nwasianweekly.com
Feb. 18, 2006

(Photo by Assunta Ng)
Some at the Seattle luncheon worried if Hillary Clinton could get elected president, but no one worried if she could lead.

Magical moments with Hillary Clinton

By Assunta Ng
Northwest Asian Weekly

Geena Davis set the stage for a woman president in her new TV drama, “Commander in Chief.” Perhaps it’s time …

Three other nations beat the U.S. in recent months. Germany, Chile and Liberia elected their first female presidents not too long ago.

When Sen. Hillary Clinton visited Seattle Jan. 27 to help raise money for Sen. Maria Cantwell’s re-election campaign, speculation abounded at Qwest Field, site of the luncheon. Would Clinton run in 2008 and become the first woman president in America?

For sure, Clinton is popular among Washington’s Democrats. One fund-raising luncheon held last year for Cantwell was only half the size of last month’s event, which had an audience of over 1,200.

Several women said they came because of Clinton. Tickets to the luncheon ranged from $150 to $250 to $1,000. One woman flew in from Montana just so she could see Clinton face to face.

“(She’s) our next president,” said Peter Yang, owner of Overnight Printing in Seattle.

“I am ready (if she runs),” said George Scarola, a Democrat campaign organizer.

And if Clinton runs, will the country be ready to elect a woman president? If she wins, can she be a good president? What a revelation! Women in the audience said they worry whether Clinton can win the presidency, but no one worries if she can lead.

“I am a big Hillary fan,” said Dorothy Mann. “Polls seem to suggest that voters are almost evenly divided on her, so my concern, should she get the Democratic nomination, is can she win the election.”

“I have no doubt that she can be a good president,” said Beth Takekawa. “But I don’t know if she can win. Al Gore (and) John Kerry should have won, but they didn’t. And they are men.

“Although she (Clinton) is (politically) in the middle, like her husband, it’s a very different time now,” said Takekawa.

“Right now it’s too early to tell (if Clinton will run), but she represents all the ideals of a Democratic candidate,” said Ruthann Kurose, who attended the luncheon. Kurose said she was disappointed Clinton didn’t speak out against the war more forcefully in Seattle. It’s a question the senator will have to answer if she is going to run, Kurose said.

A woman who asked that she not be identified said, “I don’t know if I would want to vote for someone who let her husband cheat on her.” Then again, she added, she might vote for Clinton anyway.

Notice the double standard people have for male and female politicians. If a man makes up with his wife after his affair, voters forgive him quickly and might even perceive him as honorable. People voted for her husband despite his affairs.

There was no mention in her speech about running for president. She said she is focused on her Senate re-election in 2006.

But the answer was obvious at a fund-raising reception for Clinton held after the Cantwell event at a private residence. The cost to attend ranged from $2,000 to $10,000 per person. According to the e-mail invitation, the money benefits Clinton’s 2006 Senate re-election, but there is no law that prevents her from moving the funds to a different account when she’s ready to run in 2008.

In fact, Clinton has been raising money all over the country for herself and other Democratic candidates the past few months, even though she doesn’t have a formidable challenger in the Senate. That evening, Clinton flew to Portland for another fund-raising event.

It was the seventh time I heard Clinton speak. She’s experienced waves of changes since the first time I saw her, in 1993, speaking to the Asian American caucus in New York at the Democratic National Convention, when her husband was a presidential candidate. Clinton spoke without notes in her 10-minute delivery. She was genuine, but forceful. The fun souvenir button at the time read “Two For One,” implying to voters that electing Bill Clinton would also mean getting a smart first lady who was just as qualified to be president.

That was a sign that Clinton would not be satisfied with having nothing to do after her husband’s administration was over. With her talent and all the skills she learned as first lady, why not use them for herself?

And she did.

Quite a few first ladies wrote books. Clinton not only became a best-selling author with her memoir Living History, but she also ran for senator of a prominent state, New York, and won.

The last few times I’ve seen Clinton, I’ve noticed that she no longer plays a supportive role to her husband. She has her own star power and charisma and commands the spotlight wherever she goes.

She is poised, articulate and powerful and a better speaker than President Bush and even her husband. One of her strengths as a public speaker is her great memory. She can speak extemporaneously without looking at any words or cues for several minutes at a time. And if you are a member of Clinton’s audience, you feel like she is speaking to you and only you.

Her skills as a lawyer showed in her recent speech. She is always logical and systemic in her approach. She touched on many subjects, including alternative energy sources.

Clinton blasted Bush, accusing his administration of weighing on “ideology” instead of “evidence” and scientific research, and neglecting issues by “denying there are problems” in education, energy, the environment and child care.

In 1998, she came to Seattle to speak for Sen. Patty Murray, and that afternoon President Clinton’s affair with Monica Lewinsky was disclosed. She knew it would happen, and yet she appeared amazingly calm.

There were a lot more lines around her eyes and jaw this time. But her wrinkles are a testimony to her strength of character and worldly wisdom. As she appeared backstage, my camera clicked and clicked to capture her glowing smile, as if I had not taken enough pictures of her over the years.

The 12 local women who received the Women of Valor awards from Clinton and Cantwell that afternoon, myself included, were enchanted by her. They witnessed Clinton as not only a dynamic speaker, but a master of small talk, a skill not many politicians are good at.

The honorees had the opportunity to stand next to Clinton and Cantwell. Later, I put my arms around them as if we had been lifelong pals. These are magical moments that I will never forget.

Neither will the more than 50 members of the catering staff at Qwest Field who waited at the end of the program to greet Clinton. “She got my vote!” one waiter yelled to me.

“I feel very special,” said Tuyet Vo, a server who stood between Clinton and Cantwell in the photo.

Those who heard Clinton speak raved about her.

“What an event!” said Nina Odell, director of federal government relations for Puget Sound Energy. “Sen. Clinton certainly demonstrated that she is a statesman. She knows the issues and she convinced me that she has both the passion and leadership style that captivates an audience. You really felt that you were hearing her share her convictions and not those of a political handler.”

“I especially appreciated the thoughtfulness and eloquence of Sen. Clinton,” said Ron Chew, executive director of the Wing Luke Asian Museum. “She was right on target about the absence of thoughtful debate on the country’s priorities. And she spoke eloquently about our obligation to nurture, care for and lift up the next generation.” 

Assunta Ng can be reached at assunta@nwasianweekly.com.

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