Hillary Clinton in A Woman in Charge: The Life of Hillary Rodham Clinton, by Carl Bernstein
On Corporations:
Corporate lawyer at Rose Law while Bill was Attorney General
The most powerful argument against Hillary was that she was a woman. The firm’s partners were all white men, most of whom were already wealthy and graduates of the two Arkansas law schools.
Hillary, with her Wellesley and Yale credentials and her view of the law as an instrument for social reform, would be a radical departure.
Source: A Woman in Charge, by Carl Bernstein, p.127-129
Jun 5, 2007
On Civil Rights:
Developmental thread: tragedy of race must be made right
America must be made right. What in part first attracted her to Bill Clinton was her perception that he was an unusual, enlightened Southerner who wanted to go into politics and help right the country’s greatest wrong.
Hillary formed many of her closest friendships with blacks; her mentor was Marian Wright Edelman, founder of the Children’s Defense Fund. Later, in the White House, Hillary chose several African Americans as senior aides.
Source: A Woman in Charge, by Carl Bernstein, p. 31
Jun 5, 2007
On Principles & Values:
As Goldwater Girl in 1960s, canvassed Chicago slums
In Hillary’s junior year, she and Betsy became Goldwater Girls, assigned by campaign aides to check for voter registration fraud in minority neighborhoods in Chicago. Hillary’s territory included the new
Robert Taylor Homes housing project. She was a privileged suburban teenager seeing, close up, how thousands of black people lived, and it made a transforming impression.
Source: A Woman in Charge, by Carl Bernstein, p. 31
Jun 5, 2007
On Principles & Values:
Childhood of parsimonious parents; favored equal opportunity
Dorothy and Hugh Rodham, despite the undertow of tension in their marriage, intended to convey to their children an inheritance secured by old fashioned values.
They believed that with discipline, hard work, encouragement, and education, a child could pursue any dream. Hillary would not be limited in opportunity or skills by the fact that she was a girl.
Source: A Woman in Charge, by Carl Bernstein, p. 12-13
Jun 5, 2007
On Principles & Values:
Has a Jewish step-grandfather
The role of Rosenberg in the life of Hillary has always been clouded. The first time Hillary mentioned her step grandfather publicly was in 1999, during her
Senate campaign in NY. “I have nothing but fond memories of Max Rosenberg,” Hillary said. In Living History she wrote only that he was Jewish.
Source: A Woman in Charge, by Carl Bernstein, p. 23-24
Jun 5, 2007
On Principles & Values:
Father a rock-ribbed Republican but ran for office as Dem
in Chicago as a Democratic-leaning independent. He wanted to become part of the Democratic machine then being assembled by Richard Daley. He was swamped in the election by the candidate on the regular Democratic line. Some family members believe the
experience contributed to his strident disdain of Democrats. Every four years, during the Republican National Convention, he would instruct his children to watch on television; when the Democrats convened, he ordered the set turned off.
Source: A Woman in Charge, by Carl Bernstein, p. 13&16-17
Jun 5, 2007
On Principles & Values:
Tolerating Bill’s foibles echoes mom’s Methodist forgiveness
she managed to idealize, while rationalizing his cruelty and indifference to the pain he caused. Hillary somehow found a way to focus on what her father was able to give, not what was denied. As she later did with her husband, Hillary took an almost
biblical view in her forgiveness of her father’s actions: “Love the sinner, hate the sin.” The lesson came directly from Hugh Rodham: “He used to say all the time, ‘I will always love you but I won’t always like what you do,’” said Hillary.
Source: A Woman in Charge, by Carl Bernstein, p. 25-27
Jun 5, 2007
On Principles & Values:
A mind conservative and a heart liberal
The event that galvanized Hillary’s more militant instincts was King’s assassination. She had met him in 1962, shaken his hand, sat spellbound as he preached.
Wellesley students threatened to go on a hunger strike if the college did not recruit
more black faculty and students. Hillary proposed a solution that avoided a clash: she would work as a go-between to find a compromise. Indeed, the college began to recruit minority faculty and students. Hillary’s response had been in character.
Source: A Woman in Charge, by Carl Bernstein, p. 50&53-54
Jun 5, 2007
On Principles & Values:
Staff attorney on Watergate/Nixon impeachment investigation
Hillary’s first responsibility was to collate procedural information about previous impeachment proceedings, both American and English, from which the concept had been borrowed.
Hillary was one of three women on the staff of 44 lawyers. Like her colleagues, she worked 12 to 18-hour days. The rules forbade staff from making personal notes or keeping diaries or talking outside the office to any nonstaff about the inquiry.
Source: A Woman in Charge, by Carl Bernstein, p. 95-96
Jun 5, 2007
On Principles & Values:
Taught at AR Law School using “all business” style
you a question about a case and you gave an answer, then came another question. Whereas in Bill Clinton’s classes, it was more laid-back.“Bill was regarded as the easiest grader in the law school. Hillary’s exams were tough, & her grading commensurate
with what she expected serious law students to know. There was little doubt she was the better teacher. But his was the more interesting class, because of the passion & knowledge with which he addressed legal questions that related to everyday events.
Source: A Woman in Charge, by Carl Bernstein, p.109-110
Jun 5, 2007
On War & Peace:
At Wellesley in ‘68, steered anti-war movement within system
for greater changes at Wellesley than any in its history. Black Studies was added to the curriculum. A summer Upward Bound program for inner-city children was initiated, antiwar activities were conducted in college facilities, the skirt rule had been
rescinded, grades were given on a pass-fail basis, and interdisciplinary majors were permitted. One of Hillary’s strengths as a leader, still evident, was her willingness to participate in the drudgery of government rather than simply direct policy.
Source: A Woman in Charge, by Carl Bernstein, p. 43-45
Jun 5, 2007
On Welfare & Poverty:
Wellesley thesis: Saul Alinsky & people over bureaucrats
expectations and that the programs would not make a lasting difference unless large infusions of outside funding and expertise, particularly by the federal government, were utilized.When in the White House, Hillary said, “I argued that
Alinsky was right. Even at that early stage I was against all these people who came up with these big government programs that were more supportive of bureaucracies than actually helpful to people.”
Source: A Woman in Charge, by Carl Bernstein, p. 57-58
Jun 5, 2007
On Abortion:
1993:Early action on abortion rights ended Right’s dominance
Hillary, would be perceived as governing from the left. But Hillary regarded the prohibitions in question as a powerful symbol of Reagan-era policies, and an opportunity to declare boldly that the Clinton era had begun. The milestone anniversary of
Roe v. Wade, in Hillary’s view, was the perfect opportunity to move the new presidency on course unambiguously in terms of women’s rights, signal the religious right that its decade of dominance in regard to suc personal questions was over.
Source: A Woman in Charge, by Carl Bernstein, p.256-257
Jun 5, 2007
On Principles & Values:
1978: “Name issue” of Rodham raised in Bill’s first race
made some people’s skepticism fade away. Others seemed frightened, or incensed. Clinton’s opponents criticized him for having a wife with a career--a lawyer to boot--who was so independent-minded that she wouldn’t take her husband’s name. The “name
issue” would become one of the most talked-about issues of the campaign.
[After the election], Hillary usually introduced herself as “Hillary--Governor Clinton’s wife,” but formal invitations were in the name of “Gov. Bill Clinton and Hillary Rodham.”
Source: A Woman in Charge, by Carl Bernstein, p.140-141&157
Jun 5, 2007
On Principles & Values:
Despite critics, fervent believer in public service
address: “For as long as I can remember,” he proclaimed, “I have believed passionately in the cause of equal opportunity... I have loved the land, air, and water of Arkansas... I have wished to ease the burdens of life for those who, through no fault of
their own, are weak or needy.” Bill, more than Hillary at first, believed also that his message needed to be informed by advanced models of economic development and fewer restraints on investment capital than traditional liberals had advocated.
Source: A Woman in Charge, by Carl Bernstein, p.145-146
Jun 5, 2007
On Principles & Values:
Suffers from endometriosis; Chelsea’s conception difficult
prevent her from conceiving a child. Some doctors believed endometriosis could cause miscarriage. It is not clear whether the condition preceded her marriage--which seems possible, given when she mentioned it to the women--and at what point Bill learned
of it. Many women don’t learn they have the malady until they experience difficulty getting pregnant.Just before they were to [visit the fertility specialist], Hillary learned she was pregnant. Hillary and Bill radiated excitement, and relief.
Source: A Woman in Charge, by Carl Bernstein, p.148-150
Jun 5, 2007
On Principles & Values:
1980: Synthesized basic principles into “New Dem” concept
But it was also a synthesis, to some extent, of his and Hillary’s ideas. She had labored over preparation of the speech with him, and when she felt his message was becoming too contrarian,
too critical of the well-worn path of traditional liberalism, and perhaps intended too much for Republicans tuning in to a Democratic convention in prime time, she moved it back toward basic principles.
Source: A Woman in Charge, by Carl Bernstein, p.158-159
Jun 5, 2007
On Principles & Values:
1982 campaign: served as Bill’s de facto campaign director
Bill’s second chance.“The 1982 campaign became the model for their political future, with Hillary assuming a far more direct, hands-on role in terms of policy, strategy, scheduling, and hiring staff for the campaign. She wasn’t the campaign chairman
in name, but she was the campaign director in fact.
Hillary was never bashful about telling you when she thought you made a mistake. Bill Clinton would never tell you that. He was the good guy. Hillary was the one that laid the law down.
Source: A Woman in Charge, by Carl Bernstein, p.165
Jun 5, 2007
On Principles & Values:
Whitewater deal: maybe conflict-of-interest; but not illegal
incestuous relationship was common practice in Little Rock. But in retrospect, it’s shocking how much was made out of that mistake.After 6 years of investigation, $52 million, and the Senate trial of a president, the special prosecutor was forced to
acknowledge that there had been no violation of law by either Hillary or Bill surrounding the land transaction (or in the Travel Office affair for that matter). The allegation that stuck was that Bill Clinton lied about sex.
Source: A Woman in Charge, by Carl Bernstein, p.348-349
Jun 5, 2007
On Principles & Values:
In Arkansas and Washington, subject to unprecedented vitriol
There was something of an implicit challenge in their manner.Hillary & Bill had had plenty of foretastes--in their years in Arkansas and during the presidential campaign, of the vitriol and determination of their enemies. And who should have known
better than the new president’s wife that Nixon’s excesses and resignation had incubated a new investigative era? The 1992 presidential campaign had made clear that Hillary, as much as her husband, was a moving target for legions who wished them ill.
Source: A Woman in Charge, by Carl Bernstein, p.233-234
Jun 5, 2007
On Abortion:
Personally would never abort; but deeply values choice
been promiscuous, she had not. The idea of choosing to abort a child she had conceived would have been totally out of character and at odds with her own values. One of the fortunate facts of her life was that she was of the generation whose sexuality was
fashioned in large measure by the pill and its easy availability. Her own difficulty in conceiving a child had only intensified her deeply held belief that abortion, for anyone, was a personal choice that should be made with the greatest reluctance.
Source: A Woman in Charge, by Carl Bernstein, p.257
Jun 5, 2007
On Education:
1983: Teacher testing as part of AR education reform
It was clear that the state’s teachers would therefore oppose it. Exactly how Hillary decided that teacher-testing might be the smoothest road to education reform is unclear. Democrats were generally opposed to the idea. Hillary was sure that testing
teachers’ competence and holding them to minimum standards would help the schools educate. Hillary also knew her words would appeal to conservatives: “The first purpose of school is to educate, not to provide entertainment or opportunities to socialize.”
Source: A Woman in Charge, by Carl Bernstein, p.172-173
Jun 5, 2007
On Principles & Values:
1992: Attacks as radical feminist backfired into sympathy
Friends, this is radical feminism.“ But the strategy backfired on Republicans in that it made
Hillary a sympathetic character and a political victim of the right, something the Clinton campaign never could have done on its own.
Source: A Woman in Charge, by Carl Bernstein, p.208
Jun 5, 2007
On Health Care:
1979: Named by Bill as AR healthcare head; program worked
physicians were scarce. Bill appointed Hillary to solve the problem of delivering expanded health care to the poorest counties without taking a bite from doctors’ fees. Hillary used her contacts in
Washington to obtain federal money to pay for rural health care services in Arkansas. Four rural clinics were opened almost immediately, construction began on three others, and the use of midwives and nurse-practitioners was expanded.
Source: A Woman in Charge, by Carl Bernstein, p.147
Jun 5, 2007
On Principles & Values:
Turned to prayer when father dying, & anytime under duress
pray for Hillary regularly. Susan Baker later visited Hillary and showed her great compassion about the death of Hugh Rodham and Hillary’s personal political difficulties.Hillary would later be accused of cynically becoming more religious for the
purpose of political advancement after her election to the Senate. That is hard to imagine given that knowledge of her affiliation with the prayer group during the White House years was kept to a few in her inner circle.
Source: A Woman in Charge, by Carl Bernstein, p.313-314
Jun 5, 2007
On Principles & Values:
Vince Foster suicide due to public bashing in editorial
24, in “Vincent Foster’s Victory”, Foster was attacked for his partially successful appeal defending the procedures of Hillary’s health care task force. It was increasingly hard for Foster to fight for Hillary. When he left Arkansas, he expected the
relationship with Hillary to be as deep as ever. The last thing he expected is that it would turn upside down.
The Journal tied Foster & Hillary to the Travel Office firings in yet another editorial on July 19. On July 20, police found Foster dead.
Source: A Woman in Charge, by Carl Bernstein, p.336-340
Jun 5, 2007
On Principles & Values:
1992: Keep press on the issues, not on personal destruction
Hillary saw the press as out of control, hell-bent on personal destruction and manufactured controversy, while ignoring serious issues. The big story of the campaign, she feared, would was going to be
Bill’s private life and hers, and a grotesque distortion of the Arkansas years. It is apparent in interview after interview that the guiding premise was: Keep them away from us and our private lives.
Source: A Woman in Charge, by Carl Bernstein, p.198-199
Jun 5, 2007
On Principles & Values:
Travelgate: Office WAS sloppy; firings looked like cronyism
Hillary nor Bill was prepared for the press fury. They had expected to be congratulated for shutting down an operation that ostensibly was cheating taxpayers. Instead, reporters concluded that the firings were a cover-up for the
Clintons’ cronyism.“Travelgate” rolled on. Bill ordered an investigation. Throughout, all downplayed Hillary’s role. Hillary was protected by preventing disclosure that she’d suggested cleaning house to get “our people” in the travel office.
Source: A Woman in Charge, by Carl Bernstein, p.327-329
Jun 5, 2007
On Principles & Values:
Could have weakened right wing conspiracy by honest answers
& evil and were peddled to mainstream news organizations, Republicans on Capital Hill and right-wing talk show hosts.But however accurate Hillary’s perception of an organized threat against the Clintons, she seemed unable or unwilling to grasp the
desire of less antagonistic citizens, members of Congress, and the press to be given straightforward, timely responses to legitimate questions being raised by the stories, whatever the origins of the information & the motivations of those promoting them.
Source: A Woman in Charge, by Carl Bernstein, p.365-366
Jun 5, 2007
On Principles & Values:
Like Eleanor Roosevelt, pushed boundaries of First Lady role
her enemies, she was determined to use every bit of her dominion for the public good.It would have been unthinkable in the first half of the 20th century that a first lady select members of the president’s staff and cabinet, occupy an office in the
White House west wing, participate in her husband’s policy meetings, or take charge of the planning of the most costly domestic policy initiative in history. She would become an icon to millions and a hated target for millions of others because of it.
Source: A Woman in Charge, by Carl Bernstein, p.238-240
Jun 5, 2007
Page last updated: Feb 09, 2023