Hillary Clinton has been making the rounds with the liberal media in recent days to promote her latest memoir, What Happened, in which she casts blame on nearly everything under the sun for her embarrassing defeat by Donald Trump. On Wednesday, Clinton appeared on CNN’s Anderson Cooper 360 where she was treated to a softball interview with Cooper himself.
Among some of Cooper’s not-so-hard hitting inquiries was a question about her yoga routine. “Seems like you've been doing a lot of yoga,” he commented. “And alternate nostril breathing! Have you tried that,” Clinton exclaimed with joy. “Page 27 in your book, you talk about alternative nostril breathing. What is that and dare you give me a demonstration of that,” he requested.
What made the yoga question particularly ridiculous was the fact that it came after Clinton declared that she does not forgive those who didn’t support her in the election. “No. I don’t … No absolution, but of course I just hope people will take what happened this time seriously and being ready and willing to vote the next time,” she told Cooper in a serious tone. The CNN host didn’t bat an eye.
From start to finish, the interview was clearly designed to allow Clinton to vent her frustrations. During the intro, Cooper lamented that “her defeat in President Trump’s victory shook the political foundations of this country. Her loss was against all odds.” He also praised how open and unguarded her conversation with him was. That tends to happen when the interviewer rolls over for the interviewee.
Cooper’s intro became sappy when he recalled how tough the loss was for Clinton as she went into hiding soon after:
Her unexpected defeat left her schedule suddenly a lot emptier. Just days after the election she was spotted hiking in the woods of Chappaqua with her husband and her dogs. This mother and baby daughter took a selfie. Fans and supporters posted various sightings with Clinton around the North East. At book stores and the local grocery store, even having breakfast alone in a restaurant in upstate New York.
Cooper even won Clinton’s praise for scolding Trump during their second debate after the release of the infamous Access Hollywood tape. “And you were there. I want to thank you, Anderson. I'm hard on the press, as you know from reading the book, in many ways. But a couple people came in for good descriptions and praise,” she glorified him. “And I thought the way you started that debate, what you said in the beginning needed to said. And I really appreciated that.”
And when it came to the topic of the Russia investigation, Cooper was quite interested in her accusations against the President. “In USA Today, when asked about collusion between the Trump campaign and Russia, you said quote, ‘I'm convinced of it.’ So, I just want to be clear. You're convinced there was collusion,” he teed her up to rant.
The CNN host even let Clinton go unchecked as she derided the Constitutional institution of the Electoral College and call for its abolishment. He never brought up the fact that by running in the election she agreed to the rules, which included the Electoral College, or that she should have visited Wisconsin.
Anderson Cooper basically sat back and enabled Hillary Clinton to attack and smear each person or group she felt had crossed her and/or tripped up her self-entitled rise to president.
Transcript below:
CNN
AC360 – Hillary Interview
September 13, 2017
8:38:59 PM EasternANDERSON COOPER: Well, it's been nearly a year since Hillary Clinton lost the election. Her defeat in President Trump’s victory shook the political foundations of this country. Her loss was against all odds. And in the months since, a lot of people have spent time trying to figure out what happened. Hillary Clinton hasn't spoken publicly much since that loss. But now she's written a book, call appropriately enough What Happened. She is speaking out and speaking in a less guarded way, I think you’ll see, than she’s used to doing in public. I sat down with her today with an interview that lasted nearly 40 minutes. Before we begin I want to give you a sense of what she's been up to since she's lost.
(…)
COOPER: Her unexpected defeat left her schedule suddenly a lot emptier. Just days after the election she was spotted hiking in the woods of Chappaqua with her husband and her dogs. This mother and baby daughter took a selfie. Fans and supporters posted various sightings with Clinton around the North East. At book stores and the local grocery store, even having breakfast alone in a restaurant in upstate New York.
(…)
COOPER: This book is an airing out of a lot of things, but you come across as less guarded, is that hard for you? Does it feel good to do it?
HILLARY CLINTON: It really does, Anderson. I write in the book about how for so much of my time in public life I felt like I was on this high wire with no net. I was trying to balance so many different competing concerns.
(...)
COOPER: Do you give absolution to those who didn’t vote, to women who didn’t vote.
CLINTON: No. I don’t. Look, I -- when it first started happening it was so soon after the election and the election was so bizarre and close. It was hard for me to, you know comfort somebody who was coming to me and saying, “oh I wish I'd done more. Or I'm I didn't vote.” Because I think this was one of the most consequential elections that we had faced in a long time. No absolution, but of course I just hope people will take what happened this time seriously and being ready and willing to vote the next time.
COOPER: Seems like you've been doing a lot of yoga.
CLINTON: And alternate nostril breathing! Have you tried that?!
COOPER: Page 27 in your book, you talk about alternative nostril breathing. What is that and dare you give me a demonstration of that?
(…)
9:05:13 PM Eastern
COOPER: In USA Today, when asked about collusion between the Trump campaign and Russia, you said quote, “I'm convinced of it.” So, I just want to be clear. You're convinced there was collusion?
CLINTON: Let me say I'm convinced there was communication. I'm convinced there were meetings and phone calls. I'm convinced that there were financial entanglements. Let's wait to see what it's called. I'm convinced that there was something going on. Let's put the investigation to one side because, indeed, I have a lot of confidence in the special counsel. I don't know what he's going to end up with. He's an honorable man. If there’s nothing there, there’s nothing there. If there is, I think he’ll tell us.
(…)
COOPER: I want to ask you about the second debate which took place two days after.
CLINTON: And you were there. I want to thank you, Anderson. I'm hard on the press, as you know from reading the book, in many ways. But a couple people came in for good descriptions and praise. And I thought the way you started that debate, what you said in the beginning needed to said. And I really appreciated that.
COOPER: What you’re referencing is my first question to President Trump, which was describing what he had talked about. He described as locker room banter, and I said that is sexual assault, do you understand that? We wrestled –as a co-moderator—we wrestled with how to handle the Access Hollywood tape. I’m wondering, when the Access Hollywood tape came out two days before this debate, did you wrestle with what to say about it?
(...)
