Sep 3, 2011 1:47pm
Blame It on the Rain? Turnout Appears Low Ahead of Sarah Palin’s Iowa Speech
EmailINDIANOLA, Iowa — Given the hubub ahead of Sarah Palin’s speech today, turnout at the Tea Party of America’s “Restoring America” event isn’t as big as anticipated.
Perhaps 500 people are braving the on and off rain showers ahead of the former Alaska governor’s keynote address.
Palin’s One Nation tour bus is parked in the grass in front of the stage. She’s due at the mic in just under an hour.
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Blame it on the tea party people. Look at their speech at this event : so boring, so amaterish…..even if you pay me money I will also never go.
Yet couple hundereds of people are still there braving the rain despite all this. This clearly demonstrates the power of Sarah Palin. Without Palin, the tea party movement is finished. Nobody will bother the tea party without the charisma and leadership of Sarah Palin.
Posted by: skponggol | September 3, 2011, 2:11 pm 2:11 pm
There are 4-5 thousand there. How is that low? Stop lying.
Posted by: Dan | September 3, 2011, 2:43 pm 2:43 pm
Palin is going to read the best speech RAM can write and see if it stops her polling free fall. Right now 70+% of Rs — Rs!! — don’t even want to see her name on a primary ballot. That is some tough sledding, or snow machining, if you will. So she will wait to see if that helps, while also too getting to skip three more debates, then go to South Korea for some dough (and skip yet another debate). If, and only if, she rebounds AND Perry et al falter will she (very reluctantly) put her name in, in mid to late October.
And if she does, in a final bit of irony, she will announce she’s out on Presidents’ Day.
Posted by: Loose Era | September 3, 2011, 2:55 pm 2:55 pm
Nobody will ever want to waste their time watching that Wasilly Hillbilly.
I’d rather follow President Obama to get a taste of the Lifestyle of the Rich and Famous. It’s more educational to follow President Obama on his never-ending lavish vacations, extravagant dining, fine wining and exotic golfing.
Who would want to follow the this average American Wasilly Hillbilly when we can follow the ever gracious, ever flamboyant, ever untouchable Obamas ?
Posted by: skponggol | September 3, 2011, 3:02 pm 3:02 pm
500 People and she’s making headlines, half of them bussed in by Koch. If Michelle Bachmann is correct, God is creating the thunderstorms.
Posted by: Jerry Jones | September 3, 2011, 3:21 pm 3:21 pm
get your facts right. 500 ppl? please. there were 500 ppl in that restaurant she appeared in last night. there were a few thousand at the rally.
Posted by: mrl | September 3, 2011, 4:02 pm 4:02 pm
MRL what are you drinking…illusion-aid…there were barely 200 to 300 people at this rally…I just watched Snowbilly Snookie on CSPAN and when they panned the field you saw about 200 folks standing around, and it had stopped raining hours before the clown got there…
Posted by: Nevie4010 | September 3, 2011, 4:21 pm 4:21 pm
MRL, Palin’s fans who attended the dinner say that there were 20 tables of 10 people at the restaurant. That’s only 200.
Posted by: Amazed | September 3, 2011, 4:45 pm 4:45 pm
Actually, I might have quoted someone overestimated. The part about 20 tables is accurate. However, the tables seem to have been not fully filled. This pro-Palin blog says 150 people
Posted by: Amazed | September 3, 2011, 4:47 pm 4:47 pm
Sarah Palin has been totally discredited by quitting the Alaskan governor’s position. She’s as scatterbrained as the rest of the tea baggers. Andre Carson was right when he said that the tea baggers want to see blacks hanging from trees. Andre Carson is not exaggerating and he should not apologize to the tea party no matter what the fallout. The tea party is our present day KKK, populated by rich, white racists who despise minorities, Muslims, immigrants, the middle class and the poor and we have to fight them like the cancer that they are. Eric Cantor is a real clown: suggesting that FEMA funding be held up until budget savings elsewhere can be found. These tea party morons have no qualms about sinking the US government. They are a terrorist organization and should be investigated by the FBI for advocating the overthrow of the USA.
Posted by: Mark Montgomery | September 3, 2011, 5:29 pm 5:29 pm
I bet Palin’s rain-diminished audience will be larger than the audience that tunes into O.blahblahblah’s TOTUS reading on jobs. He’s doing it before the NFL game, because he thinks more people will tune in, but those fans will be having pregame parties or popping popcorn and chilling beer in preparation for the game, not watching O.pinoch’s nose grow. And if he drones on and pre-empts the starting of the game his poll numbers will sink lower than his his black hole of debt he’s digging…his only successful shovel ready project besides himself.
Posted by: urstrange | September 3, 2011, 6:09 pm 6:09 pm
Patience, Patience, keep them guessing. Keep them wanting more.
That is the key to anyone playing to an audience.
Whatever she does, just annoying the press is the best amusement money can buy.
Posted by: deadwrestler | September 3, 2011, 7:03 pm 7:03 pm
Give it up Sarah go home and take your ego with you!
Posted by: Lori Miller | September 3, 2011, 7:07 pm 7:07 pm
The reporter evidently cannot count. Other news sites say there were thousands there. Oh, well, Sarah will never get a fair shake with the leftist media who are at Obama’s beck and call.
Posted by: Kate | September 3, 2011, 9:55 pm 9:55 pm
I hope Sarah never tells the leftist media when she decides to run and I sincerely hope she does not give them any interviews.
Posted by: Kate | September 3, 2011, 9:57 pm 9:57 pm
Listening to Sarah’s speech I realized why the left is so afraid. Sarah has the potential to have red, white and blue people unite around her. The PEOPLE ARE LOOKING FOR SOMEONE TO BRING THEM TOGETHER, Sarah is the answer, Sarah is the ONE. The people that dislikes Sarah fears her, she makes sense, she can do for the UNITED STATES for she did for Alaska. Break up the Good Ol’ Boys Club, get more money from the oil companies, reduced the graft from politicians, make the politicians accountable to the people, and made decisions for the people not for anyone party or crony that she owes favors to. Sarah is a threat to people that wants to make decisions to enhance their bank accounts
Posted by: Leary | September 4, 2011, 12:48 am 12:48 am
I was there. There were appx 2000 people at this rally by the time Sarah spoke. some came and left because of the downpours and the lightening. Others were under tents away from the camaras, trying to stay dry. The rain DID NOT STOP hours before she spoke as a previous commentor stated. It started pouring around 10:30 and did not stop until just after Sarah took the stage. It was still sprinkling when she came on stage. It did stop during her speech. She very graciously stayed for at least an hour after her speech to sign autographs, take photos and talk to ayone who wanted to talk to her. She was still there when my group left even though more storms were moving in. It was probably hard to see through the umbrellas and rain ponchos but people of all races attended. Unlike the Andre Carsons of the world, the people at this rally understand that we are ALL losing our God given rights and that each one of us must work to stop the encroachment of government into every aspect of our lives. It’s a personal responsibility thing that someone who thnks “social justice” is a good thing simply can’t or won’t understand!
Posted by: indccc | September 4, 2011, 4:29 pm 4:29 pm