Why I Support Hillary Clinton for President

– Audrey Roth

My answer is simple. I support Senator Clinton because she is far and away the best qualified person for the job. Is that enough to convince you?

No?

I thought it might not be. Let me try to convince you.

I have thought long and hard about this election, as have many people in Medford, in Massachusetts, and across the country. I worry about how frightening a world it is now, especially after seven years of Bush/Cheney policies. We’re at war in Iraq and Afghanistan, we’re fighting with Iran, Russia is moving back toward a Cold War stance, and we have virtually no staunch allies. The world no longer views the United States in a positive way.

On the domestic front, our economy is rapidly slipping into recession (or it’s already there), health care is becoming a luxury as the cost increases with every breath we take, it’s become unbelievably expensive to keep our houses warm and our cars filled with gas, and the price of food is skyrocketing. The polar icecaps are melting faster than scientists predicted, and the effects of global warming are staring us in the face.

All of this says to me that we need a leader who is ready to deal with these issues immediately. We don’t have time for our next President to have a learning curve. Mistakes on the foreign front could have disastrous consequences. For the first time in my adult life I am beginning to think that a nuclear conflict is a real possibility. Mistakes on the domestic front could set our country back even further than we are now. Already we have foreign investors buying up our companies and our national debt. We need to turn things around. Fast. Now.

I look at Hillary Clinton and I see someone who can do this. She has 35 years of experience when it comes to domestic issues. Take a look at some of the issues she’s taken on—she’s fought for children and unions for her entire life. I first heard of her in the 80’s, when I was in law school and volunteered in a child advocacy clinic. The Children’s Defense Fund was a marvelous organization—one that we all looked to as on the cutting edge in helping children. (It still is, by the way.) Senator Clinton worked at CDF, and for years afterwards was on its Board, working to make children’s lives better.

In deciding on my preferred candidate, I look for someone who is battle-tested, who has some scars that show that they’ve been in the trenches and come out standing. Who has done this more than Hillary? She has been attacked from every side, and is still working, effecting change, fighting for our rights, and having big successes. In the last debate, Hillary was accused of being on the Wal-mart Board. What was left unsaid was that she joined the Board to advocate for change—change in working policies, wages, treatment of women. To me, this is the person I want trying to effect change—someone who knows the ins and outs of the power broker establishment, and who is not afraid to confront it. Hillary is not afraid—we know that!

Let me give you a personal example of how Hillary Clinton fights for what’s right. My sister-in-law used to live across the street from the World Trade Center. She watched both planes hit the towers, and she saw them come down, as she was fleeing the area with thousands of others. She was told it was safe to return to her apartment after some time, and she did. She began to have breathing problems, and tried to work with the EPA to find out more information. They told her that the air was safe, and that nothing was wrong—her breathing problems must be coming from something unrelated. My sister-in-law contacted Senator Clinton’s office, and has seen enormous results. Senator Clinton took this issue on, and helped first responders and residents who were all impacted with respiratory problems. She listened to them, treated them with respect, and got the government to take steps. She has held numerous hearings on Capitol Hill, and continues to fight for the people who survived 9/11 and who still struggle on a daily basis.

Some people argue that Hillary is a divisive person, and can’t appeal to Republicans and Independents. The facts do not bear this out, but the media loves this story—maybe more than any other, about her. When Hillary ran for the U.S. Senate in New York, she went on an extended listening tour of upstate New York. I don’t know how much you know about this area. I do—I grew up in New York. There is a great divide in New York State. The majority of voters in New York City and to some extent, its suburbs, are Democratic. Upstate is a very conservative, Republican stronghold. People do not vote for Democrats. Hillary won enough of them over in her first election to win. In running for a second term, she got somewhere around 63% of the vote in the area. The upstate voters learned that Hillary listened to them, understood their needs, and kept her promises. In my view, this is a huge point in her favor.

Finally, I think about which candidate will best be able to “reach across the aisle” to the Republicans in Congress. Again, the media tells us that Hillary is a polarizing figure, and will not be able to work with Republicans. I am amazed that this myth has not been debunked by now. Hillary has worked tirelessly in her time in the Senate, co-sponsoring legislation with Republicans (John McCain and Lindsey Graham, among others), and working the system to benefit all of us. In fact, some of the most conservative members of Congress have repeatedly said that Hillary has been an extremely effective Senator.

As I said, I have thought long and hard about this election. On the Democratic side, we have wonderful, exciting candidates, and any of them would be better than the administration that will (thankfully) be leaving office at the end of this year. It is enthralling to me that we have a woman and an African American as two of these candidates. I don’t believe we have the luxury of voting for one of them on the basis of their race or gender. I believe we must look to experience and readiness.

In thinking about this, I am reminded of the 1992 election, and Bill Clinton’s candidacy. We were certainly ready for a change, and Bill Clinton created huge enthusiasm with his charisma and his ideas. I remember working tirelessly for him, and how exciting it was when he won. I believe strongly that he was a remarkably effective President. But I also think about the first two years of his first term, when he had a steep learning curve. He made some big mistakes in his first couple of years in office. Luckily, we were living in a more peaceful time, and he had the ability to regain his footing. The world and our country were not irrevocably damaged as a result of his on-the-job training. I’m not sure that if Bill Clinton were running today with the experience (or lack of it) that he had in 1992, I would vote for him now. I’d want someone who knew a lot more about foreign policy.

Because our next President will be inheriting huge problems, we need someone who knows how to deal with them—who has the experience to think about the nuances of any and all actions that he or she may be taking, and then who has the courage and fortitude to take the necessary steps.

That person is Hillary Clinton. And that’s why I will be voting for her.

Audrey Roth is a Medford resident supporting Hillary Clinton. Want to write about the candidate you support? Email news@insidemedford.com.