--- title: "Meaning & Key Takeaway of: Almost all first ladies have had…" description: "\"Almost all first ladies have had tremendous power on personnel issues, whether the public realized it or not, whether it was Barbara Bush or Nancy Reag..." image: "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/35c/dee-dee-myers-7880_barbara_almost-all-first-ladies-have-had-tremend_317675.png" --- # Almost all first ladies have had tremendous power on… ![“Almost all first ladies have had tremendous power on personnel issues, whether the public realized it or not, whether it was Barbara Bush or Nancy Reagan or whoever.” quote by Dee Dee Myers](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/35c/dee-dee-myers-7880_barbara_almost-all-first-ladies-have-had-tremend_317675.png) [Download](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/35c/dee-dee-myers-7880_barbara_almost-all-first-ladies-have-had-tremend_317675.png) [Open image](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/35c/dee-dee-myers-7880_barbara_almost-all-first-ladies-have-had-tremend_317675.png) > “Almost all first ladies have had tremendous power on personnel issues, whether the public realized it or not, whether it was Barbara Bush or Nancy Reagan or whoever.” [Dee Dee Myers](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/dee-dee-myers/) ## About This Quote This interpretation was drafted with AI assistance. It is one reading of the quote, not the author's own explanation. First Ladies wield significant influence over staffing and policy, often unnoticed by the public. **In simple terms:** First Ladies have hidden power over personnel. Key Takeaway Recognize informal power structures. Themes politics gender influence Mood analytical critical Type political historical When to use this quote - campaign staffing - policy advising - media relations - historical analysis Key Concepts leadership dynamics informal authority Questions to Reflect On - How can first ladies leverage their influence effectively? - What are the ethical implications of unseen power? A Different Perspective Power may be limited by elected officials' control. ★ ★ ★ ★ ★ No ratings yet [First ladies](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/first-ladies/) [First lady](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/first-lady/) [Issues](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/issues/) [Personnel](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/personnel/) ## Related quotes > [Even in Kitty Kelley's book, which is so negative, they talk about, as with all first ladies, that Nancy Reagan is constantly around to…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/cynthia-nixon/even-in-kitty-kelley-s-book-which-is-so-negative-they-talk-about-as/) [Cynthia Nixon](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/cynthia-nixon/) > [ I think the fact that she \[Eleanor Roosevelt\] was a woman probably in those days would have been an additional criticism, although first ladies… ](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/william-a-rusher/i-think-the-fact-that-she-eleanor-roosevelt-was-a-woman-probably-in/) [William A. Rusher](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/william-a-rusher/) > [When it comes to personnel issues, I act professionally and respectful of former employees. I just assume that's a two-way street. It's disappointing when…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/michele-bachmann/when-it-comes-to-personnel-issues-i-act-professionally-and-respectful/) [Michele Bachmann](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/michele-bachmann/) > [Do you remember Barbara Bush? I call her the silver douchebag.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/george-carlin/do-you-remember-barbara-bush-i-call-her-the-silver-douchebag/) [George Carlin](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/george-carlin/) > [“Clinton lied. A man might forget where he parks or where he lives,, but he never forgets oral sex, no matter how bad it…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/tatiana/clinton-lied-a-man-might-forget-where-he-parks-or-where-he-lives-but-2/) Tatiana > [“In the contest of upward mobility, Barack and Michelle Obama have won. But they’ve won by being twice as good—and enduring twice as much.…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/anonymous/in-the-contest-of-upward-mobility-barack-and-michelle-obama-have-won-2/) [Anonymous](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/anonymous/) > [Happy birthday to former First Lady Barbara Bush, who turned seventy-seven this week. Unfortunately, where her granddaughters helped blow out the candles on her…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/craig-kilborn/happy-birthday-to-former-first-lady-barbara-bush-who-turned-seventy/) [Craig Kilborn](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/craig-kilborn/) > [“In the contest of upward mobility, Barack and Michelle Obama have won. But they’ve won by being twice as good—and enduring twice as much.…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/anonymous/in-the-contest-of-upward-mobility-barack-and-michelle-obama-have-won/) [Anonymous](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/anonymous/) > [The last book I read to my mom was 'Barbara Bush: A Memoir' published by mom in 1994. 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Im so glad shes back and more compassionate than ever, ... Thats right, of…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/sandra-bernhard/barbara-bush-has-her-finger-on-the-pulse-of-america-im-so-glad-shes/) [Sandra Bernhard](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/sandra-bernhard/) > [“A few months ago, I was sitting morosely at my desk, wondering why I had ever agreed to review Barbara Bush: A Memoir for…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/christopher-hitchens/a-few-months-ago-i-was-sitting-morosely-at-my-desk-wondering-why-i/) [Christopher Hitchens](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/christopher-hitchens/) > [“I look like Barbara Bush in drag." Aunt Jettie”](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/molly-harper/i-look-like-barbara-bush-in-drag-aunt-jettie/) [Molly Harper](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/molly-harper/) ## More by Dee Dee Myers > [It isn't fate but fecklessness that has shoved Sarah Palin to the sidelines of national politics. The real tragedy is that she's taken a…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/dee-dee-myers/it-isn-t-fate-but-fecklessness-that-has-shoved-sarah-palin-to-the/) [Dee Dee Myers](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/dee-dee-myers/) > [I was supposed to be authoritative, but at the same time had to be likeable, a quality that is a bonus, not a requirement,…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/dee-dee-myers/i-was-supposed-to-be-authoritative-but-at-the-same-time-had-to-be/) [Dee Dee Myers](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/dee-dee-myers/) > [It was what became something of a pattern in the first couple of years of the Clinton White House and maybe even longer, where…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/dee-dee-myers/it-was-what-became-something-of-a-pattern-in-the-first-couple-of/) [Dee Dee Myers](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/dee-dee-myers/) > [Throughout his presidency, Clinton made a point of getting close - physically and emotionally - to the people whose problems his administration was working…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/dee-dee-myers/throughout-his-presidency-clinton-made-a-point-of-getting-close/) [Dee Dee Myers](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/dee-dee-myers/) > [The fight is always the same within the Democratic Party, isn't it? 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While political…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/dee-dee-myers/even-tax-breaks-that-are-supposed-to-help-the-middle-class-too-often/) [Dee Dee Myers](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/dee-dee-myers/) > [Part of Obama's persona is self-reliance. He's calm; he's cool; he's self-possessed. In many ways, he has tried to define himself in opposition to…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/dee-dee-myers/part-of-obama-s-persona-is-self-reliance-he-s-calm-he-s-cool-he-s/) [Dee Dee Myers](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/dee-dee-myers/) > [Obama has become too dependent on formal speeches and set town halls. His idea of mixing it up is taking off his jacket.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/dee-dee-myers/obama-has-become-too-dependent-on-formal-speeches-and-set-town-halls/) [Dee Dee Myers](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/dee-dee-myers/) > [President Barack Obama would do well to take a page or two from Clinton's playbook.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/dee-dee-myers/president-barack-obama-would-do-well-to-take-a-page-or-two-from/) [Dee Dee Myers](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/dee-dee-myers/) > [In a way I think Bill Clinton is more likely to forgive and move on or at least try to woo people who don't…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/dee-dee-myers/in-a-way-i-think-bill-clinton-is-more-likely-to-forgive-and-move-on/) [Dee Dee Myers](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/dee-dee-myers/) > [No doubt, the White House thinks the American people know Obama's story. But since the Inauguration, we've seen only the president's present: his perfect…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/dee-dee-myers/no-doubt-the-white-house-thinks-the-american-people-know-obama-s/) [Dee Dee Myers](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/dee-dee-myers/) > [Many differences are rooted in biology and reinforced through culture, so it's important to acknowledge that. Because if you say men and women are…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/dee-dee-myers/many-differences-are-rooted-in-biology-and-reinforced-through-culture/) [Dee Dee Myers](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/dee-dee-myers/) > [Bill Clinton sitting on Air Force One getting his hair cut while people around the country cooled their heels and waited for him, became…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/dee-dee-myers/bill-clinton-sitting-on-air-force-one-getting-his-hair-cut-while/) [Dee Dee Myers](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/dee-dee-myers/) [Explore all 86 Dee Dee Myers quotes ](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/dee-dee-myers/) ## More Barbara quotes > [Even with clothing naked animals, there were people who wanted to send in money. A woman in Santa Barbara, California, sent a $40,000 check.…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/alan-abel/even-with-clothing-naked-animals-there-were-people-who-wanted-to-send/) [Alan Abel](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/alan-abel/) > [Work takes me away from my wife, Sue, and my life in Santa Barbara.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/jeff-bridges/work-takes-me-away-from-my-wife-sue-and-my-life-in-santa-barbara/) [Jeff Bridges](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/jeff-bridges/) > [I admire the Elsie Tanners and Barbara Windsors of the world: people who have crawled back from the abyss. I'm quite camp in that…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/jenny-eclair/i-admire-the-elsie-tanners-and-barbara-windsors-of-the-world-people/) [Jenny Eclair](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/jenny-eclair/) > [I had never done a Director's Cut narration on Beaches so I did in time for the release of the DVD. It was a…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/garry-marshall/i-had-never-done-a-director-s-cut-narration-on-beaches-so-i-did-in/) [Garry Marshall](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/garry-marshall/) > [I like to use the hyaluronic acid by Dr. Barbara Sturm.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/camille-rowe/i-like-to-use-the-hyaluronic-acid-by-dr-barbara-sturm/) [Camille Rowe](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/camille-rowe/) > [As Barbara Streisand discovered, adopting a militaristic posture against a tech-savvy mob of civil libertarians is not going to be of much help: Many…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/evgeny-morozov/as-barbara-streisand-discovered-adopting-a-militaristic-posture/) [Evgeny Morozov](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/evgeny-morozov/) > [The postmodern reply to the modern consists of recognizing that the past, since it cannot really be destroyed, because its destruction leads to silence,…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/umberto-eco/the-postmodern-reply-to-the-modern-consists-of-recognizing-that-the/) [Umberto Eco](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/umberto-eco/) > [There's one Baldessari work I genuinely love and would like to own, maybe because of my Midwestern roots and love of driving alone. 'The…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/jerry-saltz/there-s-one-baldessari-work-i-genuinely-love-and-would-like-to-own/) [Jerry Saltz](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/jerry-saltz/) > [I know I'm going to have to get beyond being George H.W. Bush's son and Barbara's son -- for which I'm really proud. And…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/jeb-bush/i-know-i-m-going-to-have-to-get-beyond-being-george-h-w-bush-s-son/) [Jeb Bush](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/jeb-bush/) > [Throughout her career, Ana Barbara has cultivated endless hits; each of her albums was a true musical surprise... this is why today she is…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/ana-barbara/throughout-her-career-ana-barbara-has-cultivated-endless-hits-each-of/) Ana Barbara > [I mean, the actors that I admired were Marlon Brando, Montgomery Clift, an actress named Barbara Harris. And Greta Garbo. They were great actors.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/robert-de-niro/i-mean-the-actors-that-i-admired-were-marlon-brando-montgomery-clift/) [Robert De Niro](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/robert-de-niro/) > [I've published many biographies over the years and enjoyed working with writers on their research, discussing it, thinking about it and how it revealed…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/victoria-wilson/i-ve-published-many-biographies-over-the-years-and-enjoyed-working/) [Victoria Wilson](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/victoria-wilson/) > [When I was in college, I wanted to be editor of 'Reason' when I grew up. It was an impractical ambition, especially since the…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/virginia-postrel/when-i-was-in-college-i-wanted-to-be-editor-of-reason-when-i-grew-up/) [Virginia Postrel](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/virginia-postrel/) > [I was lucky enough to make four pictures with Barbara. In the first I turned her in, in the second I killed her, in…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/fred-macmurray/i-was-lucky-enough-to-make-four-pictures-with-barbara-in-the-first-i/) [Fred MacMurray](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/fred-macmurray/) > [Barbara Parkins was so rude and petty all of the time. I just found her behavior to be so silly.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/lana-wood/barbara-parkins-was-so-rude-and-petty-all-of-the-time-i-just-found/) [Lana Wood](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/lana-wood/) Browse all 176 Barbara quotes ```json { "@context": "https://schema.org", "@graph": [ { "@type": "Quotation", "text": "Almost all first ladies have had tremendous power on personnel issues, whether the public realized it or not, whether it was Barbara Bush or Nancy Reagan or whoever.", "creator": { "@type": "Person", "name": "Dee Dee Myers" }, "isPartOf": { "@id": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/#website" }, "url": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/dee-dee-myers/almost-all-first-ladies-have-had-tremendous-power-on-personnel-issues/", "about": { "@type": "Thing", "name": "Barbara" }, "@id": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/dee-dee-myers/almost-all-first-ladies-have-had-tremendous-power-on-personnel-issues/#quotation", "image": { "@type": "ImageObject", "@id": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/35c/dee-dee-myers-7880_barbara_almost-all-first-ladies-have-had-tremend_317675.png", "contentUrl": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/35c/dee-dee-myers-7880_barbara_almost-all-first-ladies-have-had-tremend_317675.png", "url": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/35c/dee-dee-myers-7880_barbara_almost-all-first-ladies-have-had-tremend_317675.png", "width": 1080, "height": 1080, "caption": "“Almost all first ladies have had tremendous power on personnel issues, whether the public realized it or…” — Dee Dee Myers", "creditText": "SMS4Smile Quotes", "creator": { "@id": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/#organization" } } }, { "@type": "BreadcrumbList", "itemListElement": [ { "@type": "ListItem", "position": 1, "name": "Home", "item": "https://sms4smile.com/" }, { "@type": "ListItem", "position": 2, "name": "Quotes", "item": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/" }, { "@type": "ListItem", "position": 3, "name": "Dee Dee Myers", "item": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/dee-dee-myers/" }, { "@type": "ListItem", "position": 4, "name": "Almost all first ladies have had...", "item": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/dee-dee-myers/almost-all-first-ladies-have-had-tremendous-power-on-personnel-issues/" } ], "@id": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/dee-dee-myers/almost-all-first-ladies-have-had-tremendous-power-on-personnel-issues/#breadcrumb" }, { "@type": "WebSite", "@id": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/#website", "name": "SMS4Smile Quotes", "url": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/", "publisher": { "@id": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/#organization" } }, { "@type": "Organization", "@id": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/#organization", "name": "SMS4Smile Quotes", "url": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/", "logo": { "@type": "ImageObject", "url": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/wp-content/themes/sq/assets/icons/icon-512.png", "width": 512, "height": 512 } } ] } ```