Interview with Willie Geist at Crabtree Kittle House, and Master Class, 2016 Speech Puts Hillary Back in the spotlight
Many in the far-right media ‘freaked-out’ when news leaked that former Secretary of State, U.S. Senator from New York and First Lady Hillary Clinton was speaking regularly with, and has visited The White House to meet with vice-president Kamala Harris. But the relationship between the two, and the circumstances surrounding VP Harris becoming the first female VP in our history, makes the meeting and the dialogue make a lot of sense.
First the story is true, if you believe the New York Times, who reported on Dec. 23, “Faced with declining approval ratings, a series of staff departures and a drumbeat of criticism from Republicans and the conservative news media, she has turned to powerful confidantes, including Hillary Clinton, to help plot a path forward. Since arriving in Washington, Ms. Harris has sought the counsel of other women — including Mrs. Clinton, the first female Democratic presidential nominee — who have achieved historical political success to help her find a path,” writes Katie Rogers and Zolan Kanno-Youngs, (https://www.nytimes.com/2021/12/23/us/politics/kamala-harris-biden-administration.html).
According to the story, “The two speak every few months on the phone; in November, Mrs. Clinton visited Ms. Harris in her West Wing office.” “There is a double standard; it’s sadly alive and well,” Mrs. Clinton said in an interview. “A lot of what is being used to judge her, just like it was to judge me, or the women who ran in 2020, or everybody else, is really colored by that.”
The visit to The White House by Secretary Clinton got on the radar of many in the right wing media, but the relationship between Vice-President Harris and Hillary dates back several years, and the mutual admiration and shared experiences in American politics between the two has formed a bond that only now is being noticed by the public.
Harris recently flew back to her home state of California to meet with several prominent female democratic strategists, and many friends of Bill and Hillary Clinton, including former Hillary Clinton spokeswomen and Democratic strategists Adrienne Elrod and Karen Finney, and Jennifer Palmieri, who worked on Clinton’s 2016 Presidential campaign.
Vice-President Harris’ younger sister, Maya, worked for then Secretary of State Hillary Clinton. And a podcast that aired in 2020 between the VP and Hillary shows how much they connect. “My heart was so full speaking with Hillary Clinton about Ruth Bader Ginsburg’s legacy and our ongoing fight for equality under the law. And, of course, we talked quarantine cooking. Listen to our conversation on Hillary’s new podcast, You And Me Both,” said Harris. The link to the podcast is below.
The next step in this story concerns the return to the public spotlight by Secretary Clinton. Here in Westchester, Hillary conducted a one hour interview with NBC’s Willy Geist at Crabtree Kittle House Restaurant in Chappaqua, one of Bill and Hillary’s favorite places and only a mile from their home. That interview link is below.
The other Hillary media appearance that got a lot of coverage was a Master Class course that she is teaching online. You must subscribe to listen and learn about Hillary’s advice concerning how to overcome setbacks and disappointments in your life and become resilient.
but one clip that has been shared online is Hillary giving the speech that she never got a chance to give. It was her acceptance speech when she won the Presidency in 2016. Hillary lost the presidency to Donald Trump, but read from the speech for Master Class, and gets emotional when parts of the speech includes a conversation with her mother in which Hillary tells her mom, “you will survive, you will have good family, and believe it or not, your daughter will become President of the United States.”
This show of emotion is new for Hillary, and is touching to most who watch it. It’s a kinder, more gentle Hillary, and for both her supporters and her critics, it is a sign that a return to poltical life is not out of the question for the 74 year-old Clinton. Joe Biden is 79.
So lets play this out. Hillary is back in the spotlight and conferring with the vice-president. Vice-President Harris has whispered that she would like to be a part of an all female Presidential ticket if the opportunity presents itself. “The talk in the White House is that Kamala has stated she wants to pick a woman to create the first all-female adminstration,” said far right commentator Jack Posobiec.
How would that opportunity present itself to Vice-President Harris? Only if President Joe Biden decided not to run for re-election in 2024.
The second, unanswered question is, would Hillary take the vice-presidency if it were offered to her?
I didn’t vote for Hillary or Trump in 2016. I voted for Gary Johnson, the Libertarian, third party candidate. But my politcal observation is that Hillary looks well rested and ready to return to the political ring. And if the republican candidate is Donald Trump again, we could have that rematch of Trump-Hillary, or Trump-Harris with Hillary as the VP.
And if you have never been to Crabtree Kittle House, its worth your visit. It’s not cheap, but you won’t be disappointed… and you never know who you might see there.
