If you're like many pundits who question whether Hillary Clinton has a devoted,Kelly the Coed 1 (1999) passionate fan base, try checking behind closed doors.
On Pantsuit Nation, a secret Facebook group for Clinton supporters, more than a million people (and counting) have gathered to share emotional reflections on why they're voting for the first female presidential candidate from a major political party.
SEE ALSO: Bey is bringing it home for Hillary Clinton in ClevelandThe diverse testimonials have one thing in common: they gush over Clinton. Many contributors, however, talk about how they fear sharing those sentiments with family, friends and neighbors. There are pictures of Clinton lawn signs that have been resurrected after vandalism and selfies of people who've just been confronted by Trump supporters but stayed calm.
Those anxieties give way to an outpouring of gratitude from supporters, both men and women, who feel like they've finally found their "tribe." There are joyful pictures from people who've voted early and photos of women born before suffrage who just cast a ballot for Clinton.
Seriously, I'm getting dehydrated watching these ads and reading posts from the FB #PantsuitNation page.
— 🌊 (@leahmcelrath) November 5, 2016
So much love.
So much goodness.
Heartfelt recollections of meeting or working with Clinton pop up frequently. So do tales of oppression and misfortune. There are women who've been discouraged from going to school, working or voting; people who say the election has led to heightened racism and discrimination; lesbian and gay couples who refuse to surrender the federal right to marry; and the ill who are counting on Obamacare to survive.
The dozens or sometimes hundreds of empathetic, supportive replies create a sense of optimistic unity even in the face of sorrow.
This is no pity party, though. Spending time on Pantsuit Nation is akin to hearing a chorus of battle cries. And they all flout conventional wisdom, which says that while Clinton may be decent and overly qualified, she simply doesn't inspire.
This Tweet is currently unavailable. It might be loading or has been removed.
Try telling that to members of Pantsuit Nation.
When Libby Chamberlain started the secret group more than two weeks ago, she never anticipated it would become a huge digital force capable of fundraising and organizing.
Instead, it was like a release valve. The 33-year-old mother of two had watched the final debate and was outraged when Donald Trump called Clinton a "nasty woman."
"[Pantsuit Nation] is not a place to convince anyone how great she is — it’s a place to celebrate how great she is."
The next day, after telling a friend how fabulous Clinton looked in her white pantsuit and hearing that younger girls thought it was dowdy, she decided to start the group with a simple aim: encourage about three dozen friends to wear pantsuits on Nov. 8 when they voted for Clinton.
Those friends invited their friends and so on and so on. The ripple effect was lightning fast: Within a day, Chamberlain told Mashable, the group's membership reached 24,000. By the evening of Nov. 5, more than two weeks after its launch, Pantsuit Nation claimed one million members -- 150,000 more than earlier in the day.
"The internet is full right now of every possible combination of things being said [about Clinton] except for this," said Chamberlain, who is not currently working in coordination with the campaign. "[Pantsuit Nation] is not a place to convince anyone how great she is. It’s a place to celebrate how great she is."
The group's rapid growth, which is uncommon for secret Facebook groups, has posed some challenges. Chamberlain added two-dozen moderators to help manage the page; they all have jobs, and some have kids. At one point Friday there were 1,800 pending posts.
This Tweet is currently unavailable. It might be loading or has been removed.
The spike in membership early on triggered a temporary pause on adding new members, the result of a Facebook review process that helps prevent spam. While Chamberlain could see some people dropping out of the group, that number was for outpaced by those clamoring to get in: "Everyone was hammering on the doors within the group saying, 'This is so amazing, let’s add more people.'"
New members can only be added by existing members, which is designed to prevent trolls from joining. Still, a small number of Trump-supporting interlopers have been blocked for abusive posts or comments.
The group also has clear rules: No poll updates, memes, videos or news articles. You can "go high," but don't be mean. Posts are more likely to be approved if they're "personal narratives." The goal is to make Pantsuit Nation feel like a "positive, energizing space."
This Tweet is currently unavailable. It might be loading or has been removed.
Chamberlain has been accused of attempting to block out opposing viewpoints, an increasingly easy thing to do on Facebook thanks to an algorithm that presents content in line with one's personal preferences and views.
But Chamberlain doesn't see Pantsuit Nation as a refusal to acknowledge criticism of Clinton. It's more like an oasis in a desert -- members can seek refuge when they need to, get encouragement and go back into a world that often feels hostile to Clinton supporters.
The group isn't perfect. It's size and diversity (think progressives, independents and Republicans of all backgrounds) mean not everyone may express their feelings as sensitively as the next woke liberal. But there's no infighting yet, something Chamberlain attributes to the "all hands on deck" mentality.
"It's so clear that people are thankful to be in this space," she said. "Everyone wants it to succeed."
This Tweet is currently unavailable. It might be loading or has been removed.
What comes next is less clear. The group started tracking its donations and found members had donated $84,000 by Saturday evening, though there's no way to confirm that figure. A similar tally of phone banking efforts showed that members made more than 2,900 calls.
Given the momentum, Chamberlain is prepared to turn Pantsuit Nation's passion toward making sure that Clinton succeeds as president if she's elected.
"All of us in this group want to see her win, but we all recognize that’s just one of many steps," she said. "It’s not the last one."
Welcome to Pantsuit Nation.
Topics Facebook Social Media Elections Hillary Clinton Politics
I Once Bought a Huge Wrap in a Walgreens in Manhattan by Ed AtkinsAI robocalls are officially illegal, FCC declaresMallarmé’s Poetry of the Void by Quentin MeillassouxTennessee vs. TAMU basketball livestreams: Game time, streaming dealsTennessee vs. TAMU basketball livestreams: Game time, streaming dealsUK vs. Zags basketball livestreams: Game time, streaming dealsDreams from the Third Reich by Charlotte BeradtBest Xbox deal: Get a $10 eIs Robert Frost Even a Good Poet? by Jessica LaserTrump's climate order puts 'China first' in clean energyTracings by Sarah AzizaSix Handbags by Simon WuThe Last Day of His Life by J. D. DanielsApple approved a fake 'LastPass Password Manager' app for the App StoreA Journey Through Four Gyms by Vivian HuEPA mistakenly tells the truth about Trump's climate plansThere and back: Elon Musk's SpaceX makes history with epic rocket launch and landingWho are the 2024 Super Bowl referee, judges?Netflix's 'One Day' review: A magnificent ode to long loveChiefs vs 49ers livestream: How to watch the big game for free Airlines ban MacBooks from checked baggage, even non Trump's POTUS Twitter account had an image from Obama's inauguration in 2009 Elon Musk promised cheaper Tesla Insurance and it's here, sorta Here's George W. Bush trying his best to figure out how ponchos work at the inauguration We made a bracket to crown the greatest scammer in recent history It rained on Donald Trump. Is it a blessing, the sky weeping or just, you know, weather? Tristan Trump stole the show from his grandpa on Inauguration Day Here's what everyone was dying to know during Trump's inauguration Sir Ian McKellen sign was a Sir Patrick Stewart meme at Women's March 'Rise of the Resistance': Inside Disney's most ambitious ride Twitter just isn't enough. President Trump takes to Snapchat. Lizzo's 'Truth Hurts' inspires a bunch of DNA test memes Trump's press secretary Sean Spicer has an odd, long Facebook launches bug bounty program for Libra Women in this country are marching for their right to go out YouTube Kids is branching off with a separate website An insane number of people in pussyhats attend the Women's March on Washington Apple will let more independent repair shops fix iPhones This is how self Amazing football street performer has all the right moves
1.9242s , 10157.5625 kb
Copyright © 2025 Powered by 【Kelly the Coed 1 (1999)】,Creation Information Network