Earlier this month, after a year of relentless publicity, in the heart of one of the most liberal, anti-Republican cities in America, the Labor Day protests at the Republican National convention – which had been expected to draw 50-100,000 people, drew between five and ten thousand. On Labor Day – when most people aren’t working. In Saint Paul. By any rational assessment, the protests – if indeed their intent was to get a message across to the delegates – were an epic failure.

On the other hand, last week, 13,000 people (according to the TSA) showed up to see Mac and Sarah at Blaine Airport. The meeting had had one week’s notice, and was held in the middle of a busy workday in a hanger at an obscure airport in a g-dforsaken north-suburban airport halfway between Minneapolis and Winnipeg. Republicans have jobs; we don’t usually go to rallies or demonstrations at all. And yet 13,000 people showed up at an event where they were expecting less than 2/3 as many.

On Saturday on the NARN show, I spent an entire hour taking calls from people who’d been at the rally. It was the third-busiest day I’ve ever seen on the phones for the Volume II NARN show (rivalled only by the days Terry Schiavo and Pope John Paul II died). To call the callers “enthusiastic” would be hopelessly understated. And to call them all “Traditional movement Republicans” would be inaccurate as well; I got calls from apostate Democrats, from people whose first rally in fifty years the Blaine event had been, from people who’d gone from planning to stay home on election day to volunteering for the McCain Campaign.

That is enthusiasm.

This? Not so much:

Well, John McCain did draw a large crowd to his rally up in Blaine yesterday – something in the neighborhood of 10,000 people. Not bad. But you want to know what is really impressive? The Obama counter-rally at Peavey Plaza, which did not feature either Barack Obama OR Joe Biden (or even a state-wide elected official) drew 3,500 people! (Added by Aaron: …and it was only announced two days in advance!)

In Downtown Minneapolis, if you yell on a loudspeaker “The DFL and the most holy Obama command you to wear aluminum-foil pants”, 5,000 people will be seen clad in Reynolds Wrap the next morning. It won’t matter – most of them will be either unemployed or government workers. Minneapolis DFLers go to rallies like Republicans raise kids and have jobs. Given that Obama’s entire electoral strength is in state capitols and university towns (the Twin Cities is both in spades), 3,500 in the middle of a “work” day is pretty run of the mill.
There’s really no comparison.

But please. Tell yourself it’s significant.