"It is easier to talk about money, and much easier to talk about sex, than it is to talk about power. People who have it deny it; people who want it do not want to appear to hunger for it; and people who engage in its machinations do so secretly.” Smiley Blanton, American PsychiatristJune 11, 2014
By: Linda Case Gibbons
DEAR HILLARY,
Hi. My name is Jane Q. Public and I wanted to say hey!
I was balancing my check book today while watching your interview with Diane Sawyer.
I listened and I was ashamed, Hillary, ashamed that I didn’t realize what you and Bill have gone through!
You told Diane that you and Bill were dead broke when you left the White House! You were in debt. I had no idea.
As I was looking over the figures in my checkbook, the ones in red, and trying to figure a way to bring some extra cash into my "fixed income” household, it suddenly dawned on me!
You and Bill are just like the rest of us normal, middle-class Americans! The two of you struggled the same way we do! After that interview, I said to myself, "Self, if Hillary can make ends meet, so can you!”
Now I know why the women who support you do so whole heartedly! Your finger on the pulse of America is second to none, Hill. Well, maybe except for Gwyneth Paltrow.
Now I know why mainstream media consider you a shoo-in for the Oval Office. What other woman would fill the bill -- except maybe Gwyneth Paltrow.
Your flat-out courage signing on to earn only $175,000 a year as a United States senator, with Bill being forced to beat the bushes for a job to pay off his Whitewater and impeachment legal bills, brought tears to my eyes.
Sure, there were the people who watched the interview and said you were full of baloney, that you weren’t broke. Well, the heck with them!
These were the same critics -- probably Republicans -- who did some online research and came up with some "facts.”
Like in 2001, right after the White House, Bill made $9 million in speaking fees; you both had several million in the bank and investments; and you signed a book deal with an $8 million advance right before Bill left office.
But I say, what difference does it make? Do facts make you a liar?
As you yourself said, these people are "like a bunch of gamers,” like Matt Drudge and Karl Rove when they talk about your physical fitness for the job of president.
And, as you said, in today’s political environment, "people want to play games that divert attention from the real issues that affect our country and its future.”
Say it’s true that the two of you earned 285 times the national median than the rest of us Americans did in 2001? Again, what difference does it make? You said you were broke and who should know better than you?
You and Bill faced something that was "not easy.”
"We struggled to piece together the resources for mortgages for houses, for Chelsea’s education…First of all we had to pay off all of our debts. You know you had to make double the money because of, obviously, taxes and then get us houses.”
I salute the two of you through my tears.
Unlike other people, you paid off your debts. Not many people would dig in and do that…or could do that. You paid your taxes. Not many people would dig in and make double the money to do that…or could do that.
As far as I was concerned, I was glad when I learned you and Bill had friends to help you out through that rough patch.
Thank God now-Virginia-governor Terry McAuliffe was in your corner and that he plunked down $1.35 million of his own money as collateral to help buy your $1.7 million Chappaqua home.
And thank God you two had the necessary $350,000 down payment, otherwise how could you have established residency for your Senate run?
I would have done the same in a heartbeat– if I had friends like McAuliffe – and if I had $350,000 -- and if I could run for the Senate.
Some people don’t understand, but I do.
As I told my kids who just graduated college, but who are living at home because they can’t find jobs, I said "Kids, if Chelsea Clinton can have the courage to get a job with as little talent as she has, so can you!”
It’s true, Chelsea did mostly "soft” interviews as a "special correspondent for NBC, nothing like Benghazi-investigative type things Sharyl Atkisson did. Not that there’s anything wrong with that.
You don’t like the hard-hitting type of interview and I guess that rubbed off on Chelsea.
That’s not to say that your daughter’s coverage of therapy dogs for vets and her interview with the Geico gecko were not worth the $600,000 annual salary NBC paid her.
Just because Politico calculated that Chelsea made about $26,724 per minute for on-air time, that doesn’t mean she was treated any more special than an average college grad -- like my kids would have been.
Unfortunately there will always be the doubters, the ones who do nothing but criticize. It’s hard being a victim when you’ve done nothing wrong, and that’s happened a lot to you, I know.
It seems lately on your book tour even your so called "pals” in the media are acting funny. Asking hard questions.
Take Diane Sawyer. Did she really have to mention that you pull down $200,000 a clip for your speeches or that you have made $5 million on the speakers’ circuit? That Bill has made $100 million?
She made you sound like you were part of the dreaded "One Percent,” for gosh sakes! Democrats aren’t "rich” people! She knows that.
And how about the "Fresh Air” interview on National Public Radio? What’s with those questions?
Imagine NPR giving you a hard time! NPR’s Terry Gross actually questioned your "evolving” position on gay marriage as if at first you didn’t support it and then you did -- for political reasons.
She made it sound as if just because you started backing gay marriage last year after the president said he supported gay marriage, that this was hypocritical – and for political reasons.
Some said you became "testy” with her, that you "snapped,” you know the way you did when you were testifying before Congress on Benghazi.
But thankfully NPR put a more positive spin on the whole thing, saying it was more accurate to characterize your performance as "forceful” than "testy.”
For me "misunderstood” is the word that springs to my mind, not "testy” or "evasive” or "out of touch.” And certainly not "lying.”
Heck, I remember when you defended your husband years ago. You went on TV and fearlessly took on those who were attacking him about his "phony” scandals. I think you called the continued allegations of scandal a "vast right-wing conspiracy.”
You were wrong, but that’s not the point.
You spoke out when it was important. Not like the attack on the consulate in Benghazi. You showed amazing restraint with that issue as secretary of state.
As you said recently, if the people who keep this phony scandal alive want to know what was in the notes you took as secretary of state, you know, when the attack was going down, they can darn well read your book – "Hard Choices.”
So I say, Hillary for President!
You already have shown all the qualities that make it clear sailing for becoming Commander in Chief: You’re on the same page as President Obama on how to handle Benghazi and a potpourri of scandals: Leave ‘em alone and they’ll go away.
You’re on deck with his foreign policy and, like him, know that those five Taliban detainees let loose into the wild, are harmless and that a soldier deserting is just one of those things.
As you said during your book tour for "Hard Choices.”
"These five guys are not a threat to the United States. They are a threat to the safety and security of Afghanistan and Pakistan. It’s up to those two countries to make the decision once and for all that these are threats to them.
"So I think we may be kind of missing the bigger picture here. We want to get an American home, whether they fell off the ship because they were drunk or they were pushed or they jumped, we try to rescue everybody.”
I agree, Hill. Someone’s missing the point here.
Sincerely, Jane Q. Public.
Hold the line, America.
By: Linda Case Gibbons
DEAR HILLARY,
Hi. My name is Jane Q. Public and I wanted to say hey!
I was balancing my check book today while watching your interview with Diane Sawyer.
I listened and I was ashamed, Hillary, ashamed that I didn’t realize what you and Bill have gone through!
You told Diane that you and Bill were dead broke when you left the White House! You were in debt. I had no idea.
As I was looking over the figures in my checkbook, the ones in red, and trying to figure a way to bring some extra cash into my "fixed income” household, it suddenly dawned on me!
You and Bill are just like the rest of us normal, middle-class Americans! The two of you struggled the same way we do! After that interview, I said to myself, "Self, if Hillary can make ends meet, so can you!”
Now I know why the women who support you do so whole heartedly! Your finger on the pulse of America is second to none, Hill. Well, maybe except for Gwyneth Paltrow.
Now I know why mainstream media consider you a shoo-in for the Oval Office. What other woman would fill the bill -- except maybe Gwyneth Paltrow.
Your flat-out courage signing on to earn only $175,000 a year as a United States senator, with Bill being forced to beat the bushes for a job to pay off his Whitewater and impeachment legal bills, brought tears to my eyes.
Sure, there were the people who watched the interview and said you were full of baloney, that you weren’t broke. Well, the heck with them!
These were the same critics -- probably Republicans -- who did some online research and came up with some "facts.”
Like in 2001, right after the White House, Bill made $9 million in speaking fees; you both had several million in the bank and investments; and you signed a book deal with an $8 million advance right before Bill left office.
But I say, what difference does it make? Do facts make you a liar?
As you yourself said, these people are "like a bunch of gamers,” like Matt Drudge and Karl Rove when they talk about your physical fitness for the job of president.
And, as you said, in today’s political environment, "people want to play games that divert attention from the real issues that affect our country and its future.”
Say it’s true that the two of you earned 285 times the national median than the rest of us Americans did in 2001? Again, what difference does it make? You said you were broke and who should know better than you?
You and Bill faced something that was "not easy.”
"We struggled to piece together the resources for mortgages for houses, for Chelsea’s education…First of all we had to pay off all of our debts. You know you had to make double the money because of, obviously, taxes and then get us houses.”
I salute the two of you through my tears.
Unlike other people, you paid off your debts. Not many people would dig in and do that…or could do that. You paid your taxes. Not many people would dig in and make double the money to do that…or could do that.
As far as I was concerned, I was glad when I learned you and Bill had friends to help you out through that rough patch.
Thank God now-Virginia-governor Terry McAuliffe was in your corner and that he plunked down $1.35 million of his own money as collateral to help buy your $1.7 million Chappaqua home.
And thank God you two had the necessary $350,000 down payment, otherwise how could you have established residency for your Senate run?
I would have done the same in a heartbeat– if I had friends like McAuliffe – and if I had $350,000 -- and if I could run for the Senate.
Some people don’t understand, but I do.
As I told my kids who just graduated college, but who are living at home because they can’t find jobs, I said "Kids, if Chelsea Clinton can have the courage to get a job with as little talent as she has, so can you!”
It’s true, Chelsea did mostly "soft” interviews as a "special correspondent for NBC, nothing like Benghazi-investigative type things Sharyl Atkisson did. Not that there’s anything wrong with that.
You don’t like the hard-hitting type of interview and I guess that rubbed off on Chelsea.
That’s not to say that your daughter’s coverage of therapy dogs for vets and her interview with the Geico gecko were not worth the $600,000 annual salary NBC paid her.
Just because Politico calculated that Chelsea made about $26,724 per minute for on-air time, that doesn’t mean she was treated any more special than an average college grad -- like my kids would have been.
Unfortunately there will always be the doubters, the ones who do nothing but criticize. It’s hard being a victim when you’ve done nothing wrong, and that’s happened a lot to you, I know.
It seems lately on your book tour even your so called "pals” in the media are acting funny. Asking hard questions.
Take Diane Sawyer. Did she really have to mention that you pull down $200,000 a clip for your speeches or that you have made $5 million on the speakers’ circuit? That Bill has made $100 million?
She made you sound like you were part of the dreaded "One Percent,” for gosh sakes! Democrats aren’t "rich” people! She knows that.
And how about the "Fresh Air” interview on National Public Radio? What’s with those questions?
Imagine NPR giving you a hard time! NPR’s Terry Gross actually questioned your "evolving” position on gay marriage as if at first you didn’t support it and then you did -- for political reasons.
She made it sound as if just because you started backing gay marriage last year after the president said he supported gay marriage, that this was hypocritical – and for political reasons.
Some said you became "testy” with her, that you "snapped,” you know the way you did when you were testifying before Congress on Benghazi.
But thankfully NPR put a more positive spin on the whole thing, saying it was more accurate to characterize your performance as "forceful” than "testy.”
For me "misunderstood” is the word that springs to my mind, not "testy” or "evasive” or "out of touch.” And certainly not "lying.”
Heck, I remember when you defended your husband years ago. You went on TV and fearlessly took on those who were attacking him about his "phony” scandals. I think you called the continued allegations of scandal a "vast right-wing conspiracy.”
You were wrong, but that’s not the point.
You spoke out when it was important. Not like the attack on the consulate in Benghazi. You showed amazing restraint with that issue as secretary of state.
As you said recently, if the people who keep this phony scandal alive want to know what was in the notes you took as secretary of state, you know, when the attack was going down, they can darn well read your book – "Hard Choices.”
So I say, Hillary for President!
You already have shown all the qualities that make it clear sailing for becoming Commander in Chief: You’re on the same page as President Obama on how to handle Benghazi and a potpourri of scandals: Leave ‘em alone and they’ll go away.
You’re on deck with his foreign policy and, like him, know that those five Taliban detainees let loose into the wild, are harmless and that a soldier deserting is just one of those things.
As you said during your book tour for "Hard Choices.”
"These five guys are not a threat to the United States. They are a threat to the safety and security of Afghanistan and Pakistan. It’s up to those two countries to make the decision once and for all that these are threats to them.
"So I think we may be kind of missing the bigger picture here. We want to get an American home, whether they fell off the ship because they were drunk or they were pushed or they jumped, we try to rescue everybody.”
I agree, Hill. Someone’s missing the point here.
Sincerely, Jane Q. Public.
Hold the line, America.