Throwback: Hanging with the Clintons

Way back in 2007, I began my friendship with the Clintons. 

(Correction: If definition of friendship is I volunteered with the Clinton campaign and met each of them a few times, then by all means, yes this was a friendship)  

But this relationship actually stems back quite a few more years. 

My very first introduction to politics was in 1992. The year of the Clinton/Bush election. My class had our very own Presidential election. I believe Bush Sr. won (I think it’s because he was the only name most of us recognized) I am proud to say that it was the only time I’ve ever voted Republican.

I remember seeing a bit of coverage, but at 10, I didn’t really understand it all. 

I was about 11 when my first venture into the world of activism began. I had been watching a lot of Nick News with Linda Ellerbee and back then, global warming and saving the planet were hot topics in kid’s news (or at least that’s what I remember). Knowing that I probably wasn’t going to get the attention of the President himself, I wrote the second best person I could think of: First Lady Hillary Clinton. I figured, in my house, my dad was pretty important and the “leader” of the family, but I secretly knew it was Mom who was really the decision maker (probably due to all the “Go Ask Mom” answers I was given). I still remember the day I sat at the kitchen table to write that letter. My platform was twofold: 1) share my concern about the dying planet and 2) try and get invited to the White House for a sleepover with Chelsea. (Clearly, I knew how to go in for the ask at a fairly young age). 

I received back an automated letter and some flashcards with facts about Washington DC and the President. No invite, but I thought that was pretty neat. At the time, I didn’t realize that it wasn’t really from the First Land and this story would have been much cooler if Hillary had actually written me back, but I digress. It was still neat in my young eyes. 

In the 8^th grade, my social studies teacher, Mrs. K. made us all volunteer with a local campaign. It was then that I first understood and even enjoyed the political process. I stopped wanting to be Agent Scully and started wanting to be a Senator’s wife. 

(Yes, I get it, clearly not a young feminist, but in my defense, I don’t think I realized that women could be actual politicians. Try and name a well-known US female politician from the mid-1990s. I was obsessed with JFK and Jackie and now Bill and Hillary. The wives always seemed cooler).  

From that moment on, I found myself getting involved with campaigns whenever I could. 

Cue up 2007. Year of Hillary and Barack. John and Sarah. Otherwise known and my political candy year. I was living in Indiana, an actual battleground state, especially during the Primary season. We were getting a lot of attention from both candidates. 

And it was fascinating. Growing up on the West Coast, where blueness is pretty much a given, we never saw this kind of national attention. I absolutely loved every moment of it and quickly got involved with the Clinton campaign. I would love to see a female president….but not just because they’d have a vagina. Because they were capable and the best person for the job. I truly believed (and still do) that Hillary is that person. 

I spent a lot of hours making phone calls, going door-to-door and working at events. There was some animosity, but there were also a lot of great people. I met some great friends and had a blast at all the events. 

One day, we found out that Chelsea was going to make a campaign stop at the campus I was working at. Of course, I was going to help out. I ended up being smack dab right behind her while she gave her speech. Turns out, this speech was going to get some very national coverage due to a question about her father’s infidelity.

A week or two after that speech, Coworker S drops by a Newsweek Magazine on my desk. There I was, right behind Chelsea in an article photo. That was pretty crazy. 

During one early morning volunteer rally, I had been up since about 4 am working (Hence, why I look so exhausted in this photo) But that day, it paid off as I was able to chat briefly with Hillary and get a semi-decent photo with her.

I went down to another campus for a Bill event and was able to go backstage before his talk to chat with him. He is the first President I have ever met and it was so cool. I’ll never forget it. I couldn’t believe how soft spoken he was. Very gentile manner, which was incredibly surprising to me.

We worked hard those months leading up to the election. Harder than I’ve ever worked on a campaign. But it was worth it. I loved seeing people’s passion on both sides. On the night of the Jefferson-Jackson dinner, friend K and I somehow made it into the room. I’ll never forget that.

Getting to see both Hillary Clinton and Barack Obama, speak one right after the other, was pretty darn cool. It made me love the political process even more. 

Weeks went by and more campaigning was done. Big names were coming in for both sides. Who knew Indiana was so important? 

The night of the election, tensions were pretty high. Friend K and I went down to the headquarters, where the party was going to be and the Clinton family would appear at the end of the night. This was a huge moment for the campaign---almost a win or die situation. The night lasted for a long time, we were right in front of it all, hanging out on stage. 

As the hours passed, it was such a close race. But in the end, Hillary won Indiana.

The celebration began and I could finally breath again. 

Oh what a night. 

I’ll never forget it. Nor will I ever forget that race.