The NPR Politics Podcast - We've Attended Thousands of Political Rallies. Here's How They Work.

Episode Date: January 20, 2020

Every political rally can be distilled to a few elements: the music, the stump, and the call to action. But each candidate's rallies look a bit different than those of their competitors.In this episode, NPR's Scott Detrow, Asma Khalid, and Don Gonyea talk through the rally styles of Joe Biden, Elizabeth Warren, Bernie Sanders, and Pete Buttigieg.(We'll talk about President Trump's rallies in a later episode.)Connect:Subscribe to the NPR Politics Podcast here.Email the show at [e-mail] the NPR Politics Podcast Facebook Group.Subscribe to the NPR Politics Newsletter.Find and support your local public radio station.Learn more about sponsor message choices: podcastchoices.com/adchoicesNPR Privacy Policy

Hey, guys, Tam here. And a little programming note, the Senate impeachment trial begins on Tuesday. We don't know how long it's going to go, but we're planning to cover it here on the podcast. So we may be a little bit late. We may not be in your feeds right at five o'clock. But please check back as soon as the impeachment proceedings are over. We will be there for you. Hey there, it's the NPR Politics Podcast. I'm Scott Detrow. I cover the presidential campaign. I'm Asma Khalid. I also cover the campaign. And I am Don Gagne, national political correspondent. And guess what, guys? After a year of talking about it, we are now down to two weeks before the Iowa caucuses, which means a lot of us are spending

a lot of time in Iowa. And the thing we spend the most time doing is going to rallies. Asma, Don, you've been to a lot. I've been to a lot. Don, I think you've been to the most. How many rallies do you think you've been to? One million. Wow.

I mean, look, Don, I wouldn't put it past you. You've been doing this for a while. It's been, let's say, thousands and thousands. But this is going back to Mike Dukakis and George H.W. Bush. So there. Put you on the spot. Your favorite rally ever. Most memorable rally ever.

One specific one. Well, it's any rally where Aretha Franklin would show up and sing. Okay. I've been to a handful of those. And, you know, that's a moment. Yeah. That's a moment. Yeah. So sadly, no Aretha Franklin rallies in the 2020 cycle.

None. Nobody who really comes close to her. But still, we've been covering a lot of these rallies. We're going to talk about the typical rally experience for the four main candidates today. But let's just start with this. Asma, what would you say the point of the rally is? Because these campaigns are running commercials, they have volunteers out knocking on doors, but they still think it's worth spending the bulk of their time holding these rallies. What exactly does it do? So I think it's twofold. One is that these essentially are pep rallies, right? They're meant to energize the home team, folks who are already excited to support a particular candidate. And the second is that it's informational. There are folks you

meet at these rallies who are still sort of undecided, who are coming to just hear the candidate in person. I mean, these are shows. The candidates have a kind of scripted performance, right? There's music that they walk onto. There's the same, relatively the same speech that they give every time. And when they come to these rallies, you know, they've got to sign in. And there's campaign organizers there, there to collect their email addresses, their phone numbers to make sure they, you know, actually show up when it counts, either on voting day or caucus day. And it's about camaraderie. It's about buzz. It's about having the people who support you or who are thinking of supporting you feel like they're part of this community. And we all like to be in a room with people who agree with us and share some of the same beliefs that we have.

And I think you can't underestimate the power of that. And, of course, making news, you have the national reporters like us who are there. And you also have a lot of local reporters, local TV stations, local newspapers who are out there covering the fact that these candidates are in their communities. That's right. And it is an opportunity to comment and get yourself on the news, responding to whatever the news of the day is. Before we walk through the kind of standards and most likely things you would see at a Biden,

a Sanders, a Warren, and a Buttigieg rally, what are some of the things that you see at rallies across the board? I'll say one thing that I've noticed a lot this campaign is that before the start of every rally for every candidate, you'll have a volunteer from the campaign get on stage and not only talk about why they support that candidate, but they'll talk

about the specific issue that motivated them to get involved and join from the first place. It's almost like this person is a proxy for the rest of the room to kick it off. And there's always from that person and from the candidate as well, But in that opening speech, some kind of a call to action, to volunteer, to pick up a packet so you can go canvassing, to start phone banking, tell your friends, whatever it is. And there's often people selling paraphernalia for the candidate, whether it's buttons or t-shirts. Exactly, exactly.

And we saw this a lot with Donald Trump. I mean, there was a lot said about his campaign rallies, just the kind of like festive atmosphere around them. And I think that, you know, his rallies kind of took on a life of their own. But I think that there's kind of commonalities around what a rally experience is like. It's about the merchandise, right? It's about, as Don was saying, the camaraderie. And it's about just sort of feeling like you've got a sense. I mean, pep rallies is what I just keep coming back to because it reminds me of a pep rally. I don't know if y'all had pep rallies in high school, but we did. And it reminds me kind of of those. If you want to buy a t-shirt of Bernie Sanders as a Muppet,

a Bernie Sanders rally is the place where you can get that t-shirt. I will just mention because he mentioned Trump rallies right there. We are not going to talk about Donald Trump's rallies today, but we are going to do a future podcast soon having this conversation about what you see at a Trump rally. So let's walk through the candidates. And Don, let's start with Joe Biden. I feel like Joe Biden, you and I have both seen him a lot in the last week in particular as well as well as the last year. There's a lot of things that you're probably going to hear and you're probably going to see at every single Joe Biden rally you go to. You would not even know Joe Biden has opponents, for starters, in the Democratic nominating process. He doesn't talk about anybody else in the field. And he talks every time in that kind of very folksy Joe Biden style about the stakes.

I honestly, God, believe that that eight years of Donald Trump will change the character of this country. I think the character of America is literally on the ballot, not a joke. It's much more than just the presidency. Not a joke. Not exactly. One time Donald Trump getting elected, well, that's an aberration. If it happens twice, it's something that tells us there's something wrong with our country is essentially how he puts it. And it's something that will change the country forever. So that's the main thing that you really get from him. And there's a line he repeats often about restoring the soul of the nation.

And that's what it comes down to for him. I mean, I will say I find that he sometimes does have a little bit more, what do you call it, sort of an impromptu nature to some of his speeches, which I will say I enjoy because sometimes you don't always know what he's going to say. But there's the Bidenisms, the way of speaking that feels very similar, regardless of where you hear him. A lot of folks, you know, things like that. Yeah. And I think like the secondary main message that you'll hear from Biden a lot. It starts with that kind of soul of the nation. And then part two is and I have the most experience of everybody running. And that is the only point where he

kind of even acknowledges that there's a Democratic primary. When he talks about all of his experience, his foreign policy experience, he'll often say, I know every single world leader, you know, things like that, making the case that he is unique among the Democrats running. I'm going to say something outrageous. I've spent a lot of my life dealing with foreign policy. I've met every major world leader in the last 35 years, not because I'm important, because the nature of my job, the jobs I had. And let's not forget, at some point early on in every event, he pulls out of his back pocket that reference to, quote, my buddy Barack. In case you forgot.

In case you forgot. Yeah. Last thing to say about Biden. Very similar playlist every time. A lot of Bruce Springsteen. And he always ends, which I enjoy because I love the song and every different version of it. Your love is lifting me higher. Yeah. The playlist is kind of a reflection of the message in a lot of ways. Not just for him, for everyone.

All right, we're going to take a quick break now. When we come back, we will walk through the typical Elizabeth Warren, Bernie Sanders, and Pete Buttigieg rally. Support for this podcast and the following message come from UStudio. UStudio hosts, manages, and distributes private, secure podcasts for businesses. Their innovative enterprise solution

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at theletterustudio.com. The world is complicated, but knowing the past can help us understand it so much better. That's where we come in. I'm Randa Abdel-Fattah. I'm Ramteen Arablui, and we're the hosts of ThruLine, NPR's history podcast. Every week, we'll dig into forgotten stories from the moments that shaped our world. ThruLine, from NPR. Listen and subscribe now. All right, we are back. Now we're going to talk Bernie Sanders. We already talked about one standard of a Bernie Sanders rally, and that is all the merchandise that you can buy

out front. There's a lot more than any other Democratic candidate. What else do you see at every Bernie rally? Is there a more old school candidate than Bernie Sanders? And it is so much about his personality, his Bernie-ness, if you will. I saw him in Mason City, Iowa recently on a pretty cold night. And you walk in and right off the bat, there's the folk singer. I believe his name was Mississippi Jake, looking a lot like a Woody Guthrie character. And sure enough, playing a Woody Guthrie song for the people who were there early. It's such a cliche, but it's also perfect.

What about the speech itself? Bernie is the no-nonsense guy. I mean, I kind of jokingly tell people he almost doesn't need to speak. In that you know exactly what he's going to say. Yeah, and he could kind of just like gesture, right? And you've got the classic Bernie audience there on a Saturday night, which is a lot of young people who are really kind of caught up in his progressive and stand up to the powers that be and tell the truth about these things. And that is big corporations, that is big oil companies, big pharmaceutical companies, lobbyists, tearing down this system and rebuilding it so that it's more equitable.

I have a question, though, for you all. Do you find him taking photos a lot after events? And I ask this because I think Joe Biden and Elizabeth Warren really like relish those interactions. And when I've been out with Bernie Sanders, I don't always see that. think is actually very charming to his crowd because it's so on brand for him and it's something that they love about him where uh there was a moment in nevada where he said all right everybody let's do selfies oh what i'd like to do now if it's okay with you if anybody would like to come up and do a selfie we love to do it anybody want to do that okay let's do it thank Thank you all very much. But it is not a Norman. Actually, that is the perfect pivot to Elizabeth Warren, who is made taking a picture with every single person who wants to,

no matter how big the crowd, the defining characteristic of her rallies. There is a selfie line. She announces with great joy, it's time for selfies. Who wants to take a selfie? Now, technically, these are not selfies because somebody else takes the pictures. But a long, long, long line forms that snakes through the event space, no matter how big it is. And it has become this formalized thing. And people really look forward to having their moment with the candidate, not just for the picture. Some of them will kind of speak in hushed tones with her about something personal in their life or whatever. And she

listens. And that's what she's conveying there. I mean, she has a pretty standard message that she's been delivering for a long time. And this is, again, around the need to root out corruption. And so when you go to her rallies, you often hear organizers kind of lead cheers, and then the crowd chimes in, you know, and everyone will start chanting two cents, two cents. And that's in reference to the two cent wealth tax that she's introduced on billionaires. And so, you know, there is this energy at her rallies that you hear from the crowd often around her message, particularly around, again, income inequality. And I would add two things. I think of more than most of the candidates, she also weaves in her

life story to her message in a way. It's consistent from rally to rally. And I think it really is effective with the crowd talking about her mother's struggle to raise her in Oklahoma, talking about her struggle in early years to balance being a mother with trying to launch a career. And it's really the same story each time. But no matter where it is, I see the crowd really getting moved by it. And the other thing that I have to say is this has happened to me a few times. Elizabeth Warren makes this point of running into her event, running onto the stage. And several times now, I have been sitting at the edge of the press row next to the aisle, kind of zoned out a little bit, looking at my phone, looking at my computer, taking notes. And all of a sudden, this blur will whoosh by in my peripheral vision and startle me.

And what it is, is Elizabeth Warren running to the stage as Dolly Parton's 9 to 5 plays, which she plays to start every rally. Join me in welcoming Elizabeth Warren to Davenport. It's a way for her to also demonstrate both her earnestness and her energy. And she greets the crowd as though they're a room full of complete strangers who've never heard of her before. Hi, I'm Elizabeth Warren. I'm running for president. It's nice to meet you. They all know that. They're all there to volunteer in many cases, but she is not afraid of kind of showing that kind of almost over-the-top energy. And it's the public school teacher in her.

It's the college professor in her. And it's the policy wonk in her who has thought long and hard about every question they might possibly present her with. All right, let's shift gears now to Pete Buttigieg. Asma, you've covered him a lot, particularly the last week or so in Iowa. What are the standards of the Pete Buttigieg rally? So he comes out to this song, High Hopes, which you all might know is connected with his campaign because there was a sort of viral dance video that his campaign staffers do this song. And this is the song that he always will walk out onto on stage.

And I think what's interesting about Pete Buttigieg when you see him out campaigning is he has a really short stump speech. You know, I timed it. Sometimes it's as short as 10 minutes. Sometimes it's maybe 15 minutes. And then he opens it up to questions. And, you know, he doesn't talk extensively about himself. You know, he obviously talks about being from Indiana, which, you know, he tries to kind of, I think, strike this common chord with folks here in Iowa that he's a fellow Midwesterner. He'll give a nod to the fact that his marriage

might not have existed in the past, referencing the fact that he would be the first openly gay president ever elected in history. But it's not something he talks about extensively on the stump. And that I find really interesting. You know, he really doesn't weave so much of the personal into his speech. His speech is much broader. It's very aspirational. It's talking about the day that the sun comes up after Donald Trump is out of office. I'm always thinking about this day that's in our future that I'm asking you to picture and think about. And it's that first day that the sun comes up in Jasper County and Donald Trump is no longer the president of the United States.

He talks about the fact that he wants Democrats to be able to engage in this faith conversation, that Republicans shouldn't just have a monopoly on faith issues. And I find that it's an aspirational message. You know, he's been ending a lot of his stump speeches with this idea of hope. Let's have a better sense of what it means to protect this country. And remember that protecting this country means protecting each other. Reminds me a little bit, to be honest, of Barack Obama. And man, I know, Don, you saw quite a bit. He would love you to think that. He definitely is trying to strike those parallels here in Iowa that, you know, Iowans gave Barack Obama a shot and that's what launched him.

And yeah, I mean, to your point, they, do say a lot of the same things that I heard at Obama events early on about embracing you is that we are about to get to that point in the campaign where it's not just concentrated on this handful of early states and the map really starts to expand. In March, the Democrats will be campaigning all over the United States because we'll have several weeks where multiple states are voting at once. If you do go to a rally, look in the back. You might see us. Feel free to come say hi.

All right. That is a wrap for today. We'll be back in your feed tomorrow. Until then, you can head to n.pr slash politics group to join our Facebook group as a place for you to connect with other listeners, ask your questions about politics and talk to us. I'm Scott Detrow. I cover the campaign. I'm Asma Khalid. I'm also covering the campaign. And I'm Don Gagne, doing the same, covering national politics. Thank you for listening to the NPR Politics Podcast.