressional hearing room, no problem, ditto. You want Cindy Sheehan and her two dozen protesters outside Bush’s house. No problem. That’s democracy at work. You want the Democrat Party urging defeat for the US military, echoed by the Drive-By Media, that’s fine, that’s democracy at work.

People didn’t show up at the Tea Parties to cheer for one celebrity.
Get some perspective, seriously.

Again…even with the knowledge of the MSM….I’m in shock.

Glenn Beck put it well during one of his segments:
It isn’t US that doesn’t get it, it’s You in Washington, The New York Times, etc…(something like that)

But…Do they REALLY Not get it?>????
Or do they get it and pretend not to?
shock, I said.

Obama had 100,000 people show up for a rally in St Louis last fall. Now thats grassroots.

athensboy on April 15, 2009 at 8:22 PM

Of course his supporters could make it.

But, this is amazing because these people actually have jobs that they took time from.

And a CNN journalist, rather than reporting on one event, decided to debate the crowd!

Reposted from the Ace’s Babe pic thread…

just got back from the NYC after party…more on the fun later.

let me just say though…BEAUTIFUL women. ESPECIALLY the after party. i even got a number

ernesto on April 16, 2009 at 12:56 AM
Big deal.

Susan Roesgen gave half the country her number today.
Tho it was just a single digit.

soundingboard on April 16, 2009 at 3:38 AM

Shocking display on the part of the reporter, who only made herself ridiculous,
she probably does not comprehend that money in the State coffers is not getting there on unicorn wings.

The media sickness is epidemic. Fortunately, it also appears to be terminal.

Actually, epidemic (a rapid spread, growth, or development) pretty much completely contradicts terminal.

I went with the gathering of eagles to counter protest Sheehan and her hollywood friends in DC (3 protest during 2006-2007).
Afterward we would go to the VFW hall,eat,and watch the coverage.The networks would have to pull people to the side or use certain angles so as not to reveal the idiocy and radicalism of the anti-war protesters.
Watching this useful idiot of CNN do everything she can to create a scandalous response or paint the concerned average American tax payer as radical is just another example of the extent the MSM goes to in pushing their liberal activism.
Of course add this to the pathetic DHS report and it is obvious the Obama administration is working hand in hand with the MSM to crush dissent.
That journolist must have been working overtime these past few days.

Actually, “epidemic” meaning widespread(ing) is correctly used here. However, you could say that ‘liberal bias is endemic (or constant) in the mainstream media nowadays.’

munchnstuf on April 16, 2009 at 1:36 AM

Nah, I don’t think so.

Endemic: characteristic of or prevalent in a particular field.

Epidemic: A rapid spread, growth, or development.

Epidemic is also used primarily in medicine, as in a flu epidemic.

I think endemic is a more accurate description.

The media sickness is epidemic. Fortunately, it also appears to be terminal

Great line. Can I steal it?

jgapinoy on April 15, 2009 at 8:22 PM

I don’t mean to be the “word police”, but if you are going to use it you might want to change the word “epidemic” to “endemic”.

MB4 on April 16, 2009 at 1:13 AM

Actually, “epidemic” meaning widespread(ing) is correctly used here. However, you could say that ‘liberal bias is endemic (or constant) in the mainstream media nowadays.’

State Patrol Sgt. Ted DeHart said the lively rally was the largest protest held at the Capitol in several years.

It was awesome, peaceful and inspiring. And the Daily O-lympian (Zero) actually reported it positively.

I got some great pictures and people were eager to show their faces and their numbers…….and not one person hesitated when I asked if I could post them on the internet………

The reality is that many in the MSM hitched their futures to Obama and they cannot turn against him. By picking a horse in the 2008 election many in the MSM made sure that any failure by Obama would be their failure. They wont willingly fall on their swords.

The media sickness is epidemic. Fortunately, it also appears to be terminal

Great line. Can I steal it?

jgapinoy on April 15, 2009 at 8:22 PM

I don’t mean to be the “word police”, but if you are going to use it you might want to change the word “epidemic” to “endemic”.

…and if he insists on continuing down this path, it’s going to get messy as hell. I’m not predicting a win for the sick sycophant narcissist sock puppet fascist marxist in chief.

Sorry, I’m being far too sugary and kind to these people. I promise to curb my enthusiasm for left wing scum (aka cemetery filler) in the future.

Hard to guess the exact number (500?), but I uploaded a video on YouTube.

It was well organized and peaceful. Even the clueless Obamabots didn’t cause any trouble.

My sister was there, but she went for the free concert and T-shirts.

directorblue on April 15, 2009 at 8:44 PM

You can’t fault the astroturfers for trying. They have to earn their ACORN pennies somehow.