January 6, 2019

WaPo's embarrassing indulgence in hyperbole describing the attendance at Democratic candidates rallies.

For years we've seen gigantic crowds at Trump rallies downplayed in the mainstream press, and that's the baseline against which I judge "Iowa Democrats fill events to the rafters with 13 months left before the 2020 caucuses."

Even before reading the article, I'm thinking: 1. So everybody got into the room (no overflow room, no people left outside in the parking lot), 2. What size was the room (unless it was a big arena, what's the big deal about filling a room)? 3. Filling "to the rafters" is a metaphor, visualizing people piled on top of each other, but of course that didn't happen, so how densely packed was the room? 4. Of course, there's a fire code, so they couldn't pack a room all that much, 5. WaPo sounds silly saying "fill events to the rafters," when I think all they mean is that some people are showing up for events.

Now, I'll read the article.
In December, the liberal group Progress Iowa doubled the size of its annual meeting from four years ago, with 300 activists eager to participate....
300!
The throngs of voters bombarding events in Iowa are testament to something fearful for Republicans: The huge tide of Democratic voters who powered the party’s 2018 gains have not lost interest as attention turns to the 2020 presidential race....
"Throngs... bombarding... huge tide... powered..." — quite aside from what the facts are, this old-time adman language makes me so skeptical I would throw this away as trash if I weren't inspired to blog about it.
[Cory Booker's] visit included standing-room-only turnout at an event advertised as a discussion on agricultural issues and hosted in the Boone County Democratic offices.
Standing room only = he didn't fill the room to capacity. And what size was the room? We're deprived of the basic facts, and I assume the words that are chosen are the most flattering things WaPo can get away with without lying. So, to protect myself, I have to assume it was a small room. "The Boone County Democratic offices" — well, that does sound pretty small, and how many chairs would there be in a place like that. If you stop long enough to read critically, "standing-room-only" is entirely ho-hum.
As Sen. Kamala D. Harris (Calif.) gave a speech in Ankeny during her pre-election Iowa tour, she was greeted by a shout: “Run for president!” When she spoke in Iowa City and Des Moines, she filled rooms holding about 500 people.
500 people. If Trump drew 5,000 people, it would be portrayed as disappointingly tiny.
“We’re so ready,” said Susan Leonard, 64, a co-founder of [Siouxland Progressive Women, a] 200-member organization.... “We’ve got invitations out to several presidential candidates already,” Leonard said. “It’s a big group, and we want to hear their ideas.”...
It's a big group... of 200.
Progress Iowa drew about 150 people to its 2014 meeting that featured Sen. Bernie Sanders (I-Vt.). Last month’s attendance doubled...
Oh! We're back to the 300 at Progress Iowa, already featured in the beginning of the article.
For Warren, a Friday night event in Council Bluffs meant for 300 people drew an extra 200. “I’m sorry that there’s not enough room to get inside, but I’m glad you’re all here,” she said. She would repeat that apology Saturday when several dozen couldn’t squeeze into a panel discussion at a Storm Lake community center.
With small enough rooms, not everyone gets in, but these are not "throngs of voters bombarding events"!

140 comments:

traditionalguy said...

Well if 300 Spartans did well, then why not 300 EDU Professors who use a faked American Indian victimhood scam?

MD Greene said...

Nice context here.

Jill Abramson, a leftie but also an honest journalist from the old school, is right.

Which among the mainstream press will cast a cold eye on this perfervid prattle?

David Begley said...

I was in CB on Friday night. My report is at Power Line. Progress Iowa is exactly right. I thought the room held 500. Liz drew less than 1,000.

Here’s the thing. There are much larger venues in CB. Trump and Bernie both drew much bigger crowds to the Mid-America Center.

My only regret is I didn’t get to tell Warren that she doesn’t have Althouse’s endorsement. Ann is going to Hell per Madeline Albright.

Darrell said...

Round 2 meets in phone booths.

Wilbur said...

Once one realizes the use of this sort of loaded language is ubiquitous in the MSM, the scales should fall from the eyes.

rehajm said...

How to describe the size of the group who questioned Warren about her heritage? My guess is somewhere between 'busload' and 'stuffed to the rafters'.

Darrell said...

Elizabeth Warren is quoted as saying " I am not a woman of color."
Of course you are, Honey--pasty white.

Paul From Minneapolis said...

Just a note, I think it's possible the "big group" the co-founder of Siouxland Progressive Women is referring to is the group of potential candidates.

Tommy Duncan said...

This is, in part, a behavior that helped Trump win. No one took him seriously because of the MSM under-reporting of crowd sizes. Every one thought Hillary was a shoo-in because they over-reported her popularity. If Democrats had known the truth they might have turned out in sufficient numbers to win a few more swing states.

Ignorance is Bliss said...
This comment has been removed by the author.
Ignorance is Bliss said...

It’s a big group, and we want to hear their ideas.

To what is the "it" referring? Is it the Siouxland Progressive Women, or is it the several presidential candidates? Both groups appear to be on the same order of magnitude.

Bay Area Guy said...

No sane, normal American supports the Left. (No true Scotmans fallacy?)

These are mostly clueless activists or folks who earn their livelihood from the Govt machine.

Most sane, normal Americans don't live for politics. They have bills to pay, work to do, kids to raise, leaves to rake, football to watch, and beer to drink.

If one spends his life consumed with Facebook and Twitter, obsessed with Anti-Trump politics, one slowly goes crazy over time.

ga6 said...

But the Iowa Democrats are true believers in the "racist America" theme from way back. Perhaps Mr Begley can verify for me but I recall that almost twenty years ago the State Democratic Party organized a covered wagon mule train that went out into the small farm towns in the Iowas country side to tell all the white European based farmers that they were rally bone deep racist despite most having relatives that fought for the Union in the late Civil War (I of?)

ga6 said...

really

Dust Bunny Queen said...

HA Hyperbole. Good catch.

In my comment in the below post, I make the point that the Left can't distinguish between Trump making statements that are hyperbole and actual lying.

If that is the case then why isn't the WaPo called out for lying with their hyperbolic and deceiving rhetoric?

Oh....because it is "journalism" (scare quotes) and OK when THEY do it. Impeachable lies if anyone else does it.

Tommy Duncan said...

"Throngs... bombarding... huge tide... powered..."

"It's a major award. A major award!" --Ralphie's father in "A Christmas Story"

Lucien said...

Once California and other states move up the dates for their primaries won’t we stop caring about Iowa caucuses? Of course, that would be bad news for ethanol and ADM.

rhhardin said...

A republic is a thousand times more expensive than a monarchy because in a republic there are so many people to pay. - e e cummings

Tommy Duncan said...

I'll take Liz Warren seriously when she gets a new haircut and gets rid of the granny glasses. Her appearance is annoying.

bonkti said...

Admittedly, a throng of voters is a quantum less than a horde.

Ann Althouse said...

"'It’s a big group, and we want to hear their ideas.' To what is the "it" referring? Is it the Siouxland Progressive Women, or is it the several presidential candidates? Both groups appear to be on the same order of magnitude."

I think "it" refers to the Siouxland Progressive Women, but on second look, it is ambiguous. Even though it's a quote, WaPo could have reported it in a way that avoided the ambiguity, so I would fault WaPo for that. The article is padded of dismal quotes — filled to the rafters!

rehajm said...

We need standardized hyperbole.

RK said...

Thousands of WaPo readers got up this morning and read this article. It made them feel good by restoring their faith in our country. The Dems are energized! Go Team Go!

That's how you keep your subscribers.

Tommy Duncan said...

In fairness to the Democrats, Hitler started out playing to even smaller crowds in the Munich beer halls.

Darrell said...

Dems are tied with the new Ebola strain in popularity in my new poll.

David Begley said...

Bay Area Guy:

I asked my barber lady if she had ever heard of Warren. Nope. Her ex-husband was mixed race and 1/4th Cherokee. So her daughter is a real Indian.

I then asked her to guess how much Warren made at Harvard Law. She said $50,000. The real answer is $500,000.

NorthOfTheOneOhOne said...

[Cory Booker's] visit included standing-room-only turnout at an event advertised as a discussion on agricultural issues and hosted in the Boone County Democratic offices.

They expect me to believe that a crowd of Iowa farmers actually went to hear Spartacus Booker speechify about agricultural issues?

Go home WaPo, your're drunk!

Darrell said...

They expect me to believe that a crowd of Iowa farmers actually went to hear Spartacus Booker speechify about agricultural issues?

They want to know how to drive to Hawaii.

rcocean said...

Crazy Eyes Booker scares me.

Joe Biden, America's Putin said...

When Hillary and Bill left 83% of the seat unfilled, at recent events, WaPo said nothing. Nothing. Nothing.

WaPo is democrat party cheerleader. Cheer-leading to the rafters.

Sprezzatura said...

Althouse uses “trash,” which is popular with yutes. But she makes it sound geezer-y by including stuff about throwing. She stumbled on the word, not knowing how it should be used today.

Bleach Drinkers Curing Coronavirus Together said...

That's because he's already president and had his own tv show before that, not some 1st-term state politician 13 months before the first caucus. Are you genetically incapable of doing an apples-to-apples comparison?

Bob Boyd said...

@ Begley

Did you see any scalpers at the Warren event?

tcrosse said...

These Democrats' appeal is more selective. They draw only the Best People.

Bleach Drinkers Curing Coronavirus Together said...

No quote from the article sought any comparison to Trump in his office right now, let alone at the same time in 2014 and coming into it with the same relative obscurity. But apparently we must change our definitions for words in the English language according to how Althouse Trumpifies them. Jesus.

David Begley said...

Boyd

Free event. No scalpers.

Sam L. said...

Just ONE MORE uneccessary reason to detest, despise, and distrust the WaPoo.

Kevin said...

It’s wasnt just Hillary wondering what happened. The media clearly has not learned the lessons of 2016.

It still sees itself as an impartial observer with some rooting interest, not part of the establishment and a reason people vote against its preferred candidates.

Kevin said...

How long did these people wait to get inside?

Did they come a day or two early, or walk right in?

Sebastian said...

Of course, WaPo fuels The Narrative. Articles are tools in The Struggle.

But Dems are excitedly angry. It bodes well for them. They will go after women dismayed at Orange Man Mean. And after the kind of gettable voters who think "conservatives" "bristle" at the "sight" of "young women" doing something or other, cuz they don't care about "women's bodies."

Kevin said...

Perhaps we should compare their crowd sizes to Louis CK’s.

Diogenes of Sinope said...

The "front pages" of almost all news organizations used to be devoted to mainly factual news coverage; now they are opinionated news coverage. It can be called fake news, but is a really just classic propaganda.

Wabash said...

https://earth.google.com/web/@42.06307302,-93.88000503,348.89776611a,0d,90y,279.49165703h,86.10553224t,0r/data=ClEaTxJHCiUweDg3ZWRkYjEwYjEwOTc4YTU6MHhmNWExZWFmMDJmMmRiZWNlGd_DgIAQCEVAITi3rj1YeFfAKgw3MDUgU3RvcnkgU3QYASABKAIiGgoWWENHQmFUXzdqTFBRUnJJMWRZV1NYURAC

Bob Boyd said...

David Begley said...
"Boyd

Free event. No scalpers."


https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=KTwnwbG9YLE

Bay Area Guy said...

The "Siouxland Progressive Women" are already in the bag for Elizabeth Warren.

Mary Beth said...

I think "it" refers to the Siouxland Progressive Women, but on second look, it is ambiguous

I think "it" refers to the Democratic candidates. She said, "We've got invitations..." so I think she would also have said, "we're a big group" if she had meant Siouxland Progressive Women.

Ambiguity in reporting like this (along with outright lies) is why so many people were surprised when Trump won. I ask some of those people why they are still following the same news sources. It's because they like being lied to.

Joe Biden, America's Putin said...

After Trump beat Hillary, the media realized their democratic cheer-leading did not have enough high octane.

The remedy is what we see now. A media so over the top for The Party, it reeks.

Bill, Republic of Texas said...


conservatives" "bristle" at the "sight" of "young women" doing something or other, cuz they don't care about "women's bodies."


Ocasio-Cortez Fans Joke About Assassinating Steve Scalise

Where are all the articles and blog posts about liberals wanting to assassinate Republicans?

These attacks are so over the top I think they may be false flags but I've seen enough to believe the AOC supporters are this violent.

So I want each and every leftist to denounce these tweets by AOC supporters.

Carol said...

I'll take Liz Warren seriously when she gets a new haircut and gets rid of the granny glasses. Her appearance is annoying.

Yeah def getting a Miss Jane Hathaway vibe from her.

Bobb said...

Remember many of the Democrats showing up are media. At protests in my area, the media regularly outnumber the other participants.

Bleach Drinkers Curing Coronavirus Together said...
This comment has been removed by the author.
Bleach Drinkers Curing Coronavirus Together said...

"Narrative?" How long will it take for the Republicrazies to accept that they're a minority of the voting public? As long as it takes for them to disenfranchise a few million black votes? Most recent generic ballot spreads were +8% Democrat, leading to a 40-seat gain in the House. And Trump is hated by basically anyone who's not a Republican, the party losing registrations like flies. The non-Republican/non-Trump "narrative" is the country's actual principles. Any Republicultist who disagrees is welcome to accept my challenge that their candidate turn down ALL PAC donations, agree to a non-partisan ungerrymandered districting process, and keep the polls open long enough to accommodate the hours in a day available to the typical two-job worker. Conditions that no Republican will agree to because they know how corrupt and hated they are and how anti-competitive they have to be in their campaigns. They just hate democracy and hate the people and the sooner that established outlets pick up on that and report as if that fact mattered the sooner the country will be relinquished from the hands of the crazy psychopaths who just increased our debt by $2 trillion in a supposedly amazing, fantastic, tremendous economy. I guess those 135 hedge fund traders really turned this thing around for us, eh? Too bad their equivalent impact on the federal budget was somehow lacking.

Trump is a liar, his supporters are empty, and they've been pushing a line of bull on the country for too many decades.

MountainMan said...

So I see that Warren spoke the other evening in Storm Lake, IA, which is the county seat of Buena Vista County. Bordering on the west is Cherokee County. Bordering on the east is Pocahontas County. Sounds like she was in the right place.

Fernandinande said...

[Cory Booker's] visit ...hosted in the Boone County Democratic offices.

Boone County Democratic Party
3.85 Google reviews
Political party in Columbia, Missouri
Address: 409 Vandiver Dr Building 5, Suite 104, Columbia, MO 65202

It's in a strip mall. Or an open field.

The throngs of me myself and I bombarding events in Coddo Woddo are testament to something fearful for everybody: The huge tide of a voter who parties occasionally powered the party’s gains has not lost interest as attention turns to the 2020 presidential race!

gilbar said...

Hey Professor Althouse! Don't be knocking Boone (Mamie Eisenhower's home town), They got a skyscraper seven stories high, About as high as a buildin' orta grow. (724 Story St Boone IA )


gilbar said...

Ferd, you've got the Wrong Boone county, in the Wrong state

gilbar said...

Boone County Democrats HQ 705 Story St, Boone, IA 50036
just down the street from the bank building!

gilbar said...

it's the white building, with the 3 windows, and the for rent sign
https://www.google.com/maps/@42.0629642,-93.8800044,3a,75y,258.96h,90t/data=!3m6!1e1!3m4!1sNI3_ysunpHJ0_s028JW0Jg!2e0!7i13312!8i6656

Guildofcannonballs said...

This is a link most will ignore, keeping them ignorant.

I can hear you all right now: "Oh it's from 1994 that is so old OMG! Gross!" as you scroll on by.

Well that shows me you have turdly-fool tendencies.

If I need to explain the parallels and significance, you gotta get out your wallet.

gilbar said...

but don't knock Boone!
when we were in Ames, failing out of ISU; we knew that if we'd go over to Boone, we could score drugs MUCH more economically that in our college town.
AND Boone has The NEWEST Steam Locomotive, IN THE WORLD!!!
pufferbilly; it's not a nightmare; it's a dream!

Fernandinande said...

Ferd, you've got the Wrong Boone county, in the Wrong state

Iowa is the same kinda thing as Missouri isn't it?

gilbar said...

Don't you get me started on that Honey war! Don't you get me started!!!

glenn said...

Anybody who thinks the WAPO is a real newspaper, or worse, is giving them money is a dumb motorscooter.

Brian said...

It reminds me of seeing Katy Tur on MSNBC the day after the election doing a roundtable "what happened" segment. Everybody was so surprised that Trump won, and then Katy says she wasn't that surprised because Trump's crowds were always so much bigger than Hillary's.

She'd see Trump in front of 20 thousand people and Hillary would have 5.

And I'm screaming at the TV, um, don't you think that's something that should have been reported BEFORE the election? That that was in fact, you know, news?

Democratic operatives with bylines indeed.

Big Mike said...

@Althouse, now if only you could learn to be as skeptical when the media push the notion that Republicans were offended by a young Ocasio-Cortez dancing with friends to promote Boston University.

Limited blogger said...

There were 20 chairs, 22 people showed up, SRO!

Hey Skipper said...

Anybody who thinks the WAPO is a real newspaper, or worse, is giving them money is a dumb motorscooter.

Progressives hate Citizens United.

Tommy Duncan said...

"Siouxland Progressive Women"

"Siouxland"? Isn't that cultural appropriation or something?

Yancey Ward said...

Dave Begley wrote:

"Here’s the thing. There are much larger venues in CB. Trump and Bernie both drew much bigger crowds to the Mid-America Center."

I think this probably explains the recent attempts to force Sanders out of the race. When you think about it- in a large field of candidates, even a block of just 20% of voters that is so avid in support is a huge weapon to take into a primary season. I can't think of another Democratic candidate that is likely to run who will have that kind of support that Sanders might be able to bring to the table.

Yancey Ward said...

And another point- it is highly probable that all of the crowds described by WaPo for the various candidates were mostly all the same 1000 or so people.

rhhardin said...

Russian trolley fire, representing the democrats winning the house
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=TUCwRxjSq3M

The passengers wander off, and rubberneckers come around.

chickelit said...

Trump's crowds are bigger, hands down.

Tim said...


Blogger Sebastian said...
Of course, WaPo fuels The Narrative. Articles are tools in The Struggle.

But Dems are excitedly angry. ---

They always are.

Bob Boyd said...

In 2016 Sanders got himself a lake house for getting into the primary. In 2020 he'll get a lake house to stay out.

NorthOfTheOneOhOne said...

Limited blogger said...

There were 20 chairs, 22 people showed up, SRO!

Probably more like 0 chairs, 3 people showed up to protest farming in general, instant SRO crowd!

Yancey Ward said...

Sanders doesn't look to me like a guy who can be bought off that way. He might not run because he will be 4 years older and was quite old already in 2016, but I think he wants to.

Charlie said...

Seems like only yesterday Trump was mocked endlessly for exaggerating crowd size.

Bay Area Guy said...

Bernie has some leverage.

If he gets mistreated (again!) by the DNC, he will threaten to run 3rd Party. This will likely help re-elect Trump.

To assuage this, the DNC must tolerate him and treat him fairly if/when he decides to run (again!) as a Democrat.

If he runs as a Democrat, as Begley notes above, he already has a loyal bloc of voters to catapult him near the top in the Dem primaries.

Run, Bernie, Run! Surely, he will lock up the Vegan Vermont, Simon & Garfunkel vote.

AllenS said...

Trump needs to rent out the biggest indoor facility in Iowa for a rally, and then tweet out: "Watch this motherfuckers."

FullMoon said...

it's gonna be Harris.
Youngest, woman and somewhat black. But she needs Pelosi, Clinton and Fienstien machine to back her. Already has DiFi and Pelosi due to Willie Brown/ San Francisco connection.

"Elizibeth Warren" was incorporated into a Jeopardy question last year.
None of the contestants knew who she was. Surprised me.

William said...

It's like an iceberg. For every blatant case of political bias you see in the media, there are ten other cases where the reporting is so shaded or non-existent as to shape your opinion without you ever being aware of it.......If there were reports of sexual harassment in the Trump campaign such as have recently surfaced regarding Bernie Sanders, you can bet that there would be somewhat more coverage and at least one major motion picture would be in the works to dramatize the plight of those poor women. If Harvey Weinstein had raised money for Donald Truump that fact would be repeated in every negative story about Harvey Weinstein. It would probably be in the lead sentence.......Don't say that their bias is ineffective because you're wise to their tricks. That's just not true.

HT said...

Thank you Ann for calling out hyperbolic and deceiving rhetoric. I am not so troubled that we do not have mass rallies, however.

"Thousands of WaPo readers got up this morning and read this article. It made them feel good by restoring their faith in our country." Probably not, but nice try!

"Ambiguity in reporting like this (along with outright lies) is why so many people were surprised when Trump won. I ask some of those people why they are still following the same news sources. It's because they like being lied to."

I remember the time I became disgusted with the lies of the Post - it was that weasle and his Iraq war cheerleading, the guy who went to Fox, Howard Kurtz. Long tradition, I guess.

William said...

I recently saw a Russian produced series on the life of Trotsky. It took some liberties with the facts, but the essential premise that Lenin, Trotsky, and Stalin were all loathsome scumbags is unassailable. The Russian produced series took a much harsher view of their revolutionary figures than the Oscar winning Hollywood film, Reds........I wonder how many decades we'll have to wait before seeing the Kennedys depicted as self indulgent was manizers. Perhaps will be a Russian series on them. Maybe Trump could co-produce with RT after he leaves office.

Bleach Drinkers Curing Coronavirus Together said...

Does applying the false description of "self-made blue-collar billionaire" to a trust-fund baby count as an embarrassing indulgence in hyperbole? It sure sounds like it.

JaimeRoberto said...

You'd think that reporters would be ashamed to publish propaganda like this or yesterday's "Trump's shutdown kills 3 at national parks" article. At some level they must know they are publishing BS.

ron winkleheimer said...

several dozen couldn’t squeeze into a panel discussion at a Storm Lake community center.

This is just stupid. Trump routinely fills up 10 to 20 thousand seat venues with massive, as in several thousand, overflows. And the attendees stand in line for hours, sometimes days, often in freezing cold weather. But hey, a couple of dozen people can't get into a community center conference room and its a major story, if they are Democrats.

n.n said...

It's a liberal (i.e. divergent) estimate of a progressive (i.e. monotonic) group. Logically, WaPo is correct... to the twilight fringe. Presumably, this perspective is why democracy died in their reporting at Tea Party events and Trump rallies. They are being consistent with labels. That said, a conservative estimate has a higher degree of confidence.

bagoh20 said...

Democrat get togethers always require professionals: paid organizers, paid protestors, paid-for signs, and paid union toadies. It's all training for the Democrats' idea of a thriving economy: millions of paid government workers paid not to create product or service, but paid to make more inline voters and more government workers.

Any discussion of agriculture was limited to how to get more money from the government regardless of output or maybe even to limit it. Likely no discussion of how to grow, harvest, or sell. Possibly some discussion of promoting gender fluidity in your livestock.

bagoh20 said...

When your voters vote multiple times, you don't need so many.

FIDO said...

This got me curious. What does Trump draw? And to be fair, I picked a time when it WAS NOT a presidential election, since he is president and all.

At Council Bluffs Iowa, on October 9th, 2018, he had a rally.

Here is a link: Twitter Video Link

This looks like at least 5,000 to 10,000 attendees.

I think maybe someone needs to be worried and it probably isn't Trump.

bagoh20 said...

More people are turned away at Trump rallies for lack of room than attend Dem rallies.

Milwaukie Guy said...

If you took the two southernmost tiers of Iowa counties and ceded them to Missouri, both states would see a rise in median IQ.

The Cracker Emcee Refulgent said...


“Blogger Bob Boyd said...
@ Begley

Did you see any scalpers at the Warren event?”

And this is why a Warren candidacy will be such a delight. Well done.

glenn said...

“I can't think of another Democratic candidate that is likely to run who will have that kind of support that Sanders might be able to bring to the table.”

“Vote for me and I’ll give you some of his” has a big constituency.

Bleach Drinkers Curing Coronavirus Together said...

Go poll them then, bag of hot air. You can even get private companies to do the deed, seeing as how you think no private corporation can ever do anything wrong. They find the same results. Crony capitalism is deeply unpopular in this country. Medicare/universal health, gun restrictions, a government that's not led by a corrupt liar - these things (and more) are very much in fashion and have been for quite some time. How horrible it must be for you to live in a country where so many people are against the things you want, so many that you have to lie to yourself and pretend they don't exist.

Oh, but they exist, all right. As much contempt as you have for them, they exist. And their rights will be upheld and their votes will triumph over all the ones you'd prefer to see bought out instead.

FIDO said...

I remember my son and I waiting in line for several hours to see GWB and Schwarzenegger back around the Gulf War. The boy had never seen a president and neither had I. So I got an invite and I attended.

Even GWB filled the Hockey Stadium to standing room only. Granted, he was president and it was war time.

Our Urine Commenter is correct: Trump is president and Kamala Harris is an urban black, racist party hack who has no character or charisma. So it would be unfair to compare her numbers to Trump without putting a ratio of maybe 10 to 1.

Even with that ratio, Trump is still defeating her badly (insert your own sexist/racist analogies here. I already thought of two)

tcrosse said...

If you act fast, there are still a few seats left for An Evening with the Clintons. No scalpers, please.

FIDO said...

And another point- it is highly probable that all of the crowds described by WaPo for the various candidates were mostly all the same 1000 or so people.


But these are probably a very important 1,000 people: the True Believers and/or Grassroots organizers in all likelihood. Maybe even some of the party faithful.

They are the yeast in the party bread.

gilbar said...

Milwaukie Guy said...
If you took the two southernmost tiers of Iowa counties and ceded them to Missouri, both states would see a rise in median IQ.

i told you all NOT to get me started on the https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Honey_War!

Those lying cheating Missouri scum, are lying cheating Missouri Scum; that's that
But there's more! There's Honey Trees! and TAXES!

FullMoon said...

Harris as VP, beating off Booker and Warren.

Rabel said...

Actually, the text of the article says "packed into the rafters" from which I get a creepy Children of the Corn vibe seeing as how it's Iowa.

But I watched the video and, man oh man, that Lizzie Warren is perky - unnaturally perky. Katie Couric only wishes she had been that perky. Whether it's Adderall or Ritalin I couldn't say, but I'd like a look at her prescription list.

Gahrie said...

It's a mystery to me that someone can react this way to a meaningless article in a partisan rag, but be unwilling to see through the lies of CBF and her Leftwing allies.

n.n said...

Packed into the rafters, hidden under the floorboards... The tell-tale hearts beat ever louder.

Inga...Allie Oop said...

Trump Cultism makes them think they are making serious comparisons.

Good grief, just when you think the scales may be falling away...

HT said...

"Whether it's Adderall or Ritalin I couldn't say, but I'd like a look at her prescription list."

And I'd love to see Dump's labwork. Let me know if you see the prescription list, m'kay?

narciso said...

It does seem a very selective audience.

HT said...

"It does seem a very selective audience." Althouse? Yes.

narciso said...

No the 300 that turned out for red squaw,

F said...

Rabel:

I agree. Almost like a gerbil on crack.

Rusty said...

Blogger glenn said...

"Anybody who thinks the WAPO is a real newspaper, or worse, is giving them money is a dumb motorscooter."

Best highschool newspaper in the country!
It's not a motorscooter, but a groovey little motorbike!

Nichevo said...


anti-de Sitter space said...
Althouse uses “trash,” which is popular with yutes. But she makes it sound geezer-y by including stuff about throwing. She stumbled on the word, not knowing how it should be used today.

1/6/19, 8:59 AM


Sir,

You are a moderately functional automaton.




Blogger FullMoon said...
Harris as VP, beating off Booker and Warren.

1/6/19, 12:50 PM

My eyes, the goggles do nothing.

Nichevo said...


Blogger FIDO said...
And another point- it is highly probable that all of the crowds described by WaPo for the various candidates were mostly all the same 1000 or so people.


But these are probably a very important 1,000 people: the True Believers and/or Grassroots organizers in all likelihood. Maybe even some of the party faithful.

They are the yeast in the party bread.

1/6/19, 12:39 PM


Absolutely, valuable cadre, nuclei, sparks. Remember what they believe: "From the spark comes the flame!" If R cadre exists, is recognized and pointed out in this fashion, it will represent a juicy target.

Has anyone assessed the tactical proficiency of Breivik? Is what he "accomplished" a high performance or could a professional or veteran have done far better? How many of him are out there?

Las Vegas has set the bar.

Tommy Duncan said...

Blogger Ralph Hyatt said...

"But hey, a couple of dozen people can't get into a community center conference room and its a major story, if they are Democrats."

Why does that make me think of the Far Side cartoon "The Midvale School for the Gifted"?

Earnest Prole said...

"old-time adman language" = zactly

rehajm said...

But I watched the video and, man oh man, that Lizzie Warren is perky

To this point her entire presidential campaign strategy has been don't be like Martha Coakley.

rehajm said...

She will be outside Fenway shaking hands. In the cold.

wholelottasplainin said...

If Warren were elected, would they have to change the tune played only for Presidents to:

"Hail to the Squaw"?

MayBee said...

But I watched the video and, man oh man, that Lizzie Warren is perky - unnaturally perky. Katie Couric only wishes she had been that perky. Whether it's Adderall or Ritalin I couldn't say, but I'd like a look at her prescription list.

They probably give her whatever they give Jennifer Granholm before she speaks at the Democratic National Conventions.

Howard said...

Since deplorables are only fractionally human, the numbers work out in the Democrat flavors.

Matt said...

Its always saddening when the good and decent mid-west is infiltrated by the braindead, stupid, backward and provenly flawed 'ideas' of the braindead, stupid, arrogant and powerhungry tyrants of the left. All progressives should be rounded up and shipped to their paradise of California, at which point a nuke is then detonated along the San Andreas Fault ala Lex Luthor in Superman: The Movie.

We can say we did it "for the children". That phrase appears to render any action appropriate.

Judging by the crowds described in the post, not that many people will die.

HT said...

"progressives should be rounded up and shipped to their paradise of California,"

https://www.loc.gov/collections/pioneering-the-upper-midwest/articles-and-essays/history-of-the-upper-midwest-overview/american-but-more-so/
American but more so.

Jim at said...

The huge tide of Democratic voters who powered the party’s 2018 gains...

More than 40 House Republicans retired - leaving open seats - and they lost seats in the Senate.

Compare those 'gains' with the 2010 'shellacking' and 2014 takeover of the Senate and get back to me.

It was a normal, mid-term correction. Anything else is hyper-partisan bullshit.

Dad29 said...

The media clearly has not learned the lessons of 2016.

It still sees itself as an impartial observer with some rooting interest, not part of the establishment and a reason people vote against its preferred candidates.


Not likely that the media will ever become 'an impartial observer,' either. That's not the history of the MSM in this country, going all the way back to the Revolution.

However, more of us know how to read their drivel, and how to use alternative sources for information. The alternatives may be just as biased, but we also learned how to average numbers in grade school.....

Howard said...

Careful HT. That link could be considered subversive in some circles.

Laura said...

It's not the number of voters at a rally that counts, it's the number of ballots they can harvest.

Greg Hlatky said...

How long will it take for the Republicrazies to accept that they're a minority of the voting public?

2010 House elections:
Republicans: 44,827,441
Democrats: 38,980,192

2014 House elections:
Republicans: 40,081,282
Democrats: 35,624,357

2016 House elections:
Republicans: 63,173,815
Democrats: 61,776,554

Francisco D said...

Don't be impressed by Iowa off-season political rallies.

I lived in Eastern Iowa for 10 years. There is a core of devoted, morally and intellectually superior liberals in that state who think that conservatives are an abomination. It is their moral calling to attend political rallies.

Also, there is nothing else to do in the winter.

Bleach Drinkers Curing Coronavirus Together said...

2016 House elections:
Republicans: 63,173,815
Democrats: 61,776,554


This only makes the case for how badly the Republicans have gerrymandered the district races to their benefit. For that total national vote margin of 49.1% to 48%, guess how many house seats the Republicans won? 49% of them?

55.4% of them.

So they districted themselves into a 6-point built-in advantage. An advantage that would have remained in 2018 had several state legislatures and courts struck them down.

Competitive parties don't do that. They wouldn't feel they'd need to.

But Republicans are different. Republicans are special.

They are like the Special Olympics of politics.

narciso said...

Yes hence they had Tom red Harkin as their senator and their ploughshares caucus is who Obama won over with his peace pledge.

Achilles said...

PPP is an idiot.

No matter what is said you can predict his post content 100% of the time: Republicans bad Democrats good.

You have no critical thinking skills and you look like a fucking idiot on pretty much every subject.

Most Americans want a wall. They want our economy to be strong. Open borders is as popular as malaria.

All of your traitor republican friends retired last cycle. The Democrats now have to own their positions without cover. Mittens is on your side but he isn’t fooling anyone.

It has been fun watching you argue for all of Obama and Hillary and Bush’s stupid endless wars.

You are a good little globalist tool and truly stupid. It must be humiliating to be so lame.

chickelit said...

Not likely that the media will ever become 'an impartial observer,' either. That's not the history of the MSM in this country, going all the way back to the Revolution.

So true. Local news opinions have always been partisan. Most every town could support two newspapers until relatively recently. Only television news tried to be impartial, and that was an aberration, much like 1950's prosperity. I'm not sure when AP caught TDS, but it shows. The internet is back to partisan news, like newspapers of yesteryear.

narciso said...

Now maddow has to be reminded she was against large standing military in the middle east, 2k is a nominal number, she even wrote a book about it.

Inga...Allie Oop said...

“They probably give her whatever they give Jennifer Granholm before she speaks at the Democratic National Conventions.”

What do they give Trump that makes him schnurff so much?

Greg Hlatky said...

Yeah, yeah. In LeftyLand when Republicans lose it shows they're a permanently marginal party. When Republicans win, it must be because of something underhanded, because everyone knows the Republicans are a permanently marginal party.

Josephbleau said...

As the great philosopher Yoda said, “There is either do this, or not do this. There is no try

Sam L. said...

Ah, the LIES the enemedia tell us!

Joe Biden, America's Putin said...

OT:
GRIEVING LEGAL IMMIGRANTS MOURN DEATH OF LEGAL IMMIGRANT AT THE HANDS OF ILLEGAL IMMIGRANT:

Dems want more illegals.

bagoh20 said...

"If he gets mistreated (again!) by the DNC, he will threaten to run 3rd Party. This will likely help re-elect Trump."

Can Trump or the GOP legally donate money to Bernie's campaign?

ddh said...

Here is a picture of the Boone County Democratic Party office as seen from the street:

https://duckduckgo.com/?q=boone+county+iowa+democratic+party+office&t=brave&iax=images&ia=images&iai=http%3A%2F%2Fbloximages.chicago2.vip.townnews.com%2Fiowastatedaily.com%2Fcontent%2Ftncms%2Fassets%2Fv3%2Feditorial%2F3%2F9d%2F39ddb4ec-a08c-11e6-bdff-7bec49d4df99%2F58192758cd6a0.image.jpg%3Fresize%3D1200%252C800

TheThinMan said...

How did the Post cover (assuming it did at all) the Republican presidential hopefuls visiting Iowa in January 2011? That would be the most telling comparison. Anyone care to dig it up? I’m sure that would be entertaining!