[yep, sure left a mess on that blue dress!]
Hillary Clinton Book Tour Draws Large Crowds
Jim Malone
Washington
13 Jun 2003, 06:33 UTC
Listen to Jim Malone's report (RealAudio)
U.S. Senator and former First Lady Hillary Clinton's book about her years in the White House has quickly become a best-seller and is causing a bit of a stir among Democratic Party political activists. Senator Clinton's appearances at bookstores to autograph copies of her memoir are drawing large crowds that are mostly friendly but have a few detractors as well.
AP Sen. Hillary Rodham Clinton, D-N.Y., looks at a customer during an autograph session Outside a bookstore on Capitol Hill in Washington, the lines snake around the block with hundreds eager for an autograph and a brief exchange with Senator Clinton.
A beaming Lisa Sherrod has just emerged from the bookstore with her prize, an autographed copy of Mrs. Clinton's book, Living History. "It was wonderful. She was energetic and very friendly. She looks wonderful and I am very excited about reading this book. My 87-year-old grandmother started reading it last night," she says.
Book jacket for Hillary Rodham Clinton's book Living History
Photo - Simon & SchusterAmong those waiting patiently in line for her turn is Marilyn Markowitz of Washington. She sees Hillary Clinton as a role model for American women. I am here to support Hillary Clinton and also to buy her book for my mom because I think that she is an example for us women as to how far you can go if you use your smarts," she says.
Actually, Marilyn Markowitz believes Hillary Clinton can go a lot farther, all the way to the White House one day. In fact, she is unimpressed with the nine Democrats now running for president and would like Senator Clinton to join the Democratic field for 2004. "They are kind of into the mediocrity, I mean, I don't even distinguish between their faces. But hers stands out," she says.
In television interviews given in conjunction with the release of the book, Mrs. Clinton has repeatedly said she has no intention at this time of running for president, either next year or in the future. She told NBC's Today program that she is confident that the Democrats will nominate a strong challenger to take on President Bush in 2004. "Well, it is not going to happen. It is a total hypothetical and I have said I am not running, so that is the answer. But you know, we have very good [Democratic presidential] candidates," she said.
To be sure, the prospect of a Hillary Clinton campaign for president does not thrill everyone. Even at her book signings, she is dogged by small groups of conservative protesters eager to douse any presidential ambitions she may have. "Ladies and gentlemen, in just a few minutes, you too will be able to witness the Hillary Clinton freak show. Live and in person, the human doormat herself! For the modest price of just $28 you can marvel as the smartest woman in the world plays dumb for suckers like you," says Christin Taylor, with a conservative group called Free Republic.
"We don't like Hillary. We think she is telling a lot of lies in her book and we are here to try to set the record straight some and have some fun while doing it," she says.
A new poll by USA Today and the Gallup organization suggests Mrs. Clinton's image has improved since the release of her book. The new poll found 53 percent of those surveyed had a favorable view of Mrs. Clinton, up from 43 percent just two weeks ago.
But the polls and many political experts suggest Mrs. Clinton remains a polarizing political figure, wildly popular with liberal Democrats but a favorite target for conservative Republicans.
Even some of her supporters concede she will have to mend a few political fences if she hopes to one day win the presidency. Joanna Gabryszewski is a supporter who says she would like to work in a Hillary Clinton presidential campaign one day. But she says the Senator will have to win over some of her critics if she hopes to succeed. "There is a little bit of that. She is going to have to get over the hump on that and I am not sure how," she says. "She has got a little bit of a battle uphill before she can get enough people on her bandwagon [to get elected president]."
But many of her supporters brush those concerns aside and are eager for another Clinton in the White House. Lisa Sherrod says she believes Mrs. Clinton should set her sights on the 2008 presidential election. "Yes! Definitely in 2008. I think she needs to put her time in the Senate, get that experience and the notoriety and it is all hers," she says.
The latest USA Today-Gallup poll suggests the public is sharply split on a possible Hillary Clinton run in 2008. Forty-two percent of those surveyed said they would be either very likely or somewhat likely to support her. But 56 percent said it was either not very likely or not likely at all that they would vote for her.
But before Mrs. Clinton can even consider running in 2008, she might first seek to get re-elected to the Senate from New York. She faces that test in 2006.
"I tried to fight against paranoia because it is no way to live. It wouldn't do me any good if I was, all of a sudden, in effect, trapped inside this machine that they [the radical right] were creating. But there were many moments when I would just slap my forehead and utter, er, [she laughs, her eyes widen] some words of amazement at their lies."
Lies such as? "There was one absurd claim that I knew the mother of this young man who worked in the White House, and I had hired him to obtain FBI files which he used to do something nefarious to our political enemies [what became known as 'Filegate']. It was a totally made-up story . . . but it became a cottage industry resulting in investigations and lawsuits.
"And then I discovered to my horror that these rogue FBI agents were literally making up evidence and sticking it in FBI files. That scared me. I thought, wait a minute, how far will these people go? What is this really about?" Entire interview
It's also a criminal conspiracy that has yet to be unraveled.
...It's the return of the Hillary Clinton Freak Show, folks:See also REGISTERED's classic image, now hosted (among other places) on www.carolontheweb.com:The Miracle of the Cattle Futures.It's all here...
The Mystery of Who Hired Craig Livingstone.
The Acquisition of a Thousand FBI Files.
The Disappearance of the White House Silverware.
My only complaint
is that calling Hillary
a "freak" makes freaks look
like bad things... Real freaks
are just beatniks without the
left-wing politics --
Who could imagine
That they would freak out in Washington, D.C.
D.C. D.C. D.C. D.C. D.C.
It can't happen here
Ba ba ba ba ba ba ba ba
It can't happen here
It can't happen here
Everybody's safe and it can't happen here
No freaks for us
It can't happen here
Everybody's clean and it can't happen here
No, no, it won't happen here
I'm telling you it can't
It won't happen here
(Bop bop didi bop didi bop bop bop)
Plastic folks, you know
It won't happen here
You're safe, mama
You're safe, baby
You just cook a TV dinner
And you make it
(Bop bop bop)
No no no no
Oh, we're gonna get a TV dinner and cook it up
Go get a TV dinner and cook it up
Cook it up
Oh, and it won't happen here
(No no no no no no no no no no no
Man you guys are really safe
Everything's cool).
Who could imagine
Who could imagine
That they would freak out in the suburbs!
[from "Help, I'm a Rock," by Frank Zappa, album: FREAK OUT!]
The file is relatively large and only the most patient of dial up users should attempt to download. The file may take some time to download even for those with cable or DSL connections.
You can left click on the link and it will store to your temporary folder and start playing after download. You may alternately wish to right click on a file, select "save target as" (might be slightly different depending on operating system) and save the file to your hard drive. Then, after the file is downloaded a few minutes later, you can click on the file and it should start playing.
(If you have trouble playing the video with Windows Media Player, you might also want to try to play the files with RealPlayer from Real.com. I think that the video file can be played with the free version which you can download by clicking here and following instructions.)
Click here to get 1 minute 27 second CSPAN clip (15 Mb, mpeg format) showing FReepers at Hillary's DC book signing. Shows the FReepers in line and numerous shouts of the FReepers to the Clinton Kool-Aid drinkers. Doctor Raoul announcing "cash pardons to the front of the line." Kristinn describing the Hillary freak show: "You'll laugh when you read about . . ."
My videos of that DC book signing and an audio file of the Doctor of FReep using a megaphone on the Hillary fans can be downloaded from here.
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hillary clinton all HYPE -- no SUBSTANCE
hillary clinton is no Howard Stern
THE CLINTON RAPES, LIVING HISTORY, USEFUL IDIOTS AND ENTROPY
clinton Administration VETERAN / BERKELEY PROFESSOR: "Hillary Rodham Clinton needs to be kept very far away from the White House for the rest of her life."
Liking Viking: subliminal confession by simile
The REAL Living History. . .
CONGENITAL PERVERTER OF CONSTITUTION PERVERTS CONSTITUTION AS SHE CHARGES "CONSTITUTIONAL PERVERSION"
What did hillary clinton know and when did she know it? And was she part of it?
Neither HARLEQUIN PROSE nor RESPIRATORY ARREST nor clinton CANINES will resuscitate the moribund, zipper-hoisted coconspirator
Why bill "it was the TERRORISM, stupid" clinton would have been an utter failure even if he weren't a corrupt, cowardly, vacuous, self-serving, balkanizing, opportunistic RapistThug
And why the little missus deserves no less than half the credit
Poison Pen Proves Autotoxic:
CLINTON-WAS-AN-UTTER-FAILURE Containment Team Scheme Fails Yet Again
The Clinton Wars: Stockholm Syndrome Revs Spinning Sid
Reciprocal Intern-Exploitation-Purgation Attempt at JFK Library
"I knew Jack Kennedy. Jack Kennedy was a friend of mine...."
Are Susan Estrich, Al From and The Times on the same "Get the clintons off the stage!" page?...
(Desperately seeking Susan.... Who spiked her, anyway?)
bushwhacked by tailhook: the real reason
