Glenn Beck: 1.7 Million Attended Tea Party March; Cites "University Of -- I Don't Remember" (VIDEO)

Citing "a university," Glenn Beck claimed on Monday that 1.7 million people had attended the anti-reform protest in Washington, D.C. on Saturday.

He couldn't remember the name of the school, for some reason. "We had a university, I think it's University of -- I don't remember which university it is -- um, look at the pictures. And you know, they can do body space and calculate, 1.7 million, that crowd was estimated."

Fox News host Gretchen Carlson pointed out that her network, like most of the press, had estimated the crowd in the tens of thousands. Beck dismissed that "official report."

In fact, the 1.7 million number was probably inspired by Michelle Malkin. The conservative blogger spread around a claim that there were two million protesters, only to blame organizer FreedomWorks for the misinformation when it was debunked by ABC News.

Even FreedomWorks has cut back its boast, saying now that only 600,000 to 800,000 people attended. D.C. police told ABC News the rally actually numbered 60,000 to 75,000. While an official estimate has not been released, the network reasonably noted that it would be impossible to confuse thousands with millions.

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Comments

[cesarportugal]

04:56 PM on 09/20/2009

the problem is not fox news or glen ´cry-baby´beck , the big problem is the ignorance, the less education and the fanatics of religion of a small part USA people

[Montani]

08:15 PM on 09/20/2009

85% of Americans state they are Christians and believe in God. You socialist Marxist types are the minority in the USA.

[tspub]

02:38 PM on 09/19/2009

Public Campaign reports health insurance industry spent $126,430,438 in first half of 2009 (that's about $700K per day) in campaign contributions and lobbying. (And of course they pass those costs on to their consumers via higher med insur premiums.)
http://www.campaignmoney.org/HMO_insurance_spend_to_kill_reform

They're spending that to kill health insurance reform, or at least make sure it benefits them and/or doesn't include public option/single payer, which if it was included, would right off the bat reduce their revenues by $157 billion (putting Medicare Advantage back in public plan) over 10 years.
http://www.huffingtonpost.com/robert-creamer/time-to-just-say-no-to-gi_b_291102.html

To annualize: give $253 million to get $15.7 billion. Awesome ROI.

Not to distract from the health insurance reform issue, but ... hey, everybody: special interests have taken over our gov't!! I know this isn't a news flash, but as long as we don't deal with that core issue, every "reform" is going to come out looking like the Baucus bill: deformed, contorted, full of special interest perks, and little to do with the public or national interest.

We need a voluntary full public financing option for our public election campaigns. "He who pays the piper calls the tune". Until we get that, it's just one special interest deal after another, with we the people picking up the tab.

[Fredrickdouglas]

10:38 PM on 09/18/2009

It's the 1.7 million strong that counts (closer to 2 million if you believe the English) and not which university said it.

[FrTown]

11:29 AM on 09/18/2009

I have 3 PhD's from IDR University...maybe 4, I Don't Remember.

[Thaliacole]

10:30 AM on 09/18/2009

As an Australian, I would like to apologise to America for giving you Rupert Murdoch and Fox news.

[FrTown]

11:27 AM on 09/18/2009

Take him back and we'll forgive you.

[Janskats]

07:21 PM on 09/17/2009

Are you sure that this wasn't the lead article in Time's new series on mental illness?

[kemo5]

04:48 PM on 09/17/2009

"I think its the university of ..." (GB's brain - "Stop! I'm exagerrating this. I know the university, but I can't say it, because people will look it up, and know I'm full of doodie!")

"... of I don't remember but its a little less than a gagillion!"

[Janskats]

07:24 PM on 09/17/2009

Bet it was Bob Jones "University"! Wow..it's another miracle, folks..like the fishes and the loaves multiplying, maybe..? So then, why not the crowd count?

[tj101]

02:58 PM on 09/17/2009

Has Beck made up a University to cite yet?

[sorrowen]

02:37 PM on 09/17/2009

yay government loving ametican hating far left radical's on a fringe media site lol.

[Luv2Purple]

01:17 PM on 09/17/2009

What have we heard about the rumor that glen beck raped and killed a young woman in 1990?

[Rational-1]

12:15 AM on 09/17/2009

Kudos Beck! Stay the course, and keep pursuing ACORN too.

[ctman47]

09:01 AM on 09/17/2009

Kudos for lying to the American people?

[sorrowen]

02:31 PM on 09/17/2009

I don't think ge lied Glenn just said what you didn't want to be said hence you said he lied. This place is the fringe media i must be hearing about cause yoiu people sure are fringe but you don't think you are.

[lizt]

11:50 PM on 09/16/2009

I heard that Glenn Beck didn't even attend. Does anyone know if that's true?

[Bobbygoode]

12:00 PM on 09/17/2009

Yeah he was "anchoring" the event presumably from Faux News Channel NYC offices, sort of like the way Jerry Lewis does his telethon; pictures and field interviews from reporters wading into the literally 5's of people at the march would be intermittently interrupted by Beck's incoherent psychotic ramblings

[LiberalLee]

06:01 PM on 09/16/2009

"Another fine fact brought to you by... umm, you know those guys that do the fact stuff..."
Beck, you're such a lump!

[Margery Kempe]

05:36 PM on 09/16/2009

University of 'I'm Addicted to Painkillers."

[elwoodey]

05:19 PM on 09/16/2009

Reality and Beck, two forces which always seem to be spinning in different directions.