Whether it’s roping off reporters or not taking questions from media for extended periods of time, Hillary Clinton has ushered plenty of criticism upon herself for being controlling, cautious, and scripted.
"It reinforces our role as the herd. It’s unfortunate for her, because I think it definitely provides an image that looks scripted, it looks controlled … She’s a very cautious candidate at the moment. She’s not out there answering a lot of questions. You saw that picture of Jeb Bush wading into the crowd, and even if the questions are uncomfortable, he’s going to answer them. She has not given that impression, and the rope doesn’t help that image," New York Times reporter Peter Baker recently said of Hillary’s recent media-containment methods.
Turns out, Hillary also has a very specific guide on how to throw a house party in her honor. Hillary for America has even gone as far as crafting eight pages of instructions on hosting a party that reads no differently than a How To Throw a House Party For Dummies guide.
"Everyday Americans need a champion. I want to be that champion," the top of the Hillary for America "House Party Host Guide" begins.
Decent start. The following are excerpts–the full party-planning guide can be viewed below. Now to the important details:
What is a house party?
"House parties are gatherings of people they can be friends, neighbors, people you know from work or anyone else you’ve chosen to invite who come together to learn more about Hillary for America. What you do at your house party is up to you, but the most important thing is to have fun and get everyone to sign up to be a supporter of Hillary Clinton," the guide states, just in case someone has never heard of a house party before.
Why host a party?
"House parties are important because supporters like you talking to the people in your lives is the single most effective way to build Hillary’s campaign. People are more likely to vote for Hillary when friends, family members and neighbors explain the issues and Hillary’s desire to be a champion for everyday Americans. These parties also provide an opportunity for attendees to sign up for the campaign and have fun."
Moving on…
How do I host a house party?
This is a critical section within the guide. First, partiers will have to select a date. Bullet points are included in this portion, making it a breeze to skim through.
SELECT A DATE
- "Be mindful of holidays, local events, and traditions like the Big Game, so you don’t create a conflict for your attendees and you get great turnout."
CHOOSE YOUR VENUE
- Most house parties will take place in someone’s home this will help determine how many people to invite. You can invite 5 people or 500; whatever makes you comfortable is the right number.
INVITE YOUR GUESTS
- Set a goal for how many people you want to attend your party. But remember, not everyone you invite will be able to attend. Invite about double the number of attendees you actually want to show up to be sure to hit your goal.
Now that they’ve established those essentials, we’ll skip a section dealing with what to do on the big day of the party and get right into what to do during the party.
During the party
PLAN YOUR AGENDA
- Here’s a possible agenda for your party. But don’t worry, these are just suggestions you know your folks best, so customize until it works for you.
- Introduce yourself
- Share some reasons why you’re convinced Hillary is the right person to be our next president.
- Invite others to share their storyeveryone will get excited to talk about why they support Hillary.
- If you have good internet and a place to show it, you might show a video. Check out to see the latest from the campaign.
After the party, team Hillary tells hosts to ask the attendees to donate, volunteer, and sign up to help the campaign.
The most important step, according to the campaign, is hitting in the data of every person who attended and send it back to the campaign.
"It is critical for you to send all the signups you gathered back to the campaign so we can follow up with you guests–and so you get credit for your great work. In fact, we’ll have a special surprise for the host who registers the most guests, and it is not to be missed," they instruct.
Here is the full guide, which was originally obtained by the Sunlight Foundation.