Rodham

by Curtis Sittenfeld

What could be better than being alone in a room with Bill Clinton?

I bet a lot of women disagree with you Hillary

A lesson I learned from Bill, a lesson that perhaps should be obvious, though there’s evidence that most other people don’t know it, either, is that direct and sincere compliments are shockingly effective—that they feel wonderful. What in theory should sound saccharine or manipulative rarely does in practice, so long as you believe the other person really means it. And we crave praise not, I think, because most of us are egomaniacal. It’s because we’re human.

“Some people who run for office want to create change, and some want everyone to fall in love with them.”

It seems like Hillary would want to create change while Bill wants everyone to love him.

Bill’s voice was serious when he spoke again. He said, “I really don’t think you understand. All this time, I needed you. I needed you, and I was looking for you, and now I never want to let you go.”

Needed her because she reflected back to him what he wanted to see in himself

The part of this that I’m struck by now, decades later, is that I felt so flush with Bill’s love, so ensconced in our relationship, so confident of its durability, that the note didn’t seem significant.

Did I imagine that my life would be full of such emotional extravagance? I must have, because to save the note did not occur to me.

I had never believed the world existed for my enjoyment. I’d believed instead that every situation was a trade-off, that there was always a catch. I didn’t yearn to be envied by others, and wasn’t a great love affair with Bill Clinton enviable? Hadn’t it been thrilling and also made me slightly uneasy? Now the catch had made itself known. Bill could be genuinely devoted and at the same time struggle to remain faithful. We had been a couple for five months, and he’d already cheated. Surely this meant that at best, I’d live with the fear that he’d cheat again, and at worst, that he would cheat. He wasn’t too good to be true. But discerning his flaw meant that if I could live with it, I could keep him.

Interesting perspective - I think Hillary IRL made the choice to accept Bill's infidelity.

If I was no longer his girlfriend, and never his wife, I was not responsible for his behavior, not even by extension. This absolution was my reward for losing him; in the years to come, it sometimes seemed like the only reward.

Even in his absence, Bill remained the most interesting person with whom to discuss any book or breaking news or small moment of absurd behavior on the part of a friend, acquaintance, family member, or stranger.

Why?

“Her outfit is way too Little House on the Prairie,” Greg said. “She should be wearing a suit.”

IRL Hillary wore a suit to that interview and was vocally supportive

Sometimes speaking your mind is expensive, which doesn’t mean it’s not worth it.

I love this perspective.