September 11 is a sacred day for America where we try to put our political squabbles aside and come together to moan an unbelievable tragedy. But not on CNN’s New Day Sunday where they complained that American’s don’t know the “empathetic leader” Hillary Clinton was after the attack. “A British newspaper and New York radio station are claiming the Clinton of today is vastly different than the Clinton we got to know during the 9/11 tragedy, specifically that New Yorkers got to know,” stated co-host Christi Paul leading off the segment.
“See this photo here? That's the day of the disaster,” said Paul, while a picture of Clinton was on the screen, “Then New York Junior Senator there seen listening to firefighters as they toured Ground Zero.” Paul then played audio from 2003 of Clinton angrily accusing the Bush administration and New York City Mayor Rudy Giuliani of lying about the air quality surrounding Ground Zero.
Paul then brought on Edward Pilkington, one of the writers from The Guardian who recently documented the thoughts of 9/11 first responders about then Senator Clinton. Pilkington glorified her saying:
She got really into it. She learned all about the medical conditions that arose for the first responders, the respiratory problems, the cancers that started to crop up. And the doctors that we spoke to said they're incredibly impressed by how much knowledge she sucked up. They called her a sponge for information.
Pilkington also noted that, “The less familiar thing was that she also came across as incredibly impassioned, angry, very, very much a sort of visceral person who was in contact with the people she was dealing with.” He glowed about how her connection with the first responders “was very powerful and they have never forgotten.”
The CNN host followed up Pilkington’s praise with the positive words from a New York City Firefighter and a former Firefighter Union president:
He called Hillary Clinton in his react— in his interaction with her, he said she was “compassionate.” He called her a “fighter.” You had the former firefighter’s union president Peter Gorman saying the same thing about here, that she was “effective,” that she was an “empathetic leader.” I’m wondering— He also said “she may not be the most natural politician.”
Adding “context” to Paul’s quotes, Pilkington remarked about how special their words were because they’re “not natural Hillary Clinton supporters.” He argued that firefighters had a “conservative bent” and would otherwise be Donald Trump supporters. “They said they were puzzled by how much she's struggling to get her message across on a wider national platform,” Pilkington reported, sharing their concern, “And that they regretted the fact that those Americans across the country didn't seem to get her, to understand her like they managed to do having this close relationship to her.”
Transcript below:
CNN
New Day Sunday
September 11, 2016
7:21:51 AM Eastern
CHRISTI PAUL: Hillary Clinton will attend the annual moment of silence at ground zero in honor of the people who died on 9/11. It's her response in the wake of that attack that's getting some attention today during her run for president. A British newspaper and New York radio station are claiming the Clinton of today is vastly different than the Clinton we got to know during the 9/11 tragedy, specifically that New Yorkers got to know.
See this photo here? That's the day of the disaster. Then New York Junior Senator there seen listening to firefighters as they toured Ground Zero. Now The Guardian newspaper and WNYC radio have released audio revealing Clinton's reaction to those attacks and her criticism of the Bush administration and New York Mayor Rudy Giuliani for insisting that air quality over the city was quote, “safe and acceptable.” Listen to this:
HILLARY CLINTON: Maybe in the immediate aftermath, the first couple of days, nobody could know. But a week later? Two weeks later? Two months later? Six months later? Give me a break! They knew and they didn't tell us the truth.
PAUL: Just a little while ago I spoke with a writer for the newspaper about Clinton's reaction then and what it really means for a potential Clinton presidency now.
EDWARD PILKINGTON: One familiar thing about Hillary, and one less familiar thing, was that she immersed herself in the detail. She got really into it. She learned all about the medical conditions that arose for the first responders, the respiratory problems, the cancers that started to crop up. And the doctors that we spoke to said they're incredibly impressed by how much knowledge she sucked up. They called her a sponge for information. And I think that's a side of Hillary that we all know well, a politician who likes to be incredibly well briefed on any subject before she talks about it.
The less familiar thing was that she also came across as incredibly impassioned, angry, very, very much a sort of visceral person who was in contact with the people she was dealing with. And everyone you spoke to who was with her at the time, particularly firefighters and police officers said that she had a one to one connection with her that was very powerful and they have never forgotten. And I think that’s a side of Hillary Clinton that’s much less familiar to us here today in 2016.
PAUL: Firefighter Richard Alles, is someone that you talked to. He had been at ground zero 20 minutes after the second tower collapsed. He was there for two days two night. He called Hillary Clinton in his react— in his interaction with her, he said she was “compassionate.” He called her a “fighter.” You had the former firefighter’s union president Peter Gorman saying the same thing about here, that she was “effective,” that she was an “empathetic leader.” I’m wondering— He also said “she may not be the most natural politician.” Do they see her differently today than they saw her back then?
PILKINGTON: Yeah, a little bit of context is helpful here. Bear in mind that the firefighters of New York are not natural Hillary Clinton supporters. They represent working class, working people from the outer boroughs. They tend to have a conservative bent. They’re the kind of, actually many of their supporters would now a days be Donald Trump supporters. So, this is not a natural political alliance.
And yet they talked about very strongly post-9/11 this personal connection they had with Hillary Clinton. And they were genuinely puzzled. I put it to them how does she come across to you today? They said they were puzzled by how much she's struggling to get her message across on a wider national platform. And that they regretted the fact that those Americans across the country didn't seem to get her, to understand her like they managed to do having this close relationship to her.
And I think that chimes a bell with what's happening in this political cycle. The polls suggest she's still struggling with her favorability rate, which is pretty low. And you know, she’s in about Donald Trump she has an extraordinary rival, because the one thing about Donald Trump, whether you love him or hate him, there is no lack of connection. I mean, everybody in America, whether they're fans or foes of his, seem to have this sort of like an electric plug stuck in the wall with him. There is no lack of connection. And I think she on the other hand is finding that difficult.
