Posted on 09/20/2009 6:10:19 AM PDT by gusopol3
Metro Delivers Hundreds of Thousands to 9/12 Rally Posted September 15th, 2009 at 4.58pm in Ongoing Priorities.
Much has been made over the attendance at the march and rally in DC on September 12. Reports varied, with many on the left clinging to an unofficial DC Fire Department estimate of 60,000 to 70,000. Some reports from overseas went as far as to say two million. However, one completely objective source of information is the number of people who rode Metro, Washington, DC’s mass transit subway system. Washington Metro measures and releases its ridership numbers and these numbers have been used in the past to judge the size of major events in Washington, DC.
For a fair comparison, we looked at the Saturday after Labor Day in 2008, which is when September 12 fell in 2009. On September 12, 2009, 437,624 rode metro rail. By comparison, on the Saturday after Labor Day in 2008, 202,528 rode. The difference is 235,096. Even if nobody else came to the March, and we know they did by chartered bus and by carpool, the theory that only 70,000 people were there is off by roughly 335% - debunking the 70,000 claim. To take it a step further for comparison, we also looked at the attendance for President Obama’s Inauguration in January 2009. Convential wisdom estimates that attendance for the inaugural was between 800,000 and 1.8 million, or an average of 1.3 million. If you compare Metro riders on Martin Luther King Day 2008, the similarly situated federal holiday in January to the Inauguration in 2009, approximately 975,000 additional people rode metro for the Inauguration. If you compare 975,000 additional metro riders as a percentage of the 1.3 million total who attended and you do the same for 235,000 additional metro riders for the 9/12 March, than at least 313,000 went downtown for the explicit purpose of marching against out-of-control government spending on September 12. This assumes a similar percentage of attendees took buses, cabs, drove in, walked, etc.
If you believe the number was 1.8 million at the Inauguration and you do the same for 9/12, then the number is 433,000. So is an estimate of 313,000 to 433,000 attendees accurate? Well, it is certainly an unbiased and impartial start to understanding the debate over crowd size. The bottom line is that hundreds of thousands of Americans who were upset with government spending, a failed stimulus, a government takeover of health care, and a massive energy tax came with their parents, children, grandparents, cousins, college roommates, etc. to a multi-generational and peaceful family protest in Washington.
Thanks for posting this. I used to live in DC and was at Reagan’s inauguration. That crowd was about a third of what I saw from cameras and still pics of 9/12.
Anyone know the crowd count for Reagan?
As a previous poster noted, some were still arriving at 2 PM as he was leaving; I’m sure the preponderance of inaugural attendees are there by noon sharp and in one place on the ther hand.
I'm not certain they could even be accurate if they tried. At 10:30 am the metro was so over crowded that they shut off the turnstiles and just let us through. How do you count people that way??
It seems to me that an accurate count could possibly be several times greater.
As I pointed out before, they don't do that on July 4th when a million people come to downtown DC. Logic and common sense says our numbers had to be nearly off the charts.
Finally, and more importantly, the lefties can and will say anything they please in public to downplay our march. But I GUARANTEE you, in private they were and are stunned. Their actions and words after the march prove that.
Everyone here better get out on 10/17 for Operation "Can You Hear Us Now?" Hit them hard while they are reeling.
http://www.operationcanyouhearusnow.com/
I agree there was way more than 60-70,000. Even about 500,000 seems a bit low for the size of the crowd, when you compare pictures of the inauguration and the pictures from 9/12. They look to be at least, close to the same amount of people.
Thread-winning money quote right here, folks.
They were looking out the windows of the Capitol and the office buildings next door, and quaking in their shoes.
-ccm
Paging “75,000” Bill O’Reilly!!!
Also, for the inugeration, they closed the bridges to traffic, so people had to use metro.
All I know is that the Metro between Pentagon City and Federal Triangle was quite crowded on Sat. Morning, around 10 am. Both the Blue line and the Yellow line were carrying folks in, and it was standing room only in the cars on both lines from what I saw.
We came through that way around 08:30 or so, and the Blue line was already pretty crowded. Not packed like it was on the return trip, but many people standing already.
On the return, and we left the rally just a little early, we had to wait for the second train. They were PACKED! We got off at Crystal City. They hadn't opened up the turnstyles at that time, but there were plenty of "officials" there.
I'm certain that the metro wasn't prepared for the huge crowds. They probably ran their usual weekend schedule, perhaps adding a few cars after they saw the buildup of passengers that morning.
They only count you when you exit a station, not when you enter. There were a few tourists, but they were few and far between that morning.
Someone needs to send this information to OREALLY? in order to show him what a putz he is. Will he admit he is wrong and report an accurate ball park figure of attendance? NO, because he is too vain to admit he was totally and repeatedly W R O N G.
Wow. Great approach to the equation. Somebody’s on the ball.
Bump to that!
As for determining who came into and out of DC. I'm thinking they counted the stations within walking distance of the Rally; Metro Center, Navy Archives, Federal Triangle, and the Smithsonian, to determine ridership to and from the Rally. I don't think they'd have counted the outlying stations, since those were not the terminal stations for those attending the March and Rally.
Maryland PING!
Metro 200,000+ added to 200,000+ bus drop offs and we had a MINIMUM of 400,000.
WE ROCK!!
Thank you!
Also, here is another link that a freeper posted on a different thread regarding the number who attended.
I wouldn’t deny for a moment that the Inauguration attracted a larger crowd, but to say the March was only 70K is impossibly low.
Another Metro factor for the Inauguration v the March is that ALL bridges from VA to DC were closed Inauguration day. The closest bridges to downtown were the 2 Beltway bridges to the N and S of DC. Everyone who went to the Inauguration from VA pretty much had no option but to go by Metro. The roads/bridges into DC from VA last weekend were not closed.
“name and town, name and town, if you wish to opine. And remember, no bloviating...that’s my job.”
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