This article was written by Asa Zaretsky, class of 2018.
“We really are living in a reality TV show,” an exasperated and yet driven Hillary Clinton expressed to a raucous audience Tuesday night at the Broward Center for Performing Arts. Since her election memoir, “What Happened,” came out, the former Democratic presidential nominee has been travelling the country to tell her side of the story. Reliving the campaign and election night in particular was hard for her, she has said many times, but feels that it’s important to give a behind the scenes look into the events. She’s not been reluctant to take personal blame for the loss, but recognizes the role that the FBI, the media, Russia and sexism played in it.
The event had heavy security, as expected, and her books, from “It Takes a Village” to “Hard Choices,” were on sale in front. Once Clinton was introduced, she spoke mostly about the recent tragedy in Las Vegas and how she was frustrated with the debate on gun control in the country. In response to those saying that it was too soon to talk about gun control, Clinton responded “What better time is there than now?” She also expressed concern at the response to Hurricane Maria in Puerto Rico, and the challenges facing women in politics.
She then had a conversation with a Broward Center director about a variety of social issues and concerns, and how she copes with them. Prime among her coping mechanisms were “a fair share of Chardonnay,” playing with her dogs, walking in the woods and spending time with her two grandchildren. Overall, Clinton did not engage in the blame game that many critics have accused her of, and instead spoke frankly about her experience in politics without letting her guard down.
