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Two Actual Everyday Americans Walk Into A Hillary Clinton Event…
…and get crushed. The challenges of the “everyday” campaign.
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HAMPTON, N.H. — When they heard Hillary Clinton would be here on Friday in Hampton — a small coastal town just south of the Maine border — Lenore and Gary Patton contacted the campaign. They wanted to lend a hand as volunteers. The morning of the event — a roundtable discussion about small businesses at the locally owned Smuttynose Brewing Company — the Pattons arrived early, help set up, and secured the best spot in the house: front row, first two seats.
Lenore, 78, and Gary, 77, had a perfect view of the candidate. Had this been a typical event, the Pattons may not have been able to attend.
Clinton aides emphasize — in every email, memo, and press release — that this campaign is about “everyday Americans.” But as a result of efforts to keep each gathering intimate — allowing Clinton to best “get the input of everyday Americans” — few Americans of that particular stripe actually end up in the room. Clinton’s campaign functions are typically so small that there is barely an audience, just a handful of invited guests, often local Democratic officials.
Last month, before her first event in New Hampshire, a group of young supporters stood outside the venue in the rain, hoping to catch a glimpse of the candidate. Clinton never materialized. But every now and then, one could be seen at the window, face pressed to the glass, hands cupped on either side for a better view.
The roundtable in Hampton was Clinton’s largest yet. About 60 people came — including the Pattons, who described themselves as local activists who “fervently supported” Barack Obama in 2008 and now “fervently support” Clinton. The rest of the group was a mix: some invited by the campaign, some invited by the brewery, and others who’d simply asked to come. According to a Clinton aide, the campaign was able to accommodate nearly every request to attend that they received.
[center]
[/center]
HAMPTON, N.H. — When they heard Hillary Clinton would be here on Friday in Hampton — a small coastal town just south of the Maine border — Lenore and Gary Patton contacted the campaign. They wanted to lend a hand as volunteers. The morning of the event — a roundtable discussion about small businesses at the locally owned Smuttynose Brewing Company — the Pattons arrived early, help set up, and secured the best spot in the house: front row, first two seats.
Lenore, 78, and Gary, 77, had a perfect view of the candidate. Had this been a typical event, the Pattons may not have been able to attend.
Clinton aides emphasize — in every email, memo, and press release — that this campaign is about “everyday Americans.” But as a result of efforts to keep each gathering intimate — allowing Clinton to best “get the input of everyday Americans” — few Americans of that particular stripe actually end up in the room. Clinton’s campaign functions are typically so small that there is barely an audience, just a handful of invited guests, often local Democratic officials.
Last month, before her first event in New Hampshire, a group of young supporters stood outside the venue in the rain, hoping to catch a glimpse of the candidate. Clinton never materialized. But every now and then, one could be seen at the window, face pressed to the glass, hands cupped on either side for a better view.
The roundtable in Hampton was Clinton’s largest yet. About 60 people came — including the Pattons, who described themselves as local activists who “fervently supported” Barack Obama in 2008 and now “fervently support” Clinton. The rest of the group was a mix: some invited by the campaign, some invited by the brewery, and others who’d simply asked to come. According to a Clinton aide, the campaign was able to accommodate nearly every request to attend that they received.
Read What Happened Next.
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