Why do people hate Hillary Clinton so much? Is it her politics? Is it her husband? Her personality, or character? Does she represent something else that people feel strongly about? Is it a matter of perception, or image?
I like her all right, but I’m not a fan. I just don’t understand why people feel so STRONGLY against her.
First, “all of the above” you noted in your OP.
But, here’s the cherry on the sundae! Where the hell does she – or any other interloper – come off thinking she’s qualified to represent a state (MY state) she’s never lived in? It’s the height of arrogance.
Don’t give me that “well Bobby Kennedy did it” garbage. He was an interloping arrogant carpetbagger too, so I’d vilify him as well.
Is this even CONCEIVEABLE in any other state??? Who else would stand for such a slap in the face? No one. So why should we? Why should we be the dumping ground for every disenfrachised out-of-towner with a bleeding heart and an eye on the White House.
I will admit this though… we have only ourselves to blame, what with laws that qualify someone to run for senate if you can spell “New York” and get most of the letters right.
Disgraceful.
I’ll tell you why I hate her so much. It has less to do with her politics than her phoniness. I can respect those who disagree with me, so that isn’t it.
I’ve read from those who have spent time with the Clintons that she is a total bitch and is very nasty towards people. Of course, that is much different from her public image. These sources are former secret service agents, advisors, etc. I realize they might not all be accurate but I have to imagine that where there is smoke there is fire.
She just comes across as someone who acts much different in the public eye because she wants to come across as Mrs. Nice.
They say they hate of her policies or because of some Arkansas real estate deal, but look how they reacted to whatever it was she said about “baking cookies”. Did they have a good reason to hate her for that? No, they just stab away at whoever is famous because they are jealous of the fame.
That there Princess Diana was a famous blond woman. She was okay because she didn’t have any notable political opinion. That bad old Hillary Clinton has political opinions. For shame!
Most of the problem has to do with a perceived hipocracy about her. She is viewed(notice the percieved and viewed? I’m trying to keep this a GQ answer) as being a feminist when it suits her, but being a devoted 50’s style woman at other times. She also appears to be a big part of policy for the president, "we are a team"and stuff, but when it comes time for taking blame she just tries to be another first lady baking cookies.
“Hate” is a pretty strong word.
I think she is viewed (rightly or wrongly) as an interloper, and some of the hateful sheen comes from her closeness to a President who, as we all know, has done a few things that are legally and morally questionable.
As for why she feels that she can represent the state of NY–she can. If George Bush Sr. can get away with calling himself a Texan when he spent most of his time away from the office in Maine, well…let’s just say that Texas has some enviable tax laws that Maine doesn’t.
…her demonstrated lack of integrity…from her fraudulent land deals (White Water, Castle Grande) where she and her spouse ripped off the American taxpayers to the tune of several million dollars. There was that cattle futures business with “Red” Bone-she turned a $10,000 invest ment into $100,000 in a week! Also Travelgate, filegate, the phony book “IT TAKES A VILLAGE”. The woman is by all accounts a treacherous, lying shrew, whi intents to grab as much power as she possibly can.
Unlike what some crazed lunatics say about Hillary’s detractors, people don’t dislike Hillary because she is a “strong woman” We dislike her because she is a weak woman who has conived her way to high positions without so much as a lick of hard work.
She’s a political opportunist in the WORST sense of the word. She has used her marriage to Bill for her own gain, and it became plainly obvious during the Lewinski scandal that this is a marriage born of politcal necessity and not love.
She obnoxiously ignorant and massively condescending of regular people in general. Her so called “listening tours” were simply rude and insulting. I’ve said it before, and I’ll say it again. Politicians should NOT go around finding out what their potential voters want before the election. YOU tell US what you stand for and WE will decide whether or not we like it, and vote accordingly. That’s how it should work.
She’s the worst case example of an “Ivory Tower” liberal. I have a LOT more respect for someone like Jesse Jackson, who has atleast experienced much of what he campaigns for. Hillary and her Privilaged-Chicago-Suburban-Wellesly-Educated-Rich-Ignoramus-ass should just stop speaking on issues she has no experience with. That whole “it takes a village” crap is ludicrous. It takes far less to raise a child correctly: A Parent, maybe 2. To quote Bill Maher “If the parents did a better job of raising the children, the villagers wouldn’t have to take over.”
She’s all style and no substance. It’s all an image for her, she largely gives the appearance of caring because caring is a tool for her to keep her in the spotlight. People who really care get no press and don’t mind.
There are many more “strong women” figures in the world that we don’t need to look to Hillary for a model…
“It takes a village…” translates to “It takes the government…” in her mind.
She railed against “Corporate greed” and the “80’s” greed, yet she was busy making her money. She is very elitist. She disguises her marxism by talking about compassion. If you disagree with her, you are a radical nazi.
Read some of her comments while a lawyer on the impeachment committee on Nixon. If she applied those standards to her husband he would have been loooooong gone, to quote Ernie Harwell.
I don’t think there is any one reason. I suspect having at least a modicum of intelligence, some appreciation of honesty and integrity, basic common sense and plain old good taste all contribute.
I am always amused by the “men don’t like strong/independent women” argument. The people who say that hated Margaret Thatcher and the men they are arguing with loved her. Ironic ain’t it?
First, Hillary Clinton is the archetypal aristocratic liberal. Born to a wealthy family, she never experienced need or discrimination, but she preaches about them like she was sold into slavery until she was sixteen. This doesn’t endear her to most conservative, or even moderate, people.
It’s the hypocracy that gets to me. She claims to be this great, pioneering feminist. However, anything she’s ever accomplished has been a direct result of her husband’s influence. This was most obvious in the attempt to socialize health care early in the administration, and her current run for the senate is another example of it. Would she even have a prayer of winning if she wasn’t the president’s wife? Of course not. Of course, when the health care reform crashed and burned, all of a sudden it was Bill’s idea. And the whole Monica Lewinsky/impeachment incident showed that her marriage to Bill Clinton is one of convenience, not love. Don’t be suprised if she divorces him after he leaves office. It’s almost enough to make me feel sorry for 'ol Bubba. Almost 
New York sources report that RUN HILLARY RUN bumper stickers are extremely popular there. Democrats put them on the rear of the car; Republicans, on the front.
Hillary intends to run for President in 8 years. Chances are better than even she will win although, insofar as I am concerned, she is a lawyer in the same mold as her husband.
But honesty does not a politician make. Probably the only US president who voluntarily left office when he could have stayed was George Washington.
…and an influental 1.
[rest of non-GQ answer self-edited]
Notice how her name in the campaign is simply “Hillary” and not “Clinton”. And pay attention to how often Lazio calls her “Mrs. Clinton”.
Notice how happy Bubba seems now that she is in New York. He seems to have some extra pep in his step.
It’s quite clear from the tenor of the responses (I can hear your voices tremble as you type) that this topic should be in the BBQ pit…
*Nancy Reagan keeps her husband from the press and fires White House staff and she’s a loyal wife.
Libby Dole breaks up her husband’s previous marriage, they get wealthy on real estate and stock deals. When their best friend and business partner goes to jail for insider trading and tax fraud and they claim they never met the guy. But she’s a presidential candidate (and loving wife).
Rick Lazio never makes a trade in his life, then increases his money tenfold in a stock deal right after he gets a seat on the securities committee.
Tom Delay is sued by a business partner and lies under oath, claiming he sold his interest in the company (he was still listed as president).
Gingrich walks out on two wives, XXX has an affair with a married woman, while in his forties, and calls it “youthful indiscretion.”
Bob Dornan, who was once arrested for pistol-whipping his wife, runs for congress from Garden Grove, CA while he has no legal residence in the state (he’s living at his estate in VA, and lists his local campaign headquarters as his residence.*
Replies to any of the above will range from defending the individuals named to statements like “No I’m fair-minded; I repudiate Gingrich also.” But no matter how much you repudiate Newt, his actions will never bring the bile to your throat that a35362 did, just by mentioning Hillary’s name.
I’ve never understood the hatred (no, “hate” is not too strong a word, it’s too subtle a word) the right and the media have for the Clintons.
Ideology doesn’t quite explain it, maybe it has to do with how well Bill works a room (it’s “slick” when people like him, but it was “charisma” when people liked Reagan). Ultimately, you don’t like him cuz he’s a moderate (a liberal could never be elected president), but you hate him because he’s a likeable moderate. It has nothing to do with intelligence, good taste, integrity. If Bill or Hillary were to rescue your grandmother from a snake pit, it would take all of your energy to keep from pushing them back into the pit.
People have thrown around accusations like they were convictions, confused character with reputation, and become apoplectic when the general public don’t descend on the White House to lynch these people.
Eight years of investigations are going to come down to a bunch of reports vindicating the Clintons along with press releases from Robert Ray saying “Well there’s not enough to proscute, but…” – and then he’ll reiterate the original accusations.
And –mark my words – after eight years, all of these reiterations will come out in late October, in time to get the full effect before the elections but too late for the Clintons to reply (not that the papers or the nightly news or the pundits will give them a chance to answer – well it might make page 23 in the Times).
Hilary did not take advantage of her husband. It was the other way around. Without her, Bill Clinton would not be achieving half of the things he has today.
She knows how to be a lawyer (she was one of “100 top american Lawyers”) and she had more than enough ambition for the two of them. It is one of the most hated professions and she is on top of it.
Republicans are sore about the Clintons because they think that the Clintons are White Trash. ‘White Trash’ who overachieved more than any of the blue-bloods can ever achieve. The Clintons won because they are actually sensitive to what the people think, something unheard of in modern politics.
Who do we want to represent New York, Sheldon Silver? He sold his own city, New York, down the river for a few votes in Rockland County. Hilary was there because she was the only person in America who could have challenged Rudy Giuliani for the senate seat. No one in the Democrat party NY who was running for office would want to run vs Giuliani.
Hilary Clinton may not win, but Hilary Rodham can.
Let’s not forget the company she keeps (Al Sharpton, of Tawana Brawley fame.)
Let’s not forget the things she says just for political gain (“I was always a Yankees fan…” oh puh-leeez).
She rushed to pronounce the cops in the Diallo case murderers before the trial even started (and theywere acquitted on all charges).
When she realized that it might be advantageous to get the Jewish vote, all of a sudden there’s a Jewish branch to her family.
If she could have gotten away with it, she no doubt would have said by the Puerto Rican day parade that she is a Latina as well.
Bottom line on the Senate Run, however, is this:
She has no interest in New York. She just wants to be in the Senate. New York simply is the largest state with a seat opening up. If Moynihan wasn’t retiring and a senator from say, Colorado was retiring, all of a sudden she would be a Broncos and Rockies fan. And you can’t really argue the fact that if the Founding Fathers and framers of the Constitution could see this (carpetbagging) happening, they’d have a cow.
Zev Steinhardt
Zev Steinhardt
What kind of person do you have to be to make daily public pronouncements about ‘greed and corruption’, and to publically take the Republicans to task for “the culture of selfishness that led to abuses like the S&L crisis”, while simultaneously engaging in a massive S&L fraud and questionable futures speculations for big money? How about complaining about how the rich don’t pay enough taxes, all while hauling down hundreds of thousands a year in income while engaging in every tax dodge in the books, from questionable land writeoffs to donating used underwear and claiming it as a tax deduction?
I disliked Hillary long before Bill became President. The ‘travelgate’ scandal was the coup de grace. Here are these people from Arkansas, who come into the Whitehouse and fire a whole group of lifetime civil servants, just so they can install their own friends into those positions. And of course, Hillary is all for employee rights, unless they get in the way of her desires. Not only did she fire the travel office employees, but just to make herself look better they cobbled up some phony charges and ruined the reputations of a lot of people. (All charges were quietly dropped later, and two of the travel office employees have spent their entire life savings clearing their names).
I hate hypocrisy wherever it may be. I despise ‘conservatives’ that preach family values while ignoring their own families and cheating on their wives. I cannot stand multi-millionaires who complain about ‘the rich’. If you believe it, do it. If you don’t, keep your mouth shut. Hillary is the worst hypocrite currently in the public eye.
Well, Cecil bless those who tried to keep this GQ. And for all I know, it might still belong in Great Debates. But I’m under no illusion where this thread will eventually end up, so I’m offering express service tonight.
To the Pit!