Are media conservatives making up numbers to inflate the power of their movement?
November 06, 2009 12:02 am ET by Jeremy Holden
Another right-wing protest heavily promoted by Fox News and other right-wing personalities, another round of hyperbolic crowd overestimates by the very people who had aggressively begged their viewers and listeners to attend.
Baseless estimates from the cheering section include:
- Stephen Moore, who claimed that 50,000 attended;
- Franklin Raff, producer for G. Gordon Liddy, who claimed "about a million" attended;
- And Sean Hannity, who claimed that 20,000 attended before claiming that 5,000 attended (and later returning to the more robust 20,000).
While falling all over themselves to make up a number that would befit earlier forecasts of a "massive" crowd, have these media figures tripped over the facts? Well, it turns out that U.S. Capitol Police officers reportedly estimated to MSNBC that about 4,000 protesters showed up to yell about health care reform.
Made up numbers? Makes you wonder if the event's promoters are embarrassed by the turnout.
Media Matters: The Palin chronicles
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Contrary to media hype, Sarah Palin is very unpopular
Where are the trolls? Were they all stupid enough to get on the busses, or are they slightly brighter than the teabaggers who went to D.C., and (I know this is a longshot) have they finally started to catch on to how they've been scammed, and they're too embarrassed to comment today?
PRINCETON, NJ -- Thus far in 2009, 40% of Americans interviewed in national Gallup Poll surveys describe their political views as conservative, 35% as moderate, and 21% as liberal. This represents a slight increase for conservatism in the U.S. since 2008, returning it to a level last seen in 2004. The 21% calling themselves liberal is in line with findings throughout this decade, but is up from the 1990s.
Is The Bear Catholic?
Does a Pope poop in the woods?
The latest crowd estimate from the famed School of Guesstimating at the University of I Can't Remember puts the crowd at 1.26 TRILLION people.
They just never learned good countin' in school.
~
A quick guess--null and Voight.