ABC News: We were "Misquoted on Crowd Size"
September 13, 2009 12:49 pm ET by Media Matters staff
ABCNews.com's September 12 article, headlined, "ABC News Was Misquoted on Crowd Size; ABC News Reported D.C. Rally Size in Tens of Thousands, Not 1M to 1.5M as Activist Said":
Conservative activists, who organized a march on the U.S. Capitol today in protest of the Obama administration's health care agenda and government spending, erroneously attributed reports on the size of the crowds to ABC News.
Matt Kibbe, president of FreedomWorks, the group that organized the event, said on stage at the rally that ABC News was reporting that 1 million to 1.5 million people were in attendance.
At no time did ABC News, or its affiliates, report a number anywhere near as large. ABCNews.com reported an approximate figure of 60,000 to 70,000 protesters, attributed to the Washington, D.C., fire department. In its reports, ABC News Radio described the crowd as "tens of thousands."
Brendan Steinhauser, spokesman for FreedomWorks, said he did not know why Kibbe cited ABC News as a source.
As a result of Kibbe's erroneous attribution, several bloggers and commenters repeated the misinformation.
Previously:
UPDATED: Malkin's 2 million protester claim; it's like the blind leading the blind
Michelle Malkin's claim about 2 million protesters today "is a total myth"
http://cid-8fa5718388d6cbd2.skydrive.live.com/browse.aspx/9%2012%20March%20on%20DC
As for your other pictures... all I can say is... Whoa!
That's some wacky lunacy that you surrounded yourself with. I hope you took a shower after-wards?
9/13 Project: Teabaggers are still irrelevant.
Really? Because I'm not connected to Freedomworks, I've never met Kibbe, and I know why he cited ABC as a source.
Because he's a liar, promoting a phony event, and trying to legitimize it by using a respectable source to promote his propaganda. It's not very complicated.
And you got to love the mindlessness of someone who spells "Czars" with a hammer and sickle. HEY, MORAN: THE COMMUNISTS OVERTHREW THE CZARS!!! THEY WERE HISTORIC ENEMIES!!! Probably the same class of idiot that doesn't know the difference between FACIST and SOCIALIST. The kind or moron that would assault a HINDU to "get even" for 9/11.
And what with the traitors and confederate flag hats and banadanas?! YOU PEOPLE ARE NOT PATRIOTS!!! YOU'RE TRAITORS!!!
The level of stupidity of th eprotesters these days never ceases to amaze me.
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Come to my blog and we can talk about how stupid conserevative protesters are!
Hmmm, mostly white, confederate flags, threatening illegal actions. Very American in a 19th/early 20th century sense.
It sort of reminded me (for those that remember) the good Col's Jingo-meter. Lots of "FREEDOM!!" and chants of "U-S-A! U-S-A!", and of course a few "LIBERTY!!" thrown in for good measure.
I mean, the speakers that I listened to made really little to no sense, other than, we don't like democrats. Lots of cheers for that. Strangely enough, or maybe not strangely enough, the guy who made the most sense speaking was Pence from Indiana. His message was basically one of let's take back Congress is 2010, and the White House in 2012. He did throw in a few "socialist" comments in there as well. But at least his message was somewhat consistent.
It was like living in a talk radio world for the few hours that I was there. Talking points abounded and flourished. You could tell these folks got their information and news from 2 sources. Talk radio, and FoxNews, and that's about it.
At least a headline should read, "30 million Republicans believe Limbaugh is an elected offical in the Republican Party". If only we had a Malkin or Beck on our side....scratch that, it is a horrible thought.
It definitely was an anti government (in this case, democratic) protest, because as much as Obama has been trying, not a whole lot has changed in 8 months that he's taken office. Which I guess is why their turnout wasn't so good. There's not a lot of people that angry about the government. It's NOT a populist movement, as we keep hearing.
That's about it, isn't it? And they can't even articulate why without resorting to jingoistic nonsense or outright lies. They're just SO CONVINCED that Democrats and Liberals are BAD that they can't even abide the tought of them, can they? They can't even accurately describe the proposals that they disagree with so pationately! My God, they're a pathetic bunch!
Idiots.
At least we picked specific issues when we did protest Bush. We're weren't out whining en masse just because we lost an election. (And yet we had it STOLEN FROM US!!!) And waht's more, WE WERE RIGHT- just about everything bad that I/we feared would happen under Bush came to pass! (Worse, actually: I didn't think he'd actually sit back and let New Orleans get flooded and then strand tens of thousands of people there. Can any one seriosly think of a single thing ANY democrat has done since reconstruction that was as f-ed up as THAT?!) Eight years of Bush's idiocy and Cheney's corruption and the media's complicty with the RW circus for the past 15 years has well nigh ruined this country...
...Or at least dumbed it down to the point where the Right half of it has the intellect of third grade, playground bullies.
And they think this insane bunch of rabel is going to make gains for the Republicans in 2010 and 2012? LOL. Goooooodluckwithat!
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I think the commitment and dedication are best summed up by the Jesus impersonator bearing his cross with a cheater wheel, and the wingnut declaring that holding a sign is her "day of service".
Another common theme in your pics (and others I've seen) is "No Taxes!", or "Taxes" with a slash through the word. Not "Lower Taxes (which most have under Obama), but NO Taxes.
Which can only lead me to conclude that these proud patriots consider the privilege of being an American completely worthless.Freaking freeloading bums, reaching into my pocket to maintain that nice mall for them to loiter on.
I did notice the "NO TAXES" thing most often, as if that would even be possible. Apparently, once again, ignorance reigns as to what our tax money is actually used for (you know, keeping the country afloat and all). Also, I did ask someone didn't they know they received a tax cut under Obama. They said, "NO I DID NOT!" Reality is just a touch too far for some people, and the craziest thing is, the conservatives I know who are intelligent, and coherent, they also fall into these traps, and speak from the same language.
It is completely and totally ironic that these folks had their anti government party on the grounds provided to them, by the government. That kind of cracked me up.
They're dead set against illegal immigrants. They've all got to go. Except for the girl who comes to clean their house every week. And no, not the guys they hire to work in their yard and do minor construction jobs around the house.
My friend said she's even looking to find a lawyer to represent the girl who cleans her house. She says it's a crime that the government split up the girls family and keeps her away from her son who still lives in Central America.
But don't get her started on those damned Mexicans.
There's a photo of someone complaining about "Shadow Goverment". I totally agree with that guy!
In all fairness to the one photo of the founding fathers on the top and Obama and others on the bottom half...
It does actually say that the founding fathers were the founders of freedom... while the part where it says... founders of progressivism is Obama and other various figures.
Believe me, I find it revolting to have to in any way defend any of these lunatics... but unfortunately, you are wrong on your interpretation of what is actually written...
Other than that... all the other pictures show the pure and unadulterated hatred, racism, ignorance, and thuggery by those few 10's of thousands that showed up.
Thanks for your willingness to mix yourself with the trash and take at least a few photos to show how wonder of a time it must have been...
I think it says quite a lot that there were more substantially people who cared more about UM defeating Notre Dame--and paid a fortune to watch--than who cared to gather for this celebration in right-wing wackiness.
I really have to wonder why Beck didn't make an appearance. My goodness, there were people there who took up valuable poster space endorsing his candidacy for president. Beck, who is the one person in the media with less intelligence and less of a grasp of reality than Hannity, and there are people who actually think he belongs in a position of immense political power. Frightening!
Health care reform is needed but we are already likely to get watered down plans that largely protect Pharma and Insurance. If Obama fails to get some form of public option, I see little hope of reducing cost. Further, I have yet to hear how they are planning to pay for this (as well as historic amounts of stimulus) without continuing the trend (since Reagan) of mortgaging our present "benefits" on the backs of our grandchildren.
Obama ran on a platform of restoring fiscal sanity but other than putting the war on the books, I've not seen much to-date. He certainly hasn't stood up to Wall Street. Screw Lehman, Citibank, et al - let em go bankrupt, pay off the FDIC insureds (which we're effectively doing anyway) and throw all the risk-taking fat cats who got us into this mess out on the street. We don't need more regulations (more government, more agencies, more cost), we need to kill the idea that the government will indemnify bad actors on the backs of the taxpayers. Too big to fail? Bullsh*t! And if that means people who shouldn't qualify for a home loan can't get one - good. That's how it's supposed to work.
If he fails to step up soon, "buyer's remorse" could take hold and tank his re-election chances with moderate Dems and independents.
my point is that obama has been in office for less than a year and has encountered a ton of resistance from people who are just looking out for themselves. give him time and some support and trust. at least until he gives us a reason to not trust him. let me ask all of you. could you have fixed all the problems i laid out up above in nine months? i don't think so. so be a so called "real american" and give the president a good solid chance, and give him a friggen break and quit HOPING he fails.
I believe I said that.
now california is a basket case money wise and there is no easy way to fix it
Just like America
has the potential to make us back into a manufacturing based economy. as think has been pretty well proven, a consumer only based economy is a house of cards
If you think green energy will move us to manufacturing "base" again, you will be disappointed.
therefore health reform is needed. of should we do what we did with the tech boom and housing market? everyone saw the collapse coming at some point but no one did anything. should we do the same with healthcare, just wait until it collapses and then bail it out?
Did I suggest that?
quit HOPING he fails
I hope nothing of the sort. I said if he doesn't start, just START, to reverse Washington's run up the credit card mentality, he is at significant political risk.
p.s., I'm not angry. Just stating facts.
again, i am not angry either, just voiceing my opinion. i do understand what your saying but i am really tired of being held hostage by a bunch of people who have no clue as to the facts and get their information only from those sources that reinforce their already held beliefs. (that sounds kinda bad. i am not talking about you here)
The gobble-heads need to feed, on the seed. Matt Kibbe, president of Freedom Works, cast infertile dispersions, that were consumed by paltry diligence. Brendan Steinhauser knows why Mr. Kibbe erroneously gobbled. The sage addressing the malicious brood stuffed the media with a pretentious diet of right-wing feathers. Not tasty, at all.
It be it,
Ronin Kannushi.