At least in this post, I’m not advocating for any particular political position; I mean for this to be a more generalized discussion.
I have never understood what prompts people to attend political rallies. None of the current US political candidates 100% align with my views, but I am very confident that I made the right choice in who I voted for. That is to say, I’d consider myself a strong supporter of [name here].
To me, it feels like attending a political rally is like attending a college lecture. You have a person giving you information, but you don’t gain anything by hearing it in-person as opposed to reading it or watching a recording. If I want to learn something, it’s much more comfortable for me to read and article or watch a video in the comfort of my own home. If I want to understand what a political candidate stands for, I’d much rather watch a recording of a town-hall meeting or read something she (oops) wrote rather than taking the time to drive to a rally, get packed in with a bunch of other people, and simply stand and listen.
I understand concerts. Hearing live music sounds vastly different than listening to a recording. Same with movies; most of us don’t have an IMAX theater at home. When you’re trying to gather information, though, what’s the draw in standing outside in a crowd at listening to it in person?
I believe it boils down to the sense of community. You are surrounded by a similar thinking people and you can validate your views. Never been to one and I’m pretty sure I won’t be attending in the future.
All of the OP’s points could be said about church sermons as well, and yet there’s still thousands of church gatherings every week.
So I think your point hits the nail on the head. People don’t go to these large gatherings because they’re looking for a presentation of convincing arguments, books and recordings are better for that. They go to experience the sense that they are part of something bigger than themselves. They want to feel like they are contributing to something important, and a large crowd all in unison makes them feel that way. Rallies aren’t meant to change minds, they’re meant to get the base excited to donate/ volunteer/ talk to anyone who will listen.
I think that’s it. But to prevent it from being the same old speech over and over sometimes the candidates shake things up with some outrageous claim or hyperbole.