Betsey Wright
Encyclopedia
Betsey Ross Wright is an American
lobbyist
, activist
, and political consultant
who worked more than a decade for Bill Clinton
in Arkansas
. She served as chief of staff
to Governor Clinton for seven years. As deputy chair of the 1992 Clinton presidential campaign
, Wright established the rapid response system that was responsible for defending Clinton's record in Arkansas and promptly answering all personal attacks on the candidate. During the 1992 campaign, Wright coined the term "bimbo
eruptions" to describe rumors alleging extramarital affairs
by Clinton. In the 1990s, Wright was an executive for The Wexler Group, a lobbying firm in Washington, D.C.
She currently resides in Rogers, Arkansas
.
, Texas
. She attended Alpine High School and received her higher education at the University of Texas at Austin
, graduating with a bachelor of arts
in 1967.
's unsuccessful 1972 presidential campaign
. It was during this campaign when she met Bill Clinton and Hillary Rodham
. Wright became close friends with Rodham, a woman she thought had the potential to become a U.S. senator
or America's first female president. In 1973, Wright moved to Washington, D.C. and began working for the National Women's Political Caucus
, hoping the job would further Rodham's political viability. During Clinton's unsuccessful run for the House of Representatives
in 1974, Wright commuted on the weekends to Arkansas to assist his campaign.
During the late 1970s, Wright founded and served as executive director of the now-defunct National Women's Education Fund, an organization based in Washington, D.C. which raised funds for women candidates. While there, she designed, organized and conducted training programs throughout the country for women candidates, campaign manager
s, and officeholders.
In 1980, ten days after his defeat for re-election
as Governor of Arkansas, Bill Clinton asked Wright to come to Little Rock
and help organize the campaign's records and files. Bringing only her suitcase, Wright traveled to Little Rock and began formulating Clinton's political comeback. She organized and ran Clinton's successful 1982 gubernatorial campaign
, as well as his re-election campaigns in 1984 and 1986. The New York Times
credited Wright as being "an architect of [Clinton's] rise to power in Arkansas." In 1982, Wright was appointed as chief of staff to Governor Clinton. Her duties included managing public support for Clinton's controversial education reform
s. Wright resigned from her position in 1989, citing exhaustion.
In 1990, Wright was elected chair of the Democratic Party of Arkansas
and was hired as its executive director. While serving as a fellow
at Harvard University
's Kennedy School of Government
in 1992, Wright led a seminar entitled "High Tech Politics". She resigned to return to Arkansas and assist Clinton during his run for the presidency. Wright served as deputy chair of the Clinton campaign during the 1992 election
, but did not work for the Clinton administration
.
On the eve of the 1992 election, Anne Wexler
offered Wright a position as executive vice president of The Wexler Group, a lobbying firm whose parent company is the WPP Group
. As a lobbyist, Wright's clients included American Airlines
, the American Dietetic Association
, the American Forest & Paper Association
, and ARCO
, among others.
, a prisoners' rights
advocate, and strongly opposes capital punishment
. She often visits inmates on Arkansas
' death row
at the Varner Unit
, a high-security prison
located near Grady
.
While visiting a death row inmate in 2005, Wright was accused of trying to smuggle money into the prison. After the incident, Wright lost visitation privileges for six months. In August 2009, the Arkansas State's Attorney
's office filed 51 felony
charges against Wright, accusing her of attempting to smuggle a knife, tweezers
, a boxcutter
, and 48 tattoo
needles into the Varner Unit on May 22. During an interview with the Associated Press
, Wright denied any wrongdoing. In April 2010, Wright agreed in a plea bargain
to plead no contest to two misdemeanors; in exchange, 48 felony counts were dropped. She was sentenced to one year of probation and a $2000 fine.
The War Room
, a behind the scenes look at Clinton's 1992 presidential campaign. Wright also appeared in the 2004 documentary The Hunting of the President: The Ten-Year Campaign to Destroy Bill Clinton
, a film adaption of the book written by Joe Conason
and Gene Lyons
in 2000.
's 1996 novel Primary Colors is loosely based on Wright. In the 1998 film adaption, Holden's character was portrayed by Kathy Bates
, a role which earned Bates an Academy Award nomination for Best Supporting Actress
.
United States
The United States of America is a federal constitutional republic comprising fifty states and a federal district...
lobbyist
Lobbying in the United States
Lobbying in the United States targets the United States Senate, the United States House of Representatives, and state legislatures. Lobbyists may also represent their clients' or organizations' interests in dealings with federal, state, or local executive branch agencies or the courts. Lobby...
, activist
Activism
Activism consists of intentional efforts to bring about social, political, economic, or environmental change. Activism can take a wide range of forms from writing letters to newspapers or politicians, political campaigning, economic activism such as boycotts or preferentially patronizing...
, and political consultant
Political consulting
Political consulting, beyond the self-evident definition of consulting in political matters, refers to a specific management consulting industry which has grown up around advising and assisting political campaigns. This article deals primarily with the development and nature of political consulting...
who worked more than a decade for Bill Clinton
Bill Clinton
William Jefferson "Bill" Clinton is an American politician who served as the 42nd President of the United States from 1993 to 2001. Inaugurated at age 46, he was the third-youngest president. He took office at the end of the Cold War, and was the first president of the baby boomer generation...
in Arkansas
Arkansas
Arkansas is a state located in the southern region of the United States. Its name is an Algonquian name of the Quapaw Indians. Arkansas shares borders with six states , and its eastern border is largely defined by the Mississippi River...
. She served as chief of staff
Chief of Staff
The title, chief of staff, identifies the leader of a complex organization, institution, or body of persons and it also may identify a Principal Staff Officer , who is the coordinator of the supporting staff or a primary aide to an important individual, such as a president.In general, a chief of...
to Governor Clinton for seven years. As deputy chair of the 1992 Clinton presidential campaign
Bill Clinton presidential campaign, 1992
Bill Clinton's 1992 campaign for President of the United States was a critical turning point for the Democratic Party, which had controlled the White House for only four of the previous twenty-four years. Initially viewed as an unlikely prospect to win his party's nomination, Clinton did so and...
, Wright established the rapid response system that was responsible for defending Clinton's record in Arkansas and promptly answering all personal attacks on the candidate. During the 1992 campaign, Wright coined the term "bimbo
Bimbo
Bimbo, in its popular English language usage, describes a woman who is physically attractive but is perceived to have a low intelligence or poor education. The term can also be used to describe a woman who acts in a sexually promiscuous manner...
eruptions" to describe rumors alleging extramarital affairs
Infidelity
In many intimate relationships in many cultures there is usually an express or implied expectation of exclusivity, especially in sexual matters. Infidelity most commonly refers to a breach of the expectation of sexual exclusivity.Infidelity can occur in relation to physical intimacy and/or...
by Clinton. In the 1990s, Wright was an executive for The Wexler Group, a lobbying firm in Washington, D.C.
Washington, D.C.
Washington, D.C., formally the District of Columbia and commonly referred to as Washington, "the District", or simply D.C., is the capital of the United States. On July 16, 1790, the United States Congress approved the creation of a permanent national capital as permitted by the U.S. Constitution....
She currently resides in Rogers, Arkansas
Rogers, Arkansas
Rogers is a suburban city in Benton County, Arkansas, United States. As of the 2010 census, the city has a population of 55,964. The city is located in the Fayetteville-Springdale-Rogers Metropolitan Area, in the northwest corner of the state.-History:...
.
Early life
Wright was born July 4, 1943 in AlpineAlpine, Texas
Alpine is a city in and the county seat of Brewster County, Texas, United States. The population was 5,786 people at the 2000 census, and had increased to 5,905 by 2010.-History:...
, Texas
Texas
Texas is the second largest U.S. state by both area and population, and the largest state by area in the contiguous United States.The name, based on the Caddo word "Tejas" meaning "friends" or "allies", was applied by the Spanish to the Caddo themselves and to the region of their settlement in...
. She attended Alpine High School and received her higher education at the University of Texas at Austin
University of Texas at Austin
The University of Texas at Austin is a state research university located in Austin, Texas, USA, and is the flagship institution of the The University of Texas System. Founded in 1883, its campus is located approximately from the Texas State Capitol in Austin...
, graduating with a bachelor of arts
Bachelor of Arts
A Bachelor of Arts , from the Latin artium baccalaureus, is a bachelor's degree awarded for an undergraduate course or program in either the liberal arts, the sciences, or both...
in 1967.
Career
Wright worked for George McGovernGeorge McGovern
George Stanley McGovern is an historian, author, and former U.S. Representative, U.S. Senator, and the Democratic Party nominee in the 1972 presidential election....
's unsuccessful 1972 presidential campaign
United States presidential election, 1972
The United States presidential election of 1972 was the 47th quadrennial United States presidential election. It was held on November 7, 1972. The Democratic Party's nomination was eventually won by Senator George McGovern, who ran an anti-war campaign against incumbent Republican President Richard...
. It was during this campaign when she met Bill Clinton and Hillary Rodham
Hillary Rodham Clinton
Hillary Diane Rodham Clinton is the 67th United States Secretary of State, serving in the administration of President Barack Obama. She was a United States Senator for New York from 2001 to 2009. As the wife of the 42nd President of the United States, Bill Clinton, she was the First Lady of the...
. Wright became close friends with Rodham, a woman she thought had the potential to become a U.S. senator
United States Senate
The United States Senate is the upper house of the bicameral legislature of the United States, and together with the United States House of Representatives comprises the United States Congress. The composition and powers of the Senate are established in Article One of the U.S. Constitution. Each...
or America's first female president. In 1973, Wright moved to Washington, D.C. and began working for the National Women's Political Caucus
National Women's Political Caucus
The National Women's Political Caucus is a national bipartisan grassroots organization in the United States dedicated to recruiting, training, and supporting women who seek elected and appointed offices....
, hoping the job would further Rodham's political viability. During Clinton's unsuccessful run for the House of Representatives
United States House of Representatives
The United States House of Representatives is one of the two Houses of the United States Congress, the bicameral legislature which also includes the Senate.The composition and powers of the House are established in Article One of the Constitution...
in 1974, Wright commuted on the weekends to Arkansas to assist his campaign.
During the late 1970s, Wright founded and served as executive director of the now-defunct National Women's Education Fund, an organization based in Washington, D.C. which raised funds for women candidates. While there, she designed, organized and conducted training programs throughout the country for women candidates, campaign manager
Campaign manager
A campaign manager is a paid or volunteer individual, whose role is to coordinate the campaign's operations such as fundraising, advertising, polling, getting out the vote , and other activities supporting the effort, directly.Apart from the candidate, they are often a campaign's most visible leader...
s, and officeholders.
In 1980, ten days after his defeat for re-election
Arkansas gubernatorial election, 1980
The Arkansas gubernatorial election of 1980 was only that state’s third election since Reconstruction when a Republican candidate won governorship, and the first in which an incumbent was defeated....
as Governor of Arkansas, Bill Clinton asked Wright to come to Little Rock
Little Rock, Arkansas
Little Rock is the capital and the largest city of the U.S. state of Arkansas. The Metropolitan Statistical Area had a population of 699,757 people in the 2010 census...
and help organize the campaign's records and files. Bringing only her suitcase, Wright traveled to Little Rock and began formulating Clinton's political comeback. She organized and ran Clinton's successful 1982 gubernatorial campaign
Arkansas gubernatorial election, 1982
The Arkansas gubernatorial election of 1982 was the second since Reconstruction in which an incumbent was defeated.One-term Democratic Governor of Arkansas Bill Clinton regained the position after having narrowly been defeated by Republican Frank D. White at the previous election...
, as well as his re-election campaigns in 1984 and 1986. The New York Times
The New York Times
The New York Times is an American daily newspaper founded and continuously published in New York City since 1851. The New York Times has won 106 Pulitzer Prizes, the most of any news organization...
credited Wright as being "an architect of [Clinton's] rise to power in Arkansas." In 1982, Wright was appointed as chief of staff to Governor Clinton. Her duties included managing public support for Clinton's controversial education reform
Education reform
Education reform is the process of improving public education. Small improvements in education theoretically have large social returns, in health, wealth and well-being. Historically, reforms have taken different forms because the motivations of reformers have differed.A continuing motivation has...
s. Wright resigned from her position in 1989, citing exhaustion.
In 1990, Wright was elected chair of the Democratic Party of Arkansas
Democratic Party of Arkansas
The Democratic Party of Arkansas is the local branch of the United States Democratic Party in the state of Arkansas. It is responsible for promoting the ideologies and core values of the national Democratic Party in Arkansas.-History:...
and was hired as its executive director. While serving as a fellow
Research fellow
The title of research fellow is used to denote a research position at a university or similar institution, usually for academic staff or faculty members. A research fellow may act either as an independent investigator or under the supervision of a principal investigator...
at Harvard University
Harvard University
Harvard University is a private Ivy League university located in Cambridge, Massachusetts, United States, established in 1636 by the Massachusetts legislature. Harvard is the oldest institution of higher learning in the United States and the first corporation chartered in the country...
's Kennedy School of Government
John F. Kennedy School of Government
The John F. Kennedy School of Government at Harvard University is a public policy and public administration school, and one of Harvard's graduate and professional schools...
in 1992, Wright led a seminar entitled "High Tech Politics". She resigned to return to Arkansas and assist Clinton during his run for the presidency. Wright served as deputy chair of the Clinton campaign during the 1992 election
United States presidential election, 1992
The United States presidential election of 1992 had three major candidates: Incumbent Republican President George Bush; Democratic Arkansas Governor Bill Clinton, and independent Texas businessman Ross Perot....
, but did not work for the Clinton administration
Presidency of Bill Clinton
The United States Presidency of Bill Clinton, also known as the Clinton Administration, was the executive branch of the federal government of the United States from January 20, 1993 to January 20, 2001. Clinton was the first Democratic president since Franklin D. Roosevelt to win a second full term...
.
On the eve of the 1992 election, Anne Wexler
Anne Wexler
Anne L. Wexler was an American influential Democratic political consultant, public policy advisor and later, the first woman to head a leading lobbying firm in Washington.-Early life and education:...
offered Wright a position as executive vice president of The Wexler Group, a lobbying firm whose parent company is the WPP Group
WPP Group
WPP plc is a global media communications services company with its main management office in London, United Kingdom and its executive office in Dublin, Ireland. It is the world's largest advertising group by revenues, and employs over 150,000 people in 2,400 offices in 107 countries...
. As a lobbyist, Wright's clients included American Airlines
American Airlines
American Airlines, Inc. is the world's fourth-largest airline in passenger miles transported and operating revenues. American Airlines is a subsidiary of the AMR Corporation and is headquartered in Fort Worth, Texas adjacent to its largest hub at Dallas/Fort Worth International Airport...
, the American Dietetic Association
American Dietetic Association
The American Dietetic Association is the United States' largest organization of food and nutrition professionals, with nearly 72,000 members. The American Dietetic Association is officially changing its name to the Academy of Nutrition and Dietetics. The announcement was made Saturday, September...
, the American Forest & Paper Association
American Forest & Paper Association
The American Forest & Paper Association is the national trade association of the forest products industry, representing manufacturers of approximately 80 percent of the U.S...
, and ARCO
ARCO
Atlantic Richfield Company is an oil company with operations in the United States as well as in Indonesia, the North Sea, and the South China Sea. It has more than 1,300 gas stations in the western part of the United States. ARCO was originally formed by the merger of East Coast-based Atlantic...
, among others.
Advocacy
Wright is a supporter of the feminist movementFeminist movement
The feminist movement refers to a series of campaigns for reforms on issues such as reproductive rights, domestic violence, maternity leave, equal pay, women's suffrage, sexual harassment and sexual violence...
, a prisoners' rights
Prisoners' rights
The rights of civil and military prisoners are governed by both national and international law. International conventions include: the International Covenant on Civil and Political Rights; the United Nations' Minimum Rules for the Treatment of Prisoners and the European Committee for the...
advocate, and strongly opposes capital punishment
Capital punishment in the United States
Capital punishment in the United States, in practice, applies only for aggravated murder and more rarely for felony murder. Capital punishment was a penalty at common law, for many felonies, and was enforced in all of the American colonies prior to the Declaration of Independence...
. She often visits inmates on Arkansas
Capital punishment in Arkansas
Capital punishment is legal in the U.S. state of Arkansas. Since 1820, a total of 504 individuals have been executed. According to the Arkansas Department of Correction, as of December 22, 2008, a total of 40 men were under a sentence of death in the state....
' death row
Death row
Death row signifies the place, often a section of a prison, that houses individuals awaiting execution. The term is also used figuratively to describe the state of awaiting execution , even in places where no special facility or separate unit for condemned inmates exists.After individuals are found...
at the Varner Unit
Varner Unit
The Varner Unit is a high-security state prison of the Arkansas Department of Correction in Varner, unincorporated Lincoln County, Arkansas, United States. It is located along U.S. Highway 65, near Grady, and south of Pine Bluff...
, a high-security prison
Supermax
Supermax is the name used to describe "control-unit" prisons, or units within prisons, which represent the most secure levels of custody in the prison systems of certain countries...
located near Grady
Grady, Arkansas
Grady is a city in Lincoln County, Arkansas, United States. The population was 523 at the 2000 census. It is included in the Pine Bluff, Arkansas Metropolitan Statistical Area.-Geography:Grady is located at ....
.
While visiting a death row inmate in 2005, Wright was accused of trying to smuggle money into the prison. After the incident, Wright lost visitation privileges for six months. In August 2009, the Arkansas State's Attorney
State's Attorney
In the United States, the State's Attorney is, most commonly, an elected official who represents the State in criminal prosecutions and is often the chief law enforcement officer of their respective county, circuit...
's office filed 51 felony
Felony
A felony is a serious crime in the common law countries. The term originates from English common law where felonies were originally crimes which involved the confiscation of a convicted person's land and goods; other crimes were called misdemeanors...
charges against Wright, accusing her of attempting to smuggle a knife, tweezers
Tweezers
Tweezers are tools used for picking up and manipulating objects too small to be easily handled with the human hands. They are probably derived from tongs, pincers, or scissors-like pliers used to grab or hold hot objects since the dawn of recorded history...
, a boxcutter
Utility knife
A utility knife is a knife used for general or utility purposes. The utility knife was originally a fixed blade knife with a cutting edge suitable for general work such as cutting hides and cordage, scraping hides, butchering animals, cleaning fish, and other tasks.Today, the term "utility knife"...
, and 48 tattoo
Tattoo
A tattoo is made by inserting indelible ink into the dermis layer of the skin to change the pigment. Tattoos on humans are a type of body modification, and tattoos on other animals are most commonly used for identification purposes...
needles into the Varner Unit on May 22. During an interview with the Associated Press
Associated Press
The Associated Press is an American news agency. The AP is a cooperative owned by its contributing newspapers, radio and television stations in the United States, which both contribute stories to the AP and use material written by its staff journalists...
, Wright denied any wrongdoing. In April 2010, Wright agreed in a plea bargain
Plea bargain
A plea bargain is an agreement in a criminal case whereby the prosecutor offers the defendant the opportunity to plead guilty, usually to a lesser charge or to the original criminal charge with a recommendation of a lighter than the maximum sentence.A plea bargain allows criminal defendants to...
to plead no contest to two misdemeanors; in exchange, 48 felony counts were dropped. She was sentenced to one year of probation and a $2000 fine.
Film
Wright appeared in the 1993 documentary filmDocumentary film
Documentary films constitute a broad category of nonfictional motion pictures intended to document some aspect of reality, primarily for the purposes of instruction or maintaining a historical record...
The War Room
The War Room
The War Room is a 1993 American documentary film about Bill Clinton's campaign for President of the United States during the 1992 presidential election.-Background:...
, a behind the scenes look at Clinton's 1992 presidential campaign. Wright also appeared in the 2004 documentary The Hunting of the President: The Ten-Year Campaign to Destroy Bill Clinton
The Hunting of the President
The Hunting of the President is a 2004 English language documentary film about Bill Clinton. Clinton and his wife Hillary Clinton appear in archived footage...
, a film adaption of the book written by Joe Conason
Joe Conason
Joe Conason is an American journalist, author and political commentator. He writes a column for the weekly New York Observer newspaper, for Salon.com and has written a number of books, including Big Lies , which addresses what he says are myths spread about liberals by conservatives.-Life and...
and Gene Lyons
Gene Lyons
Gene Lyons is a liberal political columnist and co-author with Joe Conason of The Hunting of the President: The 10 Year Campaign to Destroy Bill and Hillary Clinton, a documentary book published in 2000, with a supporting film. The book outlines a purported right wing campaign waged against...
in 2000.
Cultural depictions
The character of Libby Holden in Joe KleinJoe Klein
Joe Klein is a longtime Washington, D.C. and New York journalist and columnist, known for his novel Primary Colors, an anonymously written roman à clef portraying Bill Clinton's first presidential campaign. Klein is currently a member of the Council on Foreign Relations and is a former Guggenheim...
's 1996 novel Primary Colors is loosely based on Wright. In the 1998 film adaption, Holden's character was portrayed by Kathy Bates
Kathy Bates
Kathleen Doyle "Kathy" Bates is an American actress and director.After several small roles in film and television, Bates rose to prominence with her performance in Misery , for which she won both the Academy Award for Best Actress and a Golden Globe...
, a role which earned Bates an Academy Award nomination for Best Supporting Actress
Academy Award for Best Supporting Actress
Performance by an Actress in a Supporting Role is one of the Academy Awards of Merit presented annually by the Academy of Motion Picture Arts and Sciences to recognize an actress who has delivered an outstanding performance while working within the film industry. Since its inception, however, the...
.