“House of Cards” begins its fourth season on Friday. The popular Netflix series, a reboot of a BBC TV series, follows the rise of Frank Underwood from congressman to president of the United States. At the end of the last season, viewers saw the beginning of the dissolution of the political power couple Francis and Claire Underwood. In the last episode, Claire told Francis she wanted to leave him.

While Frank Underwood is the star and driving force of “House of Cards,” Claire is his powerful counterpart, always showing support and stability despite the infidelity and Machiavellian tactician behavior of her husband. She has her own political aspirations.

She skillfully maneuvers political leverage to help build her resume and fulfill her own aspirations.  Together in their scheming, they live a very calculated life.

Does this sound familiar?

“House of Cards” star Kevin Spacey told “Gotham” magazine last year that former President Bill Clinton loves the show. “Kevin, 99 percent of what you do on that show is real. The 1 percent you get wrong is you could never get an education bill passed that fast,” Spacey told the magazine about Clinton’s conversation with him.

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Here are some of the ways the show gives you the impression that the writers and actors have drawn some inspiration from the former first family:

1.) Team players. The Clintons have a protective nature about each other. When Vincent Foster, a close friend of Hillary Clinton, was found dead in a park near Washington, D.C., the couple worked overtime to push back on the political firestorm of rumors alleging an affair between Foster and the First Lady, among other accusations.  

When Claire Underwood had an affair with an artist friend Adam Galloway, his photo of her asleep caused a controversy. Claire and Frank proceeded to throw the artist under the bus and, together, they threaten to bury him and his fiancee if they do not submit to they wishes to clean up their reputation.

When Frank Underwood’s affair with the young reporter becomes apparent to Claire, she goes along with his actions as long as they benefit the couple’s mutual goal of using the media to take his career to the next level. When the reporter becomes a problem, she is eliminated by being thrown off a metro platform into an oncoming train.

We will never forget the “bimbo eruptions” and the behind-the-scenes attacks of the women who alleged to have affairs — willingly or unwillingly — with Bill Clinton. The ruthless attacks of these women continue to traumatize them to this day. Many of the attacks are believed to be the handiwork of Hillary Clinton herself.

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2.) Non-profits. Claire ruthlessly and pragmatically runs the Clean Water Initiative (CWI), an environmental nonprofit organization. She leverages her power to benefit her husband and uses her connections to help her husband’s work in his legislative efforts. She even sacrifices environmental projects for the greater good of their common goals. 

The book “Clinton Cash” revealed that the Clinton Foundation was central to President Clinton’s post-presidency political leveraging of deals and helped influence world leaders. Some allegations suggest that the foundation’s fundraising and relationships caused a conflict when Hillary Clinton was secretary of state.

3.) Aspirations. After years of being by President Clinton’s side as First Lady in a turbulent tenure filled with allegations of affairs and impeachment, Hillary Clinton’s political aspirations went into hyper-drive. 

She immediately ran for United States senator from New York following his presidency and turned that tenure into a bid for failed bid for presidency but gained a spot in the Obama administration as Secretary of State. 

Claire Underwood seized on her husband’s position as president of the United States to pressure him to make her ambassador to the United Nations in Season 3. She no longer was interested in taking a backseat to Frank’s aspirations and wanted to build her own political career. The strength of the marriage was tested when Claire failed to help release an LGBT activist in Russia, causing more turmoil in the region diplomatically. When she was forced to give up her dreams as ambassador, she gave up on the marriage as well.

Now the only question is this: Will Season 4 keep the comparison alive?