The Other McCain

"One should either write ruthlessly what one believes to be the truth, or else shut up." — Arthur Koestler

Tea Party With Sarah Palin: Scenes from the Showdown in Searchlight, Nev.

Posted on | March 28, 2010 | 24 Comments

Word. Sarah Palin speaks! Notice the flags fluttering furiously. It was incredibly windy Saturday. I was backstage and one of my buddies let me get a nice perch at stage left to get photos and video, but the wind was more powerful than the sound system at the rally, which made Palin nearly inaudible on the video.

Palin is mobbed by media after her speech. Notice the boom mike overhead. The only interview she granted was to Griff Jenkins of Fox News. Earlier, I had seen the CNN correspondent at the rally, and tried to talk to him — my usual glad-handing style, “Hey there! How ya doin’?” — but he seemed very sour and hostile. Was it me, or was he just bummed about being stuck on the Tea Party beat?

“Hundreds of people, at least dozens” — gee, I wonder why they would say that? I just got off the phone with Smitty, who told me about that comment. What was my own estimate of the crowd size? Well, Bob Engstrom of Human Events had told me that the organizers had figured they could accommodate about 6,000 in the main area in front of the stage, while law enforcement was concerned that a crowd of 10,000 might completely overwhelm their traffic-control efforts.

The traffic was overwhelming — have you ever tried to get to a big SEC football game? The traffic on U.S. 95 reminded me of trying to get to Legion Field in Birmingham for an Alabama-Tennessee game (back in the day before ‘Bama started playing nearly all its home games at Tuscaloosa).

Victoria Jackson and Joe the Plumber have a chat before going onstage. Notice the Tea Party Express bus in the background. The crowd was sufficiently large that, when the buses arrived, they couldn’t park them where they had planned, because that space directly behind the stage was already full of people.

Read the fine print. Someone felt the need to clarify the terminology . . . NTTAWWT.

Further clarification from Doug Rodrigues of Reno who explained to me that he has a personal grudge against Marxism. Rodrigues is of Portugese/Chinese/Hawaiian ancestry — which is to say 100% American — and one side of his family came from the former Portugese colony of Macau. Shortly after the Communist revolution in China, Rodrigues’ grandfather left Macau for a trip to the Chinese province of Canton to check on the family’s land there. The grandfather was never heard from again and the land . . . well, so much for that, eh? All of which makes it easy to understand why Doug isn’t too keen on socialism and has a serious commitment to liberty. Oh, yeah, and he had a couple more things to say along the lines of enforcing the borders and no hyphens, please.

OK, since our good friends in the MSM have raised the issue of attendance estimates, I’ll post my three best crowd shots and you can click on any of these photos to see it full-size.

From stage left, looking toward the left (west). Notice the teeny-tiny dots on the hills in the distance? Those are people. Also notice the U.S. flag toward the right side . . . .

Also from stage left, facing about 20 or 30 degrees further right (northwest). The U.S. flag at the top left side of this photo is, I believe, the same flag in the right side of first photo. So that could help you get a sense of the area shown between these two photos, and there were thousands more people to the right (north/northeast) of that area, to say nothing of the people who were still out on Highway 95 trying to get through the two-mile-long traffic jam both ways to get into the rally.

This third photo was taken from a hill close to the highway, looking west toward the site, and someone with a technical or mathematical aptitude can click on the photo to see it full size and estimate the area by reference to the size of the trucks, RVs, etc.

Somebody put this sign on the gate to the rally site.

This 1970 Dodge Charger matches the Gadsden Flag perfectly!

As soon as I saw this jacket, I knew I had to get a picture. Semper Fi!

Andrea Shea King, the Radio Patriot, is on the Tea Party bus this time.

One of these people is a pharmacist I interviewed, and who was extremely critical of ObamaCare.

Another dangerous right-wing extremist!

According to Democrats and their media henchpeople, these are either (a) fake Astroturf stooges, bought and paid for by Corporate America, or (b) vicious ignorant kooks. Or perhaps both.

Category: Fear and Loathing With Ann Coulter in Las Vegas, Nevada, Sarah Palin, Tea Party

Comments

24 Responses to “Tea Party With Sarah Palin: Scenes from the Showdown in Searchlight, Nev.”

  1. Joe
    March 28th, 2010 @ 4:36 pm

    Teaparties are no fun for lefties.

  2. Joe
    March 28th, 2010 @ 11:36 am

    Teaparties are no fun for lefties.

  3. mhoefert
    March 28th, 2010 @ 4:54 pm

    Maybe the CNN correspondent was having a “oh-shit, I’m the one who called in the crowd size (dozens, maybe hundreds) to Fredricka Whitfield, my career is toast” moment.

    http://nicedeb.wordpress.com/2010/03/28/cnn-anchor-at-least-dozens-of-people-at-tea-party-event-in-searchlight/

  4. mhoefert
    March 28th, 2010 @ 11:54 am

    Maybe the CNN correspondent was having a “oh-shit, I’m the one who called in the crowd size (dozens, maybe hundreds) to Fredricka Whitfield, my career is toast” moment.

    http://nicedeb.wordpress.com/2010/03/28/cnn-anchor-at-least-dozens-of-people-at-tea-party-event-in-searchlight/

  5. Teresa in Fort Worth, TX
    March 28th, 2010 @ 5:03 pm

    “…Was it me, or was he just bummed about being stuck on the Tea Party beat?…”

    Naah, he was just trying to figure out how to convince his superiors that the crowd was only a few dozen people. I’m sure that he was REALLY upset that the crowd wasn’t as violent as he’d been led to believe – I mean, how are you going to spin a bunch of middle-aged yokels as an angry mob?

    There’s only so much you can do when there isn’t any evidence to back up your hard-core beliefs….

  6. Teresa in Fort Worth, TX
    March 28th, 2010 @ 12:03 pm

    “…Was it me, or was he just bummed about being stuck on the Tea Party beat?…”

    Naah, he was just trying to figure out how to convince his superiors that the crowd was only a few dozen people. I’m sure that he was REALLY upset that the crowd wasn’t as violent as he’d been led to believe – I mean, how are you going to spin a bunch of middle-aged yokels as an angry mob?

    There’s only so much you can do when there isn’t any evidence to back up your hard-core beliefs….

  7. Rose
    March 28th, 2010 @ 5:46 pm

    They’re just used to dozens at Code-Pink events. Can’t wrap their brains around this.

    Thanks for the report. Looking forward to more.

  8. Rose
    March 28th, 2010 @ 12:46 pm

    They’re just used to dozens at Code-Pink events. Can’t wrap their brains around this.

    Thanks for the report. Looking forward to more.

  9. CNN Reports ‘Dozens’ Attend Tea Party Rally in Searchlight, NV « Annoy the Left
    March 28th, 2010 @ 1:19 pm

    […] The Other McCain has on the scene coverage: What was my own estimate of the crowd size? Well, Bob Engstrom of Human Events had told me that the organizers had figured they could accommodate about 6,000 in the main area in front of the stage, while law enforcement was concerned that a crowd of 10,000 might completely overwhelm their traffic-control efforts. […]

  10. DEO
    March 28th, 2010 @ 1:23 pm

    Victoria Jackson, Joe the plumber and $arah….wow, that is so sad….

  11. DEO
    March 28th, 2010 @ 6:23 pm

    Victoria Jackson, Joe the plumber and $arah….wow, that is so sad….

  12. Well Sarah Palin didn’t join the “Axis of Fedora”… « DaTechguy's Blog
    March 28th, 2010 @ 1:59 pm

    […] more photos of CNN’s “Dozens” of people who attended the event in Searchlight NV over at his site with the promise of more to […]

  13. Sarah Palin Calls Out at Media “Bunk” at Torchlight Tea Party Rally | Scared Monkeys
    March 28th, 2010 @ 2:54 pm

    […] great pics from the Tea Party event at The Other McCain. Some are must see so that the MSM can differentiate between real Tea Party members and tea […]

  14. Right-Wing Links (March 28, 2010)
    March 28th, 2010 @ 4:02 pm

    […] Tea Party With Sarah Palin: Scenes from the Showdown in Searchlight, Nevada […]

  15. CNN on Showdown in Searchlight: 'Hundreds of People, at Least Dozens of People' | The Lonely Conservative
    March 28th, 2010 @ 7:06 pm

    […] Memeorandum just picked up on the story. For photos of the “dozens” of people check out Stacy McCain’s photos. They’re awesome. AKPC_IDS += "18464,";Popularity: 2% [?]Possibly Related PostsMarch 27, 2010 […]

  16. Near And Recording In Las Vegas « The Camp Of The Saints
    March 28th, 2010 @ 7:34 pm

    […] A highlight from Stace’s report: Palin is mobbed by media after her speech. Notice the boom mike overhead. The only interview she granted was to Griff Jenkins of Fox News. Earlier, I had seen the CNN correspondent at the rally, and tried to talk to him — my usual glad-handing style, “Hey there! How ya doin’?” — but he seemed very sour and hostile. Was it me, or was he just bummed about being stuck on the Tea Party beat? […]

  17. Bob Belvedere
    March 29th, 2010 @ 12:46 am

    Ah, Stace…it’s a Challenger.

  18. Bob Belvedere
    March 28th, 2010 @ 7:46 pm

    Ah, Stace…it’s a Challenger.

  19. Peggy
    March 29th, 2010 @ 1:06 am

    I just love the tee shirt difing the difference between patriots and tea baggers. Way to go you guys. It looks like it was a blast. Wish I could have been there.

    GOD BLESS YOU ALL.

  20. Peggy
    March 28th, 2010 @ 8:06 pm

    I just love the tee shirt difing the difference between patriots and tea baggers. Way to go you guys. It looks like it was a blast. Wish I could have been there.

    GOD BLESS YOU ALL.

  21. El Marco
    March 29th, 2010 @ 8:55 am

    Showdown in Searchlight
    Sarah Palin Pals around with Patriots in the Nevada Desert.

    March 28th, 2010, Las Vegas, NV – by El Marco

    Conservatives from across America gathered near Harry Reid’s hometown of Searchlight, Nevada, on Saturday, to send a message to Washington. Reid and other corruptocrats are facing the political fight of their lives this November in elections that promise to transform the political landscape.

    http://www.lookingattheleft.com/2010/03/showdown-in-searchlight/

  22. El Marco
    March 29th, 2010 @ 3:55 am

    Showdown in Searchlight
    Sarah Palin Pals around with Patriots in the Nevada Desert.

    March 28th, 2010, Las Vegas, NV – by El Marco

    Conservatives from across America gathered near Harry Reid’s hometown of Searchlight, Nevada, on Saturday, to send a message to Washington. Reid and other corruptocrats are facing the political fight of their lives this November in elections that promise to transform the political landscape.

    http://www.lookingattheleft.com/2010/03/showdown-in-searchlight/

  23. The Heart of Darkness Came to Nevada, And So Did the Croc Hunters | The Sundries Shack
    March 29th, 2010 @ 1:44 pm

    […] breed of animal. Not only would their reporting improve by several orders of magnitude, but they’d enjoy life a whole lot more.Doesn’t sneaking into an Ann Coulter speech with illicit recording materials and getting […]

  24. Fear and Fedora in Las VegasWhen In Doubt, Put It All on Red : The Other McCain
    May 22nd, 2010 @ 9:08 am

    […] pornography – and, as Steve Sailer noted, journalism can be kind of a lonely habit, too. Covering the Tea Party Express gave me a once-in-a-lifetime chance to hit Vegas, so why would I want to spend my time sitting […]