When I hear young women say, and I have heard this ad infinitum, “I want to see a woman in the White House. I’m just not sure Hillary is the one,” I have to wonder what archetypal woman they hold in their psyches for the job. Please tell me, young ladies. What are you talking about? She “comes with ‘strings?'” Absolutely! At your age she was fabricating those strings, just as you are forming bases for your futures. She did not spring onto the scene fully formed.
As a young law student, she worked for the underrepresented. As a law graduate, she worked for families and children who lived on the margins and in the shadows – people who wanted to contribute every bit as much as you do now and had contributions to make but were deprived of opportunity. Hillary Clinton has often said, “Talent is universal. Opportunity is not.”
As First Lady of Arkansas she improved the quality and equality of the educational system in her state. As FLOTUS, she brought health care for children into law and pioneered women’s rights at the center of U.S. policy.
When she entered the Senate, she put her nose to the grindstone to get the Lilly Ledbetter Act, the Zadroga Act, measures to protect women and children, and she learned. This is important – she learned by watching, from the perspective of the Senate Armed Services Committee, an effective way to assess and improve the efficiency of a government department.
She later applied that lesson, as Secretary of State, to her own department. She evaluated and overhauled the whole department. It had never been done before! She successfully negotiated an arms treaty with Russia, salvaged treaties between Turkey and Armenia, visited dangerous territory in the Democratic Republic of Congo to meet with refugees – especially women and children – who live in mortal terror there, and she stood up to dangerous, powerful men and told them exactly what they would need to do to gain our trust and support. These are just for starters. If you read her books, you will see many more examples of her accomplishments.
Very few of the other candidates on either side have even met a fraction of the world leaders with whom Hillary has developed working relationships. None of them on either side can point to any treaties they have crafted in partnership with any other country. These are important attributes in a president. The White House is not a training academy.
What more, exactly, would you expect in any candidate, I wonder. In a man, her qualifications would be extraordinary, stunning, astounding. What more, exactly do you expect in a female presidential candidate? And why? Even if you hold her to the traditional (sexist) requirement that a woman must have twice or thrice the qualifications a man would need, Hillary Clinton far outstrips all of her opposition on all sides.
I have yet, given all the generalities that slip so easily off the tongue, to hear any specifics in the way of where her deficits lie. If the complaint is that there is too much, then you need to remember that a great deal should be accomplished in an adult life. Hillary Clinton has accumulated an enormous curriculum vitae. It is impressive. Should a candidate for POTUS not be impressive?
To me, the mantra holds no credibility. Yes, a woman, but not sure this is the woman? What magical woman do you expect to come along better qualified than this one? Hillary has spent months answering many, many questions.
Before you write her off, before you enter that booth tomorrow, I think Hillary and we, her supporters who have worked long and hard for her, deserve a better answer from you than that simple mantra because Hillary Clinton is a serious candidate regardless of her sex, her spouse, and her “strings” – or perhaps because of those strings.
Opportunity is not universal. You stand in a place of privilege. You have an opportunity the rest of us do not. There is no magical candidate. No one can wave a magic wand, say “abracadabra” and change overnight policies and programs that meet resistance from the other side of the aisle. But one candidate has a long and appreciable record of making progress in partnership with the other side whether is it the other side of the chamber or of the ocean.
It is in everyone’s interest for you to think deeply and thoroughly before you cast your very precious and privileged vote.
Hillary does not make pie-in-the-sky promises. She does have extensive, solid plans. She has said that she does not want to over-promise and under-deliver.
Hillary continued broadcasting her message tonight, in Hudson New Hampshire and on MSNBC with Rachel Maddow.
Hillary told Maddow that even when allegations are never proven, a residue remains. In defense of herself, she pointed to the many non-establishment endorsements she has won.
In our justice system, proof is the burden of the prosecution not of the defense.
Thank you so much Still. I know what your feeling this evening. I have been here with you for a long time. I have faith that she will do ok. She has so many of us behind her. The media has not been fair to her. Please what ever your readers do, do not watch Morning Joe. They hate her.
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I know she will do OK. I’ve just spent so many days hearing young women all say the same thing that I don’t understand. Yes, we are together for the long haul!
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To all the Bernie supporters: Congrats. We are happy for you. Please be happy for us when the coming more diverse electorate sticks a pin in your balloon.
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My question is “Who the heck do they think they’re going to get as their first female president?” If not Hillary, then who….. and when? Do they honestly think it’s a walk in the park and some woman someday somehow is magically going to run and get elected just like that??? I’d ask them why they think it is that the Congress is only a fraction female? Strings, they say? Do they not understand most of those strings are the result of 30 years of false attacks on her? I like Hillary’s strings! She is the most prepared, qualified, honest, and smartest of all the candidates, in my opinion. She is head and shoulders above all the men running. I think it boils down to they think they are actually going to get free college and health care the minute Sanders gets elected. They really believe that as I saw one gal on CNN today actually saying that when confronted. And they believe the lies the media portrays about Hillary. They really fall for that b.s. These are the same people who fall for the hope and change line every time and then get disillusioned when reality sets in and gridlock takes over the whole process. The sad thing is they’re throwing away the most accomplished female of our time for an old, grumpy, guy who isn’t fit to be commander in chief. He was absolutely horrible in the last debate on foreign policy, flailing around like a deer in the headlights. And he’s not even curious about it because he hasn’t thought to get himself a foreign policy adviser! You would think that would matter in these times, at least a little. I do think these first two states, because they are open caucus/primary states, are harder for Hillary. The closed primary states will be better for her because you just can’t be a fly by night with no party loyalty who can register at the drop of a hat and change back whenever the wind blows.That’s why I like closed primaries. In most of them, one has to register at least 30 days ahead of time and actually put a little thought and effort into the process.The caucuses are the most undemocratic thing I’ve ever seen – those need to be done away with – period. I find this whole thing shallow and discouraging, but I have faith that something positive will happen eventually.
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Thank you for all you do Still. This one is not only right on target, it also shows your finger is on the pulse. What is this long fight for if not for NOW is the time, she is the person, we can finally do this, she has prepared to step into this role her whole life.
SHE IS THE ONE, dammit and she was The One is 2008 too!
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Thank you, Karen. Yes, she is, yes she was, and yes, she will be! We just need to get past this one – I hope with results bigger than the expectation. Some of the grandmothers are worrying me, and I am wondering whether grandkids are influencing them they way Caroline Kennedy’s kids turned her in 08. I am not similarly worried about the moms, though. What I see there is astonishment that daughters are so enthralled by Bernie – the Pied Piper.
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Hillary did extremely well among people 65+ in Iowa. I think NH is hard to read for trends because Bernie has a strong home-field advantage. No Dem primary candidate from a neighboring state has ever lost NH, with the exception of Dean, who lost to Kerry, who was also from a neighboring state.
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We need to get over it. They are not worthy of are angst. They are idiots and they will learn the hard way. Of course they will have given us all more grey hairs and empty wine bottles by then, but we will survive. Hillary will beat expectations in NH and then will start to soar. Sanders won’t be able to match her in all the big states coming up. Breathe and get a hotel room in DC for the Inauguration. She’s got this.
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“We need a pro-woman woman as leader of the free world.” Unfortunately, I can’t credit the woman who said it because I didn’t make a note of her name at the time I read it. The women who dismiss Secretary Clinton as that woman can only be described as ignorant of her revolutionary history for which all women pay the price..
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What an excellent article. I agree with all, but must say too that I don’t hold out a whole lot of hope that younger women will be convinced. The Bernie worship is strong, like a fever. It is based not on reason, but emotion, and there is no reasoning when that is the case. I think Hillary will do fine in N.H., I wish she could pull out a win and for several days I was convinced that she would. Today? The news is so negative about her, it’s difficult to maintain hope, but I’m not throwing in the towel yet. Hillary 2016!
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I also think there’s a caveat here concerning young voters. Hillary does much better among nonwhite young voters, and they’ll be able to (finally) have their voices heard going forward. Iowa and NH were always going to be difficult for Hillary. If she can hold the margin to single digits in NH, I’ll be quite happy.
I’m very proud of Hillary and all the people who are helping/supporting her in what is an absolutely toxic environment. I’ve never seen a candidate attacked so much so far in advance of a general election before. And we all know exactly why that’s happening: The GOP wants to run against Bernie in the worst way, and who can blame them? If he’s the nominee, the Dems are looking at a Mondale-like landslide. Keep in mind, all the vetting he’s not getting now, the GOP will be more than happy to do in a GE.
Hillary’s doing her best in the most trying of circumstances, and that’s all I can ask of her.
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Thanks for this post, Still! Glad you are keeping the fight going. Watching all of the coverage in Iowa and NH has been a struggle for me — because I feel like so many voters are disenfranchised by the process & so many minority voters do not get their chance to be heard.
The “young women divide” now being hyped by the media is thus far an isolated occurrence — it has only been popping up in the states where Sanders was always poised to do best: Iowa and New Hampshire.
Final results showed that Hillary beat Bernie among young, nonwhite women and I’m confident she will continue to. Her message and her tenacity resonates with a lot of people in this country, men and women, young and old.
The media is so determined to make the Democratic primary a “contest” that they are giving a podium to some overblown “revolution” that in large swaths of this country is not occurring. I for one really hope that the Democratic Party reevaluates the importance of Iowa and New Hampshire after this year.
Nevada and South Carolina sound like much better bets for the future of our party.
Either way, no matter what happens tonight and beyond, I’m with her. Always have been. Always will be. Hillary knows that we continue fighting for her no matter what. The hatred and vitriol she has to endure only makes our support for her stronger. All we can do, and all we will do, is fight for Hillary.
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Please make these sorts of things pithier and punchier, as well as other campaign materials. This was way too long. I am a Clinton supporter and even I did not want to read all that. An undecided or BS supporter is definitely not going to read it. I was turned off by the use of the term “young lady” as it came across as condescending. Come on, Clinton Campaign, get it together!
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Jewel, just an fyi: stillforhill is not part of the Clinton campaign, and this is not a post from campaign.
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I have to say I’m astonished at the idea, presumably coming from young women, that electing the first woman as POTUS is not a big deal or that somehow we can ‘wait,’ when woman’s issues be it reproductive health, children–their education and welfare, caring for the elderly and disabled, taking care of the planet, etc., etc. are being threatened on a daily basis.
But then, these power fights have been going on for ages. I recently watched a British documentary entitled She-Wolves, describing a group of women in British history vying for the crown and the massive resistance they faced, even when their blood claim was indisputable. The audacity of a woman laying claim to power marked her as ‘unnatural, unwomanly . . . monstrous.’
The more things change, the more they stay the same.
That being said, I think Hillary Clinton will have a much stronger showing ahead where the population is more diversified. Hillary’s presidential plans are doable and progressive. Bernie Sanders is offering Pie in the Sky promises with no practical way of delivering on his promises. Not to mention his foreign policy knowledge is embarrassingly absent.
So, I’m preparing for a rough night but a far better conclusion in NV, SC and Super Tuesday when the wind will be at HRC’s back. Until then, I plan to watch the super campaign ad that’s been circulating: This is My Fight Song. Gets my heart pumping every time!
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One of the main things and I think its included in the “strings” you mentioned is the fact she stayed with Bill. There are a lot of woman who think she should have left him. Of course if she had, there would be people who wouldn’t have wanted to vote for because she left her husband.
The other main thing is that first time voters have heard attacks against Hillary literally all their lives. When allegations make the news but then when they are unfounded it is not covered it can leave a negative view of a person to those only paying attention to the headlines. People know the word Bengazi and they know Hillary was involved. They don’t seem to care that there were similar more deadly attacks under other leadership. They know about Whitewater and Travelgate etc but they don’t know what it means and that nothing came from it. She has been in the public eye so long when something new and shiny comes along it catches people’s attention.
Gloria Steinem’s comments last week were not much help in changing people’s minds. Besides being stupid in implying young women were supporting Bernie to meet men, the comments were pretty sexist for a the poster woman of feminism.
If people researched and fact checked things more imagine the lead she would have 😉
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They think Elizabeth Warren would be better than Hillary. They just don’t know that while Hillary was crafting a universal healthcare bill in 1993, EW was voting Republican, something she is very open about. EW has also accepted over $600k from the financial industry and over $1 million from universities. (opensecrets.org) Elizabeth has an agent that books speaking engagements for a fee. Bernie has told them that there is a purity test for female candidates and that Hillary doesn’t pass the test. But, no Dem can pass the test, including Bernie.
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Thank you still4hill for this article, and for all you do.
Hillary is THE MOST QUALIFIED and READY candidate of all, by any yardstick.
Media needs muck for ratings; they create muck by dishing it to her as much as possible. This is disservice to the nation. If media dished at you the way they did at HRC, your rating would be down even if you went to the moon and back.
Yes, her ratings are down because of media that does not convey just how incredibly fortunate we are to have such a qualified and ready candidate.
Hopefully, all voters (women, men, voting teens) realize this soon.
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I’ve frequently heard this complaint about Hillary Clinton staying with Bill Clinton after the Lewinsky blow-up and in light of his wandering eye in the 90s and earlier. How could she stay with the man? people ask. Why? Why? Why?
My answer is simple: because that was her personal choice. Which is not unlike other choices adult women expect and demand, as in, the right to choose our own destiny be it biological, professional and yes . . . personal. The choices made may not be our own, nor would a reasonable person expect all choices to be the same or all families/relationships to be uniform across the board.
If Hillary Clinton had been a close friend of mine, I would have hoped for her decision to be well thought out, that the end result would give her happiness. Watching the Clintons on the campaign trail, how they respond to one another, their tenderness for one another, their fierce pride in their daughter and grand baby, I’d say Hillary Clinton made the right choice. For her.
Choice. It’s a beautiful thing.
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so agreed!
I also feel that she made the right choice for her country.
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Very well-said. Feminism to me is about women being allowed to make their own choices. Hillary has often said her decision to stay in her marriage was a difficult one, and not one that would’ve necessarily been right for someone else. One of the things I like about Hillary is her refusal to apologize for the decisions she’s made, especially in her personal life. She’s 100 percent her own person.
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I think the feeling is you shouldn’t stay with a man who cheated on just to have a man. You should be a strong independent woman and stand on your two feet.
I understand that. But I don’t think there is anyone, especially Hillary, who thinks Hillary needed Bill to be successful.
Also as much as people speculate about their personal life, no one really knows what goes on between them. They were pretty open about going to therapy. A lot. It’s not as though she just shrugged her shoulders and accepted it.
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Anyone who read Hillary-related news closely would know that within the WH they underwent serious marital counselling which included religious counseling and lifecoaching. My takeaway from the news and her book (and CD) is that there was nothing taken for granted. [For most couples living in regular houses i.e., not the WH, that would be considered “separating” for a while.]
I was in two minds about it then, and observed closely because it would have been a disaster for the country if indeed that marital counselling did not go as it did.
And I agree, no one can say that she needed Bill for her to be successful.
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She wrote about it in Living History. The quip I remember about that terrible time in her life was how nobody would speak to Bill except for the dog.
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I tried to get some work done and did for stretches of time then had to get up. I was distracted easily and felt a bit anxious and queasy all day. Low concentration levels. I didn’t read the headlines or turn on the TV all day but will get in bed with a hot tea, the kindle and the remote. If it gets me upset I will just turn the machine off and find out how it went tomorrow.
Today is a hump we have to get past.
We are in the calm before she takes the country by storm.
Go Girl Go. We love you.
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Thank you. I really needed others like yourself saying this here right now.
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