McCain Gets Smaller Crowd Than Bush at Arnold Rally
01 November 2008 1:11 am by Taylor Marsh
BY TAYLOR MARSH
They’re spinning as fast as they can, but reality
on the ground is real.
But the people were missing. Not all the people, mind you. Many thousands
did show, pumped with excitement, and pounding thundersticks in approval.
But the Nationwide Arena, home to the NHL’s Columbus Blue Jackets, was hardly
full. About a third of the Arena, which fits 20,000 people, was draped
off. And the upper decks of the remaining area were about half empty, as were
the seats behind the faux-barn stage.This was a notable fact for political historians, because on the
Friday before Election day in 2004, Republican nominee George W. Bush sold
out the entire arena, filling it with nearly 20,000 enthusiastic
supporters and Arnold Schwarzenegger. The Columbus Dispatch said the crowd
greeted Bush “like a rock star.”…
Part of the event was telecast on CNN. The camera shots made it look impressive.
Arnold was on fire. However, the context was missing. McCain can’t fill the
same stadium right before the election that Bush did.
Right now the Republicans are trying to keep the bottom from falling out of
their base and their voters. If they get discouraged and don’t vote it will be catastrophic for them. So, it’s all hacks on deck. It’s going
to get comical from here on out.
