In a way I think Bill Clinton is more likely to forgive and move on or at least try to woo people who don’t love him. But he never really tried to woo the press as much as he might have. – Dee Dee Myers
Campaigns often make standing on principle the highest of virtues – and listening to your opponents a sure sign of weakness. It’s the virtual opposite of what it takes to succeed in office. Squaring the circle takes a powerful combination of skills. But presidents who can campaign and compromise are generally the most successful. – Dee Dee Myers
The exposed nature of life in the public square affects leaders’ attitudes toward risk – and failure. – Dee Dee Myers
The thing about looking back over Clinton’s presidency, and probably anybody’s presidency, is that when you look back, the events all line up in a way that makes sense. At the time, you don’t know where it’s going. – Dee Dee Myers
When I became White House press secretary, there were other limitations that were thrust upon me. Bill Clinton was under pressure to appoint women to visible positions. I was 31, I’d never worked in Washington. Was I ready for this large and visible job? Still he wanted the credit. So he gave me the job but diminished the job. – Dee Dee Myers
I think how pay gets determined is pretty broad – experience, how people look, what they bring to the job. But there’s no question women are paid less. Women don’t ask. – Dee Dee Myers
Obama has made America cool again – and more than that, he’s made his own brand arguably the most powerful the world has ever known. – Dee Dee Myers
It isn’t fate but fecklessness that has shoved Sarah Palin to the sidelines of national politics. The real tragedy is that she’s taken a lot of other serious Republican women with her. – Dee Dee Myers
Throughout his presidency, Clinton made a point of getting close – physically and emotionally – to the people whose problems his administration was working to solve. – Dee Dee Myers
As women slowly gain power, their values and priorities are reshaping the agenda. A multitude of studies show that when women control the family funds, they generally spend more on health, nutrition, and education – and less on alcohol and cigarettes. – Dee Dee Myers
Democrats single out glaring examples of tax preferences or spending priorities that favor the wealthy and Republicans cry ‘class warfare!’ – Dee Dee Myers
That’s not to say that women’s priorities are better than men’s. Rather, when women are empowered, when they can speak from the experience of their own lives, they often address different, previously neglected issues. And families and whole communities benefit. – Dee Dee Myers
Having a sense of humor has served me more than it has hurt me – just in the sense that it has allowed me to keep my sanity. – Dee Dee Myers
Trying to negotiate getting a couple of kids to watch the same TV show requires serious diplomacy. – Dee Dee Myers
People are inevitably disappointed, because no one’s as good as Bill Clinton’s first impression. Or, he’s done things. He’s disappointed people in a variety of ways. And so then, the fall is hard. – Dee Dee Myers
No doubt, the White House thinks the American people know Obama’s story. But since the Inauguration, we’ve seen only the president’s present: his perfect family, his Ivy League elegance, his effortless mastery of complex issues. We never see him sweat. And we forget that he ever had to struggle. – Dee Dee Myers
But research confirms that both Republican and Democratic women are more likely than their male counterparts to initiate and fight for bills that champion social justice, protect the environment, advocate for families, and promote nonviolent conflict resolution. – Dee Dee Myers
Almost all first ladies have had tremendous power on personnel issues, whether the public realized it or not, whether it was Barbara Bush or Nancy Reagan or whoever. – Dee Dee Myers
We don’t take credit for our accomplishments. I can’t tell you how many times you’ll say to a woman, ‘Oh God, what you did was so great’, and they say, ‘Really? I didn’t think it was that good.’ – Dee Dee Myers
During my years as a press secretary, I developed a powerful internal filter, which worked to strip all things ‘off message’ from my thoughts before they came out of my mouth. It didn’t always work, of course, and I said more than a few things I regretted. – Dee Dee Myers
And Clinton was like that – he saw the whole playing field. He didn’t just see the event that he was at or the circumstances of that week or that month. He saw the whole playing field all the time. – Dee Dee Myers
Women communicate differently and process information differently, which leads them to resolve conflicts differently. – Dee Dee Myers
Part of Obama’s persona is self-reliance. He’s calm; he’s cool; he’s self-possessed. In many ways, he has tried to define himself in opposition to Clinton’s sometimes needy, often undisciplined, emotionalism. – Dee Dee Myers
Research confirms that both Republican and Democratic women are more likely than their male counterparts to initiate and fight for bills that champion social justice, protect the environment, advocate for families, and promote nonviolent conflict resolution. – Dee Dee Myers
Study after study confirms that even when you control for variables like profession, education, hours worked, age, marital status, and children, men still are compensated substantially more – even in professions, like nursing, dominated by women. No wonder there’s a gender gap. – Dee Dee Myers