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Hillary Dishes on Tyra

January 19, 2008 10:50 AM

I don't know if Sen. Hillary Clinton's candor on the Tyra Banks Show yesterday was meant in any way as a slap at Oprah Winfrey -- who as the world knows endorsed Clinton's rival Sen. Barack Obama -- but either way, there were some really interesting moments.

Asked about her "emotional moment" in New Hampshire, Clinton said she did not feel weak.

"What happened was so touching to me," Clinton said. "This woman said, 'Well, how do you get up in the morning?' And it just struck me, how do any of us get up in the morning? How do we keep it together? How do we do what we have to do and there was such a moment where it wasn't me on one side of the table, running for office and everybody else out there. It was us together and, you know, it really did make me emotional because that's when I think we are at our best as a country, when we are honest and real."

BANKS: Did anybody on your team say, “Oh my God, what is she doing? What is she doing? Oh my God, get her off the stage right now”?

HRC: Well, you know how that happens.

BANKS: Yeah. Sure. I’m sure. They were like, “What is going on?”

HRC: But you know obviously you just can't pay attention to that. You have to do what you think is right to do and you have to, you know - if you didn't feel what you're doing, if you didn't care about what you are doing, you wouldn't work as hard as you are... when you campaign, it's so important that you don't lose that connection. And, you know, I have a lot of moments like that where somebody says something to me that is so touching. One day in New Hampshire a woman grabbed my hands and said, you know, "You’ve got to help me. My son needs an operation and the insurance company won't pay for it", or a man who was a veteran, you know, was talking about all of his problems. Those moments really keep me going and they make it real, as opposed to being on the big stage and making the speeches. That's part of it, both those aren’t the really motivating reasons why I do this?

BANKS: Those are the touching moments. What about the “Oh, no you didn't” moments? Meaning, there was a recent rally and a man, he held up a sign that said, "iron my shirt" to you.

HRC: Right, right. He did.

BANKS: And to me I find it crazy that we are so behind in our country when it comes to women leaders. If you think about the UK, there was Margaret Thatcher, and Pakistan there was Benazir Bhutto, and Israel, there was Golda Meir. What's up with America? Why are we so behind?

HRC: Well, we are going to hopefully get over that.

Tyra asked Clinton about the Oprah endorsement of her rival.

BANKS: One thing that stands out to me is on Barack’s campaign trail, Oprah Winfrey is there. She’s there, she’s rallying, she’s right next to him, they’re filling these arenas. Did you ever wish that she was there for you like that?

HRC: Well, I am a fan of her but we all have great supporters and I am very proud of the people who are supporting me. But it always comes down to the individual because when you go into the White House, it's a really demanding job. It's the hardest job in the world and when you are in that Oval Office and have to make those decisions, you can ask as many people as you want but at end of the day you have to decide what you think is right for America. So we all have wonderful, very enthusiastic, dedicated supporters but we really have to make the decision based on who each of the candidates are. So I think that as the campaign --

BANKS: But you never called and said "Oprah, how come you’re not hanging with me? What’s going on here, girl?"

HRC: Oh, you know, look, I understand. I understand completely. Maya Angelou is for me, and – oh, yes.

BANKS: Oh, she is? And that’s Oprah’s grandmother, kind of.

HRC: Oh, yes, oh yes. It’s sort of like, you know, we’ve got this big family, I get some, Barack gets some –

BANKS: So there’s like family turmoil going on right now over there.

Tyra then asked Clinton about her first date with Bill Clinton.

BANKS: Did he have the big beard? Did you see his face under all that stuff when you were first going out?

HRC: He did. You saw that picture? He looked like a Viking that had been lost at sea for months.

BANKS: He really does.

HRC: Yeah, well, we had a strange first date because our first date was really at the end of a class that we were in together. And I was walking out and he followed me out and started talking to me and it was at the end of the semester – it was 1971 - and I had to go register for the next year at law school. So I was in line and he was talking to me and I got up and said, "Well, are you going to register, too?" And he goes, “Yeah, yeah”. So we got up to the registrar’s desk and this really nice woman said, “Well Bill, you were just here.” And he said, "No, don't say that." So I registered and then he said, "Well, you know, want to go get something to drink?" And we went for a walk and we started walking, and we walked and we walked and literally for an hour.

BANKS: Did he kiss you?

HRC: Now, just a minute. We’re getting there. [LAUGHTER] That was later.

BANKS: Oh, that was later.

HRC: We’re still in the afternoon. [LAUGHTER] We just started a conversation that has gone on for -- gosh, 37 years now.

BANKS: And who said "I love you" first?

HRC: He did.

BANKS: He did. Nice, nice.

HRC: But then, you know, he asked me to marry him.

BANKS: A couple of times.

HRC: A couple of times. He asked me to him marry him the first time - it was so romantic we were in the lake country of England and we had been hiking and we ended up in the summertime and so the sun was slowly setting and he asked me to marry him and I said, "Oh, you know, I really have on think about this." He said, "I don't have to think about it". And I said, “Well, I have to think about it.” So I thought about it and then like a month later he asked me again and I said, "I’m still thinking."" So you know, I had to really think. It was so overwhelming. And I knew he loved me and I loved him and he knew that I loved him and vice versa and finally in 1975 I said to him in October, I said, "Well, let's hurry up and do it.” So we got married in a week.

BANKS: Oh, wow.

HRC: Yes. I called my parents and said we are getting married next Saturday. I called my best friends and we had a small wedding and a big reception and it was great. You showed the picture earlier on our wedding day.

Then came the question about the Lewinsky scandal.

BANKS: How did you persevere during the darkest moment in your life?

HILLARY: Well, because I had tremendous faith, number one. I really had to dig down deep and think hard about what was right for me, what was right for my family. And I never -- I never doubted Bill's love for me. Ever. And I never doubted my faith and my commitment to our daughter and our extended family. But I had to decide what I had to do and I think it's sort important to be able to hear yourself at a moment when it's hard. It might be a family issue. It might be a job issue. There's so many times when you really have to listen to yourself.

BANKS: Were you embarrassed? I would be embarrassed.

HRC: Well, sure, all of that. But I also – I was just praying so hard and thinking so hard about what's right to do that I couldn't let anything else interfere with that. The momentary feelings, you know, you are mad, you’re really upset, you’re disappointed, all of that goes through your mind. But I have found you really shouldn't make decisions in the heat of those moments. You have to think about it.

BANKS: Do women come to you that ask for advice? My husband, Senator Clinton my husband stepped out on me and I’m going through well. What do I do? What do you say?

HRC: I say you have to be true to yourself. No one story is the same as any other story. I don't know your reality. I can't possibly substitute my judgment for yours but what I can tell you is you must be true to yourself. You have to do what is right for you.

Then the big question…about her tuchus.

BANKS: Do you ever look in the mirror and go, ‘okay yeah’ because I say all the same things you just said but sometimes I look in the mirror and I think, ‘gosh I have a new cellulite dimple on my butt today.’ [laughter] Does Senator Hillary Clinton look in the mirror and go, “I wanted to be better?” [laughter]

HRC: Yeah, you know that's crossed my mind- a few times. Yeah, well, you know, I take comfort in the fact that every one of us has certain talents and assets we can present to the world. [Laughter and applause]

Then the staple Tyra segment "Never been asked."

BANKS: Do you know how to text message Chelsea?

HRC: Yes.

BANKS: You do?

HRC: Yes, I do!

BANKS: You know? My mom has no idea.

HRC: It took a long time to learn. I have had a lot of time on airplanes with a lot of young volunteers and staff people on my campaign and I got a new cell phone. My old one, you couldn't. But I got a new phone and all of a sudden it said I had a message so I called voicemail and there was no message and I realized I had a text message. So I asked somebody to show me how to do it back. It takes a long time.

BANKS: Okay. Here's my next question. If you were a contestant on a reality show, would you rather be on "Dancing with the Stars", "American Idol or "America’s Next Top Model?"

HRC: Well, you know, in my dreams I would be on "America’s Next Top Model.”

BANKS: Oh, nice.

HRC: But in reality, I would have to choose between my limited talents and of them, dancing is better than singing. You do not want me to sing. I think it would have to be “Dancing with the Stars”, especially with one of the really good partners.

BANKS: Oh yeah, one of the ones with -

HRC: Yeah, all of that. The whole thing. I love that.

Tyra also asked Clinton about the "derogatory racial remarks" some felt she made about Martin Luther King, Jr.

BANKS: What did you mean? And what did you not mean?

HRC: I am glad you asked that because I am very pained by what is being said because it's baseless and divisive and it's personally hurtful to me because, you know, I have been on the forefront of pushing for civil rights and women's rights and human rights for many years. And I think that there's been both a misunderstanding and some deliberate misinterpretation. What I said was that President Kennedy and Dr. King gave their lives to this country. They both not only inspired us but they took actions that literally transformed America. I heard Dr. King speak when I was a young woman – 14, 15 years old - and it transfixed and transformed me and he didn’t just give extraordinary speeches. He was on the front lines, he was beaten, he was gassed, and he was jailed for what he believed. And he also got involved in the political process, supporting people that he thought would help realize the agenda that he was pushing so hard. And it takes both; we have to both create a movement and inspire. And then we have to have political leaders who will be moved to action and do the work and I don't think that is in any way a comparison. It's actually a recognition of what Dr. King knew had to be accomplished. When we got the Civil Rights Act and the Voting Act, we were able to say to the country, "It is now illegal to discriminate against people. It's not only wrong, it's not only immoral. It is illegal, so we are going to stop you."" And it's that partnership we have to have in politics.

Tyra also asked about gaffes in general.

BANKS: Do you have those times where you think "What did I say?"

HRC: Well, how could it not happen? You are running basically on fumes. You have had very little sleep. You have talked constantly and it never ends and all of a sudden you go -- whoa? What was that? Where did that come from?

So what do you think?

-- jpt

January 19, 2008 | Permalink | Share | User Comments (15)

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Let's bring home the troops & make middle class living a little easier. VOTE HILLARY!

I <3 NY

Posted by: Tiffany | Jan 20, 2008 9:30:11 PM

Why you guys hate Hillary so much I can't understand...mybe you are the same people who voted for Bush twice and now trying to tell the rest of us how to vote. Hillary will win and all your whining won't be able to stop it. :)

Posted by: Frank | Jan 20, 2008 6:01:05 PM

To Concordcan...I am an independent who has always voted Republican...but if given a chance I WILL vote for Obama and last I looked he is running on the Democratic ticket.

Many think Bush lied, but America KNOWS BillyBoy lied...got him impeached and disbarred. His legacy is Monica and a blue dress...Bush's is Iraq.

I did't agree with Bush's plan to go into Iraq. I will say American soil has not been hit again with a terrorist attack and the surge for the moment appears to be working. It's come at a very big price...9-11 did too. Clinton just fired off a few cruise missiles when the USS Cole was attacked and did nothing when our embassies were. So, did Clinton let the terrorist threat build-up to 9-11? We know his focus was more on women than this country.

So let's just say I am an independent thinker and voter who will vote for whom I feel is best for our country and right now I think that is Obama. So yes...I AM ONE TO TALK.

Posted by: A Texan who Cares | Jan 20, 2008 2:28:13 PM

I just read the interview. It was intelligent, engaging and honest. Some people seem to think there is not a thing she does that is genuine. I am amazed how politicians can stand up to the attacks and scrutiny they encounter. Hillary is a strong woman; she was a strong First Lady and I believe she would be a strong President. When is the USA going to stop the gender glass ceiling on leading the country? Don't women make up more than 50% of the population?

Posted by: Thomas Freeman | Jan 20, 2008 6:02:15 AM

Tyra Banks is an idiot.

Posted by: cordelia525 | Jan 19, 2008 2:48:43 PM

hallihunt: That's the reason Hill is ahead! Great minds like yours that vote for her because she is entertaining (and Tyra, too.) I bet it's because she's a woman, too. Of course they were entertaining!! They're supposed to be entertaining. And now, I guess we have a sense of what the State dinners will be like should this country be unfortunate (and dumb)enough to have Mrs. Clinton as president.

Posted by: yougottabkidding | Jan 19, 2008 2:16:41 PM

As long as she is opening up, since she is the "experience" candidate. She should mention that she failed the Bar exam and did not retake it:

On November 3, the District of Columbia Bar Association notified Hillary that she had failed the bar exam. For the first time in her life she had flamed out -- spectacularly, given the expectations of others for her and even more so her own. Of 817 applicants, 551 of her peers had passed, most from law schools less prestigious than Yale. She kept this news hidden for the next thirty years. She never took the exam again, despite many opportunities.


I personally would like a candidate who has READ the constitution. Not only read it but TAUGHT it as a constitutional law professor. Who was the PRESIDENT of the HARVARD LAW REVIEW. And has actually studied history "those who do not learn from the mistakes of the past, are destined to repeat those mistakes"

Clinton spends a lot of time rewriting history because she does not know history.

Leadership, ethics, knowledge
Sen. Obama is our best hope for the future.

Posted by: Mary | Jan 19, 2008 12:37:12 PM

Did you even watch it?! All's fair in love and politics. I thought she (and Tyra, too) was great!

Posted by: hallihunt | Jan 19, 2008 12:26:45 PM

The problem with having lawyers in congress, is that they do not have a domino mind. They only see the immediate fix with no ripple effect. Nafta fixed the need to avoid the high price of employee costs and the envirmental rescue costs of operating in the US. Congress did not see the: Loss of money to spend to keep the economy strong in the US. THey did not anticipate the immediate loss of revenues from the loss of payroll taxes and Social Security influx. In short, they did not see the impact from the ground roots to Washington. Bush is the "easy target" to blame for all the "domino impacts" of NAFTA. We need to wake up and smell the roses. I said at the time of "Monica" was a smoke screen to keep us away from the important issue. Long after she was gray and gravity fed, Nafta would be the Clinton legacy of great harm. I gave it twenty years, I was wrong. It is happening now or coming soon to a community near you.

Posted by: cjvwise1 | Jan 19, 2008 12:05:03 PM

If I have to hear one more time the lie Hillary is telling about her comment about MLK/LBJ I think I'll puke. What she SAID in a rebuttal to Obama's remark about how JFK and MLK had vision was: Yes, MLK had a dream and a vision, but it took LBJ to sign the papers and make it a reality. Then when the criticism began, she backpeddled with the remarks and explanations she has been making ever since. I heard her say those words, and I cringed when she said them. They were not meant to be racially motivated, but she should have realized (if she is, as she says, the patron of the underdog) that those words were not be taken well by many people (black and white.) Instead of saying she misspoke and 'this is what I meant', she comes off with this lying explanation of 'This is what I said."
No, Hill, it may have been what you meant to say, about all your respect for and work on behalf of MLK, but don't blame Obama for injecting race into the issue when you continue to bring up the incident and lie about your original remark.

Posted by: oh no | Jan 19, 2008 12:00:46 PM

" thought back on that whole mess. I realized one of the reasons I have no respect for her is that with Bill's track record she couldn't respect herself in that relationship. That's just one woman's opinion" I am glad you know that. Do you talk to God and he gives you the low-down. Ever think some people do what is good for their country and children...but I guess no one pointed that out to you or you are a Republican and always find a reason to dis a Democrat! You are the last to talk! You have a cheater in the White House who is an alcoholic!

Posted by: concordcan | Jan 19, 2008 11:52:33 AM

I agree with Mike....another pitty party.

She will stop at nothing even as demoralizing as that had to be for her to answser. You know she knew the question was coming.

I thought back on that whole mess. I realized one of the reasons I have no respect for her is that with Bill's track record she couldn't respect herself in that relationship. That's just one woman's opinion. Maybe that explains why she is so power hungry. With Hillary it really is all about power.

She couldn't keep her husband faithful and Monica wasn't the only one by far. I asked myself then why she kept him around...power had to be the reason. Oh that's right it was the right wing conspiracy thing and he had nothing to do with it. Please!

Just keep remembering Monica and that blue dress if that's the kind of president you want back in. So much baggage. It is time to move on.

Posted by: A Texan who Cares | Jan 19, 2008 11:35:50 AM

I do too.

Posted by: katharine | Jan 19, 2008 11:21:32 AM

Oh shut up, this was taped on Monday.

Posted by: Alex | Jan 19, 2008 11:12:15 AM

I think she was trying to repeat her emotional moment from New Hampshire, making people feel sorry for her right before the election.

Posted by: Mike | Jan 19, 2008 11:01:57 AM

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