Tuesday, September 5, 2017

A Tough Dog to Keep on the Porch


The title of this piece is a quote by Hilary Clinton, describing her husband. Some may remember him as that  dope-smoking, draft-dodging, woman-chasing hillbilly who served as the 42nd President of the United States. I'm guessing that she is referring to the woman-chasing part of the description. Over the years, he allegedly had numerous affairs which, although he consistently denied them, were readily acknowledged by the female side of the relationships.
While there were numerous affairs that became public, my guess is that there are just as many, if not more, that did not. Clinton consistently denied all of the affairs, demonstrating a personal morality that is hard to describe in positive terms. If Hilary had cut the crotches out of all of his pairs of pants and thrown them out the front door, people would have understood. Instead, she has defended him and stayed in the relationship. Perhaps all of the money they managed to make after he left office, combined with the influence he wields has enabled her to just not think about it.
Being President of the United States is definitely a difficult job, and, for many, challenges that they encounter are not always well-handled. I was having a discussion with a colleague, who was ranting about how much she hated Obama. While she is a bit vague about specifics as to what she doesn't like, she is a fierce Trump supporter, and equally vague as to why. I have made it clear that I am no fan of Trump, but I mostly let his incoherent ramblings speak for themselves. I had once described George W. Bush as "Intellectually Celibate", but I think Trump has him beat. Actually, the more exposure I have to Trump, the more I grudgingly appreciate Dubya.
Getting back to Clinton, he had mixed accomplishments as President. He did very well managing the economy and reducing the deficit, but also got us involved in Somalia and Kosovo. Unfortunately for him, he will probably be best known for Monica Lewinsky and impeachment. If you have to be famous for something, this isn't it. It's also sad, though, to think that, if "serial philanderer" had been an Olympic Event, Clinton would only have been the Silver Medalist of the White House (JFK had the Gold Medal by a wide margin, and was more discrete about it).
Now that Hilary's political career is over, she and her husband can continue to focus on making obscene amounts of money from making speeches and soliciting donations for their foundation, which gives them the power of the money without paying taxes.
I don't know if Hilary is able to keep him on the porch but, if the need arises, she can always dust off the scissors.