William Jefferson Clinton's Psychologydoing everything. 'Why are we here if we don't go for it?' she asked
at the end" (Woodward 1994, T 10-1 :)-
It was Hillary Clinton who championed the large, mismanaged,
and many believed unnecessary, government program to purchase
vaccines for children. It was also Hillary Clinton who was the chief
architect and strategist for the administration's complex health care
proposal that went down to ignominious defeat.
The problem of who will say no to the president is compounded
by the problem of who can say no to his wife. Given her capac-
ity to be sarcastic and angry with those who disagree with her,
her tendency to retain her anger, and her obvious power in the
administration, her views and recommendations are rarely chal-
lenged. A congressional aide who has dealt with her has said her
staff is "terrified of her.... they are very loyal... but they are
scared to death... she will fire them if they tell her the truth.
(Bruck 1994, 88)Becoming More Alike
In some ways Hillary Clinton has begun to resemble her husband—
in their shared sense of the basic purity of their motivations and their
somewhat idealized view of their own behavior; in their sense that
they ultimately know what is right and best; in their conviction that
their intentions are only to do good for others; in their confidence
that they ultimately know what is best; and in their belief that oth-
ers who don't share their views are misguided at best or, more likely,
are driven by base motives. They have also come to share a view that
they can't win, no matter how good their motives, no matter how
competent their policies. Others—such as special interests, Republi-
cans, the far right, journalists, commentators, and some segments of
the public—have been named at one time or another as "out to get
them."
It is Hillary who has provided the primary fuel for this view.
Hillary's contribution... was the way in which—because her
personality is so different than Clinton's—she complimented
[sic\ him. Bill sees the light and sunshine about people, and
Hillary sees their darker side. She has much more ability than