WEBVTT

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Welcome to the Deep Dive, the place where we

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take these complex, really multifaceted public

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careers, stack up all the source material, and

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then distill it into the essential knowledge

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you need to be informed fast. And our mission

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today is arguably one of our most demanding.

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I think so. We're synthesizing the immense, decades

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-long public career of Hillary Rodham Clinton.

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This is a figure whose influence spans five decades

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of American public life. I mean, you're talking

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right from the late 1960s all the way through

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to her current academic roles in 2025. You are

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looking at someone who has occupied roles from

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first lady to U .S. senator, secretary of state,

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and I think most critically, became the first

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woman nominated for U .S. president by a major

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party. It's a truly staggering range of experience.

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I mean, it covers political, legal, diplomatic

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high points. And our source material for this

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is a comprehensive intensive biographical compilation.

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We're talking a full history from her birth in

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1947 right through to today. The sheer scope

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just demands a structured chronological approach,

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but we have to keep a sharp focus on synthesis.

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Right. Exactly. Her professional life isn't just,

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you know, a list of roles. It's a reflection

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of these immense shifts in American politics,

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in cultural norms, and of course, the evolving

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role of women in power. So our goal is to track

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that full. complex arc of her influence. That's

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it. To understand how the young, idealistic student

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navigated, you know, just relentless controversy,

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how she adapted her political identity and operated

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constantly at the highest levels of power, all

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while setting new precedents. There's a central

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thread we should probably look for, isn't there?

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I think the central thread we'll be looking for

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is the tension between her progressive heart

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and her political pragmatism. I really like that

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framing. The tension between the idealist and

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the pragmatist. OK, let's unpack this and jump

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right in. Starting at the beginning, her formative

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years and that crucial political evolution that

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really set her on this path. So Hilary Diane

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Rodham was born in Chicago in 1947, but she was

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raised in Park Ridge, Illinois. And this is a

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traditional politically conservative. Very traditional.

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A Methodist family. And this early environment

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is absolutely essential because it sets up that

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philosophical tension we just talked about. Her

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early political alignment was surprisingly conservative,

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wasn't it? When we look back now it just seems

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almost incompatible with the rest of her career.

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It was profoundly conservative. We have this

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fascinating early anecdote here that just perfectly

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illustrates her early alignment with the Republican

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Party, even before she hit high school. As a

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13 -year -old after the 1960 election between

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Kennedy and Nixon, she actively canvassed Chicago's

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South Side. And why? Right. Why would she do

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that? She genuinely believed she had found evidence

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of electoral fraud that worked against the Republican

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candidate Richard Nixon. So a preteen actively

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pursuing election integrity for the GOP. That's

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some serious dedication. It is. And she was dedicated

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enough to later campaign for Barry Goldwater

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in the 1964 election. At the same time, her political

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development was being shaped by these two competing

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influences. It was almost a tug of war. OK, so

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who are the two sides in this tug of war? On

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one side, you had her father, Hugh Rodham, who

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was a fervent anti -communist, a traditionalist

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Republican, just rock ribbed. And on the other?

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On the other side, her Methodist minister, a

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man named Donald Jones, who focused heavily on

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issues of social justice and civil rights. He

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took her and the youth group to see Martin Luther

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King Jr. speak in Chicago. That sounds like an

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intellectual pressure cooker. You've got traditionalism

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battling social awareness right at the dinner

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table and in church. It seems like the perfect

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breeding ground for that eventual centrist self

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identity. It is. So where does this tension start

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to visibly resolve itself? or at least come to

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a head. It really culminates during her time

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at Wellesley College, starting in 1965, where

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she chose to major in political science. She

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arrived there as a dedicated Republican and,

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you know, pretty quickly became president of

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the Wellesley Young Republicans. But this wasn't

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the extreme right wing, though. No, no. They

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were what she later called Rockefeller Republican

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oriented. For listeners who might not recall

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that era, what did Rockefeller Republican really

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signify politically? That term is so crucial.

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It represents the liberal or moderate wing of

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the GOP during the mid 20th century. These were

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figures like New York Governor Nelson Rockefeller

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or Senator Edward Brooke. They were generally

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fiscally conservative, but they supported civil

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rights, environmental protection and a more engaged

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role for government in social issues. So this

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shows she was already leaning toward a form of

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intellectual. conservatism, but paired with this

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real desire for social progress. Exactly. But

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the mid -60s were just a period of cataclysmic

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change. The Vietnam War was escalating. The civil

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rights movement was gaining serious legislative

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traction. You can't be in college at that time

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and not be affected by it. Absolutely not. She

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credits that intense atmosphere surrounding the

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civil rights movement and the Vietnam War with

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rapidly changing her views while she was in college.

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She famously described herself in a letter to

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her youth minister as having having a mind conservative

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and a heart liberal. And that dichotomy, that

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desire for stability and order, but combined

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with the desire for social justice, that really

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would define her entire career, wouldn't it?

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It's the origin point. It's the origin of her

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lifelong desire to seek change within the system

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through established political means rather than

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through, you know, radical confrontation from

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the outside. So what finally caused the definitive

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break? What was the moment she left the Republican

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Party for good? The 1968 Republican National

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Convention in Miami. She had been invited to

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assist Nelson Rockefeller's late entry campaign

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for the presidential nomination. OK. But she

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was profoundly upset by Richard Nixon's campaign

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tactics, which she perceived as subtly exploiting

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racial anxieties and by what she saw as the convention's

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abandonment of the progressive reformist wing

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of the party. So Nixon gets the nomination. The

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party nominated Nixon, who, in her view, had

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moved too far to the right. And she left the

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Republican Party. for good immediately after

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that convention. And that decision, that break,

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it led directly to her big aha moment on the

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national stage, her 1969 Wellesley commencement

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speech. And that was not a standard student address.

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Not at all. It was an unprecedented moment. She

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was elected by her classmates to be the first

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student in Wellesley history to speak at the

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commencement ceremony. Her address was scheduled

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immediately following the main speaker, Senator

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Edward Brooke, the Republican from Massachusetts

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she had once admired. So what was the substance

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of her speech? What did she say that was so provocative?

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She used her time to critique Brooks remarks

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directly. She argued that his optimism about

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the pace of political change was, well, insufficient

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and maybe even complacent, particularly regarding

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civil rights and the war. She spoke about the

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need for immediate, meaningful social change,

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stating the challenge now is to practice politics

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as the art of making what appears to be impossible

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possible. Just imagine that scene. a 21 -year

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-old student challenging a sitting U .S. senator

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at her own graduation. What was the reaction

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in the room? The reaction was electric. She received

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a spontaneous standing ovation from the crowd

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and her classmates that lasted a full seven minutes.

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Seven minutes. A full seven minutes. It was so

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impactful that she was featured in Life magazine

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because of the public response to her criticism.

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She was suddenly, you know, thrust onto the national

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map as a serious, formidable, young public figure,

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highly articulate and politically sharp. That

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speech essentially announced her presence in

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public life. And from that high profile moment

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at Wellesley, she moved right into Yale Law School,

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which seems like a natural next step, maintaining

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that focus on social justice. And advocacy. Yes.

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At Yale, she joined the editorial board of the

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Yale Review of Law and Social Action. She focused

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heavily on legal advocacy for marginalized groups,

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specifically working on child abuse cases at

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Yale New Haven Hospital and helping to found

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New Haven Legal Services. This wasn't abstract

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legal theory. This was hands -on work with direct

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social impact. So this is where she's laying

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the academic foundation for her later policy

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work as first lady, specifically around children's

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health and safety. Precisely. Her seminal 1973

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scholarly article, Children Under the Law, is

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still frequently cited in the legal field. What's

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so fascinating about that piece? What was the

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core argument? She was arguing against the prevailing

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legal notion that children should be presumed

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legally incompetent until they reach the age

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of majority. Instead, she argued that courts

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should presume competence on a case -by -case

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basis, treating child citizens as powerless individuals

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whose legal rights deserved independent consideration.

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That sounds radical for the time. It was. Arguing

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for a child's right to representation and to

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participate in decisions affecting their own

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welfare? And of course, while she was building

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this incredibly impressive legal and policy resume

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at Yale, she met Bill Clinton. And after all

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that preparation for this bright future in the

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political centers of the Northeast, she chooses

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a radically different path. She moves to Arkansas.

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She did. She initially failed the D .C. bar exam,

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though she immediately passed the Arkansas exam,

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and she initially declined Bill Clinton's proposals

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to marry him. But she eventually chose to marry

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him in 1975 and moved to Arkansas. It was viewed

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by many of her contemporaries as a well, a surprising

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career setback for someone with such immense

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political potential. Her own words later were

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very telling. She said she chose to follow her

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heart instead of her head. It was a choice that

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immediately shifted her career from the established

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policy track in D .C. to the far more intimate

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and politically charged environment of a southern

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state. That move to Arkansas in the mid -70s

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marks the start of this fascinating period where

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she's cementing her professional independence.

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But at the same time, she's becoming a political

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spouse in a very traditional southern state.

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Let's look at the incredible professional path

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she forged in Little Rock. She joined the Rose

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Law Firm in February 1977. And this wasn't just

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any firm. It was a political and economic powerhouse

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in Arkansas, deeply, deeply connected to the

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state's elite. And she specialized in complex

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commercial law, things like patent infringement

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and intellectual property. property rather than,

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you know, standard political law. By 1979, she

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becomes the firm's first woman partner. First

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woman partner. Becoming the first woman partner

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in a major Southern law firm in 1979 is just

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an enormous achievement in its own right. What

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does that accomplishment tell us about the power

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structure in Arkansas at the time? I think it

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tells us two things. First, her legal pedigree

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from Yale gave her this unique standing in cachet.

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She wasn't just another local lawyer. Sure. Second,

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she was clearly a successful and valuable lawyer.

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She was a rainmaker for the firm, using her prestige

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and growing connections to bring in clients.

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And here is a very telling detail about her independent

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standing. From 1978 until she entered the White

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House in 1993, she consistently earned a higher

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salary than her husband. So she had independent

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financial power. She did. And she never abandoned

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her advocacy work, even as she was climbing that

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corporate legal ladder. Right. She kept that

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part of her identity alive. Absolutely not. Her

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commitment to children's issues remained primary.

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In 1977, she co -founded Arkansas Advocates for

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Children and Families. Then when Bill Clinton

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became governor in 1979, he appointed her chair

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of the Rural Health Advisory Committee. And what

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did she do there? She secured vital federal funds

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to expand medical facilities, particularly in

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the state's poorest, most underserved rural areas.

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Furthermore, she served on the board of the Legal

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Services Corporation, appointed by President

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Carter, and was the first female chair from mid

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1978 to mid 1980. This allowed her to continue

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influencing national policy on legal aid for

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the poor. But operating within the highest echelons

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of power and finance in a state capital, that

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inevitably introduces the scrutiny that would

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just follow her for the rest of her public life.

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The late 1970s brought the first waves of serious

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financial and political controversies. Yes, 1978

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and 1979 were pivotal. Two major financial actions

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during this period would later fuel years and

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years of investigation. First, the infamous cattle

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futures controversy. Okay, break this down for

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us. She made an initial $1 ,000 investment in

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cattle futures contracts. Over 10 months, that

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investment yielded nearly $100 ,000. Okay, I

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have to stop you there. A $1 ,000 investment

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yielding a 10 ,000 % return. in 10 months. Even

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if it was totally clean, that just sounds like

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a political liability written in neon lights.

00:12:37.779 --> 00:12:40.100
It does. How did she and the family defend that

00:12:40.100 --> 00:12:42.580
transaction at the time? Well, the defense was

00:12:42.580 --> 00:12:44.960
that the trades were legitimate, that they were

00:12:44.960 --> 00:12:47.919
guided by advice from a close friend and Tyson

00:12:47.919 --> 00:12:50.740
Foods attorney, a man named James Blair, who

00:12:50.740 --> 00:12:53.039
had high level access to the commodities market.

00:12:53.320 --> 00:12:56.230
But the media. The media scrutiny alleged it

00:12:56.230 --> 00:12:58.230
was less about luck and more about a potential

00:12:58.230 --> 00:13:00.789
conflict of interest or even, you know, a veiled

00:13:00.789 --> 00:13:03.529
bribe, using the anonymity of the commodities

00:13:03.529 --> 00:13:06.169
market to compensate her or her husband. But

00:13:06.169 --> 00:13:08.970
were there any charges? Crucially, though the

00:13:08.970 --> 00:13:11.789
story was highly scrutinized for years, no formal

00:13:11.789 --> 00:13:13.830
investigation was ever made and she was never

00:13:13.830 --> 00:13:16.169
charged with any wrongdoing. The perception,

00:13:16.269 --> 00:13:19.090
however, was cemented. And the second controversy

00:13:19.090 --> 00:13:21.350
was Whitewater, which became far more famous.

00:13:21.649 --> 00:13:24.340
That's right. This was an ill -fated investment

00:13:24.340 --> 00:13:27.019
in the Whitewater Development Corporation, a

00:13:27.019 --> 00:13:29.139
real estate venture the Clintons entered into

00:13:29.139 --> 00:13:31.879
with Jim and Susan McDougal. The investment was

00:13:31.879 --> 00:13:34.559
made in the 70s, but the enterprise failed, incurring

00:13:34.559 --> 00:13:37.320
significant losses. It would eventually balloon

00:13:37.320 --> 00:13:39.620
into a massive federal investigation lasting

00:13:39.620 --> 00:13:42.620
through the mid -1990s, dominating news cycles

00:13:42.620 --> 00:13:45.320
and leading to years of document searches and

00:13:45.320 --> 00:13:48.179
testimony. So it's clear that even before the

00:13:48.179 --> 00:13:50.340
national stage, she was operating in this politically

00:13:50.340 --> 00:13:53.399
charged environment where financial dealings

00:13:53.399 --> 00:13:55.779
with state power players were immediately and

00:13:55.779 --> 00:13:58.580
intensely scrutinized. And this political pressure

00:13:58.580 --> 00:14:01.159
even extended to her name. This is such a powerful

00:14:01.159 --> 00:14:03.759
illustration of that conflict between her professional

00:14:03.759 --> 00:14:05.940
identity and her role as a political spouse.

00:14:06.460 --> 00:14:08.919
After Bill Clinton lost his reelection bid for

00:14:08.919 --> 00:14:11.899
governor in 1980, advisers strongly suggested

00:14:11.899 --> 00:14:14.279
that Hillary Rodham's continued use of her maiden

00:14:14.279 --> 00:14:17.039
name was one reason for the loss, as it was perceived

00:14:17.039 --> 00:14:19.259
as, you know, radical or anti -traditional by

00:14:19.259 --> 00:14:22.120
Arkansas voters. The woman who had established

00:14:22.120 --> 00:14:24.360
herself as an independent, high -earning law

00:14:24.360 --> 00:14:27.320
partner compromised her professional identity

00:14:27.320 --> 00:14:30.620
for political expediency. That is precisely what

00:14:30.620 --> 00:14:33.240
happened. To appease those traditionalist voters,

00:14:33.580 --> 00:14:36.799
she began publicly using Hillary Clinton or sometimes

00:14:36.799 --> 00:14:40.159
Mrs. Bill Clinton. She later settled on Hillary

00:14:40.159 --> 00:14:43.320
Rodham Clinton when Bill started his second stint

00:14:43.320 --> 00:14:46.340
as governor in 1983. And she later acknowledged

00:14:46.340 --> 00:14:49.019
learning the hard way that some voters in Arkansas

00:14:49.019 --> 00:14:51.740
were seriously offended by her retaining her

00:14:51.740 --> 00:14:54.639
maiden name. It was a major concession to political

00:14:54.639 --> 00:14:57.159
reality. So during that second stint as first

00:14:57.159 --> 00:15:00.480
lady of Arkansas from 83 to 92, she took on a

00:15:00.480 --> 00:15:02.700
major policy fight, public education reform.

00:15:03.100 --> 00:15:05.519
This was arguably her most significant achievement

00:15:05.519 --> 00:15:07.899
in Arkansas public life, and it really showcases

00:15:07.899 --> 00:15:10.279
that capacity for incremental structural change.

00:15:10.600 --> 00:15:12.980
As chair of the Arkansas Education Standards

00:15:12.980 --> 00:15:15.139
Committee, she led a prolonged and successful

00:15:15.139 --> 00:15:17.539
battle to reform the public education system.

00:15:17.720 --> 00:15:18.899
And what was the hardest part of that fight?

00:15:19.059 --> 00:15:21.440
The most difficult aspect was fighting the powerful

00:15:21.440 --> 00:15:24.799
Arkansas Education Association, the state teachers

00:15:24.799 --> 00:15:27.679
union, to establish mandatory teacher testing

00:15:27.679 --> 00:15:30.779
and set statewide standards for curriculum and

00:15:30.779 --> 00:15:33.799
classroom size. This was incredibly controversial,

00:15:33.980 --> 00:15:37.100
but ultimately seen as a major success in improving

00:15:37.100 --> 00:15:39.580
the state's educational outcomes. And she was

00:15:39.580 --> 00:15:41.639
also simultaneously building a corporate governance

00:15:41.639 --> 00:15:44.659
resume, sitting on several boards, which, in

00:15:44.659 --> 00:15:46.879
retrospect, creates another layer of political

00:15:46.879 --> 00:15:49.460
tension. Right. She served on the corporate boards

00:15:49.460 --> 00:15:54.120
of TCBY from 1985 to 1992, and most notably Walmart

00:15:54.120 --> 00:15:57.539
stores from 1986 to 1992. And she was the first

00:15:57.539 --> 00:15:59.399
woman appointed to Walmart's board, wasn't she?

00:15:59.679 --> 00:16:02.139
First Woman, which came after significant public

00:16:02.139 --> 00:16:04.720
pressure on the founder, Sam Walton. What's so

00:16:04.720 --> 00:16:07.240
fascinating here is that dual action, serving

00:16:07.240 --> 00:16:09.539
powerful corporate interests while trying to

00:16:09.539 --> 00:16:12.679
maintain her progressive instincts. It's a classic

00:16:12.679 --> 00:16:15.600
display of that pragmatism versus idealism tension.

00:16:15.919 --> 00:16:18.379
This is a critical insight. Our sources confirm

00:16:18.379 --> 00:16:20.559
that as a board member, she successfully pushed

00:16:20.559 --> 00:16:22.879
Walmart to adopt more environmentally friendly

00:16:22.879 --> 00:16:25.100
practices, which aligns with her progressive

00:16:25.100 --> 00:16:28.080
side. But she was largely unsuccessful in advocating

00:16:28.080 --> 00:16:31.320
for more women in company management. And crucially,

00:16:31.460 --> 00:16:33.960
she remained silent on Walmart's notoriously

00:16:33.960 --> 00:16:36.980
aggressive anti -labor union policies. And that

00:16:36.980 --> 00:16:39.480
silence on labor practices is a really powerful

00:16:39.480 --> 00:16:42.000
detail, one that had long... term consequences.

00:16:42.279 --> 00:16:44.879
It absolutely does. That strategic silence, the

00:16:44.879 --> 00:16:46.960
prioritization of her role on the board and perhaps

00:16:46.960 --> 00:16:49.299
those environmental wins over a very difficult

00:16:49.299 --> 00:16:51.960
fight on labor was later cited as contributing

00:16:51.960 --> 00:16:54.519
to her loss of credibility with organized labor

00:16:54.519 --> 00:16:57.659
during her 2016 presidential run. So it comes

00:16:57.659 --> 00:17:00.299
full circle. Completely. It shows the tension

00:17:00.299 --> 00:17:02.519
between the progressive ideals she cultivated

00:17:02.519 --> 00:17:05.700
at Wellesley and Yale and the harsh compromises

00:17:05.700 --> 00:17:07.779
required to operate within the highest circles

00:17:07.779 --> 00:17:10.720
of power in a place like Arkansas. shows the

00:17:10.720 --> 00:17:12.559
path of influence over the path of confrontation.

00:17:13.079 --> 00:17:14.859
And that's a choice she would make repeatedly.

00:17:15.220 --> 00:17:17.440
When she arrived in the White House in 1993,

00:17:17.880 --> 00:17:20.420
the role of first lady was just fundamentally

00:17:20.420 --> 00:17:23.720
redefined. I mean, she was the first FLOTUS with

00:17:23.720 --> 00:17:25.779
a postgraduate degree, her own established professional

00:17:25.779 --> 00:17:28.440
career. She hit the ground running, determined

00:17:28.440 --> 00:17:31.799
to be an active policymaker. She took on an unprecedented

00:17:31.799 --> 00:17:34.740
and highly visible role right from the start.

00:17:34.960 --> 00:17:37.799
She had an office in the West Wing. in addition

00:17:37.799 --> 00:17:39.819
to the traditional East Wing offices. This was

00:17:39.819 --> 00:17:42.400
a huge signal. A huge signal that her influence

00:17:42.400 --> 00:17:46.140
went far beyond social duties. Many historians

00:17:46.140 --> 00:17:48.599
regard her as the most openly empowered presidential

00:17:48.599 --> 00:17:51.339
wife since Eleanor Roosevelt, directly engaging

00:17:51.339 --> 00:17:54.759
in legislative and executive decisions. And that

00:17:54.759 --> 00:17:57.000
prominence immediately drew heavy criticism.

00:17:57.099 --> 00:17:59.539
The idea of a first lady playing a central policy

00:17:59.539 --> 00:18:03.440
-driving role was seen by some as an inappropriate

00:18:03.440 --> 00:18:06.549
usurpation of power. That's right. Critics claimed

00:18:06.549 --> 00:18:08.970
she had no mandate. They argued that voters had

00:18:08.970 --> 00:18:11.630
elected Bill, not Hillary, and that her role

00:18:11.630 --> 00:18:14.329
was inappropriate. Supporters, on the other hand,

00:18:14.410 --> 00:18:16.170
countered that voters knew she would be highly

00:18:16.170 --> 00:18:18.509
active. And her involvement was no different

00:18:18.509 --> 00:18:21.309
from any other trusted White House advisor. And

00:18:21.309 --> 00:18:23.150
she immediately leaned into the biggest domestic

00:18:23.150 --> 00:18:25.970
challenge of the era, comprehensive health care

00:18:25.970 --> 00:18:28.410
reform. She did. OK, let's unpack Hillary care.

00:18:28.549 --> 00:18:33.160
The ambition was enormous. It was immense. President

00:18:33.160 --> 00:18:35.839
Clinton named her chair of the task force on

00:18:35.839 --> 00:18:38.559
national health care reform in January 1993.

00:18:39.549 --> 00:18:43.029
The aim was comprehensive, universal health coverage,

00:18:43.250 --> 00:18:46.650
and the mechanism was primarily requiring employers

00:18:46.650 --> 00:18:49.109
to provide coverage through managed competition

00:18:49.109 --> 00:18:52.210
health maintenance organizations, or HMOs. The

00:18:52.210 --> 00:18:54.529
complexity was just staggering, wasn't it? Staggering.

00:18:54.529 --> 00:18:57.630
It involved 500 task force members working in

00:18:57.630 --> 00:19:00.849
extreme secrecy. And that secrecy coupled with

00:19:00.849 --> 00:19:03.210
the complexity, that seems to be what doomed

00:19:03.210 --> 00:19:05.589
it politically. Precisely. The complexity meant

00:19:05.589 --> 00:19:07.710
it was difficult for the public and even for

00:19:07.710 --> 00:19:10.220
Congress to understand. and the secrecy just

00:19:10.220 --> 00:19:13.359
bred mistrust. It fueled the opposition's successful

00:19:13.359 --> 00:19:16.079
framing of the proposal as government overreach.

00:19:16.359 --> 00:19:18.619
You had the Harry and Louise ads. The Harry and

00:19:18.619 --> 00:19:21.500
Louise ads were devastatingly effective. So despite

00:19:21.500 --> 00:19:23.380
Democrats controlling both the House and the

00:19:23.380 --> 00:19:25.619
Senate, the proposal failed to even gain a floor

00:19:25.619 --> 00:19:27.779
vote and was officially abandoned by September

00:19:27.779 --> 00:19:31.240
1994. The political fallout was immediate and

00:19:31.240 --> 00:19:33.819
just severe. The failure was devastating. I mean,

00:19:33.839 --> 00:19:36.660
many analysts cite it as a major factor in the

00:19:36.660 --> 00:19:39.619
Democrats' crushing defeat. in the 1994 midterm

00:19:39.619 --> 00:19:42.240
elections the Republican Revolution because it

00:19:42.240 --> 00:19:44.619
alienated crucial independent voters. And what

00:19:44.619 --> 00:19:46.759
about her own approval rating? Her own approval

00:19:46.759 --> 00:19:48.799
rating, which was in the high 50s when she started,

00:19:48.920 --> 00:19:53.180
plunged to a mere 35 percent by late 1994. It

00:19:53.180 --> 00:19:55.319
was a massive lesson in the limits of a first

00:19:55.319 --> 00:19:58.240
lady's policy power and the hazards of overly

00:19:58.240 --> 00:20:01.720
complex closed door negotiations. So she had

00:20:01.720 --> 00:20:04.099
to strategically retreat from that high profile,

00:20:04.200 --> 00:20:07.299
complex policy role. But she didn't abandon policy

00:20:07.299 --> 00:20:10.180
entirely. What were her later, more successful

00:20:10.180 --> 00:20:12.140
legislative achievements during the rest of the

00:20:12.140 --> 00:20:15.450
90s? After that failure, the White House downplayed

00:20:15.450 --> 00:20:18.109
her primary policy role, and she pivoted. She

00:20:18.109 --> 00:20:20.450
pivoted to targeted legislative victories focusing

00:20:20.450 --> 00:20:22.829
on children. She played a leading role in the

00:20:22.829 --> 00:20:24.589
creation of the State Children's Health Insurance

00:20:24.589 --> 00:20:28.109
Program, or SCAP, in 1997. For our listeners,

00:20:28.250 --> 00:20:30.609
what was SCAP's function? Why was it so important?

00:20:30.869 --> 00:20:34.140
Escape was essential. It provided low cost health

00:20:34.140 --> 00:20:36.819
coverage to children and families who earn too

00:20:36.819 --> 00:20:39.460
much money to qualify for Medicaid but couldn't

00:20:39.460 --> 00:20:41.720
afford private insurance. It covered millions

00:20:41.720 --> 00:20:44.220
of uninsured children. And that wasn't all. No.

00:20:45.099 --> 00:20:47.319
She was also instrumental in the Adoption and

00:20:47.319 --> 00:20:50.460
Safe Families Act of 1997, which expedited the

00:20:50.460 --> 00:20:52.720
placement of foster children and what she considered

00:20:52.720 --> 00:20:55.660
her greatest accomplishment as FLOTUS. And then

00:20:55.660 --> 00:20:59.019
the Foster Care Independence Act in 1999. These

00:20:59.019 --> 00:21:01.680
were structural, incremental changes that directly

00:21:01.680 --> 00:21:04.259
benefited children and families. Beyond domestic

00:21:04.259 --> 00:21:06.859
policy, she carved out this significant role

00:21:06.859 --> 00:21:09.619
in international diplomacy and women's rights,

00:21:09.839 --> 00:21:14.460
breaking a travel record in the process. First

00:21:14.460 --> 00:21:16.900
Lady, successfully breaking Pat Nixon's previous

00:21:16.900 --> 00:21:19.519
record, but the defining the enduring moment

00:21:19.519 --> 00:21:21.980
of her time as FLOTUS came in Beijing, China

00:21:21.980 --> 00:21:26.480
in September 1995. The famous speech. Yes. Speaking

00:21:26.480 --> 00:21:28.319
before the Fourth World Conference on Women,

00:21:28.480 --> 00:21:31.279
she forcefully argued against the systemic abuse

00:21:31.279 --> 00:21:33.839
and oppression of women globally and really shifted

00:21:33.839 --> 00:21:35.920
the definition of human rights. And she delivered

00:21:35.920 --> 00:21:38.279
the line that became her rallying cry. Women's

00:21:38.279 --> 00:21:40.539
rights are human rights and women's rights are

00:21:40.539 --> 00:21:43.339
human rights once and for all. And she delivered

00:21:43.339 --> 00:21:46.380
that line despite known internal White House

00:21:46.380 --> 00:21:49.480
concerns about upsetting China and despite Chinese

00:21:49.480 --> 00:21:52.579
pressure to soften her remarks. That shows a

00:21:52.579 --> 00:21:54.980
really strong diplomatic and personal stand.

00:21:55.220 --> 00:21:58.119
Absolutely. It was a moment of immense empowerment

00:21:58.119 --> 00:22:00.519
that resonated globally and remains one of the

00:22:00.519 --> 00:22:03.380
most cited phrases of her career. And following

00:22:03.380 --> 00:22:06.359
this, she helped create Vital Voices, an international

00:22:06.359 --> 00:22:08.940
initiative dedicated to encouraging women's political

00:22:08.940 --> 00:22:12.240
and economic participation worldwide. Now we

00:22:12.240 --> 00:22:14.779
have to address the relentless constant, the

00:22:14.779 --> 00:22:17.480
torrent of scandals and investigations that define

00:22:17.480 --> 00:22:20.279
the entire Clinton era in the White House. This

00:22:20.279 --> 00:22:22.440
period was just a constant whirlwind of scrutiny,

00:22:22.700 --> 00:22:24.859
often driven by a conservative political opposition

00:22:24.859 --> 00:22:27.680
that was determined to uncover misconduct. The

00:22:27.680 --> 00:22:29.920
biggest investigation, Whitewater, arising from

00:22:29.920 --> 00:22:32.700
those 1970s real estate investments, led to her

00:22:32.700 --> 00:22:34.640
becoming the first spouse of a sitting U .S.

00:22:34.640 --> 00:22:36.579
president to be subpoenaed to testify before

00:22:36.579 --> 00:22:39.720
a federal grand jury in 1996. What was the eventual

00:22:39.720 --> 00:22:42.589
factual finding of that investigation? The final

00:22:42.589 --> 00:22:45.470
independent counsel report in 2000 found insufficient

00:22:45.470 --> 00:22:48.150
evidence of criminal wrongdoing by either Bill

00:22:48.150 --> 00:22:50.549
or Hillary Clinton in the Whitewater matter.

00:22:50.690 --> 00:22:53.329
And it wasn't just Whitewater. No. Similarly,

00:22:53.490 --> 00:22:55.950
investigations into Travelgate, which was the

00:22:55.950 --> 00:22:57.849
improper firing of White House travel staff,

00:22:58.069 --> 00:23:00.890
and Filgate, which was about improper White House

00:23:00.890 --> 00:23:03.089
access to hundreds of FBI background reports

00:23:03.089 --> 00:23:06.009
on former Republican staff, also concluded without

00:23:06.009 --> 00:23:08.890
finding substantial or credible evidence of misconduct

00:23:08.890 --> 00:23:13.700
by her. sheer volume of investigations surely

00:23:13.700 --> 00:23:16.339
damaged her early public reputation. Oh, they

00:23:16.339 --> 00:23:18.700
certainly did. These relentless investigations,

00:23:18.779 --> 00:23:21.319
combined with the Hillary care failure, contributed

00:23:21.319 --> 00:23:23.839
significantly to her low approval ratings in

00:23:23.839 --> 00:23:26.279
the mid -90s. It really fostered the narrative

00:23:26.279 --> 00:23:28.400
that she was secretive and perhaps too focused

00:23:28.400 --> 00:23:31.079
on policy power. But then comes the most intimate

00:23:31.079 --> 00:23:34.619
and intensely scrutinized controversy. The Lewinsky

00:23:34.619 --> 00:23:37.700
scandal in 1998, which led to Bill Clinton's

00:23:37.700 --> 00:23:40.349
impeachment. Her public response became almost

00:23:40.349 --> 00:23:43.630
as famous as the affair itself. Right. When the

00:23:43.630 --> 00:23:46.349
allegations were first made public, she characterized

00:23:46.349 --> 00:23:48.930
them in an interview as a coordinated effort,

00:23:49.210 --> 00:23:52.349
coining the phrase, vast right -wing conspiracy.

00:23:52.569 --> 00:23:55.069
A quote that immediately entered the political

00:23:55.069 --> 00:23:58.069
lexicon. Absolutely. And it defined the aggressive

00:23:58.069 --> 00:24:01.109
defense of the administration. She later admitted

00:24:01.109 --> 00:24:02.910
she had been misled by her husband's initial

00:24:02.910 --> 00:24:05.750
denials. This created a public relations paradox.

00:24:06.089 --> 00:24:08.750
I mean, some saw a ruthless politician. Others

00:24:08.750 --> 00:24:11.930
saw a dignified, powerful woman standing up to

00:24:11.930 --> 00:24:14.549
external pressure. What was the impact on her

00:24:14.549 --> 00:24:17.359
public image? Public response was highly varied,

00:24:17.440 --> 00:24:19.119
but here's where it gets really interesting.

00:24:19.579 --> 00:24:22.279
In the immediate wake of the revelations and

00:24:22.279 --> 00:24:24.539
her public reaffirmation of her commitment to

00:24:24.539 --> 00:24:26.700
her marriage, her public approval ratings actually

00:24:26.700 --> 00:24:29.539
soared to around 70%. So they went up? They soared.

00:24:29.599 --> 00:24:31.980
And this wasn't necessarily a reward for staying

00:24:31.980 --> 00:24:34.319
in the marriage, but arguably a reward for her

00:24:34.319 --> 00:24:36.799
tactical display of strength and resilience in

00:24:36.799 --> 00:24:39.000
the face of what was widely perceived as political

00:24:39.000 --> 00:24:42.750
persecution by the opposition. Voters were rewarding

00:24:42.750 --> 00:24:45.430
her poise and her ability to maintain focus under

00:24:45.430 --> 00:24:48.130
just intense, hostile scrutiny. Finishing up

00:24:48.130 --> 00:24:50.930
her FLOTUS tenure, she also left a mark in literature

00:24:50.930 --> 00:24:53.910
and preservation. She did. Her bestseller, It

00:24:53.910 --> 00:24:56.920
Takes a Village. And Other Lessons Children Teach

00:24:56.920 --> 00:24:59.880
Us, published in 1996, was extremely successful.

00:25:00.200 --> 00:25:02.940
It even won her a Grammy Award for Best Spoken

00:25:02.940 --> 00:25:06.420
Word Album in 1997. And she also founded Save

00:25:06.420 --> 00:25:08.839
America's Treasures, a nationwide initiative

00:25:08.839 --> 00:25:11.339
that successfully matched federal funds with

00:25:11.339 --> 00:25:13.660
private donations to preserve historic American

00:25:13.660 --> 00:25:16.759
sites and artifacts, ensuring a lasting cultural

00:25:16.759 --> 00:25:19.769
legacy. The transition from first lady to elected

00:25:19.769 --> 00:25:22.250
official was another historic first that really

00:25:22.250 --> 00:25:24.109
illustrates that tension between the political

00:25:24.109 --> 00:25:27.150
spouse and the individual leader. In 2000, she

00:25:27.150 --> 00:25:29.930
ran for and won a U .S. Senate seat representing

00:25:29.930 --> 00:25:32.430
New York. Becoming the first wife of a U .S.

00:25:32.430 --> 00:25:34.309
president to win elected office and the first

00:25:34.309 --> 00:25:37.089
female senator from New York. And she actually

00:25:37.089 --> 00:25:39.390
served simultaneously in both roles for a brief

00:25:39.390 --> 00:25:42.710
period. For exactly 17 days, from January 3rd

00:25:42.710 --> 00:25:45.609
to the 20th, 2001, she held both the title of

00:25:45.609 --> 00:25:48.460
first lady and U .S. senator. That is a truly

00:25:48.460 --> 00:25:51.099
unique historical footnote, symbolizing the bridge

00:25:51.099 --> 00:25:53.380
between those two distinct phases of her career.

00:25:53.539 --> 00:25:56.079
Her tenure as senator was defined immediately

00:25:56.079 --> 00:25:58.759
by the September 11th attacks just nine months

00:25:58.759 --> 00:26:01.619
into her term. And her response was heavily focused

00:26:01.619 --> 00:26:04.460
on New York's recovery, often requiring her to

00:26:04.460 --> 00:26:07.410
work across the aisle. Correct. She became deeply

00:26:07.410 --> 00:26:10.130
involved in securing aid for the state. Working

00:26:10.130 --> 00:26:12.329
closely with her fellow New York Senator Chuck

00:26:12.329 --> 00:26:15.170
Schumer, she was instrumental in securing $21

00:26:15.170 --> 00:26:17.789
billion in funding for the World Trade Center

00:26:17.789 --> 00:26:19.900
site redevelopment. And for the first responders.

00:26:20.140 --> 00:26:22.759
Yes. She also took a prominent role in investigating

00:26:22.759 --> 00:26:25.500
the health issues faced by 9 -11 first responders,

00:26:25.720 --> 00:26:28.180
becoming a real advocate for their long -term

00:26:28.180 --> 00:26:30.900
care. Politically, she voted in favor of the

00:26:30.900 --> 00:26:34.500
USA Patriot Act in October 2001. But the defining

00:26:34.500 --> 00:26:36.740
vote of her Senate career. The one that would

00:26:36.740 --> 00:26:39.059
haunt her future presidential ambitions for over

00:26:39.059 --> 00:26:42.039
a decade was the Iraq War Resolution. This is

00:26:42.039 --> 00:26:44.380
a critical point of analysis regarding her political

00:26:44.380 --> 00:26:47.119
pragmatism. She voted in favor of the October

00:26:47.119 --> 00:26:50.000
2002 resolution authorizing President Bush to

00:26:50.000 --> 00:26:53.339
use military force against Iraq. At the time,

00:26:53.380 --> 00:26:55.559
she claimed she viewed the vote as authorizing

00:26:55.559 --> 00:26:58.039
diplomatic leverage, not necessarily immediate

00:26:58.039 --> 00:27:00.700
invasion. But the political reality. The political

00:27:00.700 --> 00:27:03.299
reality was that many Democrats in power felt

00:27:03.299 --> 00:27:06.779
intense pressure post 9 -11 to demonstrate strength.

00:27:07.019 --> 00:27:09.160
What were the long -term consequences of that

00:27:09.160 --> 00:27:12.119
vote, especially for her? It permanently positioned

00:27:12.119 --> 00:27:14.720
her as a more hawkish Democrat, and it provided

00:27:14.720 --> 00:27:17.579
immediate political vulnerability. She later

00:27:17.579 --> 00:27:20.299
fully reversed herself on the vote in 2014 and

00:27:20.299 --> 00:27:24.019
2015, calling the decision a mistake. But that

00:27:24.019 --> 00:27:26.359
reversal didn't really erase the political damage,

00:27:26.480 --> 00:27:29.759
did it? Not at all. That initial vote was a massive

00:27:29.759 --> 00:27:33.299
liability in both her 2008 and 2016 primary campaigns,

00:27:33.559 --> 00:27:35.640
especially when she was facing candidates who

00:27:35.640 --> 00:27:37.900
had opposed the war from the start. And she spent

00:27:37.900 --> 00:27:40.339
time on the Armed Services Committee, actively

00:27:40.339 --> 00:27:42.440
building relationships with high ranking military

00:27:42.440 --> 00:27:45.579
officers. This further cemented her positioning

00:27:45.579 --> 00:27:48.099
as a serious interventionist voice on defense.

00:27:48.400 --> 00:27:51.299
Absolutely. This military positioning often complicated

00:27:51.299 --> 00:27:54.059
her ideological labels. While analyses like those

00:27:54.059 --> 00:27:56.279
from 538 considered her one of the most liberal

00:27:56.279 --> 00:27:58.700
senators during her time, her foreign policy

00:27:58.700 --> 00:28:00.920
stance showed this distinct willingness to use

00:28:00.920 --> 00:28:03.500
military force, which often put her to the right

00:28:03.500 --> 00:28:05.740
of more traditional liberals. She even opposed

00:28:05.740 --> 00:28:09.140
the Iraq war troop surge in 2007 initially on

00:28:09.140 --> 00:28:11.519
political and military grounds, though she later

00:28:11.519 --> 00:28:13.920
acknowledged privately that the surge did succeed

00:28:13.920 --> 00:28:16.119
in its immediate goals. Which brings us to her

00:28:16.119 --> 00:28:18.599
cabinet role, secretary of state and a president.

00:28:18.700 --> 00:28:21.900
and Obama starting in 2009, a choice that seemed

00:28:21.900 --> 00:28:24.579
initially improbable given their fierce 2008

00:28:24.579 --> 00:28:27.650
primary rivalry. Her nomination was overwhelmingly

00:28:27.650 --> 00:28:31.009
confirmed 94 -2. What's fascinating is the political

00:28:31.009 --> 00:28:33.910
maneuvering. Despite all the acrimony of 2008,

00:28:34.190 --> 00:28:36.630
she and Obama forged a surprisingly positive

00:28:36.630 --> 00:28:39.529
and pragmatic working relationship. She proved

00:28:39.529 --> 00:28:41.630
to be a loyal team player within the administration

00:28:41.630 --> 00:28:44.250
and was trusted by the president to execute policy

00:28:44.250 --> 00:28:46.650
globally. Her core strategy as Secretary of State

00:28:46.650 --> 00:28:49.210
was this concept of smart power. What exactly

00:28:49.210 --> 00:28:51.430
did that doctrine entail? Smart power was her

00:28:51.430 --> 00:28:54.049
defining foreign policy doctrine for U .S. leadership.

00:28:54.289 --> 00:28:56.990
It represented a strategic balance. So instead

00:28:56.990 --> 00:28:59.650
of relying purely on military hard power or purely

00:28:59.650 --> 00:29:02.809
on soft power like aid or diplomacy, smart power

00:29:02.809 --> 00:29:05.369
combined them. It meant integrating military

00:29:05.369 --> 00:29:08.990
readiness with diplomacy, global economics, development

00:29:08.990 --> 00:29:12.029
aid, technology, and crucially, human rights.

00:29:12.440 --> 00:29:15.400
She methodically implemented this approach, modeling

00:29:15.400 --> 00:29:18.200
her departmental reforms, known as the Quadrennial

00:29:18.200 --> 00:29:21.279
Diplomacy and Development Review, or QDDR, on

00:29:21.279 --> 00:29:23.359
processes she knew from the Senate Armed Services

00:29:23.359 --> 00:29:26.480
Committee. The QDDR sounds like a massive undertaking.

00:29:26.960 --> 00:29:29.980
What was it aiming to achieve? It was a huge

00:29:29.980 --> 00:29:33.200
reorganization. The QDDR was essentially a strategic

00:29:33.200 --> 00:29:36.140
review done every four years designed to align

00:29:36.140 --> 00:29:38.220
the State Department's diplomatic efforts and

00:29:38.220 --> 00:29:40.859
USAID's development work with the changing global

00:29:40.859 --> 00:29:43.609
landscape. It was all about making the use of

00:29:43.609 --> 00:29:45.630
diplomatic and development tools as strategic,

00:29:45.910 --> 00:29:48.789
disciplined, and interconnected as the Pentagon's

00:29:48.789 --> 00:29:51.589
military planning, making diplomacy smarter and

00:29:51.589 --> 00:29:53.730
faster. So let's look at some key diplomatic

00:29:53.730 --> 00:29:56.609
actions during her record -breaking tenure. She

00:29:56.609 --> 00:29:59.269
began with a symbolic gesture, presenting Russia

00:29:59.269 --> 00:30:02.589
with a literal reset button in 2009, attempting

00:30:02.589 --> 00:30:05.369
to rebuild fractured ties. A symbol that didn't

00:30:05.369 --> 00:30:07.700
really hold up in the long run. No, it didn't.

00:30:07.740 --> 00:30:10.339
But more consequentially, she helped organize

00:30:10.339 --> 00:30:13.119
international sanctions against Iran, which were

00:30:13.119 --> 00:30:15.380
crucial in setting the stage for the multilateral

00:30:15.380 --> 00:30:18.339
negotiations that eventually led to the JCPOA

00:30:18.339 --> 00:30:22.519
or the Iran nuclear deal in 2015. She also dedicated

00:30:22.519 --> 00:30:25.200
significant attention to the strategic pivot

00:30:25.200 --> 00:30:28.259
to Asia, recognizing the shifting economic and

00:30:28.259 --> 00:30:31.000
military focus toward the Pacific Rim. And she

00:30:31.000 --> 00:30:33.400
took an active, assertive role in the Arab Spring.

00:30:33.500 --> 00:30:36.579
We see those hawkish tendencies emerge strongly

00:30:36.579 --> 00:30:38.759
here, particularly regarding the intervention

00:30:38.759 --> 00:30:42.309
in Libya. Yes. She was a key internal advocate

00:30:42.309 --> 00:30:45.490
for the 2011 military intervention in Libya to

00:30:45.490 --> 00:30:48.849
protect civilians and ultimately to oust Muammar

00:30:48.849 --> 00:30:51.329
Gaddafi. She aligned herself with key National

00:30:51.329 --> 00:30:53.690
Security Council figures and overcame internal

00:30:53.690 --> 00:30:55.730
opposition, including from then Secretary of

00:30:55.730 --> 00:30:57.789
Defense Robert Gates, who was very skeptical.

00:30:57.829 --> 00:30:59.849
And the decision would become another major point

00:30:59.849 --> 00:31:02.250
of contention later on. Absolutely. Especially

00:31:02.250 --> 00:31:04.349
after Libya devolved into greater instability

00:31:04.349 --> 00:31:06.670
following the intervention. She also expanded

00:31:06.670 --> 00:31:09.529
the scope of U .S. foreign policy to explicitly

00:31:09.529 --> 00:31:12.630
link women's rights and LGBT rights to national

00:31:12.630 --> 00:31:15.029
security, giving birth to what many called the

00:31:15.029 --> 00:31:17.869
Hillary Doctrine. This is a major legacy of her

00:31:17.869 --> 00:31:20.910
time at State. The Hillary doctrine viewed women's

00:31:20.910 --> 00:31:23.210
empowerment and rights as critical for U .S.

00:31:23.230 --> 00:31:25.670
security interests because she explicitly cited

00:31:25.670 --> 00:31:28.710
the link between gender inequality and state

00:31:28.710 --> 00:31:32.089
instability and violence. And then for LGBT rights.

00:31:32.309 --> 00:31:34.630
In a groundbreaking speech before the U .N. Human

00:31:34.630 --> 00:31:37.970
Rights Council in Geneva in 2011, she championed

00:31:37.970 --> 00:31:40.630
gay rights abroad, declaring unequivocally gay

00:31:40.630 --> 00:31:43.630
rights are human rights. This marked a formal

00:31:43.630 --> 00:31:47.009
explicit incorporation of LGBT rights into America's

00:31:47.009 --> 00:31:49.789
official human rights agenda abroad, often in

00:31:49.789 --> 00:31:51.750
the face of strong international resistance.

00:31:52.210 --> 00:31:53.849
She broke another record during this time, too.

00:31:53.910 --> 00:31:56.230
She did. Her relentless travel schedule meant

00:31:56.230 --> 00:31:58.789
she visited 112 countries, making her the most

00:31:58.789 --> 00:32:01.670
widely traveled secretary of state ever, surpassing

00:32:01.670 --> 00:32:04.500
Madeleine Albright's previous record of 96. Her

00:32:04.500 --> 00:32:06.619
commitment to direct personal diplomacy was a

00:32:06.619 --> 00:32:09.279
real hallmark of her tenure. Finally, the Benghazi

00:32:09.279 --> 00:32:12.819
attack in September 2012, which cast a long shadow

00:32:12.819 --> 00:32:14.619
over her departure from the State Department

00:32:14.619 --> 00:32:17.410
and into her next political chapter. The attack

00:32:17.410 --> 00:32:19.769
on the U .S. diplomatic mission in Benghazi,

00:32:19.890 --> 00:32:22.630
Libya, sadly resulted in four American deaths,

00:32:22.750 --> 00:32:24.769
including Ambassador J. Christopher Stevens.

00:32:25.150 --> 00:32:28.210
She accepted responsibility for security lapses

00:32:28.210 --> 00:32:31.430
in her initial public testimony in January 2013,

00:32:31.950 --> 00:32:34.529
still accepting formal responsibility for the

00:32:34.529 --> 00:32:36.890
State Department's security while denying direct

00:32:36.890 --> 00:32:39.250
involvement in specific security discussions

00:32:39.250 --> 00:32:42.299
beforehand. That initial testimony gave us another

00:32:42.299 --> 00:32:45.079
incredibly memorable, albeit controversial, quote,

00:32:45.180 --> 00:32:47.779
when she was pressed persistently about the varying

00:32:47.779 --> 00:32:49.980
initial explanations given by the administration

00:32:49.980 --> 00:32:52.920
immediately after the attack. She delivered the

00:32:52.920 --> 00:32:55.480
famous rejoinder asking, what difference at this

00:32:55.480 --> 00:32:57.640
point does it make? It is our job to figure out

00:32:57.640 --> 00:32:59.680
what happened and do everything we can to prevent

00:32:59.680 --> 00:33:02.619
it from ever happening again. And critics just

00:33:02.619 --> 00:33:04.940
seized on that phrase, what difference? They

00:33:04.940 --> 00:33:07.480
did, arguing it showed a dismissal of accountability,

00:33:07.819 --> 00:33:10.099
while her supporters defended it as an expression

00:33:10.099 --> 00:33:12.900
of frustration that the focus was on political

00:33:12.900 --> 00:33:15.500
point scoring rather than learning security lessons.

00:33:15.859 --> 00:33:18.400
And the investigations just dragged on for years,

00:33:18.579 --> 00:33:21.500
culminating in that highly publicized 11 -hour

00:33:21.500 --> 00:33:23.940
testimony before the House Select Committee on

00:33:23.940 --> 00:33:27.680
Benghazi in 2015, right in the middle of her

00:33:27.680 --> 00:33:30.630
presidential campaign. She was widely seen as

00:33:30.630 --> 00:33:32.950
emerging largely unscathed from that lengthy

00:33:32.950 --> 00:33:36.009
marathon hearing, partly due to her calm demeanor

00:33:36.009 --> 00:33:38.730
and what many in the media perceived as meandering,

00:33:38.730 --> 00:33:41.089
repetitive questioning from the Republican majority

00:33:41.089 --> 00:33:43.650
on the committee. Crucially, the final Republican

00:33:43.650 --> 00:33:47.089
report issued in June 2016 ultimately offered

00:33:47.089 --> 00:33:49.710
no evidence of culpability or misconduct by Clinton

00:33:49.710 --> 00:33:51.730
herself in the attack or its immediate aftermath.

00:33:52.049 --> 00:33:54.470
But the process itself further cemented that

00:33:54.470 --> 00:33:56.869
image of a politician constantly under investigation.

00:33:58.410 --> 00:34:00.450
featuring First Lady, Senator, and Secretary

00:34:00.450 --> 00:34:03.109
of State. She launched two historic campaigns

00:34:03.109 --> 00:34:05.890
for the presidency. Let's analyze the 2008 attempt

00:34:05.890 --> 00:34:09.269
first, where she began as the absolute frontrunner.

00:34:09.309 --> 00:34:12.429
She certainly did. She faced strong challenges

00:34:12.429 --> 00:34:15.329
from Barack Obama and John Edwards, but her initial

00:34:15.329 --> 00:34:18.610
momentum faded pretty quickly. As we noted earlier,

00:34:18.869 --> 00:34:21.210
the biggest threat to her campaign, the albatross

00:34:21.210 --> 00:34:23.829
around her political neck, was her past support

00:34:23.829 --> 00:34:27.710
for the 2002 Iraq War resolution. That one vote.

00:34:27.809 --> 00:34:30.570
That single vote allowed Obama to claim the anti

00:34:30.570 --> 00:34:33.570
-war mantle, which was crucial to securing the

00:34:33.570 --> 00:34:35.750
progressive wing of the party. Despite losing

00:34:35.750 --> 00:34:39.070
the Iowa caucus, she managed a surprise comeback

00:34:39.070 --> 00:34:41.750
win in the New Hampshire primary. That victory

00:34:41.750 --> 00:34:45.019
was historic. It was the first time a woman won

00:34:45.019 --> 00:34:47.440
a major American party's presidential primary

00:34:47.440 --> 00:34:50.480
for delegate selection. Her comeback was often

00:34:50.480 --> 00:34:53.019
attributed to her being viewed more sympathetically,

00:34:53.099 --> 00:34:56.099
particularly by women voters, following an emotional

00:34:56.099 --> 00:34:58.039
moment the day before the election where her

00:34:58.039 --> 00:35:00.039
eyes welled up while responding to a question

00:35:00.039 --> 00:35:02.119
about the toll of the campaign. Right. That moment

00:35:02.119 --> 00:35:04.059
of vulnerability seemed to connect with voters.

00:35:04.460 --> 00:35:06.900
After weeks of being portrayed as too calculating,

00:35:07.199 --> 00:35:10.380
yes. But the tone of the contest became increasingly

00:35:10.380 --> 00:35:13.340
acrimonious, and she suffered a major fracture

00:35:13.340 --> 00:35:16.039
in support after a controversial remark comparing

00:35:16.039 --> 00:35:18.619
Martin Luther King Jr. and Lyndon B. Johnson.

00:35:18.900 --> 00:35:21.539
This was a real turning point. It was. She compared

00:35:21.539 --> 00:35:23.800
King and Johnson, noting that while King had

00:35:23.800 --> 00:35:26.239
the dream of civil rights, it took a President

00:35:26.239 --> 00:35:28.400
Johnson to pass the Civil Rights Act through

00:35:28.400 --> 00:35:31.539
Congress. This was widely perceived as minimizing

00:35:31.539 --> 00:35:34.139
the significance of King's accomplishments. and

00:35:34.139 --> 00:35:35.960
the role of the civil rights movement itself.

00:35:36.260 --> 00:35:39.119
And the damage was. It led to a profound, damaging

00:35:39.119 --> 00:35:41.559
loss of support among African -American voters,

00:35:41.719 --> 00:35:44.019
which contributed significantly to her inability

00:35:44.019 --> 00:35:46.780
to win key states and her eventual loss of the

00:35:46.780 --> 00:35:49.500
nomination to Obama. Ultimately, she conceded

00:35:49.500 --> 00:35:52.500
and endorsed Obama in June 2008, having won a

00:35:52.500 --> 00:35:54.860
significant number of votes. She had won over

00:35:54.860 --> 00:35:58.079
17 million votes, which at the time was a record

00:35:58.079 --> 00:36:00.880
for a woman candidate in a primary process. So

00:36:00.880 --> 00:36:02.940
she set a historical marker even in defense.

00:36:02.960 --> 00:36:05.980
Her capacity to win that many delegates proved

00:36:05.980 --> 00:36:08.559
her political viability for the future. Moving

00:36:08.559 --> 00:36:11.480
to 2016, she formally announced her second presidential

00:36:11.480 --> 00:36:14.820
campaign in April 2015, running on a platform

00:36:14.820 --> 00:36:17.539
focusing on raising middle class incomes, universal

00:36:17.539 --> 00:36:20.239
preschool and improving the Affordable Care Act

00:36:20.239 --> 00:36:23.539
with a public option. She was again the prohibitive

00:36:23.539 --> 00:36:26.239
favorite, but she faced an unexpectedly strong

00:36:26.239 --> 00:36:29.079
challenge from Democratic Socialist Bernie Sanders.

00:36:29.929 --> 00:36:32.750
The consistent theme leveraged against her was

00:36:32.750 --> 00:36:35.510
her long connection to Wall Street and her hefty

00:36:35.510 --> 00:36:38.170
fees for paid speaking engagements after leaving

00:36:38.170 --> 00:36:40.570
the State Department. Which contrasted sharply

00:36:40.570 --> 00:36:43.309
with Sanders' message. Sharply. It was a perfect

00:36:43.309 --> 00:36:46.110
foil for his anti -establishment message and

00:36:46.110 --> 00:36:48.269
call for a political revolution. What were the

00:36:48.269 --> 00:36:50.449
policy differences that really defined that primary

00:36:50.449 --> 00:36:53.590
race with Sanders? Sanders pushed her significantly

00:36:53.590 --> 00:36:56.170
to the left on issues like trade and campaign

00:36:56.170 --> 00:37:01.300
finance. like opposing the Trans -Pacific Partnership

00:37:01.300 --> 00:37:04.860
or TPP trade deal, despite having supported it

00:37:04.860 --> 00:37:07.199
as Secretary of State, another example of that

00:37:07.199 --> 00:37:09.500
political adaptation. And on health care. While

00:37:09.500 --> 00:37:11.880
Sanders championed Medicare for All, she focused

00:37:11.880 --> 00:37:14.840
on reinforcing the existing ACA framework and

00:37:14.840 --> 00:37:17.380
expanding public options, arguing that Sanders'

00:37:17.500 --> 00:37:19.820
plans were politically and economically unrealistic.

00:37:20.420 --> 00:37:22.400
Despite the stronger -than -expected primary

00:37:22.400 --> 00:37:25.000
fight, she ultimately secured the nomination.

00:37:25.380 --> 00:37:27.969
She did. She was formally nominated at the Democratic

00:37:27.969 --> 00:37:31.150
National Convention in July 2016, becoming the

00:37:31.150 --> 00:37:34.110
first woman nominated for president by a major

00:37:34.110 --> 00:37:37.190
U .S. political party. An undeniable historical

00:37:37.190 --> 00:37:39.809
moment. The general election outcome was, as

00:37:39.809 --> 00:37:42.590
we know. devastating for her supporters and a

00:37:42.590 --> 00:37:44.869
major political upset. She was defeated by Donald

00:37:44.869 --> 00:37:47.730
Trump in the Electoral College, capturing 232

00:37:47.730 --> 00:37:51.510
votes to his 306. However, she won the popular

00:37:51.510 --> 00:37:54.849
vote by more than 2 .8 million votes. 2 .1 %

00:37:54.849 --> 00:37:56.949
of the total voter base. Which made her the fifth

00:37:56.949 --> 00:37:58.809
candidate in U .S. history to win the popular

00:37:58.809 --> 00:38:01.050
vote but lose the election, highlighting the

00:38:01.050 --> 00:38:03.090
unique challenges of the U .S. electoral system.

00:38:03.289 --> 00:38:06.030
Her campaign became inextricably linked to a

00:38:06.030 --> 00:38:08.789
single relentless topic. The email controversy.

00:38:09.070 --> 00:38:11.510
Our sources indicate this received more media

00:38:11.510 --> 00:38:13.769
coverage than any other topic during the 2016

00:38:13.769 --> 00:38:16.650
campaign. The controversy originated from her

00:38:16.650 --> 00:38:19.210
decision to conduct official business exclusively

00:38:19.210 --> 00:38:22.170
through a private email server housed at her

00:38:22.170 --> 00:38:24.929
home while serving as Secretary of State. And

00:38:24.929 --> 00:38:27.949
that immediately raised concerns. It did. About

00:38:27.949 --> 00:38:30.309
State Department protocols, record -keeping standards,

00:38:30.710 --> 00:38:32.829
and most seriously, the security and handling

00:38:32.829 --> 00:38:35.219
of classified information. What were the key

00:38:35.219 --> 00:38:37.760
findings of the FBI investigation led by Director

00:38:37.760 --> 00:38:42.300
James Comey in July 2016? Comey delivered a statement

00:38:42.300 --> 00:38:46.179
that confirmed 110 emails across 52 chains had

00:38:46.179 --> 00:38:48.739
been determined by the owning agency, not the

00:38:48.739 --> 00:38:51.199
State Department itself, but agencies like the

00:38:51.199 --> 00:38:54.019
CIA to contain classified information at the

00:38:54.019 --> 00:38:56.260
time they were sent or received. And some of

00:38:56.260 --> 00:38:58.460
that was highly classified. Eight of those chains

00:38:58.460 --> 00:39:01.000
contained information classified at the top secret

00:39:01.000 --> 00:39:03.400
level. Though no criminal charges were recommended,

00:39:03.739 --> 00:39:06.199
Comey's conclusion about her conduct was scathing.

00:39:06.360 --> 00:39:08.860
He characterized her handling of the material

00:39:08.860 --> 00:39:11.420
as what? He noted there was evidence that she

00:39:11.420 --> 00:39:14.400
and her colleagues were extremely careless in

00:39:14.400 --> 00:39:17.079
handling sensitive, highly classified information.

00:39:17.539 --> 00:39:20.599
He specifically noted the dangers of using her

00:39:20.599 --> 00:39:23.420
personal email extensively while traveling outside

00:39:23.420 --> 00:39:26.159
the U .S., including in the territory of sophisticated

00:39:26.159 --> 00:39:28.980
adversaries who could potentially access the

00:39:28.980 --> 00:39:31.920
system. The political damage from just the accusation

00:39:31.920 --> 00:39:34.860
of being extremely careless was immense, even

00:39:34.860 --> 00:39:37.019
without criminal charges. The finding essentially

00:39:37.019 --> 00:39:39.559
validated the narrative that she was secretive

00:39:39.559 --> 00:39:41.780
and handled sensitive matters with poor judgment,

00:39:41.960 --> 00:39:44.570
and the controversy didn't end there. The final

00:39:44.570 --> 00:39:46.670
notification from Comey just two weeks before

00:39:46.670 --> 00:39:48.769
the election is something she and many analysts

00:39:48.769 --> 00:39:51.150
later cited directly as a factor in her loss.

00:39:51.329 --> 00:39:53.409
What was the impact of that late October notification?

00:39:54.090 --> 00:39:56.690
Well, Comey notified Congress that the FBI was

00:39:56.690 --> 00:39:58.909
reviewing newly discovered emails found on a

00:39:58.909 --> 00:40:01.369
separate computer, effectively reopening the

00:40:01.369 --> 00:40:03.550
controversy just as voters were finalizing their

00:40:03.550 --> 00:40:05.769
decisions. Although he notified Congress two

00:40:05.769 --> 00:40:07.469
days before the election that the review was

00:40:07.469 --> 00:40:10.329
complete and the initial conclusion, no criminal

00:40:10.329 --> 00:40:13.030
charges, remained unchanged. The damage was already

00:40:13.030 --> 00:40:15.960
done. The political damage was done. Clinton

00:40:15.960 --> 00:40:18.940
later explicitly cited that late October notification

00:40:18.940 --> 00:40:22.159
as significantly contributing to her loss, arguing

00:40:22.159 --> 00:40:24.420
it changed the momentum of the race in the final

00:40:24.420 --> 00:40:27.559
days by recentering media attention on process

00:40:27.559 --> 00:40:30.739
and controversy rather than policy. This whole

00:40:30.739 --> 00:40:33.000
episode is a perfect example of how the media's

00:40:33.000 --> 00:40:36.059
focus on process and scandal, as opposed to substantive

00:40:36.059 --> 00:40:39.039
policy debate, which was largely ignored, can

00:40:39.039 --> 00:40:42.099
fundamentally shift an election outcome. It's

00:40:42.099 --> 00:40:44.179
an unfortunate characteristic of modern political

00:40:44.179 --> 00:40:47.699
journalism. It really is. After her 2016 defeat,

00:40:47.940 --> 00:40:50.320
Clinton confirmed she would not seek public office

00:40:50.320 --> 00:40:53.500
again. She transitioned back to focusing on philanthropy,

00:40:53.780 --> 00:40:56.719
academia, and literary work, much as she did

00:40:56.719 --> 00:40:58.900
after leaving the State Department. That's right.

00:40:59.039 --> 00:41:01.460
She remains active in the Bill, Hillary and Chelsea

00:41:01.460 --> 00:41:03.719
Clinton Foundation, which focuses heavily on

00:41:03.719 --> 00:41:05.980
global initiatives, particularly early childhood

00:41:05.980 --> 00:41:08.679
development and global girls secondary education.

00:41:08.860 --> 00:41:11.260
That foundation, however, has also been a continuous

00:41:11.260 --> 00:41:13.599
target of criticism, especially regarding its

00:41:13.599 --> 00:41:15.840
fundraising during her political career. Correct.

00:41:15.940 --> 00:41:17.719
The controversy centers around the foundation

00:41:17.719 --> 00:41:19.920
accepting new donations from foreign governments

00:41:19.920 --> 00:41:22.699
and large donations from foreign citizens during

00:41:22.699 --> 00:41:24.980
and immediately after her time as secretary of

00:41:24.980 --> 00:41:27.480
state. While the foundation has defended the

00:41:27.480 --> 00:41:30.400
funds as purely philanthropic, critics argued

00:41:30.400 --> 00:41:33.000
these donations created potential conflicts of

00:41:33.000 --> 00:41:35.900
interest or the appearance of impropriety, reinforcing

00:41:35.900 --> 00:41:38.219
that public narrative of questionable judgment

00:41:38.219 --> 00:41:41.679
or political transactionalism. She also resumed

00:41:41.679 --> 00:41:44.139
her lucrative paid speaking career, which had

00:41:44.139 --> 00:41:46.300
been a sticking point during the 2016 primary

00:41:46.300 --> 00:41:48.480
against Bernie Sanders. Post State Department,

00:41:48.760 --> 00:41:51.460
she commanded serious fees, earning between $200

00:41:51.460 --> 00:41:54.900
,000 and $225 ,000 per paid speaking engagement.

00:41:55.440 --> 00:41:57.679
often appearing before Wall Street firms, which

00:41:57.679 --> 00:42:00.360
fueled criticism about her ties to powerful financial

00:42:00.360 --> 00:42:02.300
interests. And her total earnings were significant.

00:42:02.699 --> 00:42:05.380
The Clintons earned almost $141 million between

00:42:05.380 --> 00:42:08.679
2007 and 2014, primarily through speaking engagements

00:42:08.679 --> 00:42:11.119
and book deals. She published her memoir about

00:42:11.119 --> 00:42:14.280
her time at State, Hard Choices, in 2014, and

00:42:14.280 --> 00:42:17.059
the extremely candid memoir about the 2016 campaign,

00:42:17.400 --> 00:42:20.519
What Happened, in 2017. Even outside of running

00:42:20.519 --> 00:42:22.780
for office, she maintains a political presence.

00:42:23.239 --> 00:42:26.389
Oh, absolutely. launched Onward Together in 2017,

00:42:26.710 --> 00:42:29.210
which is a political action committee dedicated

00:42:29.210 --> 00:42:32.090
to advancing progressive causes. And she remains

00:42:32.090 --> 00:42:34.889
an active, often influential voice in Democratic

00:42:34.889 --> 00:42:37.730
politics, frequently endorsing candidates and

00:42:37.730 --> 00:42:40.489
weighing in on major policy debates. What's the

00:42:40.489 --> 00:42:42.750
latest phase of her career, the one she's occupied

00:42:42.750 --> 00:42:45.679
since 2020? It's heavily focused on academia

00:42:45.679 --> 00:42:48.500
and international cultural diplomacy, returning

00:42:48.500 --> 00:42:51.739
in a way to the intellectual focus of her early

00:42:51.739 --> 00:42:55.059
Yale years. Since January 2020, she has served

00:42:55.059 --> 00:42:57.079
as the 11th chancellor of Queens University,

00:42:57.360 --> 00:42:59.679
Belfast, becoming the first woman in that role,

00:42:59.820 --> 00:43:02.619
a significant international cultural post. And

00:43:02.619 --> 00:43:05.820
Columbia. Additionally, since January 2023, she

00:43:05.820 --> 00:43:07.599
has been a professor of practice at Columbian

00:43:07.599 --> 00:43:09.460
University's School of International and Public

00:43:09.460 --> 00:43:12.739
Affairs, combining her legal policy and diplomatic

00:43:12.739 --> 00:43:16.500
experience. She's also dipped her toes into fiction,

00:43:16.619 --> 00:43:18.780
hasn't she? She has. She co -authored books with

00:43:18.780 --> 00:43:20.800
Chelsea Clinton, like The Book of Gutsy Women.

00:43:21.000 --> 00:43:23.099
And most recently, she co -authored a fiction

00:43:23.099 --> 00:43:25.860
novel, State of Terror, leveraging her deep knowledge

00:43:25.860 --> 00:43:28.739
of diplomatic and national security crises. Let's

00:43:28.739 --> 00:43:31.099
synthesize her political ideology now, which,

00:43:31.159 --> 00:43:33.820
as we've seen, seems to have shifted significantly

00:43:33.820 --> 00:43:37.280
over time, from a Goldwater conservative to a

00:43:37.280 --> 00:43:40.239
center -left Democrat. She self -identifies as

00:43:40.239 --> 00:43:43.559
a new Democrat or centrist liberal. In 2016,

00:43:43.760 --> 00:43:46.139
trying to define her place in a polarized party,

00:43:46.360 --> 00:43:49.500
she stated, I plead guilty to being moderate

00:43:49.500 --> 00:43:52.599
and center. But those labels are tricky. Very.

00:43:52.699 --> 00:43:55.239
If you measure her policy position scientifically,

00:43:55.719 --> 00:43:58.480
analyses like those from 538 placed her among

00:43:58.480 --> 00:44:00.699
the most liberal members during her Senate years,

00:44:00.920 --> 00:44:03.880
demonstrating how the term center changes depending

00:44:03.880 --> 00:44:06.579
on the political environment. What defines her

00:44:06.579 --> 00:44:09.610
economic philosophy now? Her economic plan, often

00:44:09.610 --> 00:44:12.469
called inclusive capitalism, aims to bridge progressive

00:44:12.469 --> 00:44:15.510
goals with market stability. Key proposals include

00:44:15.510 --> 00:44:17.869
increasing collective bargaining rights, offering

00:44:17.869 --> 00:44:19.989
major incentives for companies that share profits

00:44:19.989 --> 00:44:22.510
with employees, and proposing a clawback mechanism

00:44:22.510 --> 00:44:24.590
rescinding tax relief for companies that move

00:44:24.590 --> 00:44:27.250
jobs overseas. And domestically. Domestically,

00:44:27.349 --> 00:44:29.630
she strongly supports universal preschool and

00:44:29.630 --> 00:44:32.230
tax increases on the wealthy to fund programs

00:44:32.230 --> 00:44:34.309
like improving the Affordable Care Act through

00:44:34.309 --> 00:44:37.329
a public option. And on foreign policy, she has

00:44:37.329 --> 00:44:39.769
long been characterized by her interventionist

00:44:39.769 --> 00:44:42.570
or hawkish tendencies, sometimes even to the

00:44:42.570 --> 00:44:45.179
right of Republican opponents. That is consistent

00:44:45.179 --> 00:44:47.539
throughout her career. Her foreign policy stance

00:44:47.539 --> 00:44:50.519
is often described as interventionist. She supported

00:44:50.519 --> 00:44:54.019
the NATO bombing of Yugoslavia in 1999, the 2011

00:44:54.019 --> 00:44:57.139
Libya intervention, and later she favored more

00:44:57.139 --> 00:44:59.460
aggressive action against Syrian President Bashar

00:44:59.460 --> 00:45:02.239
al -Assad, including taking out his airfields

00:45:02.239 --> 00:45:04.000
to prevent the bombing of innocent civilians.

00:45:04.400 --> 00:45:06.860
She has always been a strong proponent of maintaining

00:45:06.860 --> 00:45:09.539
robust U .S. influence in the Middle East and

00:45:09.539 --> 00:45:12.179
providing unwavering support for Israel's right

00:45:12.179 --> 00:45:16.150
to defense. that massive ideological shift regarding

00:45:16.150 --> 00:45:19.369
LGBT rights. A perfect illustration of the pragmatist

00:45:19.369 --> 00:45:21.730
catching up to the idealist. A profound shift

00:45:21.730 --> 00:45:23.670
that mirrors the national political evolution,

00:45:23.949 --> 00:45:26.230
but which was, you know, delayed compared to

00:45:26.230 --> 00:45:28.690
many in her party. In 2000, during her Senate

00:45:28.690 --> 00:45:31.349
campaign, she explicitly opposed same -sex marriage.

00:45:31.530 --> 00:45:34.449
By 2006, she had shifted to supporting states'

00:45:34.550 --> 00:45:36.789
rights to permit it, but still opposed a federal

00:45:36.789 --> 00:45:40.260
amendment. It wasn't until 2013 after leaving

00:45:40.260 --> 00:45:42.980
the State Department that she explicitly supported

00:45:42.980 --> 00:45:45.840
a national right to same -sex marriage. The long

00:45:45.840 --> 00:45:47.920
transition. It reflects the political difficulty

00:45:47.920 --> 00:45:50.460
of adapting a moderate establishment position

00:45:50.460 --> 00:45:53.420
to rapidly changing cultural and legal norms.

00:45:53.679 --> 00:45:55.920
All of this history, the multiple roles, the

00:45:55.920 --> 00:45:58.920
ideological shifts, the scandals, it all feeds

00:45:58.920 --> 00:46:01.539
into a public image that is perpetually fraught.

00:46:01.699 --> 00:46:04.019
She has consistently been described as a highly

00:46:04.019 --> 00:46:06.900
polarizing figure, perhaps best labeled a Rorschach

00:46:06.900 --> 00:46:08.920
test. for the evolution of women in society.

00:46:09.300 --> 00:46:11.679
People tend to project their own hopes or fears

00:46:11.679 --> 00:46:14.320
regarding female power onto her. But there were

00:46:14.320 --> 00:46:16.179
periods where her image improved dramatically.

00:46:16.840 --> 00:46:19.800
Yes. Her image dramatically improved while she

00:46:19.800 --> 00:46:22.280
was Secretary of State, transforming her into

00:46:22.280 --> 00:46:25.440
that respected world figure, a trend marked by

00:46:25.440 --> 00:46:28.579
her tremendous travel record. That high favorability,

00:46:28.659 --> 00:46:31.239
however, dropped sharply once she reentered partisan

00:46:31.239 --> 00:46:34.960
politics in the 2016 campaign. Yet her historical

00:46:34.960 --> 00:46:37.639
significance as a barrier breaker is undeniable,

00:46:37.880 --> 00:46:40.480
reflected in Time magazine choosing her for its

00:46:40.480 --> 00:46:43.960
2016 Woman of the Year cover in 2019, acknowledging

00:46:43.960 --> 00:46:46.329
the historical weight of her nomination. To look

00:46:46.329 --> 00:46:48.570
back at the scope of this deep dive from her

00:46:48.570 --> 00:46:50.869
conservative roots in Park Ridge through her

00:46:50.869 --> 00:46:53.349
academic success at Yale, the crucial years in

00:46:53.349 --> 00:46:56.150
Arkansas politics and law, becoming an unprecedented

00:46:56.150 --> 00:46:58.969
first lady, navigating eight years in the Senate,

00:46:59.050 --> 00:47:01.530
then serving as a record breaking global diplomat

00:47:01.530 --> 00:47:03.730
and finally becoming the first female major party

00:47:03.730 --> 00:47:06.710
nominee for president. I mean, few American figures

00:47:06.710 --> 00:47:09.210
have embodied so many high level roles and face

00:47:09.210 --> 00:47:12.130
such sustained, intense public scrutiny and political

00:47:12.130 --> 00:47:14.130
opposition. What stands out to me looking at

00:47:14.130 --> 00:47:16.400
the entire arc is that. That relentless ability

00:47:16.400 --> 00:47:19.159
to transition and adapt, that continuous negotiation

00:47:19.159 --> 00:47:22.000
between the Rodham idealist and the Clinton pragmatist.

00:47:22.059 --> 00:47:24.860
She moved from a major policy failure as first

00:47:24.860 --> 00:47:27.880
lady to successful legislative action on SEI.

00:47:28.360 --> 00:47:31.599
She shifted from a senator who cast the ill -fated

00:47:31.599 --> 00:47:34.579
Iraq war vote to a secretary of state who became

00:47:34.579 --> 00:47:37.320
a trusted, pragmatic partner to the president

00:47:37.320 --> 00:47:39.869
she once ran against. She mastered electoral

00:47:39.869 --> 00:47:42.829
politics in New York and diplomatic relationships

00:47:42.829 --> 00:47:46.030
worldwide, all while navigating waves of deeply

00:47:46.030 --> 00:47:49.469
personal and political controversies. Her capacity

00:47:49.469 --> 00:47:52.349
to operate successfully, often setting new precedents

00:47:52.349 --> 00:47:55.269
for women in the process, is utterly undeniable,

00:47:55.409 --> 00:47:57.949
regardless of one's political viewpoint. She

00:47:57.949 --> 00:48:00.110
learned to operate within the system she inherited,

00:48:00.349 --> 00:48:03.429
making strategic compromises along the way. It's

00:48:03.429 --> 00:48:06.409
a career built on persistence and an unwavering

00:48:06.409 --> 00:48:08.519
belief in achieving change from within. the halls

00:48:08.519 --> 00:48:10.940
of power rather than tearing them down. And that

00:48:10.940 --> 00:48:13.119
persistence raises an important question for

00:48:13.119 --> 00:48:15.139
you, the learner, to consider as you reflect

00:48:15.139 --> 00:48:17.000
on her history. We've seen her career defined

00:48:17.000 --> 00:48:19.639
by seeking change from within the existing establishment,

00:48:19.980 --> 00:48:22.239
dating all the way back to her earliest college

00:48:22.239 --> 00:48:24.579
years at Wellesley. Considering the numerous

00:48:24.579 --> 00:48:27.019
major shifts in her political positions over

00:48:27.019 --> 00:48:29.760
time on issues like the Iraq War, same -sex marriage,

00:48:29.800 --> 00:48:32.800
and economic policy, does her long tenure in

00:48:32.800 --> 00:48:34.719
the political establishment suggest that fundamental,

00:48:34.840 --> 00:48:38.059
lasting change in American policy is more successfully

00:48:38.059 --> 00:48:40.579
achieved through persistent, incremental influence

00:48:40.579 --> 00:48:43.980
over decades, even with necessary political compromises

00:48:43.980 --> 00:48:45.980
rather than through attempts at radical rupture

00:48:45.980 --> 00:48:48.539
or total outsider campaigns. Something to chew

00:48:48.539 --> 00:48:50.239
on as you watch the next political generation

00:48:50.239 --> 00:48:50.800
rise.