The Final Chapter of the book, Hillary Rodham Clinton, What Every American Should Know. Part lV, RUN HILLARY, RUN I NEED THIS FOR ME. Chapter 10, Page 27 In a league by Herself To fulfill the residency requirement, many believed she could merely park a Double-Wide on a lot in the Catskills, stock the 5-by-5 kitchen with half a dozen pots and pans. put a few cans of Spaghetti-Os on the shelf, and tell the power company to turn on the electricity---then fly back to Washington. Hillary and her advisers knew better. In the first place, they couldnt expect the Clinton residence to escape round-the-clock scrutiny by the same vast right-wing conspiracy that tricked Bill into his affair with Monica Lewinsky. In the second place---with Clinton credibility already a potential issue for Rudy Giuliani(Hillary had been called a liar almost as often as Bill)---she had to live in a believable house, one a former president and his wife would actually inhabit. And in the third place, she would have to buy, not rent. Renting smacks of circumvention and suggest a weak commitment, a lack of confidence in the outcome of the election---or in her commitment to actually make the race, should the poll numbers go south. So the Clintons had to own a substantial house---a showplace of sorts, one they could be expected to inhabit for the rest of their lives, assuming, of course, they would still live together after leaving the White House. The property they chose was a white-shingled, five bedroom house in Chappaqua, New York---with a price tag of $1.7 million. Having lived there for two years (in a rented condo, of course), I am somewhat of an expert on Chappaqua. It is one of those exclusive towns-within-a-town---with a population of 18,000 highly privileged residents, protected from the rest of conservative Westchester County by a towering wall of green---a wall of money---and an incredibly ill-placed population of activist liberals. Only 35 miles north of Manhattan, Chappaqua is, in some ways, as far from the Bronx or Brooklyn as Alpha Centauri---not the neighborhood youd expect a Democratic candidate for Senate to pick, not someone who hopes to represent the tired, poor, huddled masses, yearning to breath free. As president, Bill draws a salary of $200,000. Hillary is n unpaid meddler. And in their last disclosure report, made public in May of 1999, the Clintons declared assets of slightly more than $1 million. So how could they afford to buy a 1.7 million house? The short answer: They couldnt. But they did. The financial maneuvering was intricate and highly suspect. According to the New York Times, the Clintons indirectly approched former Treasury Secretary Robert E. Rubin, and former chiefs of staff Erskine B. Bowles and Thomas F Mack McLarty lll to give them financial assistance, but all three declined. Apparently Bowles said he would, then backed out after the real estate contract had already been signed. The Clintons then turned to Terry McAuliffe, who was already raising money to cover Bills legal expenses, the Clnton presidential library, and Hillarys upcoming senatorial race. According to the Times, the two personally asked McAuliffe for his help, telling them they intended to put up $350,000 of their own money as a down payment. He in turn deposited $1.35 million in Bankers Trust as collateral, and the Clinton house loan was approved. However, the deal drew to much criticism from some members of the press and the financial community that the president and First Lady backed away from it, and eventually PNC Mortgage Corporation, the nations 12th largest home lender, set up a more conventional loan. The new mortgage was substantial: The Clintons borrowed $1.36 million. Their down payment was $340,000. The mortgage terms: 30 years at a fixed interest rate of 7.5 percent for 3 years, follwed by an annual adjustment to reflect the treasury bill rate plus 2.75 percent. The Clintons had to pay no points. Of this loan, Jim Kennedy, speaking for the White House counsels office,, said, There is absolutely no suggestion that there is anything improper in this mortgage. Even experts not known to be Clinton antagonists are raising questions. Mortgage expert and syndicated real estate columnist Kenneth Harney was recently quoted in the Washington Times as saying, Did they get an extraordinarily good deal? No question. Harney points out that the Clintons put less money down than most who take out mortgage of that size, and they did not have to choose between paying points (additional fees) up front, and getting a lower interest rate. More will be said and written about this deal if Hillary declares for the Senate. By the end of 1999, the non-campaign Listening tour was heating up, and Hillary edges ever closer to the moment when she would have to decide whether or not to be a candidate. While no opposition looms in the Democratic primary, it is clear that, should she choose to run, the general election will be a dogfight of unprecedented dimensions. New York City Mayor Rudy Giuliani---having transformed New York City from a giant crack house into a habitable city---has proven himself to be a giant killer, and Hillary may not even be a giant. While the polls showed her ahead early on, Giuliani is now leading the First Lady, showing particular strength in the vital upstate region (Which in some areas is more ideologically similar to central Mississippi than Manhattan). Furthermore, the New York political scene is no place to experiment. Hardball politics was born in the Empire State and lives and breathes there even today. The current crop of statewide Republicans and Conservative Party leaders are a smart and tough bunch. Theyve elected a mayor of New York City---the first in a generation---and a governor. With this prospective candidacy, they smell blood in the water. Though Hillary would be able to raise all the money she needs, and would draw strong support from the elite liberal salons she yearned for back in Arkansas, she would enter this race at great personal and political peril. A defeat here would make the Hillarycare disaster pale to insignificance, not only in terms of personal damage, but also for the liberal Democratic establishment across the nation. And it would cripple, if not destroy the future viability of both Clintons when they leave office. With that in mind, a few pundits, including her old friend Dick Morris, speculate that she will ultimately take a pass and wait for an easier race in a better place, or a plum appointment in a future Democratic administration. However, her friends and supporters talk of her determination to make this race. Like the nay-sayers, they cite her ego, which they believe will ultimately propel her into the race. At the years end she continued to defy the skeptics by increasing her travel schedule in New York, becoming more and more outspoken on the issues---particularly health care---and appearing more self-confident, telling one group of supporters, Yes, I will run. The people of New York or the people of the United States may be faced with the prospect of either putting their stamp of approval on the Clintons and ensuring their continued presence on the national scene---including a Hillary race for president in 2004---or else rejecting them and sending them into political oblivion. The choice will be as important as any other electorate has made in the second half of the 20th century. This book is offered in the firm belief that the people, when given facts, will always do the right thing. This concludes the story, that lets all who read it know the real story of Hillary Clinton and her, Do anything to obtain power and further her agenda. If you have been reading the whole book as I post it, you would have seen how much Hillarycare and Obamacare are alike. Two socialist elected officials, trying to dismantle our Constitution and the American life in general. Thanks for hanging in there with me. I thought this was important to get out to everyone. Ron
Posted on: Mon, 02 Dec 2013 22:01:06 +0000