Jon Stewart Rally Attracts Estimated 215,000 (CBS commissioned estimate)

Source: CBS News

The company AirPhotosLive.com based the attendance at the "Rally to Restore Sanity and/or Fear" on aerial pictures it took over the rally, which took place on the Mall in Washington. It has a margin of error of plus or minus 10 percent.

CBS News also commissioned AirPhotosLive.com to do a crowd estimate of Glenn Beck's "Restoring Honor" rally in August. That rally was estimated to have attracted 87,000 people. Amid criticism from conservatives that the estimate was low, CBS News detailed the methodology behind it here.

TBD reported that because of the high turnout many would-be rally attendees retreated to bars to watch the event.

The National Park Service does not estimate crowds. The New York Times' Brian Stelter wrote on Twitter during the event that the Park Service privately told Viacom there were "well over 200,000" people at the rally, according to an executive.

Read more: http://www.cbsnews.com/8301-503544_162-20021284-503544.html

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Not trying to repeat headline story - but this is the only scientifically measured estimate and was just released at 10:39 pm - the same estimation team system that found Beck peaked at a mere 87,000!

And lots of overspill...

You could hardly move around inside. Once you left an area, you couldn't get back in.

Originally posted here: http://www.democraticunderground.com/discuss/duboard.php?az=view_all&address=389x9034279

Did you take any pics while you were there?

I saw a freeper comparison earlier (I won't link to it because I don't know if that's allowed... I'm relatively new here) where the guy had intentionally blurred both photos to make it look like the Beck rally was bigger because you couldn't see the dismal density of the crowd vs the tight-packed crowd at the Sanity rally. It makes me sad that they would rather deceive themselves than just admit the truth

Welcome, and I'm assuming Ann Arbor. Loved it there, have 10+ years of memories.

Yep, Ann Arbor :)

to land a flock of geese on.

I am having a debate with a tea bagger about this photo and Stewart's Rally re: crowd numbers and density

It was hard to get good photos, being so crowded, you would try to take one and someone would walk in front of you. I have to upload them yet. I've been lazy today, reading, napping, recovering from my 27 hour round daytrip to DC.

Well, at least you had close friends.

lots of people wanting to restore sanity! Diverse age group.

you are learning something from us french!!!

If so, my hat is off to you mon'ami. I only WISH that the American worker had the backbone that the French do!!!

i was born and raised in chicago and moved to france 7 years ago when i was 24.

We could improve our own society so much if only our workers stood up to power this way! Instead, the poor are beaten down and the middle class is deluded, living in the fantasy that they, too, may one day join the upper crust. Idiots that we are.

No wait....photographic evidence....Doh!!!!! :spank:

And witchcraft from O'Donnell. There was never any chance they would acknowledge reality regarding yesterday's rally.

then another 100 000 people came to get high with them....

:thumbsup:

area end to the East.

No question many more people there for this rally.

Go look at this January 20, 2009 story and photos (satellite) and
carefully read the story and review the photos.

http://news.cnet.com/8301-11386_3-10146632-76.html

U.S. President Barack Obama was sworn in on Tuesday in Washington.
But the number of people who braved the frigid D.C. weather to watch the
historic event could have been anywhere between 800,000 and 3 million,
depending on who you talk to.

Then look at any of the crowd photos or video from the Sanity rally. Look at the wave. Which
was a brilliant demonstration of the integrity (lack of large gaps) of
the crowd.

800,000 to 3,000,000 for Obama's swearing in.

You tell me how many were there yesterday. My guess would start with a
low of 800,000 and move upward from there based on the density of the
crowds yesterday and Jan 20, 2009

More here on mall crowd sizes:
http://www.cbsnews.com/8301-503544_162-20015214-503544.html

And thank you very much for your service. :patriot:

and one of our friends's friend is a captiol police officer. He said the crowd size was very similar to the one for the concert the day before the inauguration. He guessed 250,000. It was an awesome turnout and I think Jon was very touched.

I was there and there were at least 400K there... at least

Take Beck, he's "popular" because he's insane; O'Reilly, a bigot; Hannity, just plain stupid...Limbaugh, simply a blatant liar.

The thing about this nation is that we are are a resilient and good people. We truly d care about each other and the "average" citizen is worried that the nation that we own, is being taken over by overexposed loons. We somehow survived the "bush years", (I'm still trying to figure out if we can keep that survival mode up), and we have seen what the GOP is offering, (nothing)...yet there are some who are willing to drag the nation back into the 19th Century as if this is somehow a "good" thing.

A GOP controlled House would kill the nation within 2 years. No legislation would be passed, it's all about "get Obama". The thought of Boehener as SotH is terrifying; idiots like Issa running around seeking ways to impeach PO; more restrictions and laws rescinded that protect us the little they do from corporate barons.

In a GOP led House, where all tax bills must be born, what is left of the Middle Class would disappear...we would be little more than serfs to the Lords of the Manors. They've scared so many people that the 40 hour work week has turned into 50+ work weeks and for less pay!

The fringe fear elements have done more destroy the "American Dream" than any other group of thugs since the inception of the nation. Unending, unfunded wars, enough "defense" material to destroy the earth several times over. Do we really need another aircraft carrier group at this point? It's not just the ship, it's manning it, putting planes and equipment on it, keeping it afloat and building a flotilla around that carrier to protect it. Destroyers, destroyer escorts, frigates, subs and a host of support vessels....all the while, we can go anywhere in the world by our current Navy in less than half an hour. The GOP wants to add to this at the cost of hundreds of billions...the same people that think a car parked in Times Square w/a bomb wasn't "much of a threat".

We need discussion in this country. We don't need to bed told how scared we should be, we should be told of what we can accomplish when we come together to solve problems. Energy, the environment, a ruined infrastructure all need attention...but w/a GOP House...we will simply go further down the tubes.

No more loons, call the fringe what they are, liars, fear-mongers and snake-oil salesmen...The easy way is to just not listen to them...what's harder and takes energy is to actively call them the shills they are...all they ever do is shout back, they have no other option except to increase the volume....and no one likes that.

We must never forget that this is our nation, not theirs.

up to Chuck Norris if the conversatives do not take control of the government we are doomed, DOOMED.

I watch the rally on Comedy Central and what I could see crowd wise, most were young people 18 - 40 of all colors and probably all religions. This is the America that I love.

So much potential, so much goodness...:D

Doomed!

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=NmZRDUO1wGQ

Pretty close, isn't it?

Deserves its own thread. Thanks.

:blush:

I wonder how many tea party people were there. Oh, I know the answer, of course--sanity cannot be restored to those Palin/Beckites.

They never showed the whole crowd.

It is a fact that tens of thousands could not even make it close enough to see and hear the stage, and went to museums, bars, and restaurants. Half the crowd spilled off the Mall onto the surrounding streets.

And ratings are all that matter -- at least according to Fox.

which is, of course, literally correct, but an effort to avoid talking about the importance of the matter. (could be 50,000 as well as 300,000).

Count on the media to avoid telling the truth.

Stewart's rally was a declaration of independence from the corporate media. Today's youth (and some of us older folks) are too wise to be fooled by the likes of Schieffer and O'Reilly and their phony, nutty pundits.

The difference between Comedy Central and the rest of the media (except maybe some shows on MSNBD) is that we laugh with Jon Stewart, Colbert and Comedy Central and we LAUGH AT Schieffer, etc. Their endless right-wing commentary, their string of co-opted generals and would-be religious leaders is so annoying and false that we inevitably turn to something honest -- Jon Stewart, Colbert and MSNBC.

Wish I were healthy enough to have gone, I am really enjoying all the posts and photos!! :)

were some of those who went to bar as could not see or hear anything where they were located. She said the side streets and bars etc were packed.

I felt much more crowded yesterday. Really. Don't know if it's cause of the fact that there were fewer Jumbotrons and the sound system wasn't so good so that people in the back crowded forward more (like my friends and kid and I did) but it was a massive turnout. I would not be in the least surprised at the larger numbers. Metro was jam-packed up to 4 1/2 hours after the rally ended. SRO, and trains kept stopping cause of the increased ridership.

Spirit was good though. And the signs - I love how progressives got into it all, costumes, wit, general good spirit, and people from every-frickin-where. You name it, the state was represented. People REALLY wanted to be there!!

Due to Comedy Central's underestimate of crowd size, many people came to the Mall, but then left when they realized that they couldn't see or hear the show. There was a constant stream of people entering and exiting the Mall during the show. Those people could have added another 30-50k to attendance.

I know one of my friends left the Mall to a nearby bar that was packed with ralliers trying to watch the TVs. Another friend paid to enter the Newseum to watch the show with a crowd of about 200 on the big screen.

Everywhere you looked there were crowds, not just on the Mall.
What fun for a geezer like me. It was enough to make the King of Glennbeckistan cry.

cleared to travel to the US? Wasn't he on a 'no entry' list during the previous regime?

both pennsylvania and constitution! the pics don't show the crowds streaming over the side streets for several blocks both parallel and perpendicular to the mall! The porta potties tops were crushed in from people sitting up top and when the police asked them to get off, they did in a polite way, but more replaced them, so the police just gave up. The crowds even sat on top of the horse trailers and the police just let them, finally. This crowd was so huge that people were spilling over the hill of the washington monument on 14th street at 12:30pm and packing it to the monument, as well as stopping traffic on the two adjacent streets. I talked with people from michigan, alaska, massachusetts, california, and seattle. All ages, from babies to seniors, were packed together so closely, it took half an hour to get from the mall to constitution street. It was the nicest most well behaved mass of humanity I have ever seen, and we were all polite and considerate. I think the crowd was over half a million if the side streets were counted. It was so crowded that no one could see anything but the people around them.

I am curious what the police thought since they were unable to control anything, but there seemed to be zero problems other than closing the middle of the town off and dealing with the traffic. One cop was blowing his whistle around 10th street to get the pedestrians on the sidewalks(it was hopeless for the crowds to fit from 3rd to 9th) and it took less then 15 seconds for people to comply. The ambulance and horses could not move, even when people tried to help and get out of the way. There were also babies that the crowd would call out about so that people would be careful not to push. I honestly was moved beyond words to be with so many good willed, kind and loving people. we were at the marriot, a few blocks away, and witnessed this truly amazing gathering all day long,

Lastly, our college age daughter was separated from us and was upset but the people around her just hugged her and had her stand with them. She had an amazing time with everyone she met treating her like family. Tha'ts the way I felt as well, everyone was talking to everyone like dear friends. Incredible, incredible, incredible.