On Friday, Hillary Clinton debuted her new podcast, “With Her,” which is available on iTunes and co-hosted by Max Linsky. The initial episode runs a breezy 16:50 and doesn’t do any deep dives into policy but is geared more towards providing a glimpse of her persona. Critics will certainly classify this as an orchestrated move, but that’s true of politics in general.
Beginning with the opening music, this podcast is clearly designed to be a relaxing affair. And it’s no secret that Hillary Clinton’s campaign is working hard to polish her appeal and make her seem more personable. Generally speaking, she projects an all-business persona, which her team aimed to soften up at the Democratic Convention that turned into a true family affair. The highlight of this first podcast episode is Chelsea Clinton’s introduction of her mom — and the party nominee — who beamed with pride at the realization of a decades-long goal finally coming to fruition. There was a moment when mother and daughter hugged, and then Clinton pulled back with a small sigh. Let’s watch it again.
Linsky asked Clinton what she was thinking at this precise moment. Naturally, she admitted to feeling utter disbelief and a little bit of “I can’t back out now!” And she also felt “both a liberating moment and a crushing sense of responsibility.” This is understandable, considering the circumstances, but podcast listeners may also find it endearing.
Beyond this, Clinton briefly discussed the Zika virus (she was in Florida while recording this episode) and crushed the rumor that she doesn’t use an alarm clock. That delivered a little “just like us” touch. And in the podcast’s first few minutes, Clinton told Linsky, “You can call me whatever you want to call me. You can call me Hillary, you can call me Madame Secretary, you can call me ‘Hey you.’ Anything you want.” He chose to call her Hillary.