Mar 7
2014
Hillary Clinton at HIMSS: An Assessment
I wasn’t wowed by Hillary Clinton’s presentation at HIMSS14. Perhaps it was her overly polished nature or the fact that she really didn’t seem to say anything more than catch phrases arranged by her speech writer, which were obviously meant to garner “oohs” and “ahs” from the Clinton-friendly crowd.
Perhaps I was put off by the campaign-style stump that she delivered or that, once again, she claimed credit for being at the forefront of healthcare and working across the isle from her days in the White House and Senate. Or, perhaps it was her seemingly misplaced reference to Alexis DeTocqueville, the 19th century French historian.
The reference to the French observer of this country seemed trite and overly simplified, especially for such a sophisticated group.
“Lots of places were grander and richer,” Clinton stated, referring to the chronicler, “yet what did he say we have that he found unique? He said we were distinguished by the habits of our hearts. What did he mean by that? He meant that we worked with one another. In those days it might have been putting up a barn for a farmer who lost his to a fire. Or forming a volunteer police or fire department, or starting the first hospital.”
To a point she’s right, of course. As a society, Americans tend, for the most part, to be a people of full and giving hearts. We as a people come together, in a connected manner, much the same as we should and are in healthcare. However, her reference did little more for me than stir up memories of the man from conversations that took place in my political science class years ago.