The Political Whore

Just how many people watched Sarah Palin speak at the GOP-built The Villages over the weekend? Don’t look to the MSM, they’re all over the map:

• 25,000. Fox in Orlando: “The outdoor rally took place at the Lake Sumter Landing Market Square. More than 17,000 tickets had been handed out for the event and an estimated 25,000 people attended.”
• 60,000. The News-Press: “‘Sa-Rah! Sa-Rah!’ they chanted at every mention of her name, applauding loudly and waiving tiny American flags that were distributed — along with free water bottles — by local volunteers. The fire chief estimated the crowd at 60,000.”
• 30,000. Tampa Bay’s 10: “At a campaign event on Sunday drawing about 30,000 people, Governor Sarah Palin criticized Senator Barack Obama for – she says – telling his supporters to “argue” with those who have a different point of view, and to ‘really get in their face’.”
• Thousands. Orlando’s News 13: “Thousands gathered in The Villages to see the Alaskan governor.”
• Tens of thousands. AP: “But she was welcomed like a star, with tens of thousands cramming into a plaza and nearby streets in this enormous retirement community about an hour north of Orlando. Some waited more than five hours in 92-degree heat to see her speak for 23 minutes.”
• 25,000-30,000 or more. Miami Herald: “But Palin drew thousands more than the estimated 20,000 people that turned out for Bush. A fire rescue official estimated the crowd at 25,000 to 30,000, while the Republican Party of Florida pegged the audience at twice that size.”
• Who knows? St. Petersburg Times: “There was no official crowd estimate and unofficial estimates, from 25,000 up to 60,000, were impossible to verify. By comparison, President Bush drew an estimated 15,000 to The Villages four years ago.”
• 25,000+. Tampa Tribune: ” ‘The most appropriate sign there – ‘Sweatin’ for Sarah,’ she said, opening her speech to a crowd security officials at the scene estimated at 25,000 or more.It may have been the largest crowd ever for a presidential campaign event in Florida. George W. Bush was reported to have drawn about 20,000 in 2004 at The Villages, a complex with about 80,000 residents; Obama drew more than 15,000 in Tampa in May, the largest crowd for a campaign event in the city.”

For those who weren’t in the crowd, which neared 1 million, here’s a clip:

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