GOP Honors Tea Party Marchers -- And Inflates Their Numbers

Rep. Tom Price (R-GA) and 75 other House Republicans have introduced a resolution "expressing gratitude and appreciation to the individuals and families who participated in the Taxpayer March on Washington on September 12, 2009" -- and claiming that the Tea Party march drew many, many times more protesters than it actually did.

The resolution -- which has been referred to the House Committee on Oversight and Government Reform -- declares that "the fundamental American principles of limited government and personal liberty are under direct assault" and that "when the current trends of government expansion and freedom retrenchment are reversed, it will be due in large part to the efforts of the hundreds of thousands who marched on Washington, DC, on September 12, 2009."

The 9/12 march's headcount has been a matter of some debate, though the resolution's contention that there were "hundreds of thousands" who attended is many, many times higher than the estimates of mainstream media organizations.

Hundreds of thousands of American patriots, who refuse to sit idly by as the Federal Government advances skyrocketing deficits, taxpayer-funded bailouts, pork-barrel projects, burdensome taxes, unaccountable policy czars, command-and-control energy policy, and a government takeover of health care, came to Washington, DC, to show their disapproval.

The resolution also says crowd estimates "range as high as 1,700,000 marchers" -- an inflated number that Glenn Beck has advanced but that is 200,000 higher than the 1.5-million figure that march organizer FreedomWorks first claimed -- and then later had to cut by half.

Among the resolution's cosponsors are House Minority Whip Eric Cantor (R-VA) and Rep. Joe "You Lie!" Wilson (R-SC).

Price also released a statement on the resolution -- in which he also claimed the "hundreds of thousands" figure.

The hundreds of thousands who participated in the September 12 Taxpayer March on Washington sent out a clarion call for our citizens to take back control of their government. This event was a great step forward for the causes of freedom and limited government. Through continued efforts, these patriots will once again make accountability and responsibility core values in a government of the people, by the people, and for the people.

And here's the full text of the resolution:

Expressing gratitude and appreciation to the individuals and families who participated in the Taxpayer March on Washington on September 12, 2009.

Whereas, on September 12, 2009, hundreds of thousands of American patriots, who refuse to sit idly by as the Federal Government advances skyrocketing deficits, taxpayer-funded bailouts, pork-barrel projects, burdensome taxes, unaccountable policy czars, command-and-control energy policy, and a government takeover of health care, came to Washington, DC, to show their disapproval;

Whereas individuals also wanted to convey their displeasure with the future tax increases that will be required to pay for deficit-financed spending;

Whereas these individuals understand that the fundamental American principles of limited government and personal liberty are under direct assault;

Whereas this dedicated group of freedom-loving Americans believe in open, accountable, responsible, constitutionally based government;

Whereas hundreds of buses, multiple caravans of cars from across the country, and many individually chartered flights, as well as thousands of lone-traveling cars and trucks, brought these patriots to Washington, DC, solely for this event;

Whereas these individuals endured considerable personal expense to get to the march, including transportation and lodging expenses, as well as lost wages in many instances;

Whereas estimates of the number of people who peacefully marched from Freedom Plaza to the West Front of the U.S. Capitol on September 12, 2009, range as high as 1,700,000 marchers;

Whereas all 50 States were represented in the march;

Whereas this event is considered to be the largest ever gathering of fiscal conservatives in Washington, DC;

Whereas special accolades are due to the grassroots citizens organizations across the country who helped individuals exercise their constitutionally protected First Amendment rights in the Nation's capital; and

Whereas when the current trends of government expansion and freedom retrenchment are reversed, it will be due in large part to the efforts of the hundreds of thousands who marched on Washington, DC, on September 12, 2009: Now, therefore, be it

Resolved, That the House of Representatives expresses its gratitude and appreciation to the hundreds of thousands of people who marched on Washington, DC, on September 12, 2009, to show their love of liberty and their grievance with recent government actions.