Hillary Clinton
I really haven't taken space in this blog to explain in detail why I support Hillary Clinton. Actually, I don't really think support is accurate - passionate following into the fires of hell probably is closer. So, now on the evening of her New Hampshire VICTORY!, let me explain.
1. I believe Hillary Clinton is the best candidate. I worked for Hillary Clinton for almost a year. I spent time with her. I looked her in the eye and listened to her speak. And there was not one single second, not one single flash of anger or ego or anything that ever made me doubt my support for her. In fact, every interaction I had with her only made me love her more. When people say they hate Hillary Clinton, my first response is always, "Have you met her?" Because I have, and Hillary Clinton is amazing. She is insanely intelligent. She is disciplined and pragmatic and capable. She is warm and funny. In her heart of hearts, Hillary Clinton wants nothing more than to help America and she believes she's the person for the job. I couldn't agree with her more.
2. I believe Hillary Clinton can beat the Republicans. Sit for a second, rack your brain, and try to come up with someone who has been more vehemently attacked by the opposing party and come out stronger. She knows how to meet them on the battlefield and end the battle standing. Now, I know some say that the result of these years of attacks is high negatives that could damage her candidacy. Here's how I feel about that: what matters in election is new information. There is nothing negative you can say about Hillary Clinton that hasn't been heard before. Nothing. There's a reason the two big biographies about her barely sold 700,000 copies between them. People don't care. However, there is a lot of positive things you can say about Hillary that people haven't heard. She is persuading people everyday, by looking them in the eye and being honest about who she is and what she believes. And it's working.
3. I believe Hillary Clinton will be an amazing president. Now I'm going to do something you probably won't expect...I'm going to quote George Bush. "Being President is hard." Seriously, I think it is so hard you cannot possibly understand the task until you see it first hand. Hillary Clinton has. She would have no learning curve. She would not have to learn how to work with Congress, while maintaining her priorities. She would not have to learn how to allow the media lead way without letting them takeover. She would not have to even figure out how to get around the West Wing. She's been there. She knows what works. She knows what doesn't. She's ready to start tomorrow.
4. I want a female president. I saved this one until last because it is the most controversial. I think a female president would be transformative for our country. Now, let me be clear, I don't think females are automatically superior politicians or better on women's issues. However, what I do know is that Sandra Day O'Connor was appointed to the Supreme Court the year I was born; therefore, in my mind, the Supreme Court has never been an all male body. It has never been foreclosed to me or women in general. That is important and it is affecting. And, as a woman who wants to run for office one day, being able to say the same about the highest office in the land is something I value above all else.
UPDATE: I wanted to respond something my father-in-law mentioned in the comments section of this post. He stated that one of Hillary's problems is she doesn't come off as a "natural" politician. There is definitely truth to that. While I've seen her flip a switch and become suddenly energized by a crowd, I wouldn't say she is the most charismatic candidate in Democratic Party history. However, I remember a long time ago, when I first became interested in politics, having a real "a ha" moment about charismatic politicians and the kind of presidents they make. Unfortunately, I think the type of personality it takes to be an amazing politician is not always the type of personality it takes to be an amazing president - in fact, sometimes they are diametrically opposed. The list runs long of politicians who were great on the campaign trial but a disappointment once they go to the Oval Office. So, what I'm saying is the parts of her personality that can make her seem stiff or less than passionate on the stump (her incredible discipline, her often mentioned pragmatism) are exactly the things that will make her a fantastic president.
2 comments:
*applause*
I've been reading a lot of commentary post NH to try to decide which way to vote on Feb. 5. Your analysis makes more sense than Salon, Slate, and the NYT have made this week. Especially your point about her having already been through the mill. I remember the first couple of years of the first Clinton administration, before they figured it out. It was painful. Unfortunately there was a lot of pain associated with the rest of that administration, too, which is part of the baggage she carries.
A good bit of her problem is that she doesn't come across as the "natural" politician that Bill or Obama seem to be. It looks like she has to work at it. But if that's the worst we can accuse her of . . . .
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