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: As it Turns Out, You Can't, in Fact, Take the Wonk out of a Clinton
Thursday, September 20, 2007 6:48 AM
By Andrew Romano
What a tease. Last night, Hillary Clinton spent the first hour of her New York fundraiser running through her usual talking points before revealing that she had a surprise for the 1,200 assembled supporters, who surely paid at least $50 a head for more than the usual litany. "I have a great privilege," she said, smiling and slipping into the mode of girlish flirtation that she deploys occasionally on the trail, most famously in March when she thanked a firefighters' convention them for their warm welcome and then—raising an eyebrow—said, "and thanks for last night, too." Her surprise guest, Clinton continued, is "someone whom I'm incredibly fond of, who I admire enormously, who is a man of great distinction and honor who has served our country well for so many years..." Here, people nudged their neighbors and, mouthing the word "Bill," began to applaud. "...Whom I'm very proud has endorsed me for president..."—big laughs, because, you know, what else are husbands for?—"who is here, and I want to invite him out join us for this conversation." A collective gasp. "General Wesley Clark." Well, at least it was a silver-haired Arkansan.
The night's most entertaining moment came when Clinton compared Dick Cheney to the Dark Lord of the Sith. "Vice President Cheney came up to see the Republicans yesterday. You can always tell when the Republicans are getting restless, because the Vice President’s motorcade pulls into the Capitol, and Darth Vader emerges," she said. Oh snap.
But a later moment was more characteristic. "This is question from a New York City schoolteacher," said former Iowa Governor and current Clinton national campaign chair Tom Vilsack, who served as Clinton's interviewer. "What can you do about the growing and aging school systems, not just in New York, the city, but across the country?"
"You mean like, the buildings and the facilities and everything?" Clinton replied, excitement in her voice.
"I would broaden it a bit to talk about what you think needs to be done in education in general," said Vilsack, who is, by all accounts, a better natural campaigner than Clinton.
Sorry, Tom--she wasn't having it. "You know, I'll start directly with her question about school facilities," she said, launching into a long disquisition on schools with "coal-fired boilers," "mold" and "ceiling tiles falling" and proposing a "fund that can be used to help local districts...get long-term loans to build and renovate and modernize facilities." Give Clinton a choice between barnstorming and wonking, and she'll wonk every time.
Where's Bill when you need him?
Thursday, September 20, 2007 6:48 AM
By Andrew Romano
What a tease. Last night, Hillary Clinton spent the first hour of her New York fundraiser running through her usual talking points before revealing that she had a surprise for the 1,200 assembled supporters, who surely paid at least $50 a head for more than the usual litany. "I have a great privilege," she said, smiling and slipping into the mode of girlish flirtation that she deploys occasionally on the trail, most famously in March when she thanked a firefighters' convention them for their warm welcome and then—raising an eyebrow—said, "and thanks for last night, too." Her surprise guest, Clinton continued, is "someone whom I'm incredibly fond of, who I admire enormously, who is a man of great distinction and honor who has served our country well for so many years..." Here, people nudged their neighbors and, mouthing the word "Bill," began to applaud. "...Whom I'm very proud has endorsed me for president..."—big laughs, because, you know, what else are husbands for?—"who is here, and I want to invite him out join us for this conversation." A collective gasp. "General Wesley Clark." Well, at least it was a silver-haired Arkansan.
The night's most entertaining moment came when Clinton compared Dick Cheney to the Dark Lord of the Sith. "Vice President Cheney came up to see the Republicans yesterday. You can always tell when the Republicans are getting restless, because the Vice President’s motorcade pulls into the Capitol, and Darth Vader emerges," she said. Oh snap.
But a later moment was more characteristic. "This is question from a New York City schoolteacher," said former Iowa Governor and current Clinton national campaign chair Tom Vilsack, who served as Clinton's interviewer. "What can you do about the growing and aging school systems, not just in New York, the city, but across the country?"
"You mean like, the buildings and the facilities and everything?" Clinton replied, excitement in her voice.
"I would broaden it a bit to talk about what you think needs to be done in education in general," said Vilsack, who is, by all accounts, a better natural campaigner than Clinton.
Sorry, Tom--she wasn't having it. "You know, I'll start directly with her question about school facilities," she said, launching into a long disquisition on schools with "coal-fired boilers," "mold" and "ceiling tiles falling" and proposing a "fund that can be used to help local districts...get long-term loans to build and renovate and modernize facilities." Give Clinton a choice between barnstorming and wonking, and she'll wonk every time.
Where's Bill when you need him?