William Jefferson Clinton's Psychologyabusive and provided legal papers that helped his mother get divorced. At any
rate, to whatever extent his behavior represented some aspect of an oedipal situ-
ation his victory was short lived. Clinton's real rival during the oedipal period
(roughly four through six) was not only his stepfather but his mother's immer-
sion in Hot Springs nightlife.
- Since Hempsted County, in which Hope was located, was a dry town,
Roger's whiskey making was illegal (Kelley 1994a, 80). He also apparently ran
a bookie joint in Hope (76). - It is also possible that there is some biologically based aspect to Clinton's
early sociability; however, the only (inconclusive) data his mother presents that
is relevant to this possibility is that he slept a lot in the first year or so of his life
(Kelley 1994a, 70). - There are obviously oedipal overtones in this situation. One could view it as
Clinton's unconscious attempt to replace his father and win his oedipal victory. - In Clinton's court affidavit, he wrote that his stepfather threatened "1:0
mash my face in if I took her {his mother's] part" (Kelley 1994a, 147). - This is one primary trait that creates an interpersonal mismatch in the
Clinton relationship: he wants validation and the emotional support of others,
but she is not able to easily give it to him. There are, throughout the materials
analyzed in conjunction with this book, a number of instances that reflect this
basic psychological mismatch (Brummett 1994, 37, 50; see also Bruck 1993,
72). One friend who had known Clinton a long time said:
Clinton needs reinforcement all the time... {and} looks for affirmation in
even the smallest things. Sometimes you can see that Clinton needs this
affirmation and Hillary doesn't give it to him. During the campaign you
could see her be aloof when he needed... just a little warmth. She can be
very cold. He's alone a lot. Hillary isn't the one to provide approval. (Drew
1994,^2 33)
The other side of that issue is that joining together two very smart, very
ambitious people who are highly self-confident about the virtues of their partic-
ular views—one who tends to be very disorganized and one who doesn't—ca.n
also create strains. In Arkansas, to protect her husband, Hillary Clinton, along
with two other Clinton aides—Betsey Wright and Joan Roberts—put up a pro-
tective cordon around him, which had the effect of not only protecting Clinton
but limiting him. For a person who dislikes boundaries, the result was pre-
dictable. When Wright insisted that a policeman accompany the governor on his
early morning jogs, Clinton shouted, "I won't have it! I won't have it!" (Maraniss
1995,427).
Over the years, Hillary Clinton has had to take on many roles in their life,
some no doubt less congenial to her than others. Before Leon Panetta became
chief of staff, she had been the one in charge of organizing her husband's time
and staff (Drew 1994, 49, 137, 254). Since their time in the governor's mansion,