Two Days. Two Candidates. Two Parties. Two very different events.
Bright.
Bright is the first word that comes to mind when stepping into one of the last Hillary Clinton rallies before the New Hampshire primary on Monday.
Not only was the large gymnasium physically glowing with natural sunlight, creating the perfect lighting for Secretary Clinton, but the vibe itself was bright beyond compare. A huge American flag hangs in the background and Kelly Clarkson’s “Stronger” blares from the speakers. Around a thousand eager supporters, (some of whom were not allowed in and stood in the hallway) start their own chants. “I’m with her!” and “It’s time for a woman in the White House.” The excitement is contagious. The energy is hopeful.
Going into Tuesday’s primary, Clinton is behind in the state, but counting on her loyal supporters to at least give her some solid momentum heading into South Carolina and other upcoming primary states.
Clinton didn’t speak as if she was behind, though. She spoke like someone confident in her supporters and confident that she would pull out the win- at least in the general election. This optimism energized the crowd. To look around the room, it was clear that, in here, Clinton is on top.
At the end of the event, the Secretary and her husband walked the inside of the semi-circle of barricades to greet supporters and take a few selfies. Flanked by Secret Service, the Secretary reached for the eager outstretched hands. Clinton’s handshake and greeting was deemed a highlight for many at the event.
Tight.
Tight is the first word that comes to mind when stepping into GOP candidate Marco Rubio’s event.
The vibe there is slightly different. There is less natural light in the stuffy gym and the energy is more defensive than hopeful. Rubio is coming off a shaky debate night (where he was called repetitive and almost robotic) and his crowd can sense it. Only when prompted by Rubio’s campaign manager does his crowd cheer, and when they do, it’s only to do a simple call and response. “Marco….Rubio.”
Going into the primary, Rubio is also behind polls. Yet at his event Rubio seemed to be actively trying to sway more people to vote for him, rather than Clinton who seemed to take for granted that everyone at her event was voting for her. Rubio talked in depth about his policies and used his “purposeful” repetitive technique to make sure the crowd definitely knew where he stood.
Regardless of his possibly defensive stance, Rubio still spoke quite well. He is charismatic and even cracked a few surprising funny one liners, including one about “banning disco music.”
Like Clinton, he too took the time after the event to take a picture and shake everyone in the room’s hand, with one student even crying from happiness. This personable, one-on-one face time with candidates is what makes New Hampshire so great.
These two very different candidates do have something in common. Both have been called the “establishment candidates” for their respective parties. Yet both are struggling to take this title where they want it to go. They are struggling to fit in, yet stand out, and speak up, yet not be too loud.
As far as the events go, at both events Clinton and Rubio were attempting to grasp their last votes for what is shaping up to be a very strange, yet very important race. Both candidates gave it their best shot. They spoke powerfully and convincingly. They spoke with poise and grace. To be honest, on the stage, both seemed like Presidential material.
