Apparently Foggy Bottom is the nickname for the State Department so this chapter is about her preparation to take on her role as Secretary of State.
This chapter was very much a cast of characters so that the reader would know who was who in her department.
The only thing that really stood out was the information that her offices was in an area where outside electronics were not allowed... even cell phones. I wonder, given all of the buhaloo over the email servers, how that worked. Was her Blackberry not considered outside electronics? Or were they checked out by the Diplomatic Security Service?
Actually, there is one other thing that stood out. She knows everyone. I suppose that is to be expected given that she has been involved in national politics since 1991. I think for those of us outside of the Beltway it is hard to really truly understand how insular DC is. We see the big speeches, the outcomes, the scandals, the accusations, the news. But there is so much going on underneath that we aren't even aware of.
I couldn't do it.
Sunday, July 12, 2015
Thursday, July 9, 2015
Hard Choices: A Team of Rivals
Reading the opening of this chapter brought to mind all of the heartache of the 2008 Democratic Primary for me. I was (and remain) a staunch Clinton supporter. It was devastating to me to see the way she was treated in the press, the nastiest comments, the way primary elections in my home state (at the time) of Michigan was set aside leading to a growing belief that Obama would win. I don't think I have ever been so emotionally entangled in a campaign before and it hurt when she lost. Hurt so much that I couldn't bring myself to vote for a Democrat for President for the first time in my life.
I think how hard it was for me to watch Hillary lose and I know how much harder it must have been for her. Yet, just a few days later, she is meeting with Obama to work on putting him in the White House.
She describes giving her last primary campaign speech, her concession speech. "If the speech was hard to write, it was even harder to deliver. I felt I had let down so many millions of people, especially the women and girls who had invested their dreams in me." (pg. 6)
Hillary, I never felt let down by you. I felt let down by the Democratic Party. I felt let down by the media and the nation. Again and again, the sexism that was thrown at you again and again was left unchecked by the people who claimed to be supporters of women's rights. In fact, it was often thrown at you by those on the Left. And that angered me. I remember the sexist jokes about Geraldine Ferraro and it was disgusting that over twenty years later those same jokes and comments were recycled. And Obama, his supporters, and the Democratic Party were silent... when they weren't making those comments themselves.
It was so hard to forgive for me and many others. Not for Hillary. She put the country before herself believing that having a Democrat in the White House was imperative. She worked with the Obama team to support his candidacy and they developed enough of a working relationship that he wanted her for Secretary of State.
I didn't realize that Hillary had initially turned down the position of Secretary of State. It makes sense. She had worked her entre life to improve the circumstances of the American people through policy; the Senate was the best place she could do that if not in the White House. Serving as Secretary of State was a very different form of service and I can't wait to learn more about it.
Trivia: Hillary spent a few months in Alaska gutting fish and washing dishes after college.
I think how hard it was for me to watch Hillary lose and I know how much harder it must have been for her. Yet, just a few days later, she is meeting with Obama to work on putting him in the White House.
She describes giving her last primary campaign speech, her concession speech. "If the speech was hard to write, it was even harder to deliver. I felt I had let down so many millions of people, especially the women and girls who had invested their dreams in me." (pg. 6)
Hillary, I never felt let down by you. I felt let down by the Democratic Party. I felt let down by the media and the nation. Again and again, the sexism that was thrown at you again and again was left unchecked by the people who claimed to be supporters of women's rights. In fact, it was often thrown at you by those on the Left. And that angered me. I remember the sexist jokes about Geraldine Ferraro and it was disgusting that over twenty years later those same jokes and comments were recycled. And Obama, his supporters, and the Democratic Party were silent... when they weren't making those comments themselves.
It was so hard to forgive for me and many others. Not for Hillary. She put the country before herself believing that having a Democrat in the White House was imperative. She worked with the Obama team to support his candidacy and they developed enough of a working relationship that he wanted her for Secretary of State.
I didn't realize that Hillary had initially turned down the position of Secretary of State. It makes sense. She had worked her entre life to improve the circumstances of the American people through policy; the Senate was the best place she could do that if not in the White House. Serving as Secretary of State was a very different form of service and I can't wait to learn more about it.
Trivia: Hillary spent a few months in Alaska gutting fish and washing dishes after college.
Wednesday, July 8, 2015
Purpose
I have long been a fan of Hillary Clinton. She is smart, capable, and has always fought for women. I supported her in 2008 and was devastated when my vote wasn't counted in the primary due to Michigan jumping the gun. I was devastated when Barack Obama was the nominee. I thought that he wasn't ready, he compromised too much. And while I like him more than I did, I still feel that my assessment of him in 2008 was correct.
Read the comments on any article about Hillary Clinton and you will see nothing but lies and conspiracy theories.
But again and again, the question is asked... what did she actually accomplish?
And I can't answer that question easily without quoting her website. As much as I like and respect Hillary Clinton, I haven't followed her career as closely as I should have. And this is the inspiration of this blog. I am going to blog as I read her books so that I can learn more about Hillary and become a more informed voter. Hopefully my readers will become more informed as well.
As for me, who is Blue Mom? I am a teacher in the state of Indiana. I have two young children and an ex husband who has essentially disappeared from their lives.
I am passionate about women's rights, education, disability rights, health care especially mental health, gun control, and eliminating the growing income inequality.
Read the comments on any article about Hillary Clinton and you will see nothing but lies and conspiracy theories.
But again and again, the question is asked... what did she actually accomplish?
And I can't answer that question easily without quoting her website. As much as I like and respect Hillary Clinton, I haven't followed her career as closely as I should have. And this is the inspiration of this blog. I am going to blog as I read her books so that I can learn more about Hillary and become a more informed voter. Hopefully my readers will become more informed as well.
As for me, who is Blue Mom? I am a teacher in the state of Indiana. I have two young children and an ex husband who has essentially disappeared from their lives.
I am passionate about women's rights, education, disability rights, health care especially mental health, gun control, and eliminating the growing income inequality.
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