Get your empirical crowd-enthusiasm comparison on Route 66

[struggle4progress]

Posted by Sasha Issenberg October 25, 2008 11:38 PM

ALBUQUERQUE -- Those seeking to use the typically inexact science of crowd size to quantify differing levels of political enthusiasm might have finally found a useful case study tonight.

"I understand Senator McCain was at the State Fair and he had maybe 1,000 people," Governor Bill Richardson swaggered before Barack Obama arrived at the University of New Mexico tonight. "I think we have more people here, right?" ...

It would have been hard for a social scientist to design a better experiment in crowd size than the one that emerged organically today in Albuquerque. McCain hosted a late-morning rally at the New Mexico State Fairgrounds. Under twelve hours later, Obama visited a college sports field less than three miles down Route 66.

The consensus among media covering the McCain event was that his crowd numbered approximately 1,000. A crowd count released during Obama's rally by the University of New Mexico fire marshal tallied 35,000 who entered the gates at the event’s perimeter, and the campaign estimated that another 10,000 to 15,000 stood outside it ...

http://www.boston.com/news/politics/politicalintelligence/2008/10/get_your_empiri.html

[LonePirate]

1. And the MSM still call this election a horse race!

Their glass is not half-full - it's completely full of hallucinogens.