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.
obama and his merry band of thugs and thieves cannot afford to have this information in the msm. It would debunk their lies to the American people that 9/12 was made up of fringe terrorists. God forbid that the truth should make it out there! But then, he is just following alinsky rule that says to “isolate”. If he can make people feel they might be alone in their belief that he is trying to destroy the US, it will be that many less “feet on the ground” that won’t be trying to stop him.
Great post! Thanks!
Low-ball estimate still being repeated by BOR, Chris Wallace as late as Friday 9/18.
From my vantage point, I watched in amazement as marchers streamed in to the area for hours!!!
I took the Metro at Ballston station. The platforms were packed with demonsrators headed to the March. When the train pulled into the station, it was packed with protestors, who cheered the people on the platform, when the doors opened. This was repeated at every station all the way to Metro Center. Only a few people got off. The Metro was really part of the demonstration.
Great find. I had to laugh when I heard the lowball numbers for the rally. The metro had people packed in like sardene’s, I’ve got a picture I took when leaving. Never could get in a train. We finally made our way back out of the station and hailed a cab. A 10 minute, 11 dollar ride later we were back at the hotel.
ping metro ridership 912
Great idea, but a word of caution: This assumes the metro folks were telling the truth about ridership numbers...
I don't think that would be true of the March.
This, of course, means that the Metro use for the Inauguration would be much higher than that for the March.
On 9/12 I rode the blue line to Federal Triangle, arriving about 9:15 am. There were so many in the station that the metro police/workers opened the turnstyles to get us out as quickly as possible so other trains could come in. We didn't use our farecards, so I'm betting we weren't counted.
For the 60-70 k estimate to be true, the crowd on 9/12 would have to look the same as any other day on the mall. I had posted a travel article earlier this week stating the fact that the DC mall is one of the most visited sites in the country, at 24 m/ yr. Divide that by 365, = 65,000 per day. Incredible gall and duplicity on the media’s behalf to claim that, and gullibility for anyone that believes that.
And that's only part of the story. I was one of many riders who jammed the Metro system on 9/12. When our train arrived at the Federal Plaza station (the nearest to the step off for ther march) the platform was still half full of riders from the previous train. Before we could make it up the escaltor yet another packed train was arriving. The big hold up was everyone having to scan their fare cards to get thru the exit turnstyles.
Finally, Metro employees opened the gates and let us stream through without scanning cards and without clicking the turnstyles. Thousands got through uncounted by Metro at just that one station alone.
We had no trouble, we drove in with no trouble and then the bus driver let us out by the Dept. of Education, Lyndon Baines Johnson building, as we all choked. :0)
And that's only part of the story. I was one of many riders who jammed the Metro system on 9/12. When our train arrived at the Federal Plaza station (the nearest to the step off for ther march) the platform was still half full of riders from the previous train. Before we could make it up the escaltor yet another packed train was arriving. The big hold up was everyone having to scan their fare cards to get thru the exit turnstyles.
Finally, Metro employees opened the gates and let us stream through without scanning cards and without clicking the turnstyles. Thousands got through uncounted by Metro at just that one station alone.
How does it feel to be a non-person?
oopps ... credit self with flying fickle finger of fate award ... got an itchy clicker finger
Now maybe they were the same but I doubt it. If the Metro was maxed out on Saturday 912 and there were less trains running than on Inauguration Day then the analysis will certainly underestimate the 912 crowd. OTOH, it does provide a good lower limit estimate. I think until we know if there were additional trains available on Inauguration Day and that the Metro was maxed out on Saturday 912 we really won't know if my objection is important or not. Hopefully someone can dig up that data.
Interesting! Good info! The lame stream media should be drawn and quartered if you ask me. What the are doing to the American people is criminal.
sometimes, pretty good, actually
< /evil grin>
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