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Sam Stein

The Huffington Post

Iowa Waitress Speaks Out: I Didn't Get Tip From Clinton, Media Has Misplaced Priorities

November 13, 2007 01:40 PM


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For the past week, Anita Esterday's life has been turned upside down. A single mother of two, she found herself in the middle of a media circus when it was reported that Sen. Hillary Clinton's presidential campaign failed to leave her a tip after they were waited on at a Maid-Rite in Toledo, Iowa. In the ensuing frenzy, the Maid-Rite manager insisted that a tip was, in fact, left. But Esterday says the manager just told a fib to make the attention go away. And the press, she adds, needs to get a perspective on what actually matters. Esterday took time out of her day on Tuesday to answer questions from the Huffington Post.

Huffington Post: What is it like to be in the middle of a campaign-related media frenzy?
Esterday: It is nuts. Even going on the web for anything. There was a website in Cedar Rapids that said I had committed suicide. I understand that whoever wrote this meant it as a joke, but I have family in Cedar Rapids and I know people in Cedar Rapids and my mother committed suicide. So it wasn't a joke to me... It's taking it to an extreme and I guess in America now that's what people like and it's a shame that the media ran with this.

Does the press have misplaced priorities?
In this country, look at how many homeless people there are. There are millions. There are people just like me. I'm not the only parent who has had to raise two kids and barely makes $20,000 a year... This is supposed to be the United States of America, the strongest nation in the world, and we can't even provide places for our homeless. The media should be focusing on that.

Point taken. But could you set the record straight about the tip? Your manager says they left something but you contend it never happened.
If your phone is ringing from six in the morning till four in the afternoon and customers are saying what's wrong, the telephone lines are down, and it's because reporters are trying to get through, you say whatever you have to say [to get them to go away]. I don't know if they left a $100 tip or not but I haven't seen it yet. And none of the other waitresses have said they got the tip. [Editor's Note: after the tip controversy became a national story, the Clinton campaign returned to the restaurant and left $20].

Sen. Clinton talked about you - following this incident - in some of her speeches about women earning minimum wage and you seemed upset about it.
To all the politicians, if you talk to somebody and maybe their life interests you, don't just go down the road then and use them as part of your speech to get votes. I was never even asked that day if I'm a Democrat or a Republican or whatever. I was never asked whom I was behind. And then to go down and be called up that night [in a speech by Clinton], was I angry about it? Yes I was. Don't get me wrong they called me a few days later to ask if they could use me in the speech. And they sent me a release form, but they were already using me. So what the hell, I signed it.

How has this whole saga affected you and the restaurant?
There were phone calls going off the wall. It disrupted business and hurt it in some ways. I'm thankful I still have a job there and thank them very much for that. I'm sure it took money away from them. Out of my life, from day one of meeting her it has been turned upside down and not in a good way.

Does this change the way you are approaching the presidential election?
I've been an independent all my life. My mom was a Democrat and my father a Republican. I just sat back and watched them argue and stayed in the middle. But I'm not going to vote for Hillary. That is a definite. No one could pay me enough money. My opinion of her has changed drastically. The more I read and find out about her it changes more and more to the negative. I don't believe she can help out the working women of this world because I don't believe she gets it.

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The media needs to get their priorities straight? Why worry about global warming, the death penalty, the abortion protesting, school shootings and baby medicines taken off the market? Yeah, why write about those when we can bash Hillary for leaving a tip.

I agree with some of you. But you honestly have to earn the tip. My family and I went to dinner once, the waitress was rude and was talking on her cellphone the entire time, just brushing us off! Do you think she deserved a tip? No. You have to earn it.

It also could be one of those places where you simply go the counter, order, and the waitress simply brings you a tip. It never said anything that the waitress had delivered the food. It didn't say if she had even taken Hillary's order. For all we know it could have been a drive through.

They need to explain more about this story. And if a 13 year old can see the holes in this article, y'all should be able to see it too.

    Favorite    Flag as abusive Posted 12:55 AM on 11/15/2007

This is the perfect example of what used to be called "yellow journalism."

    Favorite    Flag as abusive Posted 05:24 PM on 11/14/2007

I would expect a campaign staffer to leave a 15-20% tip at least. You have to remember that Hillary didn't exactly take money out of her purse. Possibly this is a case of educating staffers properly.

    Favorite    Flag as abusive Posted 05:13 PM on 11/14/2007


13. Rampant cronyism and corruption

Those in business circles and close to the power elite often used their position to enrich themselves. This corruption worked both ways; the power elite would receive financial gifts and property from the economic elite, who in turn would gain the benefit of government favoritism. Members of the power elite were in a position to obtain vast wealth from other sources as well: for example, by stealing national resources. With the national security apparatus under control and the media muzzled, this corruption was largely unconstrained and not well understood by the general population.

14. Fraudulent elections

Elections in the form of plebiscites or public opinion polls were usually bogus. When actual elections with candidates were held, they would usually be perverted by the power elite to get the desired result. Common methods included maintaining control of the election machinery, intimidating and disenfranchising opposition voters, destroying or disallowing legal votes, and, as a last resort, turning to a judiciary beholden to the power elite.

NOTE: The above 14 Points were written in 2004 by Dr. Laurence Britt, a political scientist. Dr. Britt studied the fascist regimes of: Hitler (Germany), Mussolini (Italy), Franco (Spain), Suharto (Indonesia), and Pinochet (Chile).

    Favorite    Flag as abusive Posted 04:55 PM on 11/14/2007

9. Power of corporations protected

Although the personal life of ordinary citizens was under strict control, the ability of large corporations to operate in relative freedom was not compromised. The ruling elite saw the corporate structure as a way to not only ensure military production (in developed states), but also as an additional means of social control. Members of the economic elite were often pampered by the political elite to ensure a continued mutuality of interests, especially in the repression of "have-not" citizens.

10. Power of labor suppressed or eliminated

Since organized labor was seen as the one power center that could challenge the political hegemony of the ruling elite and its corporate allies, it was inevitably crushed or made powerless. The poor formed an underclass, viewed with suspicion or outright contempt. Under some regimes, being poor was considered akin to a vice.

11. Disdain and suppression of intellectuals and the arts

Intellectuals and the inherent freedom of ideas and expression associated with them were anathema to these regimes. Intellectual and academic freedom were considered subversive to national security and the patriotic ideal. Universities were tightly controlled; politically unreliable faculty harassed or eliminated. Unorthodox ideas or expressions of dissent were strongly attacked, silenced, or crushed. To these regimes, art and literature should serve the national interest or they had no right to exist.

12. Obsession with crime and punishment

Most of these regimes maintained Draconian systems of criminal justice with huge prison populations. The police were often glorified and had almost unchecked power, leading to rampant abuse. "Normal" and political crime were often merged into trumped-up criminal charges and sometimes used against political opponents of the regime. Fear, and hatred, of criminals or "traitors" was often promoted among the population as an excuse for more police power.

    Favorite    Flag as abusive Posted 04:54 PM on 11/14/2007

5. Rampant sexism

Beyond the simple fact that the political elite and the national culture were male-dominated, these regimes inevitably viewed women as second-class citizens. They were adamantly anti-abortion and also homophobic. These attitudes were usually codified in Draconian laws that enjoyed strong support by the orthodox religion of the country, thus lending the regime cover for its abuses.

6. A controlled mass media

Under some of the regimes, the mass media were under strict direct control and could be relied upon never to stray from the party line. Other regimes exercised more subtle power to ensure media orthodoxy. Methods included the control of licensing and access to resources, economic pressure, appeals to patriotism, and implied threats. The leaders of the mass media were often politically compatible with the power elite. The result was usually success in keeping the general public unaware of the regimes" excesses.

7. Obsession with national security

Inevitably, a national security apparatus was under direct control of the ruling elite. It was usually an instrument of oppression, operating in secret and beyond any constraints. Its actions were justified under the rubric of protecting "national security," and questioning its activities was portrayed as unpatriotic or even treasonous.

8. Religion and ruling elite tied together

Unlike communist regimes, the fascist and protofascist regimes were never proclaimed as godless by their opponents. In fact, most of the regimes attached themselves to the predominant religion of the country and chose to portray themselves as militant defenders of that religion. The fact that the ruling elite"s behavior was incompatible with the precepts of the religion was generally swept under the rug. Propaganda kept up the illusion that the ruling elites were defenders of the faith and opponents of the "godless." A perception was manufactured that opposing the power elite was tantamount to an attack on religion.

    Favorite    Flag as abusive Posted 04:54 PM on 11/14/2007

The 14 Points of FASCISM

1. Powerful and continuing expressions of nationalism

From the prominent displays of flags and bunting to the ubiquitous lapel pins, the fervor to show patriotic nationalism, both on the part of the regime itself and of citizens caught up in its frenzy, was always obvious. Catchy slogans, pride in the military, and demands for unity were common themes in expressing this nationalism. It was usually coupled with a suspicion of things foreign that often bordered on xenophobia.

2. Disdain for the importance of human rights

The regimes themselves viewed human rights as of little value and a hindrance to realizing the objectives of the ruling elite. Through clever use of propaganda, the population was brought to accept these human rights abuses by marginalizing, even demonizing, those being targeted. When abuse was egregious, the tactic was to use secrecy, denial, and disinformation.

3. Identification of enemies/scapegoats as a unifying cause

The most significant common thread among these regimes was the use of scapegoating as a means to divert the people"s attention from other problems, to shift blame for failures, and to channel frustration in controlled directions. The methods of choice"relentless propaganda and disinformation"were usually effective. Often the regimes would incite "spontaneous" acts against the target scapegoats, usually communists, socialists, liberals, Jews, ethnic and racial minorities, traditional national enemies, members of other religions, secularists, homosexuals, and "terrorists." Active opponents of these regimes were inevitably labeled as terrorists and dealt with accordingly.

4. The supremacy of the military/avid militarism

Ruling elites always identified closely with the military and the industrial infrastructure that supported it. A disproportionate share of national resources was allocated to the military, even when domestic needs were acute. The military was seen as an expression of nationalism, and was used whenever possible to assert national goals, intimidate other nations, and increase the power and prestige of the ruling elite.

    Favorite    Flag as abusive Posted 04:53 PM on 11/14/2007

So, are Maid-Rite burgers still dripping in grease?

I moved to California from Iowa and I remember the bottom of the bag ripping out from the dripping grease of the burgers my dad brought home in the 60's and 70's.

I thought it was Bubba C. that ate the un-healthy food. So now Hillary is gonna need a quadruple by-pass?

    Favorite    Flag as abusive Posted 04:19 PM on 11/14/2007

This waitress better start exercising some discretion or she's going to be singing the Fort Marcy Park blues...

Hillary don't play that...

    Favorite    Flag as abusive Posted 03:50 PM on 11/14/2007

Are voters so STUPID they can't recognize a republican plant when it comes out of the woodwork?? Expect lots more of this in their corrupt campaign.

Enjoy being back to the DARK AGES in America with its warring, crashing economy and housing market?

EMOTIONALLY HYSTERICAL, destructively angry American VOTERS damaged America by voting on FAKE IMAGE MAKING and smoke & mirrors that gave us fake cowboy Bush and corporate King Cheney and their NANNY STATE FOR THE RICH.

Beware of being "riled up" by garbage throwing political campaigns. Please use COMMON SENSE, instead. The politicians don't want you to use common sense, and get whipped up by HYSTERIA.

It's time for a change.
Vote for women. The guys = out-of-control corruption.

    Favorite    Flag as abusive Posted 03:43 PM on 11/14/2007

*
I have a tip for Hillary... BRING BACK THE FURNITURE.

*

    Favorite    Flag as abusive Posted 03:00 PM on 11/14/2007

hillary, if elected, would be the new george bush. believe it.

    Favorite    Flag as abusive Posted 01:46 PM on 11/14/2007

bush gave me a trillion dollar tip... "don't war into the wind".

    Favorite    Flag as abusive Posted 01:03 PM on 11/14/2007

regardless of whether hillary is nice or not... this is an obvious hit job.

this was the kind of stuff duhbyuh got a pass on when he was running.

    Favorite    Flag as abusive Posted 12:56 PM on 11/14/2007

Hey Sam Stein!

DO YOU GIVE A TIP TO MCDONALD SERVERS AFTER THEY TAKE YOUR ORDER?

It is OBVIOUS you're trying to besmirched Hillary Clinton! You're a typical neocon!

    Favorite    Flag as abusive Posted 12:40 PM on 11/14/2007
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Nico Pitney is National Editor at the Huffington Post.
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Thomas B. Edsall is the Political Editor of the Huffington Post. He is also Joseph Pulitzer II and Edith Pulitzer Moore Professor at the Columbia Graduate School of Journalism.
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Sam Stein is the White House correspondent for the Huffington Post. Previously he worked for Newsweek Magazine, the New York Daily News and the investigative journalism group Center for Public Integrity.
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Ryan Grim is the senior congressional correspondent for the Huffington Post. He is a former staff reporter with Politico.com and Washington City Paper.
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Jason Linkins is editor of Huffington Post's media commentary blog Eat the Press. He is based in Washington, DC, and previously contributed to DCist and Wonkette.
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