Summary

Chapter 17 presents Clinton’s view that we must work to inject more kindness and love into our society. She admits that politics is a rough and competitive arena, but still feels that we lack a sense of empathy for our political opponents. This idea originally came from the works of Pat Tillich. In the 1950s and 60s, Tillich noted that, despite positive economic indicators, America seemed to be lacking a sense of community and connectedness.Clinton felt that we could reclaim these values by exhibiting what Alexis de Tocqueville described as “habits of the heart,” the tendencies of early to join and actively participate in civic organizations (432). A similar view was expressed by Republican operative Lee Atwater in the 1990s. Inspired by these ideas, Clinton tried to introduce them while serving as First Lady, eventually writing her first book, It Takes...