Hillary supporters: We're excited, too, but also practical
| Riverside, Calif.
In a sea of soberly dressed supporters, Debbie Boyd dazzles.
The retired deputy sheriff wears a white straw hat on which a miniature Hillary Clinton doll sits, surrounded by flowers and little American flags. Red, white, and blue peace signs clatter around her neck, and 鈥淗illary鈥� stickers adorn her cheeks. She even carries around a picture-book biography of Mrs. Clinton that she hopes to get autographed.
鈥淪he sends a message to little girls about what it means to be a leader,鈥� says Ms. Boyd, a mother of two, when asked what excites her about her candidate.
Few others standing in line for the Clinton rally at the University of California, Riverside on Tuesday wear their support as overtly as Boyd, a former Republican who switched parties to vote for Barack Obama in 2008. The orderly, almost quiet scene outside the venue seems to illustrate one of the most persistent criticisms leveled against Clinton: her lack of likability, expressed in part by a relative disinterest among her supporters.
And when placed beside the more outspoken advocates for Vermont Sen. Bernie Sanders 鈥� some of whom came to the Tuesday rally to protest Clinton鈥檚 candidacy 鈥� or the outrage that marks followers of presumptive Republican nominee Donald Trump, Clinton voters do appear almost dispassionate.
But none of that means the former secretary of State fails to inspire, her supporters say. To them, the ability to excite and rile up a crowd is less important than experience, a sense of respect, and the skill to negotiate one鈥檚 way out of a problem. These voters say they choose to show their enthusiasm in less sensational ways, whether it鈥檚 donating to Clinton鈥檚 campaign or encouraging others to educate themselves and turn out to vote.
鈥淚鈥檓 not looking for someone to entertain me,鈥� says Boyd, as she squats on the grass to add tinsel to her 鈥淗illary鈥� poster. 鈥淚鈥檓 looking for someone to lead this country.鈥�
'We are very enthusiastic'
Which isn鈥檛 to say passion doesn鈥檛 exist among Clinton supporters. Inside the Johnson Family Practice Center at UC-Riverside, a current of anticipation runs through the gathering 鈥� an intimate affair that is typical of Clinton鈥檚 rallies. When she at last appears just after 6 p.m., the crowd cheers, waving campaign-issued balloons and posters.
鈥淲e are very enthusiastic,鈥� says Sebastiano Grasso, a local artist, dismissing any suggestion that Clinton is unable to galvanize her supporters. 鈥淲e鈥檙e just not punching people, yelling at people.鈥�
Others, like Carrie Lucas, say they show their enthusiasm with actions, not words. Ms. Lucas, a ballroom dancing instructor from Corona, Calif., says she donates to the Clinton campaign with every paycheck.
鈥淚 put my money where my mouth is,鈥� she says.
Denise Davis, a school administrator at the University of Redlands, defends Clinton鈥檚 ability to move her constituency.
鈥淚f you鈥檝e ever seen her live in person, she鈥檚 completely energizing,鈥� Ms. Davis says, recalling how she managed to convince her mother to vote for Clinton over President Obama in the 2008 Democratic primaries.聽鈥淪he went to see Hillary speak and that鈥檚 what swayed her decision.鈥澛�
But Davis's support for the former secretary of State goes beyond optics. To her, Clinton聽embodies progress that is earned over decades.聽
鈥淪he鈥檚 very much interested in progressive, social change, and she鈥檚 in a position to make that change happen,鈥� Davis says. 鈥淪he would be the first female president 鈥� that鈥檚 huge in itself. But she has the best ability to make change happen.
鈥淭hat鈥檚 what fires me about her.鈥�
Solutions, not slogans
Likability was not always a criterion for electability. Indeed, the Founding Fathers would 鈥�,鈥� Slate鈥檚 John Dickerson noted in 2012.
鈥淚n their day,鈥� he wrote, 鈥渘o man worthy of the presidency would ever stoop to campaigning for it.鈥�
Particularly since the advent of television, however, the charm factor has haunted many a losing candidate.
鈥淭here鈥檚 an assumption that the candidate you want to win is the candidate you prefer to鈥� hang out with, says Jennifer Lawless, director of the Women and Politics Institute at American University鈥檚 School of Public Affairs in Washington. 鈥淚t becomes a cue for whether [or not] you trust this person, whether they鈥檒l understand people like you, whether they鈥檒l have your interests at stake, whether they get what it鈥檚 like to be a real American living in this country right now. It鈥檚 all rolled up in this term called 鈥榣ikability.鈥� 鈥�
鈥淚 don鈥檛 think Hillary Clinton 鈥� comes off as a warm and fuzzy person you want to hang out with after work,鈥� she says.
And it shows, at least in the polls. As of mid-May, only of Americans saw Clinton as a favorable candidate, according to the Huffington Post, which tracks data from more than 400 surveys nationwide. Mr. Trump is doing just worse, with of voters viewing him as favorable in the same period. The figures represent some of the for presidential candidates in American history. 聽
For Clinton, the problem is that 鈥渋t鈥檚 hard from the outside to think of any non-career or pre-career aspect to her life,鈥� writes . 鈥淓xcept for a few grandma references, she presents herself as a r茅sum茅 and policy brief.鈥� It鈥檚 hard from the outside to have a sense of her as a person; she is a role.鈥�
Yet the folks at the Clinton rally on Tuesday applaud her rational approach, saying they support her precisely because she is about her work and not her celebrity.
鈥淪he has done so much for this country,鈥� says Earlene Freeman, a retired registered nurse, as she leans on her walker. 鈥淪he will better represent the values that I have; she wants people to reach their potential.鈥�
鈥淎nd it鈥檚 time for a woman to be president,鈥� she says.
Clinton鈥檚 younger supporters seem to be thinking along similar lines.
鈥淗er approach is very analytical,鈥� says Callie Scoggins, a senior at Redlands East Valley High School, about a half-hour drive from Riverside. 鈥淪he won鈥檛 be quick to do something without considering the consequences.鈥�
鈥淲hat it comes down to,鈥� adds Tyler Washington, a new graduate at Riverside, 鈥渋s that the other candidates are like the tooth fairy or Santa Claus, offering magical rewards. Clinton is like the mom telling you to eat your vegetables.鈥�
That may not make her likable, he says, but 鈥渢hose thinking with their brains understand what鈥檚 more important.鈥�
鈥淲e don鈥檛 need a slogan,鈥� adds Mr. Grasso, the artist. 鈥淲e need solutions.鈥�
