Hulu at TCA -- Hillary Clinton on Voting, the Election, the Media and More

The first question asked was the one on everyoneamp8217s mindsamp160 Why did she agree to do this documentary which reveals an awful lot about her public and private lives from scandals andamp160successes to wins and lossesamp8220There was nothing off limitsamp8221 Secretary Clinton repliedamp160 amp8220This did not start out as the film it ended up beingamp160amp160 It really started out as more of a campaign documentary because we had about 1700 hours of behindthescenes footage some of which is in the movieamp8221An observation from Burstein changed all thatamp160 amp8220Nanette said amp8216Look this is a bigger storyamp8217amp8221 Clinton recalledamp160 amp822039It needs to be toldamp160 Itamp8217s part of the arc of womenamp8217s history advancement choices that are madeamp8217amp160 Iamp8217m not running for anythingamp160 Iamp8217m not in officeamp160 So I said amp8216Sure why donamp8217t we give it a tryamp8217amp160 And off we wentamp8221Clinton is of course a polarizing individual and the documentary doesnamp8217t shy away from thatamp160 One critic wanted to know if she came through the making of Hillary with any new insights into her own personaamp8220I did around 35 hours of interviewing with Nanette and really she picked up on something early onamp8221 Clinton notedamp160 amp8220I became a kind of Rorschach Test for women and womenamp8217s roles as soon as I burst onto the public scene when Bill was running for presidentamp160 I had lived more than 40 years before that and I had no real understanding of what it meant to be thrust into the highest brightest platform and try to live your life and go along with what youamp8217d always doneamp160 For example when Bill asked me to lead our efforts on universal healthcare it seemed pretty standard to me because I had done similar things in Arkansas on educationamp160 Little did I know that it would create the most extraordinary backlashamp160that the First Lady would be involved in trying to make sure everybody had quality affordable healthcare in our country amp160Thereamp8217s a scene in the movie which I had forgotten until Nanette dug it up of me being burned in effigy for wanting healthcareamp160 Part of it was the timing of whenamp160I came on the national scene the fact that I was the first First Lady of my generation and had been working ever since I was a young woman in the professional workforceamp160 I think it was more rooted in the time we were in and the kind of challenging impression that people had of meamp8221amp8220The reason why I wanted to expand this and tell her life story is that I felt it was so remarkably emblematic of our history over the last 40 years particularly when it comes to womenamp8217s rightsamp8221 Burstein addedamp160 amp8220I also thought it was important to explain partisan politicsamp160 Once Secretary Clinton entered the national stage you really see how it went from that administration to today where itamp8217s just become more extremeamp160 More than anything I wanted people to understand that this is a historical figure who is incredibly polarizing and whyamp160 When you actually get to know her and really understand the intimate moments of her life you realize how misguided we can be in the way that we understand history and mediaamp160 That is the beauty of documentary filmmaking amp8230 you get to know the personal and intimate details and that sort of washes all of this other stuff awayamp8221Not surprisingly Clinton was asked about the upcoming election and whether or not voters will learn anything from the doc that will help them in making decisionsamp160amp8220Actually by the time this is telecast we39ll be right in the thick of whatamp8217s called Super Tuesday so weamp8217ll have the first four contests behind usamp8221 she saidamp160 amp8220Maybe by that time the field will have clarified and weamp8217ll have a better idea whoamp8217s likely to end up with enough delegates to be the nominee amp160amp160I say amp8216weamp8217 because thatamp8217s the side that Iamp8217m onamp160 I am on the side of an inclusive generous openhearted country that faces up to the future andamp160tries to bring people together to make difficult choices of which we have many facing usamp160 Weamp8217re in a real struggle with a form of politics that is incredibly negative exclusive and meanspiritedamp160 Itamp8217s going to be up to every voter not only people who vote in Democratic primaries to recognize this is no ordinary time amp160This is an election that will have a profound impact amp160Take your vote seriously and for the Democratic voters try to vote for the person you think is most likely to win because at the end of the day that is what will matteramp8220You all are in the media you cover it you are part of itamp8221 she continuedamp160 amp8220Weamp8217ve got to somehow understand that you canamp8217t make good decisions in a democracy if we canamp8217t even agree on basic facts amp160If we canamp8217t have some understanding of what the evidence is on which we base our decisionmaking amp160Even though the media has a great role in transporting us and challenging us and taking us out of our everyday reality there does need to be a kind of base reality that people can tune into and feel they can rely onamp8220The final thing I would say is weamp8217ve got to figure out how to have a more constructive relationship with social media amp160I hope that everybody knows they have a stake in the kind of future we should build together does speak out does use whatever platform they have to say amp8216Wait a minuteamp8217 amp160You can disagree with the facts but there are facts amp160You can choose not to vaccinate your children but there are facts amp160You can choose not to believe in climate change but there are facts amp160Somehow weamp8217ve got to shoulder that responsibility not only at the political leadership level but literally at the citizen activist concerned human being levelamp8221Asked what she found most humbling about the experience of making Hillary Clinton replied amp8220There were a lot of humbling moments amp160One was the recognition that I have been often in my view obviously mischaracterized misperceived and I have to bear a lot of the responsibility for that amp160That whatever the combination of reasons might be I certainly didnamp8217t do a good enough job to break through a lot of the perceptions that were out there amp160It was quite common for people who knew me who worked with me worked for me were colleagues of all sorts to shake their heads at the way I was portrayed amp160I would just kind of blow it off brush it off and not think about itamp160 Iamp8217m not any different than I was but perhaps I could have and should have found ways to better present myself or deal with some of the misperceptions that were out thereamp8220I was constantly being surprised how things that I said that I did not think were that far out of the ordinary were takenquot she continuedamp160 quotI think that did cause me to get even more cautious and more careful and more guardedamp160 amp160It was like amp8216Oh gosh if I say anything itamp8217s going to be misinterpretedamp8217 amp160So it became a kind of vicious cycle unfortunately amp160I looked at this film amp8230 and thought amp8216Wow amp160I wish that I couldamp8217ve figured out a better way to convey thatamp8217amp160 But I also know that I was this lightning rod and I was somebody who people were quick to judge often having nothing to do with me but with the times and with the attitudes about womenamp160 All of that was tied up togetheramp160 It was complicatedamp8220Look itamp8217s not a surprise to any of us that much of the rest of the world is joyfully celebrating our divisiveness and our difficulties because it plays into their handsquot Clinton said in conclusionamp160 quotThere are a number of such countries and leaders out there who could not be happier with whatamp8217s happening in the United States under this leadershipamp160 And then there are our friends our allies our sympathetic watchers who know that without the United States kind of being the bulwark against all sorts of threats that they themselves are more endangered and the whole question about how we keep Western democracy going even if it needs to be reformed as it doesamp160 So I think thereamp8217s a deep level of concernamp160 I was in London a few weeks ago doing promotion for a book that my daughter and I had writtenamp160 Every question everywhere I went was amp8216Whatamp8217s gonna happen in the United Statesamp160 What are you going to doamp160 What can we expect nextamp8221amp160 It is a really fraught time right nowamp160 I anticipate there will be a lot of questions about all of that that will spring off of the film itselfamp8221Click on the social media tiles above or below to share this content with your friends and colleaguesThe opinions and points of view expressed in this commentary are exclusively those of the author andor subjects and do not necessarily represent the views of MediaVillagecomMyersBizNet Inc management or associated bloggers

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Hulu at TCA -- Hillary Clinton on Voting, the Election, the Media and More

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Hulu at TCA -- Hillary Clinton on Voting, the Election, the Media and More

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Ed Martin

"About That with Carl Mayer": Involved Media Connected Audience Fall 2024 Report (Episode 5) - By Carl Mayer

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