Because if you say men and women are the same and if male behaviour is the norm, and women are always expected to act like men, we will never be as good at being men as men are. – Dee Dee Myers
When I joined Bill Clinton’s start-up presidential campaign in 1991, I was confident that women would play an ever more important role, but I never gave a minute’s thought to what would happen if we won. When we did – and I became the first woman to serve as White House press secretary – it changed my life. But it didn’t change the world. – Dee Dee Myers
It was what became something of a pattern in the first couple of years of the Clinton White House and maybe even longer, where information would drip, drip, drip, drip, drip out which would keep stories alive, alive, alive. – Dee Dee Myers
As women have played an increasingly important role in politics, there is no question that they’ve brought a different perspective, focusing attention on a broader set of issues and building alliances with other women. – Dee Dee Myers
After I left the White House, I kept a foothold in the business of American politics; as a talk-show host, analyst, commentator, speechmaker, and occasional writer. I was no longer a practitioner, but I was still a partisan, a Democrat, a blue-stater through and through. – Dee Dee Myers
There are people in the public sector with a range of experiences that have no equivalent in business, but are essential to governing, like keeping a kid in school or helping someone get and hold a job. The value of those skills can’t easily be measured against a bottom line. – Dee Dee Myers
A lot of people over time have had this kind of pattern in their relationship with Bill Clinton. You first meet him and you’re overwhelmed by his talent. He’s so energetic and articulate and full of ideas and he calls himself a congenital optimist and that optimism is contagious. – Dee Dee Myers
The dirty little secret is that the pool man, who’s making $30,000 a year, is subsidizing the million-dollar mortgage for the family whose pool he cleans. No wonder people want to get rid of tax breaks for corporate jets. – Dee Dee Myers
I am encouraged to see women are being elected in Chile, Argentina, Liberia, Ireland. More is more. – Dee Dee Myers
It never occurred to me that I wouldn’t go to college and have a career – as well as a family – of my own. Both my parents, but especially my mother, encouraged me and led me to believe that it was possible. – Dee Dee Myers
The fight is always the same within the Democratic Party, isn’t it? The more things change, the more they stay the same. – Dee Dee Myers
There is an institutional cynicism that causes reporters to question everything the President says, and the motives of everything the President and his Administration try to accomplish. – Dee Dee Myers
The press never accepts at face value that the President is taking a certain action because he wants to create jobs or because he believes that it is in the best interests of the American people or that he is genuinely committed to making life better for people. – Dee Dee Myers
Washington is still very much a male-oriented culture. Being from Los Angeles, I think it is less so there – there is less attachment to tradition, perhaps, there is more flexibility, more acceptance of change generally. That is partly because of Hollywood. – Dee Dee Myers
My job is to be a spokesman – the spokesman, I suppose – for the President, for the White House, to do the daily briefings, to manage the press corps in terms of travel, day-to-day needs, access, interviews, all those issues. – Dee Dee Myers
Obama has become too dependent on formal speeches and set town halls. His idea of mixing it up is taking off his jacket. – Dee Dee Myers
I was supposed to be authoritative, but at the same time had to be likeable, a quality that is a bonus, not a requirement, for men in the same position. – Dee Dee Myers
I look forward to a time, in the not so distant future, when we no longer look forward to ‘firsts’ as milestones women have yet to achieve, but we look back on them as historic events that continue to teach and inspire. – Dee Dee Myers
Even tax breaks that are supposed to help the middle class too often skew toward the wealthy. Consider the mortgage interest deduction. While political leaders in both parties have long considered it untouchable, it actually helps those at the top of the income scale far more than those at the bottom. – Dee Dee Myers
One thing I think is least realistic is that there were five people that made decisions in the fictional ‘West Wing.’ In real life, there are about five million people that weigh in. – Dee Dee Myers
I don’t think women hold all the answers, but with their skills, their strengths, we can get to a better place. – Dee Dee Myers
President Clinton intentionally created a structure that was a little loose. And one that kept him a little in the center. He didn’t want one person filtering all the information that went to him. He had always operated with a lot of information coming in and a lot of stuff going out. – Dee Dee Myers
Women’s particular experiences continue to shape not just their points of view but their actions, in the United States and around the world. – Dee Dee Myers
Obama seems like he tries to talk everyone into what he believes – and that’s part of why we elected him, because he’s a calm, reasonable guy – but behind that, there has to be some fight. You have to be able to take a few punches and throw a few punches. – Dee Dee Myers
While eschewing emotion – and its companion, vulnerability – Obama should be careful not to sacrifice empathy, the ‘I feel your pain’ connection that sustained Clinton. This connection is the shorthand people use to measure their leaders’ intentions. If people believe you’re on their side, they will trust your decisions. – Dee Dee Myers
This is a generation weaned on Watergate, and there is no presumption of innocence and no presumption of good intentions. Instead, there is a presumption that, without relentless scrutiny, the government will misbehave. – Dee Dee Myers
