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Fairfax Underground
Welcome to Fairfax Underground, a project site designed to improve communication among residents of Fairfax County, VA. Feel free to post anything Northern Virginia residents would find interesting.
McCain/Palin reported 23,000 based on fire department estimates. The fire department didn't provide any estimate. The press is now reporting turnout was more in the realm of 8,000.
And that Alaska rally for Palin's return? McCain/Palin set up space for 5,000. Then they estimated, due to the late notice, that only 2,000 would show up. Based on photos I have seen, it looks like maybe 500 were there.
Don't be fooled. This "groundswell" for Palin is being fabricated by the McCain camp. The polls have been tightening to pre-convention numbers over the past week. While the Christian Right may love Palin, stats show women are not breaking for her at unprecedented numbers.
I was there and it was more like 23,000. As a veteran of hundreds
(if not thousands) of demonstrations and rally's on the Mall,
I'd say the 23,000 estimate is quite accurate. Were you there too?
I wasn't there but the fire marshall was and never reported 23,000. People who were there - not associated with McCain - pegged the number at 8,000. Considering how much McCain lies about everything else, I'm sure he was lying about this as well.
Jesus Christ Wrote:
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> Are we going to have to read your political views
> for the next 50 days, then hear you whine for 50
> days after that?
As if there is anything more important to discuss. Froggy...unless you were a memner of the Park Service can you explain your expertise in crowd estimation?
Vince(1) Wrote:
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> As if there is anything more important to discuss.
> Froggy...unless you were a memner of the Park
> Service can you explain your expertise in crowd
> estimation?
As usual, a dumb comment from Vince.
While Froggy is probably not an expert in crowd estimation I would lend credence to someone who was actually there over a big mouthed idiot who just looks at some pictures and estimates 500 people in attendance.
WashingToneLocian Wrote:
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> McCain/Palin reported 23,000 based on fire
> department estimates. The fire department didn't
> provide any estimate. The press is now reporting
> turnout was more in the realm of 8,000.
>
> And that Alaska rally for Palin's return?
> McCain/Palin set up space for 5,000. Then they
> estimated, due to the late notice, that only 2,000
> would show up. Based on photos I have seen, it
> looks like maybe 500 were there.
>
> Don't be fooled. This "groundswell" for Palin is
> being fabricated by the McCain camp. The polls
> have been tightening to pre-convention numbers
> over the past week. While the Christian Right may
> love Palin, stats show women are not breaking for
> her at unprecedented numbers.
I was there and the headcount was certainly closer to the press estimate. If I had to handicap it, I'd say a bit less than 10,000 people.
Christ on a cracker, if the far left and far right have nothing better to do than argue about how many people attended a rally, then this country is well and truly screwed.
And another thing: you people whip out the abortion issue and hammer it home every election to firm up your bases and try to sway more moderate voters, and the rest of us are sick of it.
Mrs. K Wrote:
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> Christ on a cracker, if the far left and far right
> have nothing better to do than argue about how
> many people attended a rally, then this country is
> well and truly screwed.
They're convinced they're going to sway the other FU members here to vote for either of the 2 blithering idiots running for president. But really they're reaching out for help with their own psychological issues that include depression and paranoia.
> And another thing: you people whip out the
> abortion issue and hammer it home every election
> to firm up your bases and try to sway more
> moderate voters, and the rest of us are sick of
> it.
Both sides want the fanatical religious sector of America to join them, but neither side wants to sacrifice the normal people in the center. This is why both candidates skirt the issue so often. Because neither will stand firm, for or against it, reporters and activists keep bringing it up to the point we all wish they had been aborted.
Vince(1) Wrote:
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> As if there is anything more important to discuss.
> Froggy...unless you were a memner of the Park
> Service can you explain your expertise in crowd
> estimation?
Yes Vince, I'd be happy too. I am a part-time photographer/videographer
who has covered events on the Mall since 1973. I specialize in riots,
demonstrations, and other acts of civil disobedience. The reason I
attended the McCain-Palin rally was in anticipation of demonstrators
whacking off in public and my photos would be on the front page of the
Washington (Com)Post. Fortunately or unfortunately, the Fairfax cops
did a great job of not letting them (the demonstrators) get out of hand.
I was there, If i had to guess at least 15 thousand here are a couple crowd shots i got when i was there. It was packed wall to wall people everywhere.
Attachments:
I was there Wrote:
-------------------------------------------------------
> WashingToneLocian Wrote:
> --------------------------------------------------
> -----
> > McCain/Palin reported 23,000 based on fire
> > department estimates. The fire department
> didn't
> > provide any estimate. The press is now
> reporting
> > turnout was more in the realm of 8,000.
> >
> > And that Alaska rally for Palin's return?
> > McCain/Palin set up space for 5,000. Then they
> > estimated, due to the late notice, that only
> 2,000
> > would show up. Based on photos I have seen, it
> > looks like maybe 500 were there.
> >
> > Don't be fooled. This "groundswell" for Palin
> is
> > being fabricated by the McCain camp. The polls
> > have been tightening to pre-convention numbers
> > over the past week. While the Christian Right
> may
> > love Palin, stats show women are not breaking
> for
> > her at unprecedented numbers.
>
>
> I was there and the headcount was certainly closer
> to the press estimate. If I had to handicap it,
> I'd say a bit less than 10,000 people.
Fairfax City Fire Marshal Andrew Wilson said his office did not supply that number[23,000] to the McCain campaign and could not confirm its validity. Wilson, in an interview, said the fire department does not monitor attendance at outdoor events.
The McCain camp made up the numbers. Real estimates are about 6,000, not 27,000. I don't know where the pictures are from, but the rally happening in the day, not evening.
McCain supporters think they can just make up everything.
i took these photos look in the first one behind the hill that is the police station.. next to the park.. I took these with my iphone and the camera is really bad thats why its all darkened... Plus some photos i took where from when i first got to the rally at 8am
I do not even support Mccain and took those photos i did not post them here to prove Mccain correct just to support the fact that there where tons of people their
I was there at 5am, 6 hours before they spoke.
If you got there that early, you could see the final stages of the construction of the venue.
As the backdrop they placed a large "COUNTRY FIRST" sign that was about 25 feet wide by 8 feet tall.
I witnessed about 15 men struggly to assemble the massive sign.
They were all Spanish speaking immigrants. I have no clue as to their legal status, but am willing to give them the benefit of the doubt.
What I will say is that John McCain is the same man who stood next to his female running mate with no international experience - didn't get a passport until last year.
Yet, she is the one to tell us how great American is without seeing the 193 alternatives.
Sarah Palin went on to tell us that she believes in "American jobs with American workers".
John McCain voted last year for English to be the official language and for a wall to be built on the border.
Apparently McCain's convictions only last until he has to pay labor for 5am construction in Fairfax out of his million dollar campaign coffers.
Then its OK to use Mexican labor and Spanish is the official language of the US.
McCain was not personally there to hire the men, you're correct.
If he becomes President, he will likewise not be there to enforce regulations for banks and home mortgage companies, which have irresponsibly granted to the tune of a drunken sailor, throwing this countries financial stability into turmoil.
The job of the President is to set policy, guidelines, and restrictions by which his government and staff should live by.
If you can't make sure the principles of your platform are being upheld within the confines of your own events and rallies, how in the heck is he going to be accountable for hiring practices involving the 12 million illegal immigrants living in this country when he is President?
It's called accountability. It's a heavy and sometimes unfair burden, but one that goes with the job.
Barack Obama has been held accountable for everyone who has ever entered his life, Rev. Wright, Bill Ayers, etc.... Not holding McCain accountable for the actions of his own campaign staff, be it national or local level, is a huge double standard.
Some of us vote on principle and issues. I happen to think that's more important than which farm animal has applied which Revlon product.
hey Wrote:
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> i took these photos look in the first one behind
> the hill that is the police station.. next to the
> park.. I took these with my iphone and the camera
> is really bad thats why its all darkened... Plus
> some photos i took where from when i first got to
> the rally at 8am
Just looking at those photos you posted, I would be suprised if there 1,000 people in those shots, much less 23,000. Not very convincing.
RESton Peace Wrote:
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> I actually stood at the door and counted each
> person entering with one of those ball-and-strike
> counters little league umpires use...
>
> I only counted 7 people total.
WashingToneLocian Wrote:
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> McCain/Palin reported 23,000 based on fire
> department estimates. The fire department didn't
> provide any estimate. The press is now reporting
> turnout was more in the realm of 8,000.
>
> And that Alaska rally for Palin's return?
> McCain/Palin set up space for 5,000. Then they
> estimated, due to the late notice, that only 2,000
> would show up. Based on photos I have seen, it
> looks like maybe 500 were there.
>
> Don't be fooled. This "groundswell" for Palin is
> being fabricated by the McCain camp. The polls
> have been tightening to pre-convention numbers
> over the past week. While the Christian Right may
> love Palin, stats show women are not breaking for
> her at unprecedented numbers.
Oh what, similar to how some media outlets reported a 20,000 person turn-out in The Villages, FL for Palin? Yet I know Florida citizens from around there, and it was well over 60,000 (just as originally reported). Floridians drove in from all over the state, and some were waiting for HOURS just to get through the town of 70,000.
While you're at it, how about you "investigate" the Obama rock-concert in Germany, and let us know if the 200,000 attendee estimate is correct or not.
Eryqn, I was a Republican in 1992 and 1996. I remember getting excited over positive bumps in the news for Bush I and for Dole. Yet, my candidate still lost to Clinton.
Neen Wrote:
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> How would McCain know who they hired to set up the
> stage? He wouldn't. That's a job done by the
> local people, not the campaign.
Brandon Wrote:
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> The job of the President is to set policy,
> guidelines, and restrictions by which his
> government and staff should live by.
Not quite, the job of the president is to enforce laws. It says so in the constitution