In the wake of Samantha Power’s resignation from the Obama campaign today for calling Hillary Clinton a “monster,” it’s worth noting that, in an appearance on Charlie Rose on October 16, 2007, Power addressed what she said was the “unfair” but irrefutable fact that a lot of people harbored “bitterness” towards the former first lady and her husband.
Here’s a partial transcript :
Charlie Rose: Why do you think that is?
SAMANTHA POWER: Well, I have only met her once, and I find her very, very affable and actually very intellectually curious and not ideological. But for some reason, the combination of the baggage of the Clinton years, the health care fiasco, and the effectiveness of the right in taking aim, and some of the perhaps the reactions, you know, by – by both the president and the first lady at that time, has left her — and I think unfortunately — but carrying the burden of those years, carrying the burden of that number of people, who, you know, they hated President Clinton, too. You know, the rest of the world loves President Clinton. Most of the country these days, you know, is very nostalgic for President Clinton. But there`s some sector, you know, that just carries that bitterness.
And I think it`s unfair. I mean, I think it really is unfair, but it exists, and my worry would be if she gets the nomination, that it would be hard for her to appeal to independents and appeal to Republicans.
She`d say, she`s had success working across the aisle in the Senate. I mean, you cannot say that she`s been polarizing in the Senate. But the perception in the country, I think, is that – is that, you know, is that she`s not the uniter that Obama is. And Obama`s challenge is how does he get known in time, you know, nationwide, and as I said, our approach is to just go state by state by state. And you see the states he is spending time in, he is opening up the race.
