McCain Camp Lies About VA Crowd Size

WVEC reports:

Republican John McCain pledged to fight for a new direction for the country in an energetic new campaign stump speech Monday that sought to distance him from the economic policies of President Bush.

...

The Virginia Beach Fire Marshal's office estimated the size of the crowd to be 12,000. A McCain campaign spokeswoman claimed the crowd size was 25,000, but the Convention Center's capacity is only 16,000.

It's not the first time, either:

Senator John McCain has drawn some of the biggest crowds of his presidential campaign since adding Alaska Governor Sarah Palin to his ticket on Aug. 29. Now officials say they can't substantiate the figures McCain's aides are claiming.

McCain aide Kimmie Lipscomb told reporters on Sept. 10 that an outdoor rally in Fairfax City, Virginia, drew 23,000 people, attributing the crowd estimate to a fire marshal.

Fairfax City Fire Marshal Andrew Wilson said his office did not supply that number to the campaign and could not confirm it. Wilson, in an interview, said the fire department does not monitor attendance at outdoor events.

In recent days, journalists attending the rallies have been raising questions about the crowd estimates with the campaign. In a story on Sept. 11 about Palin's attraction for some Virginia women voters, Washington Post reporter Marc Fisher estimated the crowd to be 8,000, not the 23,000 cited by the campaign.

Comments

[Forester]

I'll bet Mac lies about the size of a lot of things judging by his arms.

[wazzucoug]

Everyone loves a three ring circus!

[Forester]

just more dog-gon gotcha journalism doncha know!

[Ron1951]

Has anyone kept a current count of the number of "distortions" made by McCain and his campaign? I lost count several months ago.

[Ron1951]

Has anyone actually tried keeping a count of the number of lies told by John McCain and his advisors? No need to add Palin to the tally, you can tell when she is lying because her lips move.

[Dave01]

Probably not. I think even the national debt counter would have run out of space over the number of lies they have told, just like the national debt counter ran out of digits once it grew beyond the 10 trillion mark.

[Whinger]

Hi John, even the man on the moon is laughing at you!

[PeaceOnEarth62]

Liar liar pants on fire.

[Teeninchee]

Well, if you are not there....y­ou won't know. The inflation of crowd size is to convince THEIR base and undecideds that there are people actually listening in droves. Once people saw the real SP the crowds continue to diminish. People keep listening and watching. They don't pan to allow you to see the crowd size. It's very narrow. You know how they do it, everybody sit in the front seats so the camera can't catch empty seats and then play camera trix.

[blood1]

Note to McCain/Palin campaign..­.there is no such thing as a free lunch!

When you are going after "free advertisin­g"...notic­e that independent eyes are watching and will call you out when you lie.
Don't like it, then either give up the "freebies" or give up the lies....yo­ur choice!

[jeanwny]

In an answer to the attentiveness of the Mc.... crowd at a rally, what I have noticed is the age of the students? directly behind him. If most of that crowd is of legal age to vote I miss my guess. Then of course you have the percentage that is not smart enough to understand his very confusing rhetoric.

[Shieldmaiden]

They're still lying? Where is the new improved McCain for this week?

[Whinger]

I'm a poor boy, come to greatness, so, it follows that I cannot tell a lie!

[LiberTLover]

Sigh. I guess when some men start lying about size, they just don't know when to stop. ;-)!

[SheriChardonnay]

why do lie about the littlest sh*t!?!?!?!?!?

[Politicallie]

Sadly, those who lie about little inconsequential things are likely to also be lying about big, important things.

[kcmookie]

Has anyone else noticed, when watching a McCain rally, the crowd appears to be looking at and paying attention to something completely other then John McCain? It seems surreal, like the response and reaction isn't even remotely on the same page with what McCain was saying.