August 6, 1999

Why Mrs. Clinton Stopped Listening and Started Talking

A strange thing happened last week on Hillary Clinton’s “listening tour” of New York state – she started talking.

It was psycho-babble recorded last March for release in the first issue of a new magazine called “Talk.”

The magazine is bankrolled by Harvey Weinstein, head honcho for Miramax movie studio and a major contributor to Clinton campaigns. The interviewer was Lucinda Franks, a journalist with long-time friendly ties to Hillary.

Franks says it took her five months to persuade Hillary to “open up” about the president’s infidelities.

The reasoning was that Hillary was being accused of tolerating her husband’s many sexual affairs in order to share his power. Explaining their relationship early would remove the issue from the senatorial campaign.

Hillary’s emphatic rationale about Bill’s “weakness” -- and her own acceptance of it -- astonished the magazine principals, political pundits and readers. The “White boys” – the White House spin team led by attack dog James Carville – were shell shocked!

In the article, Hillary says;

“Yes, he has weaknesses. Yes, he needs to be more responsible, more disciplined. But it is remarkable, given his background, that he turned out to be the kind of person he is, capable of such leadership.

“He was so young, barely four, when he was scarred by abuse that he can’t even take it out and look at it. There was terrible conflict between his mother and grandmother.

“A psychologist once told me that for a boy being in the middle of a conflict between two women is the worst possible situation. There is always a desire to please each one.

“He couldn’t protect me, so he lied. Peter betrayed three times and Jesus knew it but loved him anyway. Life is not a linear progress. It has many paths and challenges. And we need to help one another.”

All in all, it was an absorbing exercise in justification ranging from psychiatry to religion.

President Clinton got hot under the collar. “Yes, my actions were inexcusable, but.” From that point on, Bill was a virtual motor boat – but, but, but, but. He loved both his grandmother and mother and knew they loved him, but he was “secure” in their love. He loved his alcoholic step-father who loved him.

You can insult Bill Clinton all you want, but don’t call him weak.

The president and first lady confess they “still love each other.” With this Good Housekeeping Seal of Approval, their aides began revising their first remarks.

White House Spokesman Joe Lockhart says, “There were difficulties in his family, and he faced issues that were hard on him, but they did not scar him.”

Marsha Berry, Hillary’s spokesperson, declared her boss was misinterpreted. “She did not say the president’s childhood in any way caused his behavior.”

We can be grateful that neither Clinton attempted to define “is.”

Political commentators hooted. Common words have common meanings. Hillary comes across as the accommodater for power which she is, indeed, accused of being.

Clearly, Mrs. Clinton’s attempt to excuse her husband’s adulteries backfired. Her approval rating dipped – despite the ostentatious scribbling of notes as hand-picked audiences tossed puff balls. Oh, she was learning so much by careful listening. Surely she poured over the notes in her hotel room later.

The listening tour stagecraft is so obvious that her staunchest supporters wince and her detractors laugh. The worst thing that can happen to a candidate is to be ridiculed.

Every political campaign is plagued by an X-factor sooner or later. Last week’s gaffe by Hillary is a humdinger. She is fortunate her X-factor has come early and thus likely forgotten by election day.

On the other hand, there is lots of time for more of the same.

PARTING SHOTS

Despite the drought, a dam on the Connecticut River was opened recently to make sure Al Gore would not run aground while paddling a canoe for an environmental photo-op. He can be accused of Floodgate, but not of being shallow on the issue.

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Attorney Fred Levin, who won a multi-million-dollar fee prosecuting tobacco companies, gave ten of those millions to the University of Florida on condition it name the college of law after him. We can assume the first course offered will be Tort Law 101- Get Rich Quick.

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New York City Mayor Rudolph Giuliani flew the Arkansas state flag at city hall to tag Hillary Clinton a “carpetbagger.” There goes her bubba vote.

By Lindsey Williams, columnist for Sun Coast Media Group newspapers