My mother, an immigrant from India, was nervous coming to the White House and meeting the first lady. When I was getting married, she hosted a party for me in the White House and invited my family. And later, when the babies started to come, she allowed staffers to set up cribs in their offices. She unfailingly thanked us for our work and threw us birthday parties and wedding showers. She mentored and encouraged the group of women who later became known as “Hillaryland,” celebrated our success and stood with us in the trying times. Contrary to the public caricature of her as cold, she went out of her way to envelop all of us who worked for her, making us feel part of an effort larger than ourselves. ( WOMEN RULE VIDEO: A look at some of women stepping up and taking charge)īack then, the story line on her could not have been more at odds with what it was like actually working with her. Even as the most junior staff member, she sought my ideas on issues and talked to me as a colleague. In those days, if you worked on the children and families team, you also worked for Hillary. I worked in the West Wing on the Domestic Policy Council.

Our first meeting was in the grand elegance of the White House residence in the later years of the Clinton administration. I was 27 years old when I first started working for Hillary. as the first shift started during a grueling primary campaign in 2008, or fought on when many thought hope was lost, her ability to persevere has had an enduring, positive impact on the country’s long-term view of her. Whether she greeted factory workers in Ohio at 4 a.m. When she was fighting for women’s rights in 1995, or health care for most of the past 20 years, she did so with tenacious determination. They respect the fighter in Hillary, even when they disagree. It is a characteristic that even her philosophical opponents seem to most admire. That is the critical thread that has been woven throughout Hillary Clinton’s life, driven her many successes and played a central role in capturing the country’s imagination.

Ohio state quitter