September 22, 2008

A petite crowd collects for the Michelle Obama rally in Madison.

One of my favorite commenters, Madison Man, just happens to have an office window overlooking the scene:

ObamaRally2

The time is 10:30 a.m. Notices for the event said that the "doors" would open at 9:00 and the event would begin at 10.

Not quite a hotbed of Michelle-love, is it?

AND: MM tells me that is the same sized crowd that was there at 10 and that the event actually started right after the shot was taken. So this is, presumably, as large as it got, i.e., much smaller than I would have thought.

ADDED: Wow!



(Thanks, Palladian.)

219 comments:

1 – 200 of 219   Newer›   Newest»
Palladian said...

Maybe those people clumped around the stage saw the CHANGE sign and mistakenly thought it was a place to exchange their bills for rolls of quarters for laundry.

MadisonMan said...

There is a coin-op laundry just off to the left of the picture! How'd you know?

former law student said...

Is there really a dome covering Madison, or is that just an optical illusion?

Palladian said...

Wait a minute! What is that where the sky should be in the upper left hand corner of the picture? Is Madison encased in a geodesic dome? No wonder you're all so insular!

Fred4Pres said...

Must be 60...well around 60 people there at least.

A little less than the 60,000 who came out to see Palin yesterday in Florida.

As for criticism that Palin is not giving enough press access, I would suggest Team McCain field a few press questions to Palin at every single event. Why? I think the more we see of Palin the better. It also forces the press to cover her events.

Ignorance is Bliss said...

One of my favorite commenters, Madison Man...

Well, so much for 'cruel neutrality'!

Palladian said...

Maybe it's an artificial atmosphere bubble that they had to erect it for Michelle's appearance since she can only breathe the hot sulfurous gasses of Chicago Democratic politics.

Triangle Man said...

You can tell approximately how many people they expected based on the number of portable toilets (or "loos", Victoria). Looks like one toilet, so 100 people or less.

ricpic said...

The dome boss, the dome!

I'm Full of Soup said...

Mad Man had the comment of the day yesterday. The ad said doors open at 9AM and Mad Man said "it's a park, it has no doors".

MadisonMan said...

I would say there were several hundred in attendance. I'll be interested to see how the number is reported.

The dome is the Shell, the Indoor practice facility for the UW Track team.

goesh said...

Petite crowd indeed for Liberalville, at least they could have groveled on the ground a bit

Palladian said...

"The dome is the Shell"

So Michelle's speech will the Boast in the Shell?

Bushman of the Kohlrabi said...

This is just practice for Michelle's run in 2016.

former law student said...

Must be 60...well around 60 people there at least.

A little less than the 60,000 who came out to see Palin yesterday in Florida.


The contrast is between hard-working Midwesterners and Leisure World denizens:

Palin made her Florida debut in The Villages, one of the fastest-growing retirement communities in the country and a treasure trove of Republican voters. President Bush put it on the map when he campaigned here in the homestretch of the 2004 campaign.

True, Madison is filled with students who could have attended, but I would divide them between hard-working types who went to class (which still fascinates this early in the term), and slackers who are sleeping in after a hard weekend.

Roger J. said...

I frankly see no reason for the candidates wives to be campaigning at all; And for all the angst among the MSM about Gov Palin not being sufficiently attentive to her kids, who the hell is watching the Obama's children right now?

Palladian said...

"Petite crowd indeed for Liberalville, at least they could have groveled on the ground a bit"

They don't need to actually show up! They're all enmeshed in Obama's neural network and communicate as one mind.

We are the Change You Can Believe In. Lower your shields and surrender your ships. We will add your biological and technological distinctiveness to our own. Your culture will adapt to service us. Resistance is futile.

Unknown said...

I guess she was there to sway the three or four people in Madison not already voting for Obama.

rhhardin said...

There's two porta-potties, so they expected a large crowd.

SG said...

AP Reports 1800 at the event:

Speaking Monday on the campus of the University of Wisconsin in Madison, Michelle Obama tailored her speech to the many women and college students in the crowd of about 1,800.

Trooper York said...
This comment has been removed by the author.
chaz said...

not really well publicized, i'd say.

chaz said...
This comment has been removed by the author.
former law student said...

who the hell is watching the Obama's children right now?

Grandma Robinson.


Now that you mention it, who's looking after baby Trig?

john said...
This comment has been removed by the author.
john said...

Sep 22, 12:10 PM EDT

Michelle Obama targets women, young voters

MADISON, Wis. (AP) -- Michelle Obama says the outcome of the presidential race can be determined by young people and women.

Speaking Monday on the campus of the University of Wisconsin in Madison, Michelle Obama tailored her speech to the many women and college students in the crowd of about 1,800.


There. You folks obviously can't count people like a reporter.

Anonymous said...

Actually I think there are a total of three port-a-potties.

The blue one, and then two gray ones behind the cannon...

I can see the headlines now-

Madison Man Shot Accidently-thought to be a sniper actually taking photos for Althouse Blog.

See the female cop-she's calling you in right now as-

"suspicious activity"-hit the ground NOW and roll ASAP.

Anonymous said...

Now check your shorts...

MadisonMan said...

About 1800

For a journalist, that's a number between 400 and 40000.

john said...

Oops, SG factchecks quicker.

MadisonMan said...

That (I think) man in the light blue in the foreground of the image did notice the activity on top of the building where I was and at one point strolled over to the cop to his left -- standing near that empty concrete platform that once held a cannon -- and talked to him about it.

They looked up. We waved.

vbspurs said...

Now that you mention it, who's looking after baby Trig?

Governor Palin and her family, as usual.

Here are Piper, Willow holding Trig, and Palin in Florida.

The day before their campaign stop, the girls had a dream come true -- they went to Disney World.

KCFleming said...

Cool photo; looks like the Truman show.

Anonymous said...

Ya I noticed that guy noticing you.

Waving-good move.

vbspurs said...

Not quite a hotbed of Michelle-love, is it?

More like an ottoman than a whole hotbed.

But listen, just how big a crowd could Cindy McCain draw in a Republican stronghold, especially if she's been there before?

So a little surprising, but not that much.

(Okay, I lie. Wow, that's a small crowd for Michelle Nobelle)

Anonymous said...

You'd get a bigger crowd than that just by handing our free condoms in Madison.

Dennis Kucinich would get a bigger crowd. Hell, Kevin Barrett might draw 1,800.

Maybe there's a reason why the Obama campaign doesn't send Michell out very often.

Cedarford said...

Michelle Obama was very prominent early on - touted as some sort of brilliant Harvard lawyer who was Barack's main advisor on campaign strategy, issues, and was out as "co-campaigner" with her own lavish rallies.

That didn't play too good. She kept stepping in it. On top of te gaffes, coming across as angry, haughty, and wearing the pants in the family,
After the Rev Wright bit exploded, they pulled her off the stump for a little "grooming" for around 3 months - aside from appearances in the Tammy Wynette/Nancy Reagan/Laura Bush persona as loyal wife clucking proudly about her husband and hovering around her kids.

Rehabilitated, no longer the "brilliant lawyer" (after all, she failed her 1st and 2nd bar exams and abandoned law and her license back in 1993 to become a "diversity" enforcer and liaison). Or a "main advisor" - she returned at the Convention.

Better coached. Now she reads from a set speech and reflects glory on the Annointed One. No more talk of "Mr. Stinky".
Boring.
The Chelsea Clinton role.

dave_WI said...

I think 1800 is about right. They probably counted hands and feet but forgot to divide by four and some people by five

Trooper York said...
This comment has been removed by the author.
john said...

There had to have been at least 1600 people standing underneath those trees where you can't see them in the photo. A sharp reporter on the ground would have seen them, and to report it otherwise would have been dishonest.

vbspurs said...

Leon Czolgosz

One of the great names in history. Ironically, a lot of assassins have kick ass names. Consider:

Ay Kheperkheperure who killed King Tut (oy, ay, what a name).

Luigi Lucheni killed the Empress Elisabeth in 1898 (he was a dwarf, at that).

Gavrilo Princip killed the Archduke Franz Ferdinand in 1914 (he stood by his princip-les).

And an honourable mention:

Lynette "Squeaky" Fromme tried to kill poor Gerald Ford. He squeaked by unscathed.

vbspurs said...

Heads up:

Obama in a rally in Green Bay, WI, on Fox News. He just thanked Russ Feingold, who introduced him. I lowered the volume.

No need to hear again what I heard in person. Yay.

Trooper York said...
This comment has been removed by the author.
Bruce Hayden said...

Bloggers attending the Palin rally drove an hour each way had to park four or five miles out, walking the rest of the way in the hot Florida sun. And a lot of the crowd that was shown on their pictures was not the geriatric crowd suggested by the rally being held in a retirement community.

The MSM seems to be intentionally missing is that in parts of this country, Palin is still playing like a rock star. Obama had this earlier, but I suspect that neither McCain nor Biden have ever had it for themselves (no wonder McCain likes to campaign with her - the crowds are much bigger and more excited than when he has them to himself).

Simon said...

Palladian said...
"Maybe it's an artificial atmosphere bubble that they had to erect it for Michelle's appearance since she can only breathe the hot sulfurous gasses of Chicago Democratic politics."

I thought they solved that problem with her encounter suit.

Simon said...

Bruce Hayden said...
"The MSM seems to be intentionally missing is that in parts of this country, Palin is still playing like a rock star"

They just can't get over the fact that their opinion of her just doesn't seem to matter. Much of the last week of commentary reflected a howl of rage at lost power.

I'm Full of Soup said...

Simon said:

"They just can't get over the fact that their opinion of her just doesn't seem to matter".

Great way to put it.

dave_WI said...

Hope that wasn't the 'grassy knoll" under the tress

Lem the artificially intelligent said...

I’ve seen more people at tupperware parties.

goesh said...

- for the first time in her life she was proud to be in Wisc.

I'm Full of Soup said...

I am very surprised at the low turnout in a liberal town with tons of supporters living and working nearby.

Ann Althouse said...

Ralph Nader got 500 people into a theater for a lecture a few weeks ago here in Madison.

http://www.isthmus.com/daily/article.php?article=23714

AllenS said...

231 people in the picture. Not counting the ones on stage.

Sniggy said...

I estimate between 700 and 900 (calculating area density, etc).

It's really not that difficult to get a good approximation of crown numbers, but I don't think the press is that interested in accurate anything. In terms of biased reporting, the fuzzier the better.

David said...

Even liberals get bored with other liberals after a while. Did anyone expect Michelle Obama to say anything interesting, new or important, now that she has been pacified in the interest of her husband's campaign?

MadisonMan said...
This comment has been removed by the author.
campy said...

Maybe so few showed up because they heard Obama declare (his) family members off limits.

MadisonMan said...

allens, did you actually count? That's dedication!

I will say I stopped watching before Michelle O started talking. So it's not impossible that that many people heard her. I very much doubt it. But, maybe a flood of students came in at 10:50 when the 9:55 classes got out.

Unless I see a picture with her talking, and with throngs in the park, though, I'm not buying 1800.

Valley Buddha said...

Trooper

Funny stuff on Mrs. Garfield but I think you may be having a bit of fun with us.

I sit not more than 1/2 mile from where she grew up. (A friend owns the family house)

It is also not far from where Pres. Garfield was working at what is now Hiram College.

It is inconceivable that someone was fibbing on the internets!

Lem the artificially intelligent said...

The only "Change" for Michele in that picture are a few leaves in the trees turning early ;)

former law student said...

Here are Piper, Willow holding Trig, and Palin in Florida.

So Gov. Palin's keeping her kids out of school? Is she homeschooling them, is there a tutor in her entourage, or what's the deal?

Ralph Nader got 500 people into a theater for a lecture a few weeks ago here in Madison.

More people can attend a Friday night lecture than a Monday morning rally.

http://www.isthmus.com/daily/article.php?article=23714

Bloggers attending the Palin rally... have time on their hands by definition.

Lem the artificially intelligent said...

More people showed up at Tini Tim's funeral ;)

Trooper York said...
This comment has been removed by the author.
Simon said...

Chicago Tribune claims that 1800 people were there! I wouldn't have said that from the photo, but there you are.

I'm waiting for the carefully cropped photo of the rally which will artfully create the illusion of a much larger gathering.

Trooper York said...
This comment has been removed by the author.
Justin said...

Simon said...

Much of the last week of commentary reflected a howl of rage at lost power.

I lost power when Ike came through. My house was only out for 12 hours. But I'm typing this in the discomfort of my darkened cubicle at work. There are no lights and no A/C. The generators sound like an army of lawn mowers outside.

No howls of rage, though. It's too damn hot for that.

Simon said...

Justin, whereabouts are you?

I'm Full of Soup said...

Trooper said:

"Brian please be assured that I am a student of history and everything I have presented is a historical fact. "

I will second that statement. You will be amazed at what you can learn from Trooper.

Justin said...

I live in the far Northwest corner of Houston. We had some high winds and a lot of downed trees in our area, but the power came back fast.

I work near the heights, about 7 miles north of downtown. Not as much obvious damage, but the power is must slower to come back.

I have many friends and co-workers who still have no power in their homes. So I'm not complaining.

Justin said...

must = much

Freeman Hunt said...

I just posted this in what is now the old Michelle Obama thread, but I should have put it here:

I don't like this expectation on the political spouse to go out and give campaign speeches. Aside from the fact that the spouse isn't running, what if the spouse has his own interests? He suddenly has to drop everything and hit the stump? Yuck.

Unknown said...

Did McCain/Palin outdraw Obama in Green Bay?

Unknown said...

Freeman, I think your distaste is reasonable. But of the four candidates' spouses she seems to be the most prominent, the one doing the most independent campaigning. I hear very little about the other spouses. I mean, I know they've all done some campaigning, and they accompany the candidates to many events, but not independent campaigning like Michelle Obama does. So I have to think that Michelle Obama is an outlier, and likely a willing participant.

garage mahal said...

Suddenly big crowds and being a celebrity is a good thing!

Simon said...

garage mahal said...
"Suddenly big crowds and being a celebrity is a good thing!"

No one said any such thing. The point is that the shine is clearly off the Obamapple. And that is both a good and long overdue thing.

KCFleming said...

Obamapple don't spoil the whole bunch, girl.
Oh, give it one more try before you give up on love.

Hoosier Daddy said...

The point is that the shine is clearly off the Obamapple.

Simon, you know if Mort were awake, he'd call you racist for that.

Hoosier Daddy said...

Suddenly big crowds and being a celebrity is a good thing!

Well garage, since Obama has the Che image covered, when Palin is adorned on posters ala Evita Peron, you can start worrying.

Palladian said...

"I'm waiting for the carefully cropped photo of the rally which will artfully create the illusion of a much larger gathering."

Cropping pictures? How old fashioned! I'll do you one better!

Lem the artificially intelligent said...

More rovers have crash on Mars than are eyes roving Michele in that picture.

Anonymous said...

Palladian, could you accommodate some people on the roofs and the trees? I'm sure it looks cool.

lal said...

i was there---a lot of people showed up after 1030 (probably assuming (correctly) that there would be a bunch of introductory speakers).
there certainly were more than 231 people when obama spoke ---over 1000 seems right to me.
the crowd was composed mostly of women (the event was part of a women-oriented initiative to get out the vote) who were older than typical college age although there were plenty of enthusiastic young people present.

john said...

Palladian,

Now you got it. They were biding their time under the trees until the show started.

AP to revise Madison Obama crowd to 180,000.

Anonymous said...
This comment has been removed by the author.
zeek said...

WOW = Photoshoped, photoshoped, photoshoped. Are John Kerry and Jane Fonda in the crowd too?

Anonymous said...
This comment has been removed by the author.
Lem the artificially intelligent said...

You could get more people for a 'Three is a Crowd' reunion.

Anonymous said...

What about Star Trek conventions??

Lem the artificially intelligent said...

Spock by himself on a moments notice, are you kidding?

Live long and prosper.

Palladian said...

"Now you got it. They were biding their time under the trees until the show started."

In this picture there are forty people. None of them can be seen...

Hoosier Daddy said...

The question is which female on the campaign trail best fits this description?

Honestly I couldn't say. I really don't pay much attention to what the spouses espouse ;-)

zeek said...

Theo Boehm said...
Isn't "Photoshopped" with two "p's?"


I suppose it should be even though it is a product name. I found Photoshop in one dictionary but not Photoshopped.

Unknown said...

Fred4Press et al.:

Wow! I'm so impressed at what a crowd Palin can draw compared to Michelle Obama.

READ: So a bunch of bored conservatives who were going to vote for McCain anyway but didn't think it was worth it to go to any of HIS speeches finally got amped up and went to see Palin give the same speech that she gave at the convention and 100 times since: "bride to nowhere," "hockey moms and lipstick," blah blah.

Snoozer.

Palladian said...

"So a bunch of bored conservatives who were going to vote for McCain anyway but didn't think it was worth it to go to any of HIS speeches finally got amped up and went to see Palin give the same speech that she gave at the convention and 100 times since: "bride to nowhere," "hockey moms and lipstick," blah blah."

HOPE CHANGE HOPE CHANGE HOPE CHANGE HOPE CHANGE HOPE CHANGE HOPE CHANGE HOPE CHANGE HOPE CHANGE HOPE CHANGE HOPE CHANGE HOPE CHANGE HOPE CHANGE HOPE CHANGE HOPE CHANGE HOPE CHANGE HOPE CHANGE HOPE CHANGE HOPE CHANGE

chickelit said...

Question for Palladian:

Would completely depopulating the photo be more work than filling space with people?

Palladian said...

"Question for Palladian: Would completely depopulating the photo be more work than filling space with people?"

Answer for Chickenlittle: Yes!

Unknown said...

READ: So a bunch of bored conservatives who were going to vote for McCain anyway but didn't think it was worth it to go to any of HIS speeches finally got amped up and went to see Palin give the same speech that she gave at the convention and 100 times since: "bride to nowhere," "hockey moms and lipstick," blah blah.

Yep. Just goes to show what a low opinion we have of Obama's rhetoric that we're so easily impressed.

Ann Althouse said...

"bride to nowhere,"

LOL

Sprezzatura said...

Palladian working for the Iranian government?

Lem the artificially intelligent said...

Welcome to the million crop photoshop ;)

vbspurs said...

So Gov. Palin's keeping her kids out of school? Is she homeschooling them, is there a tutor in her entourage, or what's the deal?

It's called the weekend.

Anonymous said...

Mr Nowhere Tobeseen is Hillary Clinton's pro-Obama efforts coordinator. Not related to Sarah Palin at all.

Anonymous said...

Since althouse won't come out and say it: Zoom in on the pic and you can see it's been photoshopped to make the crowd look much larger. There's a regularity that runs right through it, again and again.

Palladian did a great job, but there's something a tad...disingenuous.... about Althouse not offering shocking full-frontal disclosure of the alteration.

If it's a (wink wink) joke, it's one that attempts to deceive.

vbspurs said...

"bride to nowhere,"

LOL


EWE R SO MEEN 2 BRISTOL.

Cedarford said...

Man. Trooper York! I pray that vpid pundits never pick up on the "curse of the campaigning wife".
It goes beyond assassinations, obviously.

Lincoln was driven to depression by his campaigning wife. It was bade enough having to listen to her bitching at home and dragging him down with her negativity. But then there was no getting away from Mary Todd - with "the boys". He'd go make a speech and there she was, whining to his pals and their wives! Railing on him on those long train rides where he just wanted to hand his head out the window and let his tongue flap harmlessly in the breeze...It was awful for Lincoln. It also may explain why a few of his children died early - Because being raised by Mary Todd..they wanted to.

And we have the curse of the campaigning wife in Laura Bush. A different sort, convincing Dubya he was a genius and a great Liberator. "Oh, George! Your so smart and George Washington-like. Freeing the Afghan women of them thar Burquas, now saving all those poor, noble Iraqis from themselves!

But the classic trap of the campaigning wife is they get so wrapped up in issues, staff matters, and "Co-Presidency" talk that they deprive the politician of nooky.
Yeah, yeah, Hillary was brilliant, committed and all that stuff - but she forgot her most fundamental wifely role was to give Bubba, the most powerful man in Arkansas, then the Oval Office - a decent piece of ass now and then. Which Bubba thought he deserved. Hillary then adapted the more comfortable role of demonizing and suppressing the Bimbos in "crises" she managed...which somehow came easier and more natural to her than giving a decent BJ a few times a week.

Anonymous said...

Oh, yeah, so, let's keep his bride out of this...thanks.

Anonymous said...

jelink, in the immortal words of our gracious hostess: "read the darned tags!"

Thank you, carry on now.

vbspurs said...

Palladian working for the Iranian government?

Memory refresher.

vnjagvet said...

And here I thought my lying eyes deceived me once again.

Thank God Palladian came to the rescue.

integrity said...
This comment has been removed by the author.
vbspurs said...

OT:

Palin's abortive speech she would've given at the anti-Dinner Jacket rally

Ahmadinejad may choose his words carefully, but underneath all of the rhetoric is an agenda that threatens all who seek a safer and freer world. We gather here today to highlight the Iranian dictator's intentions and to call for action to thwart him.

He must be stopped.

The world must awake to the threat this man poses to all of us. Ahmadinejad denies that the Holocaust ever took place. He dreams of being an agent in a "Final Solution" — the elimination of the Jewish people. He has called Israel a "stinking corpse" that is "on its way to annihilation." Such talk cannot be dismissed as the ravings of a madman — not when Iran just this summer tested long-range Shahab-3 missiles capable of striking Tel Aviv, not when the Iranian nuclear program is nearing completion, and not when Iran sponsors terrorists that threaten and kill innocent people around the world.


No wonder they had to disinvite her. She sounds too Presidential for Tina Fey.

chickelit said...

integrity:

I've heard this is useful for combating "republiscum". Makes you feel closer to his godliness.

I'm Full of Soup said...

Leave it to Integrity to get me to finally stop lauging after watching the Monty Python clip. I bet Integrity is sporting his trademark "Sky is Falling" protective headgear.



Thanks for the laughs Palladian.

Lem the artificially intelligent said...

Bride to nowhere

Jeezz,

I got nothing that would even come close to that.

Take my wife please ;)

George M. Spencer said...

He was in an open window?!?

On the two occasions when I've seen Presidential candidates speak in downtown settings, the police and/or Secret Service ordered building managers to shut all windows. And they enforced that order.

I know Mrs. Obama is not a candidate, but still..

Anonymous said...

Hi Ann Althouse. Me and mom and Alpha went to see Mrs. Obama today. There weren't many people so we were able to stand near the front.

Mrs. Obama seemed okay, but I don't think she really want to be there. She was kind of quiet and it looked like maybe she as a little angry, or maybe that was because Mr. Obama gets to go to all the neat places like Green Bay and Mrs. Obama has to go to Madison where there weren't many people in the crowd.

Alpha was acting like a total butt. I think he didn't take his ritalin yesterday. When we got home he took one of my GI Joe figures and took off its uniform. then he put on it a suit he took off of my sister Judy's Ken doll. He thinks he has a Barack Obama action figure.

Alpha was running all around the house holding up his Barack Obama action figure and yelling "I'm Barack Obama! I'm for change! I'm for hope! I hope there is change! I want some change, I hope. I can change you! You can't change me! Hope hope hope!"

He went in the kitchen and told mom "I'm barack Obama and I hope we will have spagetti-os for lunch! I'm Barack Obama and I approve this message of hope!"

Later when mom was cooking
Alpha took his action figure in the kitchen and said "I'm Barack Obama and I demand change! A change to mac and cheese for lunch! I hope we have mac and cheese for lunch!"

Mom got mad and said "I'm mom and I paid for these spagetti-os. We're having spagetti-os for lunch!"

Alpha said "When Barack Obama is president children will get everything they hope for! If children want change, they'll get change! Because Barack Obama is the man of change!"

I don't like Obama, but if children will get everything they hope for if he gets elected, then maybe he's okay. Although children aren't very smart sometimes.

Anonymous said...

I think the WOW photo is photo-shopped, however it is spelled. If you look closely, there is a man in a black shirt and tan pants in both photos standing under a tree, and he has not moved. Also, close to the stage are two people, one in a white shirt and one in a yellow, and they have not moved. And EVERYONE on the stage is in the same position in both photos.

Now, that may be a coincidence, but come on!

Unless the storyline is that Michelle Obama held the crowd motionless.

Eric said...

We are sitting stunned at the destruction of our democracy through 28 years of malfeasance and deregulation by the republiscum.

BJ was a Republican?

Bushman of the Kohlrabi said...

No wonder they had to disinvite her. She sounds too Presidential for Tina Fey.

Didn't you get the memo? The MSM has now decided that she is stupid. That is how they will try to marginalize her. It is too dangerous to portray her as tough and smart. Look for each Palin SNL skit to tow the company line.

Anonymous said...
This comment has been removed by the author.
Unknown said...

I think the WOW photo is photo-shopped, however it is spelled.

You sure? That's a pretty serious charge you're leveling against Palladian the photoshopper---er, I mean, photographer---there.

Anonymous said...

Still wishin and a hopin this hasn't been photoshopped?

Click on (Thanks, Palladian) beneath the original photo. Click on "I'll do you one better".

See the photo.

Notice that + sign, and zoom in.

Just to the right of the yellow shed you can see what look like three or four sorta parallel white lines, and next to them an > shape.

That same "lines >" cluster appears four times as you look "up" toward the stage.
the stage.

Now that I've pointed out the clustert to you, you will see it again and again in the crowd.

The cluster has been inverted in the crowd in the lower left of the photo. The > is now a <, and the four lines are to their right.

q.e.d.

Akiva said...

The second photo is a clear photoshop job. The key to looking for the photoshop work is looking for repetitive patterns. Such patterns simply don't occur in the normal chaos-randomization of reality.

The "even" scattering of the blue shirt, but more clearly the head grouping that looks like 6 heads with lines between them, repeats constantly.

Cute.

Palladian said...

"I think the WOW photo is photo-shopped, however it is spelled."

OK, before this picture starts appearing on righty blogs as evidence of media fakery and Charles Johnson gets all Dan Rather/Faked Memos on my ass, I hereby admit that the "Wow!" photograph may, in fact, be digitally altered by me.

vbspurs said...

Bushman of the Kolrabi wrote:

Didn't you get the memo? The MSM has now decided that she is stupid. That is how they will try to marginalize her.

The latest meme they are trying to push is in evidence here by the AP.

Basically, they want to make John McCain jealous of Palin's popularity. In the 60 Minutes interview, they even asked McCain that to his face: "Does it ever make you jealous at the attention she receives?".

You could tell he felt like laughing at the guy, he was so clueless.

It is too dangerous to portray her as tough and smart. Look for each Palin SNL skit to tow the company line.

That's why the first LisaNova was so wonderful. It portrayed her as a badass, who would "bring the sh*t home" for McCain.

She's almost there.

Cheers,
Victoria

Bushman of the Kohlrabi said...

There are trees missing in the second photo. Maybe Michelle turned the crowd into an angry mob and they ripped them out? ;)

vbspurs said...

I hereby admit that the "Wow!" photograph may, in fact, be digitally altered by me.

Are you available for all Clueless Conventions?

Simon said...

integrity said...
"In case the delusional haven't noticed, the economy has been destroyed. Hope it hits you real hard."

Funny - it still seems to be working okay out here in flyover country. Crisis? Seems like a New York fad.

vbspurs said...
"No wonder they had to disinvite her. She sounds too Presidential for Tina Fey."

Now, I know you're not dissing Tina...

Anonymous said...
This comment has been removed by the author.
former law student said...

No wonder they had to disinvite her. She sounds too Presidential for Tina Fey.

Didn't you get the memo? The MSM has now decided that she is stupid.


Where would the media get that idea? Incoherent, perhaps. Inarticulate, almost certainly. Here are a couple of recent examples:

Example 1. From CBS News' Scott Conroy. I would describe this as Jerry Lewis meets Yoda:

(CLEVELAND, Ohio) During a quick stop at a diner in Cleveland, Ohio, Sarah Palin was asked for her reaction to the AIG bailout.

“Dissapointed that taxpayers are called upon to bailout another one,” she said. “Certainly AIG though with the construction bonds that they’re holding and with the insurance that they are holding very, very impactful to Americans so you know the shot that has been called by the Feds its understandable but very, very disappointing that taxpayers are called upon for another one.”


Example 2, from CNN. This is the Cheech and Chong-type stoner answer:

But, when asked a specific question from a friendly audience at a town hall meeting yesterday in Michigan, Governor Palin gave what some consider to be a rather clumsy answer.

Listen to this.

(BEGIN VIDEO CLIP)

GOV. SARAH PALIN (R-AK), VICE PRESIDENTIAL NOMINEE: Oil, of course, it's a fungible commodity, and they don't flag, you know, the molecules where it's going and where it's not.

But, in the sense of the Congress today, they know that there are very, very hungry domestic marks that need that oil first. So, I believe that what Congress going to do also is not to allow the export bans to such a degree that it's American who's get stuck holding the bag, without the energy source that is produced here, pumped here. It's got to flow into our domestic marks first.


(END VIDEO CLIP)

BLITZER: All right, not exactly easy to understand what she was saying, but the question would be, would there be some sort of ban on exporting new drilled U.S. oil, if that were to take place? And she gave that answer that a lot of people see as rather clumsy or convoluted.

john said...

Akiva said... The second photo is a clear photoshop job.

Wow. You know how to really tell it's a fake? Look at the 2 porta-potties in the upper left: no lines.

Trooper York said...

WAIT JUST A MINUTE HERE!!!

Go back to the begining of this thread. If Madison is really encased in a geodesic dome...then
that would make Madison Man...
Pauly Shore.

froggyprager said...
This comment has been removed by the author.
chickelit said...

@FLS: Your second example is especially lame evidence incoherence- it actually speaks louder about Blitzer.

I'm Full of Soup said...

Re Palin meme, let's admit Mary Mapes, Dan Rather, Wolf Biltzer, Jack Cafferty, FLS etc are Sooper Genyouses!

Unknown said...

That first Palin quote FLS provided above makes sense. The second one, not so much. But if we're gonna play gotcha games like this there are a host of YouTube clips for Obama that will do just fine.

froggyprager said...

here is a real photo from the Madison event from the Cap Times.

garage mahal said...

I personally believe they should, uh, flag molecules because some people, uh, don't have molecules, such as South Africa, and everywhere such as, Iraq. So we will be able to build up our future, for our children.

Unknown said...

Of course, Obama's verbal slips or gaffes really aren't the problem, it is what he says and means that is the problem.

chickelit said...

"evidence /of/ incoherence"

Unknown said...

Everybody knows that it makes no sense, and, you send a kid to the emergency room for a treatable illness like asthma, they end up taking up a hospital bed. It costs… when… if you… they just give… you gave ‘em treatment early, and they got some treatment, and, uh… a Breathalyzer… or, uh, an inhalator — not a Breathalyzer. I haven’t had much sleep in the last 48 hours, so.

walter neff said...

People in 40 of our 57 states understand exactly what Sarah Palin was talking about.

chickelit said...

garage said: I personally believe they should, uh, flag molecules because some people, uh, don't have molecules, such as South Africa, and everywhere such as, Iraq. So we will be able to build up our future, for our children.

Now that's worthy of Tommy Chong!

chickelit said...

Garage, I inserted one comma- does this make more sense?

Oil, of course, it's a fungible commodity, and they don't flag, you know, the molecules, where it's going and where it's not.

Makes even clearer sense if you punctuate like this:

Oil, of course, it's a fungible commodity (and they don't flag, you know, the molecules), where it's going and where it's not.

Unknown said...

We passed out of the Senate Banking committee, which is my committee...

RHSwan said...

Of course the WOW photo is real!!! I was there. If you look closely you can see I am the third from the left.

And the tenth from the top.


And the seventh from the right.

...

Simon said...

froggyprager said...
"here is a real photo from the Madison event from the Cap Times."

Well, my 1:04 PM comment anticipated that the media would run a photograph that was carefully-cropped to hide the real size of the crowd, and on cue...

Trooper York said...
"If Madison is really encased in a geodesic dome...then that would make Madison Man... Pauly Shore."

Or Michael Yorke.

Sprezzatura said...

vbspurs,

You are brilliant: the speech that Palin wrote was perfect.

Then you smartly claimed that the media is primarily focused on calling her dumb. (We all know that the media is not looking at her leadership record and the inconsistencies in her hyped, untrue, and mostly sheltered from questioning persona.)

And, you sure did make the point that Palin isn't being supported by hype when you called our attention to the brilliantly crafted speech she penned. Reading those words should silence anyone who is unsure how Palin would lead this country if she were to become the decision maker.

P.S.
I've missed mocking you since you sort of banned me from your blog.

P.P.S.
Don't go to z.p.s's blog, he currently has his own "Palinology" post, but it might make your head spin.

Unknown said...

On this Memorial Day, as our nation honors its unbroken line of fallen heroes — and I see many of them in the audience here today — our sense of patriotism is particularly strong.

Unknown said...

You're absolutely right that John McCain has not talked about my Muslim faith...

We can do this all day, guys. So do you want to play this sound bite game or not?

bleeper said...

Garage - it is "the Iraq, such as".

Signed,

US American

War Rome!

former law student said...

— and I see many of them in the audience here today —

Whassa matter? You never saw The Sixth Sense?

I see... fallen heroes... All the time. They're everywhere.

Unknown said...

You and Ricky Gervais ought to get together.

former law student said...

ah, mcg. There's a difference between one wrong word in a simple declarative sentence, and a burble of language that circles a point without ever reaching it.

Unknown said...

You mean like the quote I posted at 3:54? Look, there aren't just a few of these.

JC said...

For photo #one I'd give an estimate of about 450. (I've played lots of outdoor gigs, my accuracy tends to plus/minus 5%_ Photo #2 is an obvious photoshop - I spotted at least 3 duplications of distinctive groupings in less than 30 seconds looking.

bearbee said...

There are trees missing in the second photo. Maybe Michelle turned the crowd into an angry mob and they ripped them out? ;)

The crowd of 500,000 was restless and hungry so Michelle celled phoned BO in Wausau who instructed three trees be broken up and they were changed into loaves of banana nut bread and the multitudes were fed and were found to be replete..

Chip Ahoy said...

Paladin.

HA HA HA HA HA HA

I can't stand it.

None of this spreading out crap. But, I dare say, you left a green spot.

MadisonMan said...

froggyprager, My photo is also a true photo. You can even figure out the vantage point of the Cap Times from my photo. As Simon says, cropped!

Nichevo said...

Blogger former law student said...

Incoherent, perhaps. Inarticulate, almost certainly. Here are a couple of recent examples:

.....

Look, fls, let's cut to the chase. The first ten thousand times she does it, call it sleep deprivation. Then she's all caught up to BO and you can flail away. OK? KTHXBAI.

Roberto said...

Any numbers available for that Cindy McCain rally??

MadisonMan said...

...and are there actually people who think the WOW picture was not fake?

Oh my.

Unknown said...

There's also a difference between a burble of language and a perfectly delivered statement that's still idiotic. Obama's had plenty of those too. Remember those Arabic translators we can't use in Afghanistan because they're busy in Iraq?

Roberto said...

I didn't realize Michelle was running for office.

Why would something like this be important to anybody?

MadisonMan said...

...and are there actually people who think the WOW picture was not fake?

Oh my.

Unknown said...

Why don't you ask her? She's the one who held a rally, after all.

Ken Begg said...

"Would completely depopulating the photo be more work than filling space with people?"

Ever since Stalin died.

Anonymous said...

OMG!

If Madison Man is Pauly Shore that must mean his mother is-

Mitzi Gaynor!

Unknown said...

I find this hypocrisy of commenters on this board (and the self-proclaimed, yet clearly not, neutral) Althouse.

-You criticize Obama for his large crowds and "fan" appeal, yet laud Palin for the same.

-You criticize Obama for his lack of experience, yet defend Palin's at-least-as-thin resume.

-You criticize Obama for his movie-star quality, yet defend Palin's (and by the way, seem to be the ONLY party to vote for movie stars regularly: Arnold and Regan, come to mind.

-You criticize Obama supporters for being deluded and enamored by a substanceless figure, yet you turn your support to Palin who is possibly a worse example of that.

-You eschew sexism when it involves Hillary, but then embrace it as a mantra when Palin is the object.

Well, well. How does hypocrisy feel?

Unknown said...

As for the "bride [sic] to nowhere." I assure you it wasn't freudian. But well on the topic, I'd like to point out a "flip-flop" on this that HASN'T received much attention (you know, everyone's been focused mainly on how it's a big fat lie and how Palin's middle name should basically be "Earmarks").

After calling it a "bridge to nowhere" probably at least 50 times, on the Gibson interview, Palin recants: Actually, by the way, it doesn't go to nowhere. It goes to a small community with and airport or something. Nice change of tune. Did someone from "nowhere" complain? They probably did. They also probably pointed out that Wasilla -- a roadside town off a highway -- is not too much of a "somewhere" itself.

Bissage said...

After that crowd disperses, I sure hope Palladian (being the decent fellow that he is) will stick around to pick up the trash and core aerate the turf.

It’d be the right thing to do, after all.

Heh.

Unknown said...

Well, well. How does hypocrisy feel?

Just fine, thanks! I never knew what just desserts tasted like before now.

Palladian said...

"Well, well. How does hypocrisy feel?"

Like a red velvet brocaded bathrobe against my skin, which has been rubbed with warm, rose-scented oil by my muscular Czech houseboy.

john said...

Madison Man,

They crushed the blue Porta Potty! Could you smell it from your vantage point?

It must have been mayhem out there.

garage mahal said...

This one goes out to Palladian. The Althouse theme song.

Ann Althouse said...

I love the sharp folk who are detecting Photoshopping. What would we do without them? Other than not laugh as much.

Ann Althouse said...

Is this thing real?

Dust Bunny Queen said...

I think the WOW photo would be even better if you could photoshop in a little Waldo waving at us into the crowd

Palladian said...

"Is this thing real?"

Of course it is, Althouse! Look at that crowd photo again, it's speaking at the rally!

john said...

I shoulda said "It must have been shitty out there."

Bissage said...

Wait a minute!!!!!

You mean to tell us the accusations of Photoshopping are not superduper meta-jokes?!?!?!?

I am so embarrassed!

**puts out own eyes with Jocasta’s broach pins**

Dust Bunny Queen said...

Well, well. How does hypocrisy feel?


Pretty good, thank you :-) and you?

DaLawGiver said...

Palladian's Monty Python clip is my kind of humor. Now days it's SNL's “What about the husband? You know he’s doing those daughters. I mean, come on. It’s Alaska.”

I guess The Aristocrats are now prime time.

Ann Althouse said...

Bissage, some but not this guy. I think!

Anonymous said...

There will be more peeps eating taco's at the Stadium Bar across the street tomorrow for Taco Tuesdays than there were here today.

This actually is a terrible location.. you'd think the UW admin would be in the tank and let them do it on Bascom Hill. There is a police substation accross the street as well. Maybe that's why they did it... free traffic control/police presence. Look's like they didn't need it!

An aerial view of the area here: http://maps.google.com/maps?f=d&saddr=43.070142,-89.41&daddr=W+Johnson+St,+Madison,+WI&hl=en&geocode=%3BCQO28Kjh2YPGFSY6kQIdOeer-g&mra=mi&mrsp=0&sz=17&sll=43.070259,-89.409539&sspn=0.003856,0.006866&ie=UTF8&t=h&ll=43.070455,-89.410912&spn=0.003856,0.006866&z=17

UWS guy said...

The "petite" line in your header is sexist.

(did someone say that already?)

Anonymous said...

Michael said...
I didn't realize Michelle was running for office.

Why would something like this be important to anybody?

4:39 PM


So, are you saying that the potential future first lady does not matter at all?

Interesting.

AllenS said...

There's still 231 people in the second picture. They have just multiplied like bacteria.

Roberto said...

OpenID erniecu73 asks: So, are you saying that the potential future first lady does not matter at all?"

Gee, what an interesting and intellectual query.

Hmmmm, let me think about this...

Yes, I it is important to me.

It's just whether the future First Lady draws or does not draw huge crowds at political functions that doesn't.

Is this something you think or worry about when deciding for whom you'll cast your vote?

Attendance at First Lady rallies?

Roberto said...

Speaking of HUGE crowds...that aren't...

After a week in which pretty much every media organization in the country documented falsehood after falsehood in McCain's attack ads, it turns out the campaign is also lying about the number of people attending its rallies, Bloomberg News reports.

For example, the McCain campaign told reporters that 23,000 people attended a campaign rally in Fairfax last week. Unfortunately, those on hand estimated the crowd to be less than 10,000.

Mark K. Sprengel said...

Which site will be the first to use Palladin's uh photo to show that MO is drawing huge crowds?

Bissage said...

Ann Althouse said: Bissage, some but not this guy. I think!

Awwww shucks, Perfesser . . . Like my ole Pappy used to say . . . that boy done got hisself more twists and turns then yer Aunt Bessies’ colon at a taffy pulling contest.

Ah-heeeelt!!!

blake said...

YOU DON'T UNDERSTAND!

Of course, the "WOW" picture is photoshopped!

But what actually happened is that MadMan (so-called "middle of the road" Democrat) had originally photoshopped 1749 people out out of the original photo and then wingnut Palladian photoshopped them back in!

Thus managing to discredit both Michelle Obama's popularity and the media's veracity.

Layers, people. Google it!

vbspurs said...

P.S.I've missed mocking you since you sort of banned me from your blog.

Wait, who are you, again? I have no memory of you. I usually don't reply to people's posts I think are trolly.

David A. Carlson said...

Crapital Times has some nice pictures - no big picture of the whole crowd though

http://www.madison.com/tct/news/stories/305985

Ann Althouse said...

Okay, Bissage, I take it back. No one was dumb enough to think that wasn't Photoshopped.

Palladian said...

No one seems to notice that the Biden Duck-Dog creature is speaking at the rally. Hmm...

blake said...

Well, what're we supposed to notice, Palladian?

That his hair-plugs have improved?

Peter V. Bella said...

OK, can anyone who was actually on the ground verify that there were 1000 dressed mannequins and 800 people?

Sprezzatura said...

Palladian,

Almost nobody.

I had to decide between an Iran quip or a "Where's Bido" quip. The Bido thing seemed weaker.

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