Overflow crowd at the Nation Institute's economic policy panel

Meltdown: The Economic Collapse and a People's Plan for Recovery, originally uploaded by Lindsay Beyerstein.
MANHATTAN, NY.
The Nation Institute's panel discussion on progressive responses to the economic crisis attracted a huge amount of interest.
By the time I arrived, about two minutes before the program was supposed to start, the entire auditorium was full and over 30 people were waiting on the sidewalk.
A woman in a gray knit hat said that a staffer had already come out to announce that there was no more room. But they were all still there, hoping someone would have a change of heart and let them in.
"We're wondering if we could rush the door," the woman said, jokingly.
I was disappointed that there weren't any seats left, but it was exhilarating to see so much enthusiasm for a panel discussion on economics at eight o'clock on a Friday night.
You can watch online here. Last I checked, about 300 people were watching the live stream at home.
Do you know how many people were let in?
Posted by: Eric Jaffa | March 06, 2009 at 10:19 PM
The Society for Ethical Culture's auditorium seats 800 people. I went a jazz concert there last summer. Judging by the video, it looks as if they held the panel in the main auditorium, but I'm not positive.
Posted by: Lindsay Beyerstein | March 06, 2009 at 10:35 PM
How dare they not let you in! :)
Archie.
Posted by: royalking | March 06, 2009 at 11:05 PM
Isn't it just lovely that after thirty-odd years of Reaganomics, Thatcherism, Bushonomics, cowboy-capitalism, and outright piracy, the dismal science is what now passes for entertainment.
Posted by: cfrost | March 07, 2009 at 12:50 AM
Do you know how this was publicized?
Posted by: Eric Jaffa | March 07, 2009 at 08:46 AM
Economics, the greatest reality show of all time.
I found out about the event through a flier that the Nation Institute emailed to me. Laura Flanders did an interview with Barbara Ehrenreich on GritTV earlier that day. I think the whole thing will be broadcast on CSPAN next week.
Posted by: Lindsay Beyerstein | March 07, 2009 at 09:45 AM