Took a walk on the dark side tonight

[nygurl]

Posted a challenge to campaign-promulgated wildly exaggerated crowd size estimates in Washington Square. 27,000!! 48,000!!! (Which are, by the way, being reported as news on MSNBC.) Camera crews with ABC-TV estimated 6,500 in the park and 5,000 outside. Look at the shots -- many areas empty, for media or security, or filled with bushes.
For my efforts I got promoted to Brock sock puppet, and new Hillary poster as part-time campaign staff. On my way home I almost got run down by a phalanx of hooua-ing bike-riding boys leaving the rally.
I have a lingering creepy feeling, the same one that made me start posting. The deep misogyny, thinly-veiled violence (or not so thin: "DRAG HER!!!&quot , the left's version of Trump fanatics. And their leader. I knew guys like Bernie many years ago, slick talkers with run-of-the-mill lefty views, angry, arrogant, unproductive, entitled. As ever, I am most surprised that all of this is not patently obvious to everyone, especially after the last two weeks. Go know.

[Cha]

1. Awesome righteous rant, nygurl! Sorry, you almost got run down by BSrs..

[oasis]

2. Just an event for many of these youngsters. A cheap date.

I don't expect any big surge for Bernie at the voting venues.

[TMontoya]

3. Who doesn't like a gathering?

Thats what a lot of these people see it as, sure a lot are there to hear him speak but a large portion are there simply because its trendy and had live music. So to a lot it was a party. But either way those speeches tonight were pretty ridiculous. "Corporate Whore", "Drag Her", "Revolution". I guess Hillary can't match to up to such influential political heavyweights like Rosario Dawson Tim Robbins and Susan Sarandon.

After this coming Tuesday it will be all but over, thats reserved for the 26th when the final hammer drops on the nail.

[LisaM]

4. It's the strangest thing....I think enthusiasm is great, but...

there's a strangeness about it. It's as if they all just got a text message to show up, kind of flash moblike. It's a curated spontaneity - it seems spontaneous but there is also something orchestrated and spooky.

[TMontoya]

5. Was it a planned rally?

[LisaM]

16. Sure, but I don't know how far in advance

In Washington state they kept adding rallies, then went places like the Springsteen concert the night before to push attendance.

[SunSeeker]

6. I imagine they were NYU students, since it was at NYU.

No Sanders supporters are providing links for that 48k figure, and the 27k figure came straight from the BS campaign via a press release.

Like you, the only independent estimate I saw reported was 11,500:

Sanders held a rally in Washington Square Park, which was closed all day Wednesday at the request of the Secret Service. 6,500 people were estimated to be in the park for the rally with an additional 5,000 supporters outside the park for a total of 11,500.

http://abc7ny.com/politics/bernie-sanders-holds-big-rally-in-washington-square-park/1288865/

And of course, the rally was held at NYU, to be closer to BS's base. As is typical at BS rallies, most of the audience was young:

The crowd -- largely comprised of young people -- filled the park and crowded the adjacent streets. Many people -- visible from the windows -- also viewed the rally from apartments and New York University buildings surrounding the park.

http://abcnews.go.com/US/bernie-sanders-kicks-off-star-studded-massive-rally/story?id=38377917

The student population at New York University is 57,245. https://en.m.wikipedia.org/wiki/New_York_University NYU is a huge University. So, I would imagine the bulk of the attendees were NYU students. And considering the size of the student body available to attend this rally, 11,500 was not all that much.

[Liberal_Stalwart71]

7. The subtle racism and anti-Obama sentiment

is apparent too!

Look Mom, BS got more votes...I mean, supporters than the Negro president.

They're so fucking transparent.

[Sunsky]

9. I saw this as well

Rolled my eyes when I saw the 27k number because they just had to put it up a notch over Obama's 24k. I'm so done with this BS.

[stopbush]

10. There's something mystic about the number 27 with the Sanders mob.

$27 donations, 27,000 (sic) people at a rally, etc.

[Sunsky]

17. Very interesting observation

[NastyRiffraff]

13. They're not even bothering to hide it

Racism, misogyny, and just plain hatred for all things non-Bernie.

Plus, they don't know good music.

[Liberal_Stalwart71]

15. The bad music choices is perhaps the greatest offense! LOL!!

[yallerdawg]

8. The alt rock band Vampire Weekend was the headliner at rally!

I'd bet they were good for several thousand!

I saw where someone in crowd asked if they knew any Led Zeppelin songs - like they were a bar band!

The lead singer expressed some hipster disdain at the shout with a disdainful, "Sorry, we don't know any Led Zeppelin."

[Loki]

12. If you don't know any Led Zep, then you aren't really playing music.

[Haveadream]

18. Vampire Weekend!?

I just listened to that. No, no, no. That explains everything. Now I know why they have no soul.

OTOH, Led Zeppelin is always epic.

[Loki]

11. Bernies Insane Clown Posse

Our very own version of the Trumpsters. If I was their mother, this would not have a good ending.

[anotherproletariat]

14. I went by there as well...just curious to see if the Berners were as vile as people have said...

I hope I wasn't counted as a supporter! And yes, there was much trash talk and blatantly sexist chanting. For some reason this sort of crowd does seem to feel more entitled than the average voter. I miss the old days of Democratic campaigns where it's obvious most people care first about others. Hopefully Hillary will continue Obama's leadership in this regard.

[Haveadream]

19. You are back from the front!

There was anti-Hillary chanting? That is very depressing. If only it were antiTrump but alas, no.

Thank you for attending on behalf of the Hillary Team!

[George II]

20. The New York City Police estimated the crowd to be less than half that 27,000, and observers...

....said that many in the crowd were NYU students and out of towners. Washington Square Park is surrounded by NYU dormitories.

The Sanders rallies and the crowd they attract are looking more and more like Trump rallies..