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Comparing Tea Party 9/12/09 To Obama Inauguration Crowds
Strata-Sphere ^ | 9-13-09 | AJ Strata

Posted on 09/14/2009 9:38:02 AM PDT by STARWISE

I have been doing some research analyzing photos and crowd data to try and ascertain the crowd size of the 9/12/09 Tea Party protests (which I blogged on here). It seems the best, most recent reference point is President Obama’s inauguration, which was estimated at 1.8-2.0 million people.

If you look at the pictures from last January’s Inauguration it looks at first glance like the Obama crowds dwarfed the Tea Party crowds.

The Tea Party Crowds did not extend back the Washington Monument (there were other events on the Mall yesterday).

On the flip side, the inauguration is a controlled, seated event. It has a uniform density of people sitting in chairs spread out on the mall. Here is a map showing the areas and capacity of people for inaugurations using an aerial view of the Mall:

(Links to USA Today graphic - can't be posted here)

(H/T Moderate Middle) What is clear in the inauguration model is that people are restricted in their movements and are assigned locations with specific capacity numbers. Now look at the Tea Party Pics, especially around the reflecting pool which shows a capacity of 240,000 in the inauguration model.

These two great shots (from someone willing and able to climb a light pole) show how there is no consistent density as with the laid out seating of an inauguration. Moreover, if you look at the inauguration model, the crowd does not spill out into the streets on the side, up the hill on the sides, etc. It also doesn’t go under the trees on each side of the Mall. The Tea Party crowds were thick through all these areas.

In my opinion the crowd was over 1 million. Maybe well over 1 million. But it is hard to compare a crowd in evenly spaced seats in a much more restricted lay out to a crowd of varying density spilling out into every crevice and corner in front of the Capitol.

Given the high density and greater extent of taking over the open ground I think it is very possible the unadvertised Tea Party without any big name draws competed well with the largest inauguration crowd in recent memory.

It easily surpassed the inauguration crowds of all the other Presidents in recent memory. And that is saying something.

Update: Hopefully this answers Allah Pundit’s queries.

Update: Another good picture showing how the crowds are much more compact than during inaugurations:

Note how far people expanded left and right into the trees up to the Capitol building itself. I walked this part of the crowd and it was packed.

Update: This is a great collection of photos, and notice how dense the crowd is out into the distance of each and every one. It was a huge crowd. It was a respectful crowd. It was an intense crowd. The media and liberals can only down play this by denying the gathering storm is coming.


TOPICS: Government; History; Politics; Reference
KEYWORDS: 912teaparty; comparison; huge; inauguration
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Go to article page for links.

Site with fantastic photos.

VIDEO - 9/12 Tea Party


1 posted on 09/14/2009 9:38:03 AM PDT by STARWISE
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To: penelopesire; seekthetruth; television is just wrong; jcsjcm; BP2; Pablo Mac; April Lexington; ...

~~PING!


2 posted on 09/14/2009 9:39:04 AM PDT by STARWISE (The Art & Science Institute of Chicago Politics NE Div: now open at the White House)
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To: STARWISE

Awesome! Just awesome!


3 posted on 09/14/2009 9:42:31 AM PDT by 444Flyer ( "Every society honors its live conformists and its dead troublemakers."--Mignon McLaughlin)
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To: STARWISE

http://constitutionallyspeaking.wordpress.com/2009/09/12/conservative-patriots-v-government-trough-feeders/
This is a telling comparison...


4 posted on 09/14/2009 9:42:40 AM PDT by Requiem for Truth
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To: STARWISE

It would be interesting to compare pictures of the aftermath on the Mall after 9/12 to the aftermath of the coronation (oops, that would be inauguration).


5 posted on 09/14/2009 9:42:50 AM PDT by tgusa (Gun control: deep breath, sight alignment, squeeze the trigger ....)
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To: Requiem for Truth

Thanks!


6 posted on 09/14/2009 9:43:59 AM PDT by tgusa (Gun control: deep breath, sight alignment, squeeze the trigger ....)
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To: tgusa
Check This out:

http://constitutionallyspeaking.wordpress.com/2009/09/12/conservative-patriots-v-government-trough-feeders/
7 posted on 09/14/2009 9:50:01 AM PDT by jaydubya2
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To: Requiem for Truth
One of the photos on your link is not from the 9/12 March. It is the aerial view showing the mall. Note that there are no people on the Capitol Lawn, the Tent near the Washington Monument is missing and there is a distinct shadow. Remember it was a very overcast day. This photo should be removed.
8 posted on 09/14/2009 9:52:56 AM PDT by RBW in PA
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To: STARWISE
Thank you. The Park Service gives 1.2 to 1.6, but only the Guardian in the UK is reporting that. LOL.

Congressman Billybob

Latest article, "A Million People Prove that NPR Doesn't Count"

"Ben Franklin was in D.C."

9 posted on 09/14/2009 9:53:05 AM PDT by Congressman Billybob (Tom Paine and the future of America: www.TheseAreTheTimes.us)
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To: Allegra; nutmeg; silent_jonny; NordP; Just A Nobody; Doctor Raoul; trooprally; GOP_Lady; LUV W; ...

~~PING!

Logical argument in the article regarding the controlled security situation for the crowds for the Immaculation vs the laxer security/open area infiltration by the masses.


10 posted on 09/14/2009 9:54:18 AM PDT by STARWISE (The Art & Science Institute of Chicago Politics NE Div: now open at the White House)
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To: Requiem for Truth
Too bad that picture of the 1997 Promise Keepers Stand In The Gap event keeps showing up without proper credit. If I recall, fly-overs are no longer allowed over Washington, except for Marine Corps One.
11 posted on 09/14/2009 9:54:43 AM PDT by Dixie Yooper (Ephesians 6:11)
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To: tgusa

#4


12 posted on 09/14/2009 9:55:17 AM PDT by STARWISE (The Art & Science Institute of Chicago Politics NE Div: now open at the White House)
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To: STARWISE

Tks


13 posted on 09/14/2009 9:58:54 AM PDT by tgusa (Gun control: deep breath, sight alignment, squeeze the trigger ....)
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To: All

Update: Media credibility plunges to new low; Aerial Views added: D.C. Police close roads to buses, people on foot; estimate 1.2 million; ABC can’t count..912 – Party On Patriots!! (Video - with footage from MSNBC, CNN, AP)

http://moderateinthemiddle.wordpress.com/2009/09/12/update-media-credibility-plunges-to-new-low-aerial-views-added-d-c-police-close-roads-to-buses-people-on-foot-estimate-1-2-million-abc-cant-count-912-party-on-patriots/


14 posted on 09/14/2009 10:01:23 AM PDT by STARWISE (The Art & Science Institute of Chicago Politics NE Div: now open at the White House)
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To: STARWISE

If you ask me, it looks like the Obamination Inauguration photo looks photoshopped with the front crowd being copied and pasted beyond the reflection pool all the way down the street.


15 posted on 09/14/2009 10:08:23 AM PDT by b4its2late (Ignorance allows liberalism to prosper.)
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To: STARWISE

After the inaugeration, DC Metro put out ridership numbers for the day. Have we seen ridership numbers for Saturday yet?


16 posted on 09/14/2009 10:30:15 AM PDT by CharlesWayneCT
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To: STARWISE

Very nice Starwise!


17 posted on 09/14/2009 10:59:51 AM PDT by Freedom2specul8 (I am Jim Thompson............................Please pray for our troops....)
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To: tgusa; All

18 posted on 09/14/2009 11:05:26 AM PDT by potlatch
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To: AdmSmith; Berosus; bigheadfred; Convert from ECUSA; dervish; Ernest_at_the_Beach; Fred Nerks; ...

Thanks StarWise.


19 posted on 09/14/2009 11:47:51 AM PDT by SunkenCiv (https://secure.freerepublic.com/donate/__Since Jan 3, 2004__Profile updated Monday, January 12, 2009)
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To: potlatch

Pigs!


20 posted on 09/14/2009 2:27:20 PM PDT by mojitojoe (Socialism is just the last “feel good” step on the path to Communism and its slavery. Lenin)
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