Author Janis Kearney shares her insights on Bill Clinton

By Meghan Streit
THE ERICKSON TRIBUNE

When Janis Kearney was growing up in Gould, Ark., in a family of 19 children, she could not have imagined that her career would take her all the way to the White House—but she’s not a bit surprised that it did.

Her parents, who were sharecroppers, instilled their children with a “can-do” attitude and encouraged them to work hard for their goals.

“The one gift my parents gave us was the permission to dream as big as we possibly could,” Kearney said during a discussion and book signing at Sedgebrook on May 29.

After studying journalism at the University of Arkansas, Kearny purchased the Arkansas State Press newspaper in 1987 from civil rights activist Daisy Bates. Kearney said she developed an interest in politics during her newspaper days. So when the opportunity presented itself to work on the 1992 Clinton-Gore presidential campaign, Kearney took a chance that changed the course of her career.

From Arkansas to Washington, D.C.
After Bill Clinton won the election, Kearney was offered a job as a media specialist at the White House. She grappled with leaving her native Arkansas and her role at the newspaper, but she ultimately decided to take the risk.

In 1995 Kearney became the first “presidential diarist.” In this role, she documented Clinton’s daily life during his administration by traveling with him, sitting in on his meetings, as well as having personal conversations with the president.

Her years as his diarist gave Kearney a rare glimpse into Clinton as a president— and as a person.

“He was president, but he was still a human being,” she said. “In the end, he’s still that person who looks at the wrongs in the world, and wants to right them.”