For two decades, Bill and Hillary Clinton have dominated Democratic politics, and their public relationship has fascinated Americans of every political persuasion.
The couple first took the national spotlight in January 1992, in a "60 Minutes" interview after the Super Bowl. Their segment became one of the most watched news programs in history, as then-Governor Bill Clinton, running for the Democratic nomination, and his wife defended their relationship against charges of infidelity. Gennifer Flowers claimed that she and President Clinton carried on a 12-year affair. When correspondent Steve Kroft described the Clintons' marriage as an "arrangement," Bill fired back.
"You’re looking at two people who love each other," he said. "This is not an arrangement or an understanding. This is a marriage. That’s a very different thing."
Hillary echoed that sentiment. "You know, I’m not sitting here like some little woman, standing by my man like Tammy Wynette. I’m sitting here because I love him, and I respect him, and I honor what he’s been through and what we’ve been through together. And, you know, if that’s not enough for people, then heck! Don’t vote for him."
Bill Clinton campaigned on the promise of a co-presidency with his wife, "two for the price of one." But the dynamics of their relationship nearly ruined Clinton's presidency, says Duke University historian William Chafe. In his new book, "Bill and Hillary: The Politics of the Personal," Chafe reveals the internal workings of their marriage, including Bill's infidelity and Hillary's fierce resolve to stand by him.
Chafe explains: "Once the pendulum had swung to her side, he was powerless to speak…As long as she could threaten the peace of their mutual accommodation, he would go along, repressing his own better judgment in order to hold together their partnership."
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Comments [3]
I am very upset that the new schedule has your program, The Takeaway only on at 3pm. I usual wake early in the morning and would listen to Morning Edition from 5-7 am. Then I would switch to Am to hear The Takeaway. I find the show wonderfully informing and entertaining. I am work at 3Pm and can't hear the show anymore. I could listen to the podcast but it is not convenient for me. I wish you were back on your old time slot.
Why the change? I would love an answer.
A big fan and loyal listener,
Karen Roemer
Hearing Bill Clinton give a major political nominating speech to the nation about the candidate's wife and marriage is like listening to Tony Soprano talk to a federal law enforcement convention about organized crime.
I like them both, but Hillary is my favorite. She is a woman before her time. She is succeeding professionally without self destructing personally. Life is complicated. Politics is complicated. I admire her not giving in to what others expected of her or how others would define her, but insisting that she has invaluable contributions to make, irrespective of who her husband is, or how her husband behaves. She is not defined simply by her marriage. She is smart, and has learned to be savvy. I admire those qualities. I'd vote for her anytime I could.
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