Regarding Crowd Sizes

[CrowCityDem]

For all the talk that Bernie's crowds get, there's two things I would like to make sure we remember.

1) In the biggest city in this country, with millions of people surrounding him, the 'once in a lifetime' candidate was able to draw less people than the Syracuse basketball team can draw up here in the 'rural' area of the state with regularity and ease.

2) Crowds at rallies aren't indicative of anything. I have been enthusiastically waiting to vote for Hillary since the first time I voted for her eight years ago, but if she held an event here in town, I don't think I would go. Why? Because I know who I'm supporting, and because of the amount of coverage politics gets, I don't need to hear a stump speech. By this point in a campaign, I feel that a large percentage of people who attend these rallies are doing so because they know they're going to hear what they want to hear. That's not a good measurement of someone's intentions.

[geek tragedy]

1. It's like they've never heard of retail politics nt

[Armstead]

6. Naw never heard of it. He knows nothing about campaigning on the grass roots leve

Knows nothing of building coalitions, working with communities, relating to people or neighborhoods, constituent service....none of that nuts and bolts stuff

Short and sweet:

Longer but more illustrative of the spirit he generates on the grass roots level

[geek tragedy]

20. I said they, not he, as in the people who think crowd size is the only thing that counts nt

[Octafish]

7. I have: WALMART.

They became the biggest corporation on the planet -- without Unions.

They couldn't do that alone. Wish some tee vee debate moderator or DUer would ask Jackson Stephens' lawyer.

http://www.truthdig.com/avbooth/item/20080409_the_wal_mart_videos

[cherokeeprogressive]

11. Man oh man if "retail politics" doesn't describe Hillary Clinton to a T, I don't know what does.

[livetohike]

2. Relics attract great crowds. Last chance to see them. n/t

[NurseJackie]

8. Oooph!

[apcalc]

3. Who has time?

[Buzz Clik]

4. He's been drawing crowds like this since August. It has not translated to delegates.

[LiberalFighter]

12. Crowds don't make the phone calls.

Crowds don't walk the neighborhoods.
Crowds don't work the polls.

[Buzz Clik]

21. Apparently, his crowds don't vote consistently.

[LiberalFighter]

22. How many of them weren't registered to vote?

How many of them were just there just because they were there?
How many of them were there but didn't want to be?
How many were there and weren't impressed?

[DemocratSinceBirth]

5. Bernie draws huge crowds. You can't take that away from him.

That being said, the link between huge crowds and votes is tenuous.

[CrowCityDem]

9. Exactly. His big crowds are real, his votes... not so much.

[Orsino]

10. There is no way to take that away.

He draws enormous crowds. Rather than trying out excuses, opponents ought to be analyzing that drawing power and seeing what their own candidates should emulate or improve upon.

[DemocratSinceBirth]

13. Bernie is a great draw.

Rating every pres since JFK

Draw=crowd size

JFK- great draw
LBJ -poor draw
RMN-poor draw
GF-poor draw
JC-poor draw
RR- average draw
GWB- poor draw
WJC-average draw
GWHB- average draw
BHO-great draw

Of course my rating is subjective but you could go back and look at their crowd sizes.

This suggests to me drawing big crowds aren't necessary to electoral success.

[Orsino]

14. Yeah. Drawing big crowds who register and eventually vote would be key. n/t

[DemocratSinceBirth]

18. What is amazing is that two of the most lackluster campaigners won the biggest ...

What is amazing is that two of the most lackluster campaigners won the biggest landslides in American presidential history.

LBJ was far from a beloved figure or great campaigner but he did benefit from carrying the mantle of the beloved and martyred president and having a running mate who was portrayed as out of the mainstream. Ditto for Nixon, the opponent part

Those races imho, are the analogues for this one. For all of Trump's bluster, faux macho posturing, and bravado he should be easy to demonize.

[Art_from_Ark]

15. And I've been waiting nearly 40 years to have a chance to vote someone like Bernie

Would I wait in line to hear him speak? I just might, especially after seeing the kind of camaraderie and enthusiasm that Bernie supporters seem to share. A desire to create a better world, with greater economic and educational opportunities for everyone. Emphasis on peace, rather than war.

[NurseJackie]

16. They came, they saw, they heard ...

... and it's looking like they weren't motivated enough to actually VOTE. (Or, it could have been attended by voters who weren't ELIGIBLE to vote in the party's nomination process. Or, it could have been that the attendees had already made up their minds to vote for someone ELSE, and just wanted to see what Bernie had to say.)

Ultimately, I think the big lesson for many is that bumper stickers, yard signs, hashtags, tweets and online polls are NOT a good predictor of how the voting will actually go.

[CrowCityDem]

17. I always wonder...

has a lawn sign ever convinced anyone to vote for a candidate? Or a bumper sticker? Seems like they're mostly to satisfy the one showing it off.

[NurseJackie]

19. I figure it's just a "show of solidarity" and a "hello there" to other like-minded voters ...

... and not really intended to persuade anyone. In my opinion, it's a "you're not alone" reassurance from the supporters who KNOW their candidate is behind, and losing, and has NO CHANCE of ever becoming the party's nominee.

Go, Hillary! We love you!

Note to Jury: The above statements represent my opinion. No DU rules or terms of service have been violated. It is not against the rules to have an opinion that differs from the Alerter.