Hillary Clinton in Friends in High Places, by Webb Hubbell
On Civil Rights:
Raised issues of gender compensation gap at 1970s Rose Law
[At Rose Law, Vince Foster] and I became Hillary’s sounding boards, her confidants. We couldn’t do much for her relationship with her public, but we could be her emissaries to the firm just as we were the firm’s emissaries to her.
The office secretaries often came to Hillary with horror stories about the behavior of partners, and Hillary passed those stories on to us. [For example, Hillary came to us with one secretary’s story]: “He told her that if she’d wear the tight jeans
more often, she’d get a raise. Webb, you need to talk to him.“
Hillary had been the first lawyer in the firm to post a ”THANK YOU FOR NOT SMOKING“ sign in her office.
And she talked to us about the gap in compensation between men and women, treatment of the office staff, the ethics of various partners. She knew she couldn’t raise those issues, so she encouraged us to.
Source: Friends in High Places, by Webb Hubbell, p. 67
Nov 1, 1997
On Corporations:
1970s: Potential conflict of interest when GM sued Arkansas
No sooner had Hillary joined the Rose Law firm than a major case pitting us against the state--in other words, her husband [as Attorney General]. General Motors had been one of Rose’s clients for many years. Mostly we defended it in liability cases.
GM was gearing up for consumer lawsuits around the country arising from the discovery that Chevrolet engines were being put in Oldsmobiles--this was a major piece of national business that GM was handing over to Rose Law. The only problem was that
GM expected the various state attorneys general to take the lead against the car company. In fact, a nationwide steering committee of AGs was being formed, and [Bill Clinton] was taking a high profile role in it.
This, of course, was the very
scenario everyone dreaded. Hillary was in an awkward position. GM agreed to let us remain as council--provided that all files were locked in a cabinet in my office. Ultimately, the case was settled on a national level, so no real problem arose.
Source: Friends in High Places, by Webb Hubbell, p. 57-58
Nov 1, 1997
On Families & Children:
Raised issues of maternity leave at 1980s Rose Law
Inside the Rose Law firm, Hillary was fighting a new battle of her own. In Feb. 1980, she had given birth to Chelsea. I reiterate--these weren’t Stone Age lawyers Hillary was working with. Many were Ivy League educated, or Rhodes scholars. But in spite o
that, they had been brought up in a certain world, and that world was changing. Hillary was the messenger.They had assumed she would quit “when her husband got a real job.” They had assumed she would quit “when Bill became governor.” Surely she
would quit “when she had a baby.” When Hillary gave birth to Chelsea, the partners questioned whether she would be paid for the six weeks she took off. They also thought it was shameful for her to leave her new baby and come back to work.
None of this carping was done in her face, you understand. That wasn’t the Rose firm way. But in private meetings and over lunch, they would say, “Does she really expect to be paid for when she was away?” They criticized her every chance they got.
Source: Friends in High Places, by Webb Hubbell, p. 78-79
Nov 1, 1997
On Health Care:
Vince Foster's downturn began when task force got sued
I think the beginning of Vince's downturn was when the Health Care Task Force was sued. That happened when those opposed to health care reform went into court to force all
White House meeting on this issue to be made open to the public under the Federal Advisory Committee Act. It happened very soon, in early
February, and though the effect on Vince was one that would build over time, the immediate effect was a subtle shift in his relationship with Hillary. Instead of a team working together toward a glorious goal, they were suddenly attorney and client.
His legal advice was now front-page news. And with the pressure Hillary was under to get a health care bill passed in the administration's avowed "one hundred days," she became a very demanding client indeed.
Source: Friends in High Places, by Webb Hubbell, p.193-194
Nov 1, 1997
On Health Care:
Vince Foster's downturn when Hillary's task force got sued
I think the beginning of Vince's downturn was when the Health Care Task Force was sued. That happened when those opposed to health care reform went into court to force all White House meeting on this issue to be made open to the public under the
Federal Advisory Committee Act. It happened very soon, in early February, and though the effect on Vince was one that would build over time, the immediate effect was a subtle shift in his relationship with Hillary.
Instead of a team working together toward a glorious goal, they were suddenly attorney and client. His legal advice was now front-page news.
And with the pressure Hillary was under to get a health care bill passed in the administration's avowed "one hundred days," she became a very demanding client indeed.
Source: Friends in High Places, by Webb Hubbell, p.193-194
Nov 1, 1997
On Principles & Values:
1976: Got Rose Law Firm job via Vince Foster
In the fall of 1976, Vince Foster worked in Fayetteville off & on for several weeks, chairing the Arkansas Bar Association's attempt to set up a legal aid clinic in northwest Arkansas. He came back to the Rose Law Firm raving, uncharacteristically, about
a smart female law professor he had worked with up there, a Yale graduate named Hillary Rodham. Many people think Vince's contact was mainly with Bill, since both grew up in Hope. But Bill left Hope in grade school, and the two didn't stay in touch. As
Bill Clinton began emerging in statewide politics, Vince never once told me they were friends as boys. I feel sure they were reconnected during one of Bill's campaigns, but Vince's initial & strongest relationship was with Hillary. He came home from
Fayetteville saying we should be thinking about hiring her--that surely they were moving to Little Rock, and surely she would be looking for a job. At the time, the Rose firm had no women lawyers. Vince argued vehemently that it was time for a change.
Source: Friends in High Places, by Webb Hubbell, p. 46-47
Nov 1, 1997
On Principles & Values:
1977: At Rose Law, her strength was one-on-one discussion
[When considering working for Rose Law Firm, Hillary] could readily see the problems that might arise with her husband as the state’s attorney general. The attorney general’s major two roles were to handle criminal appeals and to be a consumer advocate
in utility rate cases. Rose didn’t do any criminal work, and didn’t represent any utilities. Hillary liked our 160-year history, our Rhodes scholars, our refusal to sully the dignity of our tradition with politics. The next step was for her to come to
Little Rock for interviews.
In Hillary’s usual way of turning the existing world upside down, I think all members of the Rose Law Firm were the nervous ones on the day she visited. Hillary’s hiring required approval by everyone in the firm.
We all found her charming.
I would learn that Hillary’s strength as a lawyer was the one-on-one discussion with a judge as opposed to dealing with a jury, and on interview day as each one of us judged her, she managed us beautifully.
Source: Friends in High Places, by Webb Hubbell, p. 50-51
Nov 1, 1997
On Principles & Values:
Not aggressive, but not intimidated by anyone
At Rose Law in the 70s, I want to be careful not to give the impression that she was aggressive in any way. People think that about her, but that's not Hillary. She was never "in your face." The problem for a lot of partners was that she was simply never
intimidated by anyone, partner or client, and that in itself is often intimidating to others. She had the confidence in herself to BE herself. Outside the office, she didn't play by the rules. It sounds absurd now, but it used to be that if your spouse
was out of town and another couple called to invite you to go to a movie with them, you would say, "Oh, thanks, but Allen's out of town. Maybe next time." Hillary was the first woman I know who said, "Bill's out of town, but I'd love to go." People
criticized her for that. But she was just being herself. I think her core of self-confidence came from her father, from her educational experiences, & from her superb intelligence. It's very hard for me to express just how frighteningly smart Hillary is.
Source: Friends in High Places, by Webb Hubbell, p. 53
Nov 1, 1997
On Principles & Values:
1988: Felt Dukakis "set up" failure of Bill's DNC speech
Bill Clinton's summer of discontent came in 1988, at the Democratic National Convention in Atlanta. He landed the job of introducing the candidate for President, Michael Dukakis.It was a wonderful opportunity. But what we saw was the potential
derailment of a brilliant career. A speech that was supposed to last 15 minutes droned on for 32 minutes. Bill Clinton was finally booed off the stage.
When Hillary and Bill got home to Little Rock, Vince and I took her to lunch. She was livid. She fel
the Dukakis staff had "set Bill up." First, before the speech, Bill had shown a copy to Dukakis. It was too long, Bill told him, but Dukakis insisted that he leave it all in. Second, the normal dimming of lights to warn the audience that someone was abou
to speak didn't occur.
I later heard from someone who was there that Dukakis's staff was worried about the nominee being overshadowed by Clinton.
Fortunately, Bill headed off the crisis by poking fun at himself on Johnny Carson's Tonight Show.
Source: Friends in High Places, by Webb Hubbell, p.144-145
Nov 1, 1997
On Principles & Values:
1990: Considered running for AR Governor instead of Bill
In 1990, Bill Clinton was up for reelection, but he had no "fire in the belly," he said. There was even musing within the smoke-filled rooms of the [large AR corporation] Stephens Company that Hillary ought to run in Bill's place. Old Witt Stephens is
said to have lit his cigar and looked up from under his bushy brows and said, "I think Hil'ry'd make a better gov'nor than Bill. That you think about that?" And then he sat back and smiled while the debate raged on.What I never told anyone was that
Hillary had actually floated her candidacy past Vince and me, in the event that Bill didn't run. She asked what we thought. She also talked about how it might energize a new generation of females in the state, and when she said that I knew she was really
thinking about it. But she always closed by saying that Bill had to decide what he was going to do first. His advisers told him that to successfully mount a presidential campaign, he needed to be in public office when he ran. He needed to have a platform
Source: Friends in High Places, by Webb Hubbell, p.152-153
Nov 1, 1997
On Principles & Values:
1992: Press questioned Rose Law Firm about Hillary
Hillary visited the Rose Law Firm office very seldom during the 1992 campaign season, though the campaign hadn't really geared up yet. Once she called from the road and got both Vince and me on the phone. She told us that there would be press inquiries
about her work with the Rose firm, and she wanted to make sure the calls were handled responsibly, with sound judgment. Vince and I persuaded the firm that all press inquiries about Hillary would go through either Vince or me.Sure enough, we started
fielding calls immediately. People wanted to know if she was a "real lawyer." People had heard that she, Vince, and I had tried to take over the firm. Then, just before the New Hampshire primary, in one day the storied took on a nasty tone.
A lounge singer named Gennifer Flowers was about to go public with a claim that she'd had a long-term affair with Bill Clinton. The phones really started ringing once that story had been leaked.
Source: Friends in High Places, by Webb Hubbell, p.157
Nov 1, 1997