1. Last week, I stopped by the Trump rally in Tampa. Outside some protesters had setup camp in a designated "First Amendment" area. Some other protesters had blocked the entrance to the parking lot for the fairgrounds, thinking this would stop people from going.
2. After a while, the line of cars backed up onto 275, and traffic completely, 100% gridlocked. It stopped moving at all. But then the Trump supporters did something interesting... they parked across the street, where there was a large empty lot in front of a hotel.
3. I'm sure we were all technically trespassing, but nobody was going to tow THAT MANY cars. So the line started moving again, and the Lefty protesters blocking the parking lot moved to the First Amendment area.
4. In that field of protesters, I saw several Hammer and Sickle flags and signs. The actual Communists were there in force. A man with a megaphone kept chanting "hey hey, ho ho, Donald Trump has got to go" on endless loop. The megaphone periodically malfunctioned.
5. A white woman grabbed the megaphone and ranted about how the time of white males was ending, and even her father, whom she hated for being a white male, knew this. When she put down the megaphone, I yelled "so you're saying your politics is just daddy issues?" The crowd lol'd.
6. Another woman acted like a gorilla, making ooga-booga noises and claiming that Trump supporters were apes. A black Trump supporter was next to me, so I pointed to him and said "are you saying he's a gorilla? Isn't that kind of racist?" She backpedaled in a hurry.
7. Eventually cops on horseback came in between the Lefties and the Trump supporters, though no violence happened. The Lefties tried to do their 'hey hey, ho ho' chant a few more times, but the Trump supporters chanted "build the wall" and "usa" much louder, even w/o a megaphone.
8. The Trump crowd filled the entire expo hall, and spilled out into the field beyond. It was several thousand people over capacity. Roughly a third of the crowd never even got in the building. But everybody heard when Trump started trashing the media. The laughter was great.
9. Some of the Lefty protesters demanded that police escort them to their cars when the event was over, even though no violence had occurred. Some of them were crying, though for what reason I could not fathom. One hid her face behind a sign and sobbed, trying to escape view.
10. The crowd was very energized. A host of vendors were outside selling various items. Capitalism at its finest, you know? I snagged a "Border Wall Construction Company" shirt with the tagline "build the wall, deport them all." Clever stuff.
11. A lot of us wound up in the Wing House across the street after the event. The place was utterly packed, and every TV was playing Fox News. Not that I'm big on that - I don't care for TV much - but it was probably the only time that had ever happened there.
12. A line had curved around the parking area before the event, and for THAT MANY PEOPLE in that small of a space, everything was very orderly. No shoving, very few line cutters, everything was remarkably civilized - unlike every Democrat event I've ever seen.
13. Even in the frustrating line of cars at the beginning, things were civilized. No honking, middle fingers, or road rage. People were confused that it wasn't moving, but again, very civilized and orderly. Most events with that many people are UGLY.
14. I guess in the end, I expected the Lefties to be more interesting. They were boring, predictable, and their mood was rather somber. They were depressed. I think two years of trashing on Trump to little or not effect has taken its toll on them.
15. The mood among Trump's people was jubilant. Excited. They didn't attack the Lefties because, as far as they were concerned, the Left already lost a long time ago, and nobody had given them the notice. That was a common theme among those I talked to.
16. Jeff Greene, the Democrat candidate for governor, was there along with his tour bus. He barely managed to cobble up *maybe* 100 supporters. His campaign is probably screwed. Tampa area is very Purple. Theoretically he should've had more. That he didn't is interesting.
17. Whatever the case, the rally was fun. And I must admit I was very pleased to heckle the Lefties a bit. Next time he's in town, I intend to do it all again.
