Yankees? Cubs? Mets? Bandwagon Fan Hillary Clinton Literally Has A Public And Private Favorite Baseball Team

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TOP TAKEAWAYS

With the Cubs headed to their first World Series since 1945, Hillary Clinton is jumping on Chicago’s bandwagon.

But like with every other matter, Hillary Clinton switches allegiance with sports teams like positions on issues.

In the early 1990s, Clinton pledged allegiance to the Cubs, claiming she’d been a lifelong fan in an interview with Esquire.

But running for the Senate in New York, Clinton claimed she’d “always been a Yankees fan.”

Earlier this year, Clinton was taking photo ops before the New York primary touting her bona fides as a Mets fan.

In a 2013 speech behind closed doors, Clinton said that a politician needs to have “both a public and private position” on policies.

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HILLARY CLINTON HAS MAINTAINED SHE HAS ALWAYS BEEN A CHICAGO CUBS FAN

This Weekend, Clinton Campaign Press Secretary Nick Merrill Tweeted A Photo Of Hillary Clinton Ostensibly Celebrating The Chicago Cubs Winning The National League Pennant. (Nick Merrill, Twitter Feed, 10/22/16)

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(Nick Merrill, Twitter Feed, 10/22/16)

Hillary Clinton Has Maintained She Has Always Been A New York Yankees And Chicago Cubs Fan

In 2006 Clinton Said The Cubs And Yankees Were Her Favorite Teams “Growing Up And Now In My More Mature Years.” CLINTON: “Thank you very, very much, Jonathan. I don't have time to rebut everything you've said in your introduction. But I cannot let stand that I have ever, ever been a Mets fan. Have to set the record straight. Cubs and Yankees: Those were my teams, and remain my teams, growing up and now in my more mature years.” (Hillary Clinton, Remarks, Washington, DC, 5/23/06)

But In A 1993 Interview With Walter Shapiro For Esquire, Clinton Touted Her Cubs Bona-Fides, Even Mentioning Her Attendance At Big Games

Esquire In August 1993: “[Clinton] Is A Serious Chicago Cubs Fan.” “For all the intense scrutiny that Hillary Rodham Clinton has endured over the past two years, one critical issue—so vital to understanding her character and so potentially controversial—has gone unreported: The woman is a serious Chicago Cubs fan.” (“On ‘Whose Hillary Is She, Anyway?’,” Esquire, 8/93)

In June 1993 Clinton Told Walter Shapiro That She “Used To Go To Wrigley Field” As A Child To Watch The Cubs. SHAPIRO: “Who was your favorite Cub growing up?” MRS. CLINTON: “Ernie Banks. Mr. Cubs. I used to go to Wrigley Field and in those days it was like going to a minor league park is now.” (Hillary Clinton, Interview With Walter Shapiro For Esquire, Washington, DC, 6/2/93)

Clinton Told Shapiro That She And Her Brothers Would Argue About The Best Cub Lineups And About The Relative Merits Of Ron Santo, Which Clinton Said They Spent “Hours Arguing About.” SHAPIRO: “When your father was in the hospital, you and your brothers would be throwing a ball around and…” MRS. CLINTON: “And having arguments. I mean, incredible arguments. We spent hours in the hospital waiting room arguing over the perfect Cub line-up of all time. And I have very opinionated brothers who actually were…” SHAPIRO: “I met Hugh when the campaign went to Homestead.” CLINTON: “Oh, you did. Okay, well -­ I mean, they are real fans of anything they follow and they have very strong opinions and they don't agree always on the merits of certain players. We spent hours arguing about Ron Santos. It really was so funny.” (Hillary Clinton, Interview With Walter Shapiro For Esquire, Washington, DC, 6/2/93)

Clinton Did Not Mention The Yankees During The Entire Interview. (Hillary Clinton, Interview With Walter Shapiro For Esquire, Washington, DC, 6/2/93)

As Late As May 1999 Clinton Refused To Be Pinned Down At To Whether She Was A Yankees Or Mets Fan

In May 1999 Clinton Told CBS’ Dan Rather That She’d Root For Both The Yankees And Mets. RATHER: “And here's a tough question, one that you're gonna be asked repeatedly, time and again, and you're eventually going to have to answer. For whom do you root: the Mets or Yankees?” Mrs. HILLARY CLINTON: “That's a very good question. You know, I just love baseball. So the politic answer is that, since I do plan to live in New York, no matter what I end up doing, I'll root for both.” (CBS’ “60 Minutes II,” 5/26/99)

When Pressed Further By Rather On The Issue, Clinton Said She’d Have To “Give Serious Thought” As To Whether She’d Root For The Yankees Or The Mets. RATHER: “Ah, but you know New York. New York in many ways is split between those who cheer...” Mrs. CLINTON: “I know.” RATHER: “...for the Mets and those who cheer for the Yankees.” Mrs. CLINTON: “I know.” RATHER: “So, I have to pressure you to come back. Mets or Yankees, Mrs. Clinton?” Mrs. CLINTON: “Well, you know Dan, that's one of those questions that I probably am gonna have to give serious thought to, to give you a final answer.” (CBS’ “60 Minutes II,” 5/26/99)

But By June 1999, Clinton Said She’d “Always Been A Yankees Fan”

While Running For Senate, Clinton Said That “She'd ‘Always Been A Yankees Fan.’” “Later, Clinton asserted that she'd 'always been a Yankees fan.' Couric correctly challenged her, saying she thought the first lady, a native of Illinois, was a Chicago Cubs fan. 'I am a Cubs fan,' Clinton said. 'But I needed an American League team … so as a young girl, I became very interested and enamored of the Yankees.’” (Frank Ahrens, "Hillary Clinton Toasts 'Home' Team," The Washington Post, 6/11/99)

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The Revelation Of Clinton’s Yankees Fandom Came “Days After Hillary Rodham Clinton Announced She Was Forming An Exploratory Committee” To Run For Senate From New York. “But what curious timing, this visit by the Yankees--it comes eight months after they won the World Series but only days after Hillary Rodham Clinton announced she was forming an exploratory committee to run for a New York seat in the U.S. Senate. … Later, Clinton asserted that she'd ‘always been a Yankees fan.’ Couric correctly challenged her, saying she thought the first lady, a native of Illinois, was a Chicago Cubs fan.” (Frank Ahrens, “Hillary Clinton Toasts 'Home' Team,” The Washington Post, 6/11/99)

In 2014 Clinton Said She Started Rooting For The Yankees Because The Cubs Lost Too Much

In 2014 Clinton Said She Started Rooting For The New York Yankees Because They “Would Counterbalance The Experience Of Losing Every Single Year.” “‘Once a Cubs fan, always a Cubs fan, but my personality was such that I couldn't stay hitched only to a losing team,’ said Clinton, who was born in this city and grew up in suburban Park Ridge. ‘I had to search for a team that would counterbalance the experience of losing every single year, so — I hate to say this, and I know you'll boo me — I became a Yankees fan,’ she said.” (Phil Rosenthal, “Hillary Clinton Campaigns For Compromise At Chicago Event,” Chicago Tribune, 10/10/14)

Clinton: “I Alternated My Affections Because It Was Just Too Hard Being A Cubs Fan, Only Being A Cubs Fan.” (Phil Rosenthal, “Hillary Clinton Campaigns For Compromise At Chicago Event,” Chicago Tribune, 10/10/14)

Ahead Of The New York Primary, Clinton Celebrated The New York Mets

On The 2016 Campaign Trail, Clinton Didn’t Miss Opportunities To Pose With Mets Memorabilia Ahead Of The New York Primary. “Hillary Clinton posed with a front page celebrating the Mets World Series win during her visit to the New York Daily News.” (Nicole Hensley, “SNL Mocks Hillary Clinton's NYC Cred During Candidate's Big Apple Visit,” New York Daily News , 4/10/16)

(Robert Sabo, New York Daily News)

IN A PAID SPEECH BEHIND CLOSED DOORS, CLINTON SAID YOU NEED “BOTH A PUBLIC AND PRIVATE POSITION”

In The 2013 Speech, It Is Clear That Clinton Is Talking About Herself, Saying Behind Closed Doors That A Politician Needs To Have “Both A Public And Private Position” On Policies. “ *Clinton: ‘But If Everybody's Watching, You Know, All Of The Back Room Discussions And The Deals, You Know, Then People Get A Little Nervous, To Say The Least. So, You Need Both A Public And A Private Position.’* CLINTON: ‘You just have to sort of figure out how to -- getting back to that word, "balance" -- how to balance the public and the private efforts that are necessary to be successful, politically, and that's not just a comment about today. That, I think, has probably been true for all of our history, and if you saw the Spielberg movie, Lincoln, and how he was maneuvering and working to get the 13th Amendment passed, and he called one of my favorite predecessors, Secretary Seward, who had been the governor and senator from New York, ran against Lincoln for president, and he told Seward, I need your help to get this done. And Seward called some of his lobbyist friends who knew how to make a deal, and they just kept going at it. I mean, politics is like sausage being made. It is unsavory, and it always has been that way, but we usually end up where we need to be. But if everybody's watching, you know, all of the back room discussions and the deals, you know, then people get a little nervous, to say the least. So, you need both a public and a private position. And finally, I think -- I believe in evidence-based decision making. I want to know what the facts are. I mean, it's like when you guys go into some kind of a deal, you know, are you going to do that development or not, are you going to do that renovation or not, you know, you look at the numbers. You try to figure out what's going to work and what's not going to work.’ [Clinton Speech For National Multi-Housing Council, 4/24/13]” (TCARRK@HillaryClinton.com, Speech For National Multi-Housing Council, 4/24/13, Email To Clinton Campaign Communications Staff, 2/8/16)

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