5 Things You Might Not Know
About Hillary Clinton
By Brittany L. Stalsburg
When my co-author and I set
out to write a book about Hillary Clinton, we
thought we knew pretty much everything there was to know about her already.
After all, Hillary has occupied the political spotlight for decades, and she is
arguably one of the most well-known public figures in the U.S. We wrote the
book in order to re-introduce Hillary to the American public, but what we
learned even surprised us. Here are 5 things you might not know about Hillary
·
She’s a Midwesterner
Unbeknownst to many, Hillary was born and raised
in the Midwest—in suburban Illinois, with her parents and two brothers. Both
her parents came from humble roots, especially her mother who was abandoned as
a child and started working at the age of 14 to support herself. Hillary’s
father, the son of a factory laborer, fought for our country in World War II
and then returned to civilian life and became a small business owner. It was
through her family and Midwestern community that Hillary developed the smart
pragmatism that has led to her success as a political leader—she is a
progressive who gets things done, and at a time when Washington seems paralyzed
by never-ending gridlock, Hillary’s Midwestern no-nonsense approach to solving
problems is exactly what America needs.
·
She Turned Bill Down
(At First)
In the
early 1970’s, Bill proposed marriage to Hillary twice before she finally
accepted. As Hillary describes her ambivalence: "I was desperately in love
with him but utterly confused about my life and future…so I said 'No not now'
-- what I meant was 'Give me time.'" Before entering a marriage, Hillary
wanted to be sure she was clear and confident about her own future, including
her career goals. Her display of independence and desire to build her own
future first was trailblazing for a woman in the 1970’s—when marriage and
children were still thought of as a woman’s ultimate goal.
But more
than serving as an example for other working women, Hillary’s decision to delay
marriage also reflects her strong sense of self and unwavering commitment to
making smart choices, even when they’re tough to make.
·
She Credits Her Mother
For Her Perseverance
Hillary is
a fighter, and it's in her blood. Dorothy Rodham, Hillary’s mother, came from a
broken home and was abandoned by her parents at a young age. She briefly lived
with her grandparents until she left to live on her own at the mere age of 14,
working as a housekeeper for $3 a week. Despite her difficult childhood, Dorothy
overcame great odds and thrived. Her remarkable resilience, coupled with her
determination to keep fighting and never give up, had a profound effect on
Hillary. Indeed, Hillary herself says of her mother, “No one had a bigger influence on my life or did more to shape the person I became.”
·
She’s a Strong Advocate for Children
Right after law school, when most of Hillary’s
peers were taking jobs at top-paying law firms, Hillary joined the Children’s
Defense Fund, an advocacy group that fights for the rights and interests of
children. One of her first projects with the CDF was going door-to-door to
collect information and compile data on children who either dropped out of
school or were falling behind due to physical, mental, or learning disabilities.
She used this data to craft a landmark
report by the CDF that helped raise awareness of the plight of handicapped
children and eventually led to the passage of the Americans with Disabilities
Act.
·
She Can Work With Republicans
Hillary’s record demonstrates her strong commitment to bipartisan
solutions. In the Senate, she teamed up with Senator James Inhofe (R-OK),
notorious for his denial of climate change, on utilizing geothermal energy to
power federal buildings as a way of reducing costs and improving energy
efficiency. Together they ensured the
provision would be included in a comprehensive energy bill.
On behalf of veterans, Hillary joined Senator Jeff Sessions (R-AL), one
of the staunchest conservatives in Congress, in introducing a bill guaranteeing
full payment of bonuses to wounded veterans.
The bill passed the Senate with unanimous consent.
In both examples, Hillary reached across the aisle in the name of a
greater good—cleaner energy and support for our veterans. She did the same
thing as Secretary of State, working with Republicans to guarantee the health
and security of the United States. Republicans have praised her performance,
and even some of her biggest rivals admit her effectiveness, including Jeb
Bush, who said of Hillary: “Hillary
and I come from different political parties and we disagree about lots of
things. But we do agree on the wisdom of the American people.”
Find out more facts about Hillary in our book, 52 Reasons To Vote For
Hillary.
About the Authors
Brittany Stalsburg is a communications strategist and creator of the feminist
blog, Women Want To Be On Top.
She writes about politics and gender issues regularly. As a strategist, Brittany
has helped dozens of organizations develop and refine their message to
communicate with a variety of audiences.
Her work has been published in several academic journals and books and is the recipient of numerous awards, including the Pollie Awards for issue campaigns and the New York American Association of Public Opinion Research (NYAAPOR) Best Paper Award.
Brittany holds a PhD in political science from Rutgers University and a BA in political science and women’s studies from Providence College.
Bernard Whitman is a
Democratic Party political pollster and strategist in
the United
States.
He makes regular appearances on Fox News, and has appeared as a commentator and
strategist on CNN, MSNBC, CNBC, Fox Business, ABC and Al Jazeera America.
He is the author of 52 Reasons To Vote For Obama and has been a pollster to political candidates such as Bill Clinton and Michael Bloomberg. Bernard has been involved in the past eight U.S. presidential campaigns and has served as strategic advisor to numerous heads of state, Fortune 500 CEOs, and some of the world’s leading issue advocacy organizations and nonprofit institutions.
He is the author of 52 Reasons To Vote For Obama and has been a pollster to political candidates such as Bill Clinton and Michael Bloomberg. Bernard has been involved in the past eight U.S. presidential campaigns and has served as strategic advisor to numerous heads of state, Fortune 500 CEOs, and some of the world’s leading issue advocacy organizations and nonprofit institutions.
Whitman is the President and founder of Whitman Insight Strategies, a strategic consulting firm that conducts polls and market research to advise corporations, political leaders, and issue-advocacy organizations. He is a three-time recipient of the David Ogilvy Excellence in Research Award, and pioneered the development of The Political Model to identify the “swing” consumer, and the messages and media channels that can unlock additional votes for a brand or cause.
He is an alumnus of Brown University, and served as a Peace Corps Volunteer in Senegal, West Africa
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