It shouldn't come as any great surprise that not only are Christy Clark and Adrian Dix almost polar opposite as individuals and not only are the Liberals and the NDP in sharp political contrast to one another but their supporters couldn't be more different, too.
Clark's rally nearly two weeks ago at the campaign office for Mike Morris and Shirley Bond was loud and boisterous. The room was so packed that the fire marshall would have shut the whole thing down if he had stopped by. The crowd spilled out onto the Victoria Street sidewalk and speakers were set up outside the doors so those on the sidewalk could still hear Clark's rousing speech.
Except for a silly moment when she lost the crowd by telling the clichd story about the alligator and the scorpion, Clark fired up the Liberal troops with a "go get 'em, team!" speech that spoke to heart and emotions. Before she got there, the room was buzzing with anticipation and it was vibrating with energy by the time she left. Political veteran Shirley Bond was clearly moved by the passion and enthusiasm of her leader and her supporters.
If the Liberal rally was day, then the NDP rally Wednesday couldn't have been more night. Except for roughly the same number of people at both, the two rallies had absolutely nothing in common.
Local NDP candidates Bobby Deepak and Sherry Ogasawara did an admirable job of firing up the crowd, which had been somewhat subdued before they took the stage, chatting quietly in the spacious room. While one former NDP candidate pointed out that the NDP couldn't have got 10 per cent the number of people out in 2001, the room wasn't packed, either.
Dix entered the room to Jackie Wilson's Higher and Higher, a fine R&B track used extensively by Barack Obama during his 2008 presidential campaign. That's about the only time Dix's name should be used with Obama's in the same sentence. Dix is so bad at public speaking that he makes Stephen Harper sound like Martin Luther King Jr.
Dix started off promising, hitting the stage with the swagger of a man who knows he's going to be premier in less than two weeks and telling the room "we gotta get this done."
And then he was off on a series of tangents, obliviously strolling down professorial side streets, throwing around numbers to show Clark and the Liberals can't keep their facts straight before completely losing his audience by talking about how the TV and film industry actually has relevance to the north.
The applause was polite, almost forced, in stark contrast to the lusty cheers from the Liberal audience for Clark.
Maybe that had something to do with the makeup of the audience.
The supporters Clark spoke to were almost exclusively white and upper class, with three city councillors on hand, surrounded by many other well-known and well-connected individuals like themselves. The dress code was business casual with not a lot of denim in the crowd.
Dix looked out over an impressive racially diverse audience that was definitely more middle and working class. Ball caps and blue jeans were numerous and the only men in the room who wore both a tie and a jacket were the ones running for office.
While no one should base their vote solely on the public speaking talent of the candidates and the ability of their parties to organize public rallies, both of those skills should still count for something. If only it were so easy as to know how much that should count.
If only it were easier to see beyond the obvious.
Clark is a gifted communicator but some people just don't seem to believe her or like what she says.
Dix lacks charisma and struggles with clearly and succinctly articulating his vision, yet some people can't help themselves but root for him and his views.
Undecided voters have 12 more days to see how much substance is behind Clark's style and how much substance is behind Dix's lack of style.
Nobody said voting was easy.
