Why I Will Stand With Her
America is in a time of transition. Memories of the Iraq War and the Great Recession are still prevalent in people’s minds. This election reminds us that we still have a lot of work to do in order to overcome the issues that are currently affecting America. We must also be careful to remember past failures and learn from them in order to progress in the future. We must ensure a future for America that is free of the kinds of financial and social mistakes of our past. A lack of smart economic regulation, as well as a history of economic and social oppression of disadvantaged groups, make this election incredibly crucial. The only person we can trust to handle these issues is Hillary Rodham Clinton.
Hillary Clinton is an extremely qualified candidate who is more than able to handle the issues that will inevitably arise during her term. As first lady, she championed progressive causes like health care reform in the 1990s, and fought for women’s rights on a domestic and international scale. But Clinton is not only a progressive—she is also a masterful politician and stateswoman. She had an impressive run as secretary of state, carefully crafting deals with some of our most bitter rivals, like Iran. Clinton traveled around the world using diplomatic and military means to ensure that America’s interests were protected abroad. She was able to adapt to a new form of human rights violations that became important during her tenure—the limiting of people’s cyber security. She worked to ensure that people around the world are able to express their opinions as freely as possible, free from government intervention. While focusing on cyber security and human rights in places like Tunisia and Egypt had clear humanitarian benefits, it also furthered American military and political efforts abroad. During her time in the Senate, Clinton was able to achieve success by appealing to both Democrats and Republicans. She was able to make compromises during the Bush administration, when it often seemed as though any progression in American culture was all but lost. Her accomplishments as a politician and public figure are countless.
This election also plays a critical role in determining the foreseeable future of the Supreme Court, as there will be at least one more vacancy during the next presidency. There is currently an empty seat left by the late Antonin Scalia, but there are likely to be four appointments under the next president. This is a huge moment in the history of the Supreme Court, and the nominations made in the next four years will have a lasting impact on the court. Clinton is the only candidate we can trust to ensure that our rights are protected and that we are able to move forward as a country. While Donald Trump has threatened to have the court overturn Roe v. Wade and other landmark cases, Clinton will choose a court that will continue to move us in the right direction. She has promised to get a court that will overturn the disastrous Citizens United decision, and to return politics to an age in which money alone cannot buy an election. Her Supreme Court nominations will benefit the people at large more than they will benefit Washington and Wall Street elites.
Clinton’s record shows a woman who is wholeheartedly committed to promoting her version of the American dream. She has worked toward dismantling some of the economic and social injustices that make this dream so unreachable for so many Americans. She has fought for children, the poor, minorities, and women. This is not to say that there have not been lapses in her judgement. Surely her emails will haunt her for time to come, and the scandal raises questions of government transparency. But Clinton was not the first to do something like this. We must accept her apology—it is backed up by hours of testimony and an acquittal from the FBI. This new round of FBI investigation has been cited as utter overreach on the part of the agency, and furthermore, Clinton seems unconcerned about what it will find. She has shown that she is willing to accept her shortcomings and mistakes, like her reasons for voting for the war in Iraq. Clinton’s ability to earnestly apologize and take responsibility time and time again show a humility that is often lacking in politicians.
Clinton has secured funding for 9/11 survivors and their families. She was instrumental in capturing Osama bin Laden. She has improved America’s position in Asia with the Trans-Pacific Partnership. She rallied us behind a claim that women’s rights are human rights in the 1990s, in contrast to Donald Trump’s recently uncovered comments bragging about sexually assaulting women. Clinton has shown that she is a candidate who has the political abilities and social awareness necessary to be president.
The alternative to a Clinton presidency is absolutely unacceptable and morally corrupt. Words matter—and Donald Trump’s words about the disabled, women, and minorities show that he does not believe that they do. While Trump shows complete disregard for anybody who is not Donald Trump, Clinton has shown compassion and respect for all. The way Trump speaks to Clinton shows his misogynistic and disrespectful way of handling people whom he does not agree with and who lack the same systemic privilege that he enjoys. He has called her a “nasty woman,” blamed her for her husband’s infidelity, and threatened to put her in jail. That is not the kind of president you want dealing with international diplomatic issues, and certainly not a president who will protect the interests of Americans who suffer from the injustices of America’s previous policies and attitudes.
Simply put, voting for Hillary Clinton is the only truly American choice for president. Donald Trump’s view of America is not the one we can support. Clinton’s view of America is one that is both in touch with the way things work and forward-looking enough to ensure a future in which all Americans can feel proud and safe. America has had moments of greatness in the past surely, but let me be clear—Donald Trump’s “Make America Great Again” is a slogan steeped in nostalgia for an age when women were relegated to having one option for employment, and when it was acceptable to openly question people’s character on the basis of race, gender, or religion. We need to look no further than his campaign remarks. Trump has called for a ban on a religious group entering America, called Mexicans “rapists," and consistently discusses African Americans and Latinos as though they exclusively live in poverty and in need of charity, while offering no sense of support for these groups. He is a candidate who looks to return America to a darker time, in which those with power openly oppressed those without it. Clinton offers plans for overcoming these dark pasts. She offers hope, much in the way Barack Obama did in 2008.
Electing Hillary Clinton is a decision that we will be able to look back on and be proud of. She is a woman who has worked tirelessly to be an effective and inspirational leader. She has broken the glass ceiling, time and time again. Our future daughters will look up to Clinton and see that it really is possible to win. Our future sons will see her and understand that there is no fundamental difference between boys and girls. She is a message to the world that America is not to be laughed at, as it certainly would be if Trump were to be elected. She is a compassionate leader, able to listen to the people around her and form an opinion. She is both thoughtful and deliberate in her actions. Let us not make the wrong decision. Let us be a country that looks forward instead of back. Clinton represents a shining example of a leader, ready to face the murky future and unsteady times that are sure to come.
Send a message that we will stand on the right side of history on November 8. Let us be Stronger Together. I will stand with her on Election Day. You should too.
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