First off, a huge thank you to Melissa McEwan at Shakesville for highlighting The Quick Startup Guide to Hillary by Brendan Steidle, who begins with the question-
Hillary Clinton. Hillary. Hillary Clinton. What do you think, I wonder, when you hear the name? What did I? …And based on what I've seen and read and realized—Hillary Clinton is not the cardboard cutout I thought she was... from what I’ve seen, she might actually be better than Obama. Better than Bill. Better than anyone who thinks they know her knows.
During the 2008 election I was most definitely not a Hillary supporter. I was a tepid supporter of Edwards for the short time that lasted. I wasn’t really following the Presidential primary that closely then as I was really focused on getting rid of Cathy McMorris Rodgers. No such luck as it turned out obviously. But I never supported Clinton. I did admire her tremendously when she was FLOTUS, however. I was a supporter of Mr Obama’s thanks in some part to his amazing wife!
So last year when I had an unexpected opportunity on my laptop to see a speech Sec.Clinton made to a Democratic group- I don’t know where it was- and spoke about Citizens United I kept listening- she caught my attention. She did that in part by the warmth and good humor she showed. It did stop me. And she talked about being a grandmother. Something that is fairly new to my life. She really did catch me in that speech and I have continued to listen and hear what she’s saying. I have grown to admire her more and more. So that brings me to sharing this article.
From watching, listening and reading Mr. Steidle has put together this hugely informative piece.
Some highlights of things I sure didn’t know-
(The author has many quotes from Carl Bernstein’s book “ A Woman in Charge” btw)
I am well aware that Hillary has a voracious appetite for learning everything she can about a subject so she can find ways to apply that knowledge and improve lives . But I did not know this-She audited classes at Yale’s medical school and worked at the Yale–New Haven Hospital on problems of children’s physical and mental health, including child abuse—which was being seriously studied for the first time as a significant sociological phenomenon. She helped establish the hospital’s legal procedures dealing with incoming cases of suspected child abuse. At the Yale Child Study Center, she spent much of the academic year observing clinical sessions with children and attending subsequent case discussions with their doctors. The center’s director [and one of her professors]…asked her to become their research assistant on a book…Beyond the Best Interests of the Child, [that] became a standard text of the era. —Carl Bernstein, 'A Woman in Charge'
I did not know that she was repeatedly listed as one of America’s 100 most powerful lawyers according to the National Law Journal and the the New York Review of Books declared, in 1992, that “She is one of the more important scholar-activists of the last two decades…what set her apart from other successful and scrambling lawyers was her attempt to undergird practical activity with legal theory.”Her focus, Steidle writes, was on children- extending and defending their rights. He points to some of her writings.
'Children Under the Law' in Harvard Educational Review
'Children's Policies: Abandonment and Neglect' in Yale Law Journal
'Children's Rights: A Legal Perspective' in Children's Rights: Contemporary Perspectives
'Teacher Education: Of the People, By the People, and For the People' on Teacher Education Policies, Practices, and Research’ published by the Center For Teacher Education, University of Texas
I learned a few months ago about her work as chair of the board of the Legal Services Corporation, appointed by then President Jimmy Carter and that she was the first woman ever to hold the post. And, btw, it required Congressional confirmation.
But I did not know there were 5000 lawyers handling 1 million cases a year andWhen he was elected to the presidency, Reagan struck back. He lobbied Congress to cut funding for the Legal Services Corporation. He even tried to stuff the board with appointees to shut it down. As chair, Hillary didn’t let it happen. First, she sought a restraining order to stop Reagan’s appointees from meeting and coordinating before their confirmation by the Senate. Then, she rallied with Democrats on Capitol Hill. The result? The Senate rejected Reagan’s conservative nominees. Under her leadership and in spite of Reagan, she increased the organization's funding from $90 million to $300 million—more than tripling its impact. Still in her early thirties, she had gone to battle with President Reagan—twice—and won both times.
This is only a small part of what Mr Steidle covers. And what he does write, he acknowledges is just a small part of Hillary Clinton’s accomplishments. And he adds “Republicans like to ask: what has Hillary actually accomplished? Here’s a long list of short answers if you ever get quizzed.”
Check out the piece to get the answers.