Fraudulent MSM story on Messiah Man’s huge crowd in Oregon

N. writes:

Remember how I urged everyone not to be fooled by these media stories of “huge crowds” for Obama? It turns out to be a classic case.

Indeed it does. Here is Robert Knight at Newsbusters:

Free Concert by Popular Band Preceded Obama’s Big Rally

From CNN to the New York Times, the media hyped Barack Obama’s Portland, Oregon rally on Sunday, some comparing him to a rock star.

Unmentioned in national reporting was the fact that Obama was preceded by a rare, 45-minute free concert by actual rock stars The Decemberists. The Portland-based band has drawn rave reviews from Rolling Stone magazine …

How many of the people showed up to hear Obama, and how many to hear the band?

Here’s how the local paper The Oregonian, which estimated the crowd at 72,000, reported the rally:

“Obama was the biggest star at Sunday’s gathering—though a popular Portland band, The Decemberists, provided the warmup act. With blue skies and temperatures in the 80s, many in the crowd said Waterfront Park was simply the place to be.”

CNN headlined its 10 p.m. segment on May 18 with “Barack Obama: Achieving Rock Star Status in Oregon.”

The New York Times, which ran a color photo of the crowd, estimated the throng at 75,000, noting that it was “the largest crowd of his campaign so far.” There was no mention of The Decemberists, and the Times described the weather as “an unseasonably hot day.” [cont.]

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James N. writes:

Yes, the Decemberists opened for Obama in Portland. They usually open their act with the Soviet National Anthem—although we do not know (yet) if they used that glorious anthem for the Obama event.

LA replies:

I assume they’re named after the Decembrist revolt in Russia in the early 19th century. They they spell their name Decemberist instead of Decembrist.

Paul K. writes:

They had a story on the Obama rally a night or two ago and mentioned the free concert by the Decemberists.

They also mentioned that when John Kerry had a rally at the same park he attracted a crowd of 50,000. Does the difference between 50,000 and 75,000 a rock star make? Kerry was accompanied by 80’s rocker Jon Bon Jovi. The CNN report mentioned that, considering Kerry’s electoral performance, the Obama campaign felt it was crucial that he draw a larger crowd to avoid unflattering comparisons. The Obama people used all the tricks of drawing a “flash mob,” such as the internet, handbills, etc.

Still, I can’t imagine John McCain drawing that big a crowd if he brought the Rolling Stones with him.

Posted by Lawrence Auster at May 21, 2008 08:21 PM | Send