Hillary says Bill could be handy in White House
NEW YORK — Hillary Clinton says her husband wouldn’t be much use picking out flower arrangements for the White House, but if she’s elected president, he would come in handy as a host and adviser.
“I’ll ask him about the economy, what we should do with dealing with a lot of difficult people in the world,” Clinton said on NBC’s Late Night with Seth Meyers in a segment taped Thursday. She identified one of those “difficult people” as Russian President Vladimir Putin.
Clinton made the comments after Meyers asked her, “Having been a first lady, what qualities does your husband have that would be good for that job?”
She said Bill Clinton is “a great host” and “loves giving tours,” but “picking out flower arrangements, maybe not.” And because he is “vegan-ish” – he eats fish but not meat or dairy – she said “he might have useful information about menus” for vegan guests.
Meyers asked if it would be hard to keep Bill Clinton “out” if she were president.
“Maybe there will be occasions when I don’t want to,” she said. Recalling Bill Clinton’s 2009 trip to North Korea to free two Americans who were being held there, she said, “You never know why you might need to use him.”
On Donald Trump, Clinton said: “What he’s saying now is not only shameful and wrong, it’s dangerous.... This latest demand that we not let Muslims into our country really plays right into the hands of the terrorists. I don’t say that lightly but it does. He is giving them a great propaganda tool, a way to recruit more folks from Europe and the United States.”
Clinton also agreed with Meyers’ assertion that Democrats and gun-control supporters have failed to connect with gun owners who support measures like universal background checks and closing gunbuying loopholes.
“We all bear some responsibility for that,” she said. “It’s not a total foreign, alien concept that people have guns and use them for appropriate purposes. I do think we don’t have the right approach to it. We do need to reach out to responsible gun owners and say we can do more to prevent as many deaths as possible.”
My neighbors are a lovely couple in their 70s. I have always been friendly with them.
Several months ago Mrs. Smith became quite ill. Whenever I saw Mr. Smith, I would ask about his wife’s health. About three months in, he started ending our conversations with a hug. I thought he was sad about his wife and lonely while she was undergoing care.
But then he started dropping by my office. The first few times I let it ride. Around the fifth time, however, I told him he had to stop because it was interfering with my workday.
Then, he started following me to the office. I’d pull into the parking lot, and he’d be right behind me. Two weeks ago, he pulled right up to my bumper and asked my how many miles I had on my car. I was genuinely late for a meeting and was brusque. He hasn’t been back since then. Every day when I drive into our subdivision, he’s standing in his driveway waiting. I immediately pull over in someone else’s driveway and pretend I’m on a call. Yesterday, I pulled over and read the owner’s manual out loud to make it look like I was talking on the phone. It took 30 minutes before he finally went inside.
I understand he’s lonely, but he is freaking me out. I needed to tell someone, and I knew you wouldn’t consider it any weirder than some of your other letters.
Good heavens, I feel better already. — R.
Dear R.: Glad we could help. Your neighbour seems lonely and a little obsessed with you. You might have been the only consistently friendly face during his wife’s illness, and it became more meaningful than you intended.
Be kind, but set some boundaries. Wave hello from your door instead of walking over. Then go inside or get in your car. If he starts heading your way, say, “Sorry I can’t stay and chat, I have a conference call.” If he gets too close, be honest and tell him that he’s making you uncomfortable and you’d like him to back off. Needless to say, no more hugs. Dear Annie: I would like to comment on your answer to Her Sister, whose sister had a stroke and is in long-term care. She said people should visit more. You mentioned bringing photographs of people they know, playing music they grew up with, reading from a favorite book, etc.
This may not work with someone who has dementia. My mother has been in a nursing home for nearly a year. She never asks about her beloved cat. We don’t discuss my brother-in-law, who recently died. My mother adored him, but talking about him would only depress her and possibly get her brain fixated on something unpleasant.
For her, it’s best to talk about what’s going on in the moment. We talk about the weather. She loves going outside and looking at the flowers and other people. The past has escaped her. I try to make her present as enjoyable as possible. — Upstate N.Y. Larry
Dear Larry: Every person is different, and if your mother does not respond positively to things from her past, you are right to concentrate on the present.