Penis Size

Posted on 10/31/2010 at 12:04 pm by Bob Cesca

We win!

An estimated 215,000 people attended a rally organized by Comedy Central talk show hosts Jon Stewart and Stephen Colbert Saturday in Washington, according to a crowd estimate commissioned by 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. (See some of the pictures used to create the estimate here.)

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.

Warning. I will now piss on everyone’s parade.

I suppose when we’re on the eve of having our assnecks kicked up and down the ballot, it’s fair to want to cling to the significant attendance numbers from Saturday’s Stewart/Colbert event.

But before we get too cocky about it, I think it’s important to temper any gloating with some serious humility at the fact that we (progressives, etc.) have been fully out-hustled at every turn throughout the last two years, and Tuesday night’s election, regardless of Saturday’s numbers, will be a blood bath. Much of it can be attributed to being totally drowned out by an incomprehensible, contradictory movement that’s ultimately more bluster than substance. There’s nothing to be proud of right now. Nothing.

But anyway. Our crowd was bigger. Yay.

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  • ceu

    well, it’s not like we can turn into screaming, illogical, incoherent, uneducated thugs overnight – and, frankly, I’m kinda proud of that.

  • CorralesNM

    “totally drowned out by an incomprehensible, contradictory movement that’s ultimately more bluster than substance.”Dont forget the wallst funding, backing and salary paying of the MSM; all that ‘private’ money that has bought the ‘media’, the same media who *creates* the clowns, er celebs, er, news.MarshalMcLuhan: The Medium is the Massagehttp://tinyurl.com/2baevxy”"McLuhan quotes Socrates: “The discovery of the alphabet will create forgetfulness in the learners’ souls, because they will not use their memories; they will trust to the external written characters and not remember of themselves…You give your disciples not truth but only the semblance of truth; they will be heroes of many things, and will have learned nothing; they will appear to be omniscient and will generally know nothing.”The effects of the media on individuals are profound. “All media work us over completely. They are so pervasive in their personal, political, economic, aesthetic, pyschological, moral, ethical, and social consequences that they leave no part of us untouched, unaffected, unaltered. The medium is the massage. Any understanding of social and cultural change is impossible without a knowledge of the way media work as environments. All media are extensions of some human faculty–psychic or physical.”"

  • Langx

    CorralesNM: “All media are extensions of some human faculty–psychic or physical.”"You could say the same thing about religions.But it doesn’t stop people from looking at the sky for an answer.

  • JackDanieL

    I gotta be honest. I have not watched one second of the event, or its replays online. I’m sure it was great, I’m sure Colbert and Stewart were great, but I just couldnt get excited about it. Tuesday is the reason why. Maybe I’ll watch Stewarts speech after the vote, regardless of the outcome.

  • http://politicalruminations.com/ Nicole473

    Good quotes, corrales!LOL @ Bob’s title.And yeah, I got a small kick out of the fact that our crowd size was larger. But Bob’s right–we are getting our asses kicked and it’s damn depressing.Still, I disagree that we have nothing to be proud of. I’m proud of the fact that we don’t sink to their level, and that we are people who are far more informed than they. I’m also proud of myself and others who personally fought back daily on our blogs, on Twitter, on HuffPost, etc. I have had no life since 2008 when Palin’s nomination scared the hell out of me. So,IMO, we deserve to be proud regardless of our ass-kicking.Also. The Firebaggers STILL plan to sit out this election. Now THAT is something to be ashamed of.

  • me.yahoo.com/a/Qdyi4XRmwey6x2mfj6S0xOt…u.7Vd_3A-

    You’re not a progressive Bob so stop calling yourself one. You’re the “etc” in your statement “we (progressives, etc.)”.If you want to look for who to blame for the trouncing Democrats will take, look no further than bobcesca.com. Bob and his anti-progressive ilk (Yglesias and Ezra) were so quick to toe the Obama line and join in the trashing of progressives. What were we left with? A Health Insurance Reform bill that is so unpopular, it singlehandedly undid eight years of disastrous Republican leadership. No matter what Bob thinks, the polls don’t lie. HIR is so unpopular, people are willing to vote in Republicans just to roll it back.Who’s fault is that? Bob and his ilk. They fought progressives at every turn. Progressives that demanded a health care bill that wasn’t a big handout to the insurance cartel. Instead, that’s what we got. Now Bob and his ilk can reap the consequences, which could likely drive the country into its final collapse.Thanks Bob. Well done.

  • JackDanieL

    yawn^^

  • http://politicalruminations.com/ Nicole473

    ^^^double yawnFirebagger Frederick is only too desperate for a little relevance.

  • http://intoxination.net IntoxiNation

    What’s going to be interesting is next year. These teabaggers are expecting all these promises from their candidates to be upheld, but what happens when they aren’t? My guess is we will see more fracturing in the lunatic right. Yeah they might have their tidal wave Tuesday, but the left now has time to regroup and turn the tables on the GOP.And given the nature of 21st century politics in the U.S., I can easily see this becoming a common cycle. That’s really not good for America.

  • CorralesNM

    Its hard for me to be angry at my *neighbors*,many of whom are low info–either they work too much or dont spend all their time OL with tvon which one must do to sift thru the bullshit to find accurate info; reality.I can understand why they are ‘low info’.I cannot understand a ‘democratic country’who’s *highest court* would allow vote buying/bullying by wallst corps, most of whom pay NO taxes, here.KochBros/ClarionGrp put out that DVD in 08, packed nicely in your Sunday paper, or stuffed nicely in your MAIL.There are outside sources paying to *rule* this country. Asking me to change that is like asking me..to stop that damn housing bubble.I would suggest it is past time for the US media toself-examine what ‘journalism’ means. And how its paid for. Otherwise, stop using ‘democracy’ as a noun.

  • http://politicalruminations.com/ Nicole473

    Good points, Corrales.

  • JackDanieL

    very well put Corralesin my opinion, the 2 greatest evils facing our democracy – though really the shoddy media could be accurately rolled right into the corporate influence cancer.The Rude Pundit put it well the other day too:We are in for dark, dark times. The crazies and the inbreds are taking over, flush with corporate cash, talking about “freedom” like it’s just another channel on the cable box.

  • http://cousinavi.wordpress.com cousinavi

    Bob and his ilk?Cesca…you have an ilk?Is it a lowland hairless ilk, or a great northern shaggy ilk?Do you milk the ilk? (I hear ilk cheese is really catching on with the lactose intolerant).I gotta admit to being a little jealous. I’ve always wanted an ilk…I begged my parents for an ilk when I was little but my mother wouldn’t have an ilk in the house.I would love, one day, to have some yammering, brainless fuckwit post on MY little blog a rambling, imbecilic comment about “cousinavi and his ilk.” Sadly, I doubt I shall ever have an ilk of my own. I mean…I live in Asia. If I had an ilk it would just wind up in some fucker’s wok – pork fried ilk.That’s why they built the Great Wall of China, you know. It wasn’t to keep the Mongol hordes out…it was to keep all the ilk IN. There used to be wild ilk all over China – from Shenzen to Guangdong, great herds of ilk as far as the eye could see. No more. I sometimes hear old people taking about the days when ilk were plentiful. They sound so wistful and full of sadness for the lost ilk.So, a word of advice, Bob. Treat your ilk with care. There are many ilkless people – like myself – who dream about having an ilk. I can only hope that you breed your ilk, and make many little ilks so that one day, my profound longing for an ilk of my very own might become reality.And be sure to save the ilk shit. AlFred will no doubt return, and it’s polite to provide appropriate snacks for visitors.

  • alopecia

    @Intoxination: My fear is that when the TP candidates don’t deliver on their campaign promises (because they can’t), the TPers will go completely ape-scat and exercise “their Second Amendment remedies.” Another civil war wouldn’t be good for the country, either.@cousinavi: Bravo, sir, bravo.

  • JackDanieL

    No way Alopecia, that would mean that they ARENT fat lazy pasty blowhards with a hardon for guns but a phobia of pain. It’ll be WAY easier to blame the black President.

  • http://tarackian.deviantart.com J M Ashby

    I would agree to a point, but I would also say that the deck is heavily stacked against the sane and the reasonable.The media is beholden to the news-cycle horse-race of ratings and the supreme court handed the country over to corporations on a silver platter.The fact that someone like Jerry Brown can be winning when his opponent Meg Whitman has poured 140 million dollars of her own money into the race gives me some hope.

  • grs

    I suppose when we’re on the eve of having our assnecks kicked up and down the ballotI don’t think it will play out like that. Some of the nutjobs will win based solely on statistics. But I think an overwhelming majority of America is just sick and tired of the whackjobs. The viewers of Beck are not the majority of America. Stories are already being posited in the news about the GOP not grabbing the mandate that has been talked about for months now.And the Stewart/Colbert rally was not a progressive event. Doesn’t matter how many times you say it, it doesn’t make it so.

  • http://Twitter.com/PurpleFishHead Mike H.

    Bob,Do you still think Sestack can win?

  • Nora

    We were there and it was a blast. I think it was just so much fun and so reassuring to see all these completely reasonable and informed people. With all the nonsense Fox News spouts, and the success they have had getting people to believe it, it was awesome to be around people who got it. AND be around people with a sense of humor.

  • CorralesNM

    cousinavi@t October 31, 2010 1:21 PM:Good ilking!

  • CorralesNM

    “the Stewart/Colbert rally was not a progressive event. Doesn’t matter how many times you say it, it doesn’t make it so.grs@ October 31, 2010 2:16 PM”–agree; it was more *common sense* than anythingthat has come out of RW pieholes.We all do ‘work together’ every day while congress/msm do not comprehend what that means.All flavor of ‘ilk’ were there as well as around theglobe. Surely all these people were not ‘one or the other’. Nothing is black/white no matter how much the salaried msm/pols pretend it to be.Most of ‘us’ are just peeps trying to figure out howour ‘democracy’ was sold down a toxic river or who did the selling and buying.One big fine CDS-type-fraud; the shell game leftonce you buy off a ‘democracy’ with wallst ‘paper’.

  • alopecia

    @JackDanieL: I’m not too worried about the vast majority of the TPers, even most of those who are armed, but I am worried about the few who are crazy and almost-competent. I wonder how many potential Tim McVeighs are out there, seething with rage about … well, nothing real or policy-related, but they’re terribly angry about something and determined to take manly action about it. Those are the ones who scare the poo out of me.

  • David Robinson

    Being an outsider looking in (Canadian) I don’t see it as a “blood bath”. May not be pretty for the left. May not be pretty for the right. Then again, maybe the Dem’s may get a little surprise on election day, or not.IMO, elections fall in the same category as weather forecasting. They both have charts (polls), they both have Highs and Lows, they both have expert opinion and yet they all can’t tell you what will happen 2 days from now and they can both have consequences when their wrong.Just saying not to have a defeatist attitude.Keep inspiring people to get out and vote.

  • caribbeanobserver

    Maybe it will be like Tropical Storm Tomas. We were warned, were prepared for it, waited for it..and it veered in a different direction, and we didn’t get a drop of rain, no wind, NADA, unfortunately it did devastate other places.Vote people. Get out and vote!

  • veralynn

    first of all, Avi…..brilliant as usual.second, I have to disagree Bob. I went yesterday and I came away with more faith that the country will look at yesterday and look at the crap the nutjobs have produced and the ‘silent, sane’ majority will make the choice to keep going on this path. I am not saying I think some nutjobs won’t win, they will, but I am going to have faith in the real Americans I stood and walked with yesterday. Everyone had a smile, except the 2 people who wore Fire Pelosi shirts and everyone was caught up in the feeling of….I don’t even know what to call it. I have never felt it before. The closest I have ever come was election night in 08. The crowd was a wonderful mix of all walks of life, all ages, all races, all religions, no religion….and a lot of funny damn people. I may be wrong and no one may show up except the nutjobs on Tuesday, but until then, I choose to believe people are tired of the crap we have had from them and the media the last 2 years.Go Sanity!

  • Desert Crone

    @veralynn Thanks for representing all of us who couldn’t make it.@me.yahoo Such an appropriate username for you. I always get a kick out of seeing it on your comments, which are also kind of funny in a crappy, snarky, creepy way.As for the blame game–while Obama was busy governing, the right was busy trying to tear down his presidency. His energy went to getting legislation thru to help the American people while the repubs spent their time being obstructionists.While Obama was busy being president, we were busy infighting. We should have rallied around our party, but I would say the majority didn’t. We sat on our butts thinking that with the election of Obama that our job was done. Or we sat around bitching and moaning and pissing in the wind–and those people are now covered with pee pee. I have no problem with criticizing the elected officials from our party, but so much of the criticism was extreme and petty.@me.yahoo (hee hee) You aren’t the progressive police. You don’t get to decide who calls themselves progressive or doesn’t. We have a saying in AA–Progress,not perfection. You & your ilk call yourselves progressives, but you won’t settle for less than perfection. That seems to be very naive of you.

  • caribbeanobserver

    @desert…I like it, ‘progress,not perfection’.Couldn’t agree with you more that many sat around nitpicking and moaning every day. Now look where they stand. And, they will continue to gripe every damn day for the next 2 years. I can guarantee you.

  • CorralesNM

    cousinavi@October 31, 2010 1:21 PM:Once again, your ilk-inisms, just brilliant!:):):)

  • CompleteLunacy

    I’m going to kinda go off on a tangent here, related to voting.I have a simple question: why don’t we create a law which requires each and every American citizen to vote? Make it one of the requirements to be American…kinda like paying taxes. It’s not anything unprecedented (Austrailia requires everyone to vote)…in fact, I think of all democracies America has one of the worst percentages of voter turnout. So…why not? It could be very simple to impliment…the “punishment” could be something along the lines of greater income tax or no tax return for you or something like that that would more than incentivise people to vote. Am I crazy? I’m no historian…has any politician ever brought this up at any point? Certainly someone has. What is the counterargument? I don’t see much of a downside to it…but I’m no political expert either. Someone please enlighten me. Thanks.

  • CompleteLunacy

    I’m going to kinda go off on a tangent here, related to voting.I have a simple question: why don’t we create a law which requires each and every American citizen to vote? Make it one of the requirements to be American…kinda like paying taxes. It’s not anything unprecedented (Australia requires everyone to vote)…in fact, I think of all democracies America has one of the worst percentages of voter turnout. So…why not? It could be very simple to implement…the “punishment” could be something along the lines of greater income tax or no tax return for you or something like that that would more than incentivize people to vote. Am I crazy? I’m no historian…has any politician ever brought this up at any point? Certainly someone has. What is the counter-argument? I don’t see much of a downside to it…but I’m no political expert either. Someone please enlighten me. Thanks.

  • MrBrink

    I think ilk is best when it’s tender, butter-lipped and mind-candy dipped.

  • http://cousinavi.wordpress.com cousinavi

    @ Complete LunacyYou don’t go far enough. Citizens should not only be required to vote, they should be required to sit a simple test before being permitted to do so:Choose one:1. President Obama has RAISED / LOWERED taxes for the average America family.2. Tax rates are presently HIGHER / LOWER than at any time in the past 50 years.3. President Obama created MORE / FEWER jobs than the previous administration.4. President Obama was born in HAWAII / KENYA.5. The stimulus package and the TARP program are THE SAME / DIFFERENT things.6. The Federal budget deficit is BIGGER / SMALLER now than it was under President Bush.7. The Health Care Reform bill RAISED / LOWERED the deficit.Anyone who scores less than 80% on the test may not vote.There should also be a few killer questions…get any single one of those wrong, and you may never vote. Ever.An example might be:Q. Sarah Palin would be A GREAT PRESIDENT / A BATSHIT INSANE THREAT TO EVERYTHING DECENT.or perhapsQ. The meat from a lowland hairless ilk is tastier and more tender than that from a great northern shaggy ilk. TRUE / FALSE.

  • outofline

    Bob, I wouldn’t say that the progressives were out-hustled. It’s not like we got to vote on the laws that were passed. We wrote letters and made phone calls and donated time and money. And got to change some candidates in the primaries. And we have been waiting for 2010 for the chance to vote again.I’m just glad that there was an official estimate of the size of the crowd. What I had read was “from 80,000 to 160,000.” That was really disappointing because it was so not true. It was so obvious how large the crowd was.I think that seeing how many people made the trip just to express a rationale perspective speaks volumes. It was not a “real” rally, right? But it was important to go there anyway.I’m always out of line, but I think things will not go as badly as the media has been stating.

  • outofline

    You know what? I’m always wrong. When I voted for McGovern in 1972, Nixon was already in trouble for Watergate – there’s no way Nixon’s going to win.There is no way that Ronald Reagan is going to win – have you listened to him? He’s incoherent!After that there was Dukakis and HGW Bush – easy as pie. Dukakis is going to win. I did take a shine to Dan Quail.Gore v. Bush – wrong – it should have been a landslide.No more predictions from me, but maybe Michael Steele will be out. But probably not either.