McCain campaigning without Palin = Dud???

[timvwcom]

Very interesting occurrence reported by Reuters...


McCain finds it tough without Palin (http://blogs.reuters.com/trail08/2008/09/10/mccain-finds-it-tough-without-palin/)

PHILADELPHIA - Republican presidential candidate John McCain cut short his first public appearance without running-mate Sarah Palin after chanting supporters of Democratic rival Barack Obama interrupted his speech.

After lunching with a roundtable of women at Philadelphia’s Down Home Diner, McCain shook hands with supporters and strode up to a podium to deliver a statement. But as he spoke, chants of “Obama, Obama, Obama” filled the room.

Reporters craned forward trying to hear the Arizona senator. Unfortunately for McCain — and possibly overlooked by aides who planned the event — a section of the diner opened up to a market where a crowd had gathered behind a cordon.

A large contingent of Obama supporters showed up, mixed with some who had bumper stickers reading “Democrats for McCain”.

“It’s time to leave the talk behind and start shaking up Washington and fixing our economy, taking care of the problems facing our families. We’re going to give a tax cut to every family with a child,” he said.

His words were barely audible.

McCain’s supporters shouted “John McCain”, “John McCain,” “John McCain”. The duelling chants nearly drowned out the presidential hopeful’s voice.

“Pennsylvania is a battleground state as we can tell,” McCain said.

Meanwhile Palin, the Alaska governor, was on a flight back to her state.

[timvwcom]

Palin outdraws McCain (http://www.politico.com/blogs/jonathanmartin/0908/Palin_outdraws_McCain.html?showall)

The Florida Democratic Party is sending around pictures of thousands of empty seats at McCain's morning rally at the Jacksonville Memorial Arena to suggest he lacks enthusiasm there.

They claim McCain drew "only" 3,000 people to the event, a low figure in a heavily Republican part of the state.

That figure, unchallenged by McCain's campaign, would represent about half of what Palin just drew to her own solo rally just outside Denver, according to estimates from local police and campaign officialss.

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[Cliff Huckable]

If the Obama supporters wanted to be much more effective they'd have hidden their Dem stuff and chanted, "Palin! Palin! Palin!"

[timvwcom]

More on how the crowds are treating the McCain/Palin speeches...


McCain was almost upstaged at the rally here by Palin, who drew rapturous applause from the crowd with her bubbly declaration -- twice -- that she and McCain were "going to Washington, D.C., to shake things up!''

McCain recited a speech he had given earlier in the day about the need to reform Wall Street. A slow but steady trickle of supporters began to file out after Palin's speech introducing McCain.



The Top Gun soundtrack began playing just about the time McCain's plane arrived. Shortly after 11 o'clock (an hur late), McCain and Palin took the stage as the Garth Brooks song "Standing Outside the Fire" played and the crowd cheered.

"We want Sarah," the crowd began chanting as Palin said, "Thank you," to begin the rally.

"Thank you so much Iowa, it is so good to be in Grand Rapids," Palin said. OOOPS. She's in Cedar Rapids.

...

I look up, about five minutes into McCain's address and see a steady stream of people walking out of the rally. They just came to see Palin apparently.



After Alaska Governor Sarah Palin, his running-mate, riveted the overflow crowd at an airplane hanger here for 16 minutes, it was McCain's turn, and people in his audience began murmuring and drifting away midway through a 14-minute speech that was flat and cheerless. When McCain made his first appearance without Palin, on Monday morning in Jacksonville, he faced an arena that was one-quarter full.


Many came to see Palin.

"Here's to Sarah Palin and the old guy," said Gerald Hunsburger of Holland, who decided to forgo his usual sunny day hobby of boating on Lake Michigan. "She's energizing."