Why Can't the Media Get the Number Correct?

The man who championed the phrase "Gold, God, and Guns" held his rally this weekend. However, its been difficult to surmise the actual amount of people at the event. So, why is figuring out this number so difficult? I understand that its nearly impossible to count each and every person, nor is it even practical. But I would have to assume that someone made a big error in their calculations. Estimates ranged from (probably the correct) 87,000 to 500,000. Beck himself was quoted saying the event pulled in "300,000 to 650,000" people.

So how could there be such disparities between different news sources? Well, the fact is, Glenn Beck's "Restoring America" rally was highly political in nature. Beck had no idea when he originally planned his rally that it fell on the 47th Anniversary of Dr. Martin Luther King's "I Have a Dream" speech. This alone is enough to politicize an event. MLK surely would have found himself on Beck's "blackboard" rants on his TV show for advocating social and economic justice. Beck, who often describes himself as a history buff, should have known that August 28th, is a very important day in American history. Though the theme of his talking points overall may not have been political (good riddance), this rally has made a quite a splash in the political realm . It is no secret that Beckonians have a real hatred towards Obama, and his administration. These people coming out in support of Glenn Beck, and his hysterics (though the numbers are significantly less than hoped for) shows their distrust for Obama and their hope to "restore" America. Whatever that may mean.

So will we ever know exactly how many people attended Beck's event? Most likely not. But I can assure you, that the man who had the real dream, and the real fortitude to carry out his dreams, gathered many more Americans, and his ideas were embraced by more than just white middle/upper class men.