When it Comes to Crowds, Does Size Matter?
EmailABC News’ Andy Fies reports: While his acceptance speech before 85,000 at Denver’s Mile High Stadium may have been the high point of Senator Obama’s campaign, most of his events since clinching the nomination have been of the smaller "town hall style" variety.
But over the past couple of weeks, he has has had a series of events in big venues with huge crowds that were the hallmark of his primary campaign: 20,000 just yesterday in Charlotte (featuring people waiting in line for 3 hours), about the same number at a Jacksonville rally the day before (12,000 inside the venue, plus another 8,000 overflow), 8,000 jammed an arena in Coral Gables on Friday, 14,000 at a minor league ball park in Las Vegas on Wednesday.
But once again, as it was during the primaries, it’s worth asking what do the crowds mean?
One of his most enthusiastic crowds of recent days was the nearly 15,000 who greeted him in Pueblo, CO Monday evening. Considering that the population of that city is just over 100,000, that is a huge draw.
But the Pueblo Chieftain newspaper was not impressed that more than 10 percent of its hometown showed up for the Obama rally. Yesterday the paper endorsed his Republican rival, Sen. John McCain.
One may quickly note that newspaper endorsements are about as meaningful on election day as crowd sizes. In New Hampshire during the primary, when his huge crowds suggested he would win handily and he did not, the significance of the large crowds has been in question.
The Chieftain endorsement is a further reminder of that discrepency.
Now Republican runningmate Gov. Sarah Palin draws crowds like Obama’s…25,000 in Miami on Sunday. Will there also be for McCain/Palin, as there has been for Obama, a question mark over the significance of those crowds?
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Palin’s crowd in FL yesterday was closer to 60,000 according to reports I have read.
Also at the Resch Center in Green Bay, WI:
Obama today – drew 6,000
McCain/Palin – drew 10,000 last Thursday
HILLARY 2012!
Posted by: ch | September 22, 2008, 4:54 pm 4:54 pm
Palin’s crowd in FL yesterday was closer to 60,000 according to reports I have read.
Also at the Resch Center in Green Bay, WI:
Obama today – drew 6,000
McCain/Palin – drew 10,000 last Thursday
HILLARY 2012!
Posted by: ch | September 22, 2008, 4:54 pm 4:54 pm
Hillary was drawing crowds as large as Obamas in NH. The Obama loving media, however, chose not to report on this.
Maybe if they had reported on this, so many would not have been so surprised when Hillary won NH.
Posted by: ch | September 22, 2008, 4:56 pm 4:56 pm
Doesn’t really matter, you have to look at when the events are held, of course weekends are going to draw more, as people who are working have the time to take off then.
Posted by: make it known | September 22, 2008, 5:00 pm 5:00 pm
Obama: A tale told by an idiot; signifying nothing!
Posted by: dl | September 22, 2008, 5:03 pm 5:03 pm
So, when Obama was drawing huge crowds of 75,000+ people, he was nothing more than a celebrity. When Palin pulls those numbers, it’s somehow great news for McCain. C’mon, at least keep it consistent.
Posted by: Answer to ch | September 22, 2008, 5:04 pm 5:04 pm
Nov. 4th is what matters-wait and see!
Posted by: sophia | September 22, 2008, 5:05 pm 5:05 pm
Obama drew the large crowds because he spent his downer’s money for rock bands.
Posted by: dl | September 22, 2008, 5:06 pm 5:06 pm
This topic is idiotic.
Posted by: Kevin | September 22, 2008, 5:08 pm 5:08 pm
It is common knowledge that the McCain/Bush-in-a-skirt campaign sends out news releases that inflate their audiences by a factor of ten or more. If they say 60,000, it was probably closer to 6,000. If they say 20,000 it was probably closer to 2,000. This is what happens when your choice for Pres can’t remember that Spain is not in Latin America and your choice for Veep is known for designer glasses and not for experience.
Posted by: algwriter | September 22, 2008, 5:09 pm 5:09 pm
the difference is…they have never seen her
Obama everyone has seen at these same places for a year and a half aand still getting those crowds…
have her go back to those places next week and she’ll be lucky if she breaks a hundred.
Mccain…lucky if he gets 20.
Posted by: dl | September 22, 2008, 5:09 pm 5:09 pm
Right…McCain drew large crowds because…oh wait, McCain never drew large crowds. Funny how that didn’t matter back when McCain couldn’t fill up a place. Now all of the sudden it’s a negative.
Republicans are a joke. Constantly changing the rules to fit how you’re doing in the game.
Posted by: Answer for dl | September 22, 2008, 5:10 pm 5:10 pm
ch-
So what? Hillary lost the nomination because she mismanaged her campaign, let infighting get out of control among her campaign staff and burned through millions of dollars, resulting in a huge campaign debt. Not the sign of a good manager.
Get over it.
Posted by: ruby | September 22, 2008, 5:10 pm 5:10 pm
HILLARY 2012!??? ch — we don’t have until 2012 to wait for a Democrat. Stupid!
Posted by: hang | September 22, 2008, 5:10 pm 5:10 pm
algwriter
‘common knowledge’?
You’re not too bright are you — making unfounded assertions like they were facts. Perhaps you fool yourself but surely no thinking human being.
Posted by: dl | September 22, 2008, 5:10 pm 5:10 pm
hang
BHO is not a democrat. He’s a socialist.
Big difference!
Posted by: dl | September 22, 2008, 5:11 pm 5:11 pm
Can we talk about a substantive issue?
Posted by: SET | September 22, 2008, 5:12 pm 5:12 pm
ch says “Palin’s crowd in FL yesterday was closer to 60,000 according to reports I have read.”
*********************************************
that’s because the McCain camp lies about crowd size and has been for awhile. I’ll take the fire marshall’s word for it as ABC reported. 25,000 -
Posted by: Paige | September 22, 2008, 5:12 pm 5:12 pm
What is this? how about some substantive reporting? Maybe talk more about how the bailout plan the President wants gives a single individual discretion over 700 billion dollars without oversight or regulation, is this not how we got into this problem in the first place?
Posted by: Danny | September 22, 2008, 5:12 pm 5:12 pm
Paige
Of course you believe it. That’s just the way you are. Sorry about that!
Posted by: dl | September 22, 2008, 5:13 pm 5:13 pm
fake dl blathers…
it’s like a little 6 year old who wants to get something and says the martians are going to come and take it away…
fact is McCain palin are only getting those crowds from the left over spin…on her first run through town
Obama gets them on every ride through town.
because everyone wants to get off this road to the cliff…
and Mccain Palin won’t do that.
Posted by: dl (the real one) | September 22, 2008, 5:13 pm 5:13 pm
ch,
Your logic baffles me. You’d rather have Bush’s third term in order to elect Hillary Clinton four years later than have the needed change, thoughfulness, true bipartisanship, and dignity needed to restore the US in our own and other country’s eyes?
The Hillary supporters (if in fact they are that and not Republican trolls) that think this way are in disagreement with the woman they say they support. Hillary Clinton completely endorses Obama and is stumping for him now!
If you’re truly concerned about the way things are now and will become in our collective future, please rethink your position! This country cannot afford McCain, and we certainly cannot afford Palin if McCain doesn’t make it all the way through his first term!
Posted by: Stealth | September 22, 2008, 5:13 pm 5:13 pm
fake dl
seems McCain’s policies are what got us that much closer to being socialists…
perhaps you should read the news
the same way they did when he was involved in the first trillion dollar bail out …
you know the one with Keating and the s&l and his “working” the regulators even then.
Posted by: dl (the real one) | September 22, 2008, 5:15 pm 5:15 pm
dl (the real one)
Yeah, sure. That’s why Obama’s speech had seats left over and McCain/Palin spoke to a standing room only crowd.
You should read more. You won’t look so much like a bozo with your silly rhetoric.
Posted by: dl | September 22, 2008, 5:15 pm 5:15 pm
dl (the fake one) – yes, I deal in facts. sorry it’s not part of your world.
Posted by: Paige | September 22, 2008, 5:16 pm 5:16 pm
They’re saying 60,000 in Miami. The media has consistently shoved down our throats and oohed and aahed over the crowds Obama has drawn. Now that there is a Republican who can draw the same number of crowds it’s “do crowds really matter?” and estimates off by about 35,000. Crowds mattered when you were talking about Obama and I have no doubt there was no underestimating how many people would show up at his events.
Posted by: alpaig52 | September 22, 2008, 5:18 pm 5:18 pm
PALIN IS SIMPLY A SUPERBABE.. NOBODY WOULD HAVE TOLD US THAT AN UNKNOWN GOVERNOR FROM ALASKA WOULD TAKE A DEAD ELECTION AND ADD SO MUCH FIRE TO IT. MCCAIN IS DOING WELL CONSIDERING THE ODDS AGAINST HIM..INCLUDING MEDIA CHANTING-O B A M A-
-FILLING STADIUMS FOR NOTHING.
MCCAIN/PALIN 08 — FOR A REASSURING PRESIDENCY.
Posted by: TJ, THE CLINTONITE | September 22, 2008, 5:20 pm 5:20 pm
PALIN IS SIMPLY A SUPERBABE.. NOBODY WOULD HAVE TOLD US THAT AN UNKNOWN GOVERNOR FROM ALASKA WOULD TAKE A DEAD ELECTION AND ADD SO MUCH FIRE TO IT. MCCAIN IS DOING WELL CONSIDERING THE ODDS AGAINST HIM..INCLUDING MEDIA CHANTING-O B A M A-
-FILLING STADIUMS FOR NOTHING.
MCCAIN/PALIN 08 — FOR A REASSURING PRESIDENCY.
Posted by: TJ, THE CLINTONITE | September 22, 2008, 5:20 pm 5:20 pm
that 60k crowd apparently was actually 20-30k as its official number
Posted by: Bhrandon | September 22, 2008, 5:23 pm 5:23 pm
Jesse Jackson was right – Obama looks down his nose at people and should have his twins snipped.
Three cheers for Jesse. Like him or not, he’s always there for his cause. Contrast that to Obama if you will!
Posted by: dl | September 22, 2008, 5:23 pm 5:23 pm
dl
get off the decemberists as some huge crowd drawer… they arent the rolling stones and they would be hard pressed to get 500 people to show up for one of their shows here in portland
keep telling yourself it was because of an unknown rock band that obama drew those amazing crowds in oregon…
Posted by: Bhrandon | September 22, 2008, 5:25 pm 5:25 pm
Crowd size does NOT matter.
Obama’s largest crowd was 250,000 in Berlin and 75,000 in Portland while other times he has had smaller crowds.
Newspaper endorsements and crowd size has NO bearing on who will win.
Posted by: Sandra | September 22, 2008, 5:25 pm 5:25 pm
alpaig52 – the difference is the Obama campaign never lied about the size of their crowds and sadly, the McCain campaign has a history of lying about such trivial issues as crowd size.
Several local papers report the real number around 25,000 as opposed to the one McCain would have us believe. What stinks is the number Palin drew is excellent and McCain campaign had to muck that up with a lie. go figure.
From the Miami Herald: “But Palin drew thousands more than the estimated 20,000 people that turned out for Bush. A fire rescue official estimated the crowd at 25,000 to 30,000″
Posted by: Paige | September 22, 2008, 5:26 pm 5:26 pm
breaking news, dl is a San Fran Queer.
Posted by: Liberals are Idiots | September 22, 2008, 5:26 pm 5:26 pm
mccain palin are celebrities and are so arrogant and out of touch, these two are elitists
Posted by: Bhrandon | September 22, 2008, 5:26 pm 5:26 pm
I have heard people on these blogs say Hillary could have stopped her donner from going over to McCain .Wrong you can’t stop people from making their own choices and this woman tryed to blackmail people to go along with her ideas so I say good ridance
Posted by: maryjane | September 22, 2008, 5:27 pm 5:27 pm
Does Obama still have a running mate?
McCain/Palin ’08
Posted by: Texas4ever | September 22, 2008, 5:28 pm 5:28 pm
Palin’s crowd of 60,000 was the population of the retirement community she visited.
It was near Disneyland too; how fitting. I wonder if they bused people in from the Magic Kingdom.
Also, she told the crowd (not sure how many in actual attendance) that her kids got to go to Disneyworld.
Posted by: Mr. Coffee | September 22, 2008, 5:29 pm 5:29 pm
Paige, thats because the McCain supporters are WORK making a living and get taxed so you lefty nuts can have your hand-outs.
Posted by: Liberals are Idiots | September 22, 2008, 5:29 pm 5:29 pm
While virtually everyone in Washington jumped in with ideas of how to save the financial meltdown, Obama waited days for his 300 advisers to convene. Even then, he came up with very general and non-specific steps to take. Nothing notable as one has come to expect from the shallow one!
Posted by: dl | September 22, 2008, 5:31 pm 5:31 pm
Obama: The candidate of grasshoppers. Those who expect others to take care of them. Accordingly, he promise everything even though junior-high math says he cannot possible deliver.
Obama lemmings are very strange characters, indeed!
Posted by: dl | September 22, 2008, 5:33 pm 5:33 pm
Does size matter? Just look at Obama’s ears. No wonder ugly women are aroused when he appears.
Obama: All ears and no sense!
Posted by: dl | September 22, 2008, 5:36 pm 5:36 pm
Read all about it!
Here’s a great idea: McCain, speaking today in Scranton, Pennsylvania, proposed that the three-page Paulson outline that Congress is expected to vote on soon, be placed on the Internet so that all Americans can read the proposal for themselves and contact their members of Congress.
Noting that Obama has so far failed to come up with a proposal, and that he did last Friday, McCain also said that the proposed “arrangement makes me deeply uncomfortable.” He continued, “When we are talking about a trillion dollars of taxpayer money ‘trust me’ just isn’t good enough.”
Posted by: Xtra, Xtra - read all about it! | September 22, 2008, 5:38 pm 5:38 pm
Palin’s crowd in FL yesterday was closer to 60,000 according to reports I have read.
Also at the Resch Center in Green Bay, WI:
Obama today – drew 6,000
McCain/Palin – drew 10,000 last Thursday
HILLARY 2012!
Posted by: ch | Sep 22, 2008 4:54:19 PM
WRONGGGG. McCain Campaign LIES again!
http://www.miamiherald.com/979/story/696050.html
“But Palin drew thousands more than the estimated 20,000 people that turned out for Bush. A fire rescue official estimated the crowd at 25,000 to 30,000, while the Republican Party of Florida pegged the audience at twice that size.”
They just keep on lying!
Posted by: Emily | September 22, 2008, 5:38 pm 5:38 pm
Mr. Coffee, thank you for your idiotic liberal point of view, you just criticized Seniors which proves the main point about liberals. Your liars, sexist, racist, minority manipulators, and now elderly haters. That really does NOW show what you liberals are like, HYPOCRITES, thank you for your insight.
Posted by: Liberals are Idiots | September 22, 2008, 5:38 pm 5:38 pm
Sorry dl, dl the real one is Queer
Posted by: Liberals are Idiots | September 22, 2008, 5:41 pm 5:41 pm
UHHH
wrong
the crowd was closer to 60,000 for Palin in Florida over the weekend.
No bias though….riiight,
but who cares about crowds now….
right.
Posted by: few | September 22, 2008, 5:42 pm 5:42 pm
dl- Your obnoxious rants filled with grammatical errors are pathetic and ignorant. Unbelievable.
Posted by: ruby | September 22, 2008, 5:42 pm 5:42 pm
ruby – another woman who gets excited when she sees big ears on a man!
Posted by: dl | September 22, 2008, 5:44 pm 5:44 pm
dl, LOL!
Posted by: Liberals are Idiots | September 22, 2008, 5:47 pm 5:47 pm
I was at the Palin rally and it was closer to 60K. While the venue was a planned community, it is huge. People came from 4 neighboring counties Orange (Orlando) Seminole, Lake, Osceola & sumter. The fire marshall is well versed on the number of cars each parking area holds and how many were filled. This is another example of the media trying to play down the PALIN movement! Where are the photos from Local 6 helicopter? They flew overhead for hours. No film? Why?
Posted by: ubu1991 | September 22, 2008, 5:51 pm 5:51 pm
The liberals are liars running scared from reality.
Posted by: Liberals are Idiots | September 22, 2008, 5:56 pm 5:56 pm
Yes, size does matter. Earlier in the campaign it doesn’t, but as we approach Nov. 4th, it certainly does. The buzz before, during, and after a campaign speech can energize and enthuse the local electorate into spreading throughout their communities to spread the message. Size does matter, now.
Posted by: Allison Gayle | September 22, 2008, 5:57 pm 5:57 pm
Yes, size does matter. The bigger, the better.
Posted by: mtr2311 | September 22, 2008, 7:01 pm 7:01 pm
Allison, that sounds like a porn theme and plot, LOL.
Posted by: Liberals are Idiots | September 22, 2008, 7:40 pm 7:40 pm
The Fire Marshal who was named said 60,000. The Democrats threw out an *unnamed* Fire Marshal who pegged the number at 25,000. Poor Obama, drawing fewer people now than the moose shooting mama.
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Posted by: WillNotBeFooledByObamaNATION | September 22, 2008, 8:40 pm 8:40 pm
Empty seats in Green Bay for Obama…I think the Axlerod puppet master forgot to lure the crowd with free concert. I’m quite sure there are give aways to see Obama the travelling salvation show.
Crowds in the end won’t matter. Most Americans can’t get to these rallys. I will be going to Orange County CA in early Oct. to be one of 20,000 to see Gov. Palin…our next Vice President.
Posted by: Emma | September 22, 2008, 9:09 pm 9:09 pm
My favorite rally of Obama’s was when the black protestors interrupted his speech and accused him of “selling out” and really messed him up for about five minutes. I guess these are part of the Rev. Wright group, as we all remember Wright threatening Obama and shaking a finger saying “I’ll come after you if you make it to the WH”…very scarey.
The protesters were a larger group than the two anti war types McCain gets every now and then.
Posted by: Emma | September 22, 2008, 9:20 pm 9:20 pm
Palin who? Look, you may convince yourself about her but you’re not convincing anyone else when she’s too high and mighty to even answer questions from the press. What is she afraid of? (My guess, is she is not afraid, her handlers are.)
Can’t vote for someone I don’t know and who doesn’t want to be known. She only has two months to introduce herself to the US and she’s frittered and wasted the first one.
Posted by: MIguy | September 22, 2008, 9:51 pm 9:51 pm
Crowds are decreasing with Obama/Biden and increasing with McCain/Palin. This should tell you something.
Posted by: Waggdogg | September 22, 2008, 11:39 pm 11:39 pm
The press always touted the numbers for Obama’s bigger venues. That’s pretty much fact. Now they aren’t oohing-and ahing when it comes to Palin.
In fact, when Obama spoke in Denver, McCain was speaking to 15,000 people in an auditorium that was SRO.
It’s fair to say that all of these folks draw big crowds because they want to see them in real life.
Personally, I wouldn’t go through the hassle of traffic and security pat-downs even it they cloned Abraham Lincoln and had him re-create his Gettysburg Address speech.
Posted by: Grand Old Party | September 23, 2008, 3:32 am 3:32 am
Obama must be nervous that Palin is drawing big crowds. He already knows that is his forte. Could it be that many more people are now interested in the kind of change she is talking about? And actually backing it up with a real record for change! It was not even a rock concert!
McCain/Palin ’08
Leadership for Change!
Country First!
Posted by: georgia | September 23, 2008, 4:01 am 4:01 am
– Obama must be nervous that Palin is drawing big crowds. He already knows that is his forte –
I doubt he gives a whoop.. the only reason she is drawing crowds is because there has been so little information allowed from her since she was nominated. They ain’t going because they like her, they going because they are desperate to find out what the GOP has been hiding by shielding her like they have.
Posted by: Concerned American | September 23, 2008, 4:41 am 4:41 am
Obama can raise his head in pride, that 85,000 Free Americans, came to support him. That becomes the largest number so far, for any candidante so far. It does feel good, to be a Free American.
Posted by: historyforgotten | September 23, 2008, 5:51 am 5:51 am
ABC NEWS must have idiots on its
payroll!
Palin was in Central Florida on
Sunday, The Villages to be precise,
Not Miami you dummies!
There were 60,000 people there
Not 25,000! DUH DUH!
Posted by: reaganfan | September 23, 2008, 10:09 am 10:09 am
utterly stupid nonsensical article! You people are all idiots.
Who cares about the size of the crowds, just vote for the candidate who will bring about real change and is sincere, intelligent and doesn’t lie.
Vote Obama/Biden
Posted by: Joy | September 23, 2008, 10:43 am 10:43 am
“Who cares about the size of the crowds, just vote for the candidate who will bring about real change and is sincere, intelligent and doesn’t lie.”
Let me know when you find THAT ticket, sweetie! WOOT! Now that is pretty darn funny…
Oh, by the way, I’ll change my rational, real-world vote when you can name that candidate.
Take your time.
No, really.
Posted by: TNTN | September 23, 2008, 12:36 pm 12:36 pm
“Obama can raise his head in pride, that 85,000 Free Americans, came to support him. That becomes the largest number so far, for any candidante so far. It does feel good, to be a Free American.”
Right on Brother! That’s what I’m talkin’ ’bout! I get so tired of hearing folks say that Socialists aren’t free. One just has to give a wee bit more to enjoy the joyous benefits of the nanny-state.
I mean, with a name like Historyforgotten, I’m positive that you can name two or three Socialist countries that enjoy the same freedoms as we do here in ye ol’ USA. Right? Should be a breeze.
C’mon, just two or three. Show us what you’re workin’ with!
Posted by: TNTN | September 23, 2008, 12:47 pm 12:47 pm
” John McCain, Too Little Too Late”
Posted by: frincess | September 24, 2008, 9:30 am 9:30 am