Down at the Station: A Backstage Look at Clinton's Early Memory

Bill Clinton, former U.S. president, Arkansas governor, law professor, and Rhodes Scholar, left the oval office with the highest end-of-presidency approval rating of any president who came into office after World War II. His unprecedented popularity remained strong despite the Lewinsky scandal, which clearly raised questions about his personal character. Even so, the U.S. is said to have enjoyed more peace and economic well-being during his presidency than at any time in its history.

The question is: Was he the reason? Let’s explore Clinton’s early memory* and answer that question based on his worldview.

Clinton’s early memory portrays a powerful image of a distraught mother dropping to her knees in tears after putting her son on a train to go back home with his grandmother. Little Bill Clinton watches his mother’s emotional display from the passenger window where he and Grandmother presumably sit together waiting for the train to depart.

We can imagine the dramatic transfer of this adored child from one woman to the next woman, even as the object of their affection sits detached and observing… similar perhaps to a crown prince who has just been shepherded between two members of his royal court. Regardless the drama, a crown prince simply knows he is the primary concern.

Nevertheless, the emotional polarity is striking: one woman falling on her knees in tears in a public setting versus a young boy watching silently from a distance, and with no mention of moving closer to the window to press his nose against the glass, or turning to his grandmother to ask about his mother’s well-being. Might he have wondered, “Is Mother going to be okay?Will she ever stop crying?”

No, this is not the emphasis of Clinton’s memory. The detachment that is inferred is that young Clinton is not trying to go to her. Nothing about his recollection has him reaching back to her. He is okay as long as he is cared for by someone. In fact, in running for president, Hillary is caring for him now.

His lack of anxiety seems to demonstrate the expectation that both women are fully capable. When he was born, his mother was already a widow. He watched her go to work everyday and do things to make his life good. He didn’t know or expect anything different. And by his life, we are well-acquainted with his intelligence and his resourcefulness; thus, his practice of remaining detached and comfortable while others adore and care (or suffer) for him, especially women, is commonplace.

And speaking of women, what is the one thing the two women in the memory have in common?

The answer, of course, is Bill Clinton. Indeed, if we asked Bill Clinton the same question, he would have to say, “I am the answer,” and thus we have his worldview. The mother wouldn’t be on her knees crying, if not for him; and the grandmother wouldn’t be on the train to take him home, if not for him.

From the untold millions of moments he might have remembered from his childhood, Clinton calls to mind a moment wherein he is the answer. He is the reason his mother is crying and also the reason she is in school (to make a better life for him and her). He is also the reason his grandmother is in New Orleans and on the train with him now.

Consider also that Clinton remains composed and focused despite the chaos around him, because he is forever being taken care of by his intelligence. His intelligence doesn’t own him; he owns it, as demonstrated by his worldview.

And pushing the issue a bit further and in a slightly different direction: Consider his presence in a room full of politicians. He is often the answer in that setting, as well. From whom of several politicians might a nonpartisan audience most want to hear when complex national and global topics are being discussed and debated? George Bush? John McCain? Barack Obama? Rudy Giuliani? Bill Clinton? Which one? From whom might the audience expect to receive the most consistently intelligent and well-developed answers and counter-questions, regardless of party affiliation?

Based on his popularity and experience, many would respond, “Bill Clinton,” who no doubt would agree that, indeed, he is and has the answer(s). By his worldview, therefore, we know how he sees his role in the creation of world peace and economic well-being.

And finally, does his wife, Hillary Clinton, share his worldview? (Stay tuned.)

*Bill Clinton remembers:
After visiting my mother in New Orleans for a weekend, I remember seeing her drop to her knees, crying, by the side of the tracks when she put me on the train with my grandmother to go home. I was spending a year with my grandparents, while my mother attended a program in New Orleans that would grant her a nurse-anesthetist’s degree.