There is lots of talk in the right wing media, fanned by Fox Noise and then picked up by the mainstream media, that PE Obama's cost 4 times more than GWB's inauguration in 2005.  That's false, as usual, with the media distorting the numbers to make it appear as if Obama is being far more extravagant than any other President.  It's not only lazy reporting, it's negligent misinformation because it makes a better story.

First, the numbers.  The controversy started last week in, of course, tabloid rag, the New York Daily News.  With a screaming headline,

"Obama's inauguration is most expensive ever at $160 million"

It then goes into all the approximate costs:

• Private funds raised: $45 million
• Federal government budget: $49 million
• Washington, DC, Maryland, and Virginia costs: $75 million
• Inaugural Ceremony: $1.24 million

Add these all up and voila, you get $170 million.  The Daily News reported it as roughly $160 million.  Outrageous...How could Obama spend that kind of money, so much more than the conservative George W. Bush?  Fox and Fiends picked up the story, put it on an endless loop, then picked up by the major networks and the right wing blogosphere, whipping it up into another controversy.

Well, the Daily News, Fox Noise, and the blogosphere left out just a little bit of detail.  To leave the false impression of outrageous excess, Daily News reporter, Michael Saul, only compared the approximately $45 million of private funds raised to Bush's $42.3 million, ignoring the federal government, state and local government costs, as well as the ceremony itself for Bush's inaugural.  So the comparison is $160 million for Obama, $42.3 for Bush.  The myth is complete, spread all over the media.

What's the real number, you ask? Well.  Buried in a New York Times article last week, the reported federal, state, and local government costs for GWB's inauguration in 2005 was...$115.5 million.  So, the final tally for the 2 inaugurations is an estimated $160 for Obama, $157.8 million for Bush.  Factor out any inflation, and Obama's is actually less. 

Here are a few other tidbits completely ignored by the media, especially Fox Noise:

• The Obama transition team banned all corporate, union, PAC, lobbyist, and foreign money, even green card foreigns. Bush accepted all of those, especially lobbyists and corporations.
• Maximum individual contribution was set at $50,000.  Bush, $250,000
• Attendees to Obama's inauguration is estimated to be around 3 million.  Attendees to GWB's in 2004 was about 500,000.  So, using those numbers, Obama's cost is $53 per person.  GWB's cost? $315 per person, almost 6 times more than Obama.

Was this just sloppy reporting?  Of course not.  This was an intentional effort to leave the American reader with the false impression that PE is irresponsible and lavish.  What was sloppy and lazy was the mainstream media letting Murdoch and his cronies get away with it.

Now you know the truth.