Hillary Clinton in My Life, by Bill Clinton
On Corporations:
1980s: Loved Wal-Mart's "Buy America" program
As governor, I hosted a lunch for Wal-Mart executives and our economic development people to encourage the company to buy more products made in America and to advertise this practice as a way to increase eases. Wal-Mart's "Buy
American" campaign was a great success and helped to reduce resentment against the giant discounter for putting small-town merchants out of business. Hillary loved the program and supported it strongly when she went on the
Wal-Mart board a couple of years later. At its high mark, Wal-Mart merchandise was about 55 percent American made, about 10 percent more than that of its nearest competitor.
Unfortunately, after a few years Wal-Mart abandoned the policy in its marketing drive to be the lowest-cost retailer, but we made the most of it in Arkansas while it lasted.
Source: My Life, by Bill Clinton, p.321-322
Jun 21, 2004
On Education:
1983: AR reforms fixed unconstitutional school financing
In May 1983, the Arkansas supreme court declared our school financing system unconstitutional. We had to write a new aid formula, then fund it. There were only two alternatives: take money away from the wealthiest districts and give it to the poorest and
fastest-growing ones, or raise enough new revenues so that we could equalize funding. Since no district wanted to lose money, the court decision gave us the best opportunity we'd ever have to raise taxes for education.Hillary's committee held hearings
in every county in the state, getting recommendations from educators and the public. Her report recommended to both raise the sales tax and approve "standards which, when implemented, will be among the nation's best."
Hillary made a brilliant
presentation, prompting one Representative to say, "It looks like we might have elected the wrong Clinton!" We had opposition from the anti-tax crowd; rural school districts that feared they couldn't meet the standards; and the AEA teacher's union.
Source: My Life, by Bill Clinton, p.308-311
Jun 21, 2004
On Foreign Policy:
1995: Spoke as voice of United States on Latin America trip
While I was dealing with Bosnia at home, Hillary was off on another trip, this time to Latin America. In the post-Cold War world, with
America the world's only military, economic, and political superpower, every nation wanted out attention, and it was usually in our interest to give it. But I couldn't go everywhere, especially during the budget struggle with Congress.
As a result, both Al Gore and Hillary made an unusually large number of important foreign trips. Wherever they went, people knew they spoke for the
United States, and for me, and on every trip, without fail, they strengthened America's standing in the world.
Source: My Life, by Bill Clinton, p.674-675
Jun 21, 2004
On Health Care:
1993 health plan initially praised as moderate & workable
[Under the Clinton health plan], everyone would have coverage, through private insurers, that would not be lost when there was an illness or a job change; there would be far less paperwork because of a uniform minimum-benefit package; we would reap
large savings through lower administrative costs.I proposed that all employers provide health insurance, as 75% of them were already doing, with a discount for small-business owners who otherwise couldn't afford the insurance.
The subsidy would be paid for by an increase in cigarette taxes.
Hillary, and all those who helped, had crafted a plan that we could implement while reducing the deficit. And contrary to how it was later portrayed, health experts generally
praised it at the time as moderate and workable. It certainly wasn't a government takeover of the health-care system, as its critics charged, but that story came later.
Source: My Life, by Bill Clinton, p.548-549
Jun 21, 2004
On Principles & Values:
1980s: Earned more at Rose Law than Bill did as Governor
In 1976, Hillary found a good job at the Rose Law Firm, which was full of experienced lawyers and bright younger ones, including my friend Vince Foster. From then on, Hillary earned much more than I did every year until the year I became President.One
day [as Attorney General], I appeared at a committee hearing to speak against a measure. The room was packed with people representing interests who were for it, including Vince Foster. And Hillary. He had brought her along for the experience, not knowing
I would be appearing for the other side. We just smiled at each other and did our jobs. Luckily, the Rose firm had gotten an opinion from the ABA saying it could hire the wife of the attorney general and setting out the steps necessary to avoid conflicts
of interest. Hillary followed them to the letter. After I became governor, and she was a full partner at the Rose firm, she gave up her portion of the annual profits made from state bond business, legal work the firm had been doing since the 1940s.
Source: My Life, by Bill Clinton, p.244-246
Jun 21, 2004
On Principles & Values:
1979 commodities deal: profit is not evidence of corruption
A lot of people had already acquired a vested interest in finding something wrong; if there was nothing illegal in our long-ago land deal, perhaps they could catch something wrong in the handling of it. Unless Hillary & I could prove ourselves innocent o
whatever charges any adversary could come up with, most of the stories would have an underlying current that we must have done something wrong.For example, the New York Times reported that, starting with a $1,000 investment, Hillary had made $100,000
in the commodities market in 1979, with the help of Jim Blair. Blair did help Hillary and a number of his other close friends in trading commodities, but she took her own risks, paid more than $18,000 in brokerage fees, and, following her own instincts,
got out of the market before it dropped. A Republican reviewed all of Hillary's trades and said there was nothing wrong with them. It didn't matter. For years, the critics would refer to Hillary's commodity profit as prima facie evidence of corruption.
Source: My Life, by Bill Clinton, p.584-585
Jun 21, 2004
Page last updated: Feb 19, 2019