Early this semester, the SRU College Democrats unanimously voted to endorse Hillary Clinton as the next POTUS. Here are a few reasons we believe make Hillary the one for the job.
- First, we cannot stress enough the importance of electing someone who believes in and understands the threat of climate change. To ensure that we do our part in fighting climate change, Hillary Clinton is prepared to take the appropriate steps towards making our country the cleanest and most energy efficient on earth. Hillary’s long list of goals for her presidency include investing in clean energy, so that someday every home in America is powered by renewable energy, and putting the country on track to decrease greenhouse gas emissions by more than 80 percent by 2050.
- When it comes to experience, nobody compares to Hillary Rodham Clinton. She served under Barack Obama as the 67th United States Secretary of State. Before that, from 2001-2009, Hillary served as a Senator from New York. While both are inarguably impressive achievements, we feel that Hillary’s experience as First Lady is the most convincing. During Bill Clinton’s run for presidency in the 1992 election season, one of their campaigns’ promises was that by electing Bill Clinton, you’re getting “2 for the price of 1.” And that promise was kept. The Clintons were open about their “package” deal and Bill quickly appointed Hillary to head the task-force on his healthcare reform plan early in his presidency. Hillary Clinton continued to work closely with her husband through the end of his second term. She proved herself the most powerful and influential First Lady in history and she has firsthand knowledge of what it’s like to run this country.
(If you’re still not sold on her qualifications, Hillary Clinton also instructed classes in criminal law [at the University of Arkansas], practiced law, and served as First Lady of Arkansas for a combined 12 years.)
Let the records show that there is no one more prepared to successfully run the United States of American than Hillary Clinton.
- Under the Obama administration, major steps were taken to ensure all Americans have access to affordable healthcare. It admittedly had a rocky start, but now everyday millions of Americans are receiving healthcare services that would have otherwise been unavailable to them if not for the Affordable Care Act. Under Hillary, the Affordable Care Act will be expanded to provide coverage to more Americans. Likewise, she has taken a stance to reduce the cost of prescription drugs and prevent drug companies from instituting unjustified price increases.
- Compared to other countries with similar socioeconomic climates, the United States is no. 1, by a landslide, in gun deaths. In a study published by The American Journal of Medicine, out of 23 countries the United States accounted for over 80% of gun deaths and boasted a gun homicide rate of 25 times higher. Regardless of where you stand on this issue there is one thing on which we can all agree: there are people with access to firearms who should not have access to firearms. Tragedies like the massacre at Pulse Nightclub and the untimely death of Christina Grimmie can be prevented by expanding background checks and closing loopholes which allow people to purchase firearms without background checks. Additionally, Hillary Clinton has recognized the need for criminal justice reform and she rests on a platform that seeks to end racial biases in the criminal justice system and ensure our law enforcement receives top notch training.
- Finally, as a woman herself, Hillary Clinton’s presence alone as the president of the United States will positively impact women around the world. She will forever be remembered as the first female president of one of the world’s most powerful nations in recorded history and will serve as an inspiration to young women for centuries to come. But her presidency will be more than a milestone for girls; Hillary Clinton has promised to protect and further women’s rights and their access to important healthcare services. We cannot afford to abolish Planned Parenthood or hinder it any more than we have already allowed. The services Planned Parenthood provides to women, and men, who are overwhelmingly young, poor, and nonwhite, are detrimental. Planned Parenthood provides family planning, STD screening, sexual health education, and, yes, abortions (because under a Hillary Clinton presidency women will retain the right to their bodily autonomy) plus many other services that are often too expensive or inaccessible to many of those who rely on them. We cannot afford to reverse the steps we’ve taken to uplift our country’s women.
This is a monumental election not just because the outcome will drastically impact our futures, but also because for many of us, this is the first presidential election we have the opportunity to participate in. So stay informed and don’t forget to vote!
