Hillary Clinton: First Female President?

Hillary Clinton: First Female President?

As a Republican, it is assumed that I will vote the Republican ticket in the 2008 Presidential election. However, as a woman, I was interested in learning more about Hillary Clinton. Here is what I have found. Hillary Clinton has accomplished a lot in her lifetime:

• the first commencement speaker ever at her Wellesley College graduation
• served on the House Judiciary Committee which had to decide whether or not to impeach President Nixon
• founder of Arkansas Advocates for Children and Families
• appointed by President Carter to serve on the U.S. Legal Services Corporation
• leader of the American Bar Association’s Commission on Women in the Profession which pioneered national awareness for issues such as sexual harassment and equal pay
• named one of the Top 100 influential lawyers of America (twice)
• First Lady who used her power to champion for women’s rights and universal health care
• wrote two bestselling books
• a United States Senator representing New York and the only First Lady that has been elected to public office.

She is the twelfth woman to run for the Presidency and if elected, she will make history by becoming the first woman President. Currently, Hillary is ahead of her Democratic forerunners in the primary polls, including Senator Barack Obama who has Oprah’s vote. There are two primary reasons for Hillary’s lead. Women across the nation, especially those who belong to the “baby boom” generation who have seen a woman’s role in society change substantially in their lifetime, want a woman president because it would be a source of pride and historic milestone.* She has been praised on her campaign website by and shaken hands with all types of women, working, stay at home moms, and elderly who were born before women could vote, who are pleased of her forerunner status. Another reason is because everybody knows her name; her husband is former President Clinton, an excellent president and highly respected even to this day by the American people. If elected President, the issues Hillary will address include:

• strengthening the middle class
• providing affordable and accessible health care
• ending the war in Iraq
• promoting energy independence and ending global warming
• implementing proper treatment of war veterans
• advocating for children’s and their parents’ rights
• restoring America’s reputation as a preeminent leader of peace and freedom championing for women’s rights
• initiating comprehensive government reform
• strengthening democracy.**

Some of or all of these issues are important to the American people, some of who (like me) think “its about time something was done about this.” Only the outcome of the Presidential primary after the New Year will tell whether or not Hilary will make it once step closer to the Presidency.

*From Eugene Robinson’s article “The Power of Madam President” in the Washington Post

** From Hillary Clinton’s Campaign Website: HillaryClinton.com

Why Should I Vote?

With the 2008 Presidental Election approaching, you are either excited to vote because you are passionate about politics and/or the possibility of having a woman President, or you are not sure about whether you are going to vote or have decided that you are not going to vote because politics is of no interest to you. When I was in high school, my mindset was the latter. Sure, there were political issues I was passionate about, but I never acted on that passion by getting involved in politics. However, once I was 18, that all slowly changed.

I was 18 just in time for the 2004 Presidental election and like most people my age, I registered to vote. Now the question became, would I vote? I made the decision to vote because after working for the local Re-elect George Bush campaign to earn some money, for which I called constituents asking for their vote and canvassed the neighborhood dropping off Bush propoganda, I felt that my vote did matter. I voted by absentee ballot on election day to re-elect Bush, who obviously won.

You are probably now wondering why I decided to vote to re-elect Bush. I did my research in which I discovered Bush was an advocate of the issues I cared about and working for the Re-Elect George Bush Campaign influenced me. I just did not want to go to the polls and play eenie meenie minnie moe to decide who I was going to vote for; I wanted to go in knowing I voted for someone because I did the research and made an informed decision based on that research.

Since Bushs' re-election, I have voted in a Pennsylvania government election in which my vote helped put both Ed Rendell in office for PA governor and Bob Casey to replace the incumbent Rick Santorum for PA Senator, and in a primary county election for my neighbor Mary Lou Readinger for Plymouth Township Council, who won the primary and will or will not be elected in November. I intend to continue voting.

For those of you eligible to vote in the 2008 election, I highly reccomend that you not only register to vote, but vote in the primaries and election as well. I also encourage you to do research on all the possible costintuents before deciding who you are going to vote for. It is so important that when you go to the polls or vote by absentee ballot, and you press the button or check off the box that corresponds with the candidate you choose, you realize this person is going to be representing you for the next year, two years, four years, etc.

Your vote in the primaries will help decide which Democratic or Republican candidate, depending on which party you register for, will run in November for the presidency. If you are a Democrat and want to see the Republicans out of office, a Republican who wants the Republicans to stay in office, or a woman for Hillary because you realize it is time for a woman president and/or she represents what you stand for, voting in the primary is crucial.

When the primary is over and it is time to vote for the next President, the process starts over again because now you have to choose between the candidate for your party, the candidate for the opposing party, and a ton of independent candidates. After seeing who wins the primaries and doing even more research, you might even decide to change your vote. Either way, your vote will mater.

To find out the date of your state's primary, go to: http://uspolitics.about.com/od/2008elections/a/prez_primary.htm

To register to vote, go to: www.rockthevote.com

Please Comment!

Getting Past the Popularity Contest

Let’s do a little free association. What words come to mind when you hear the words “student council election?” Hmmm . . . how ‘bout “popularity contest?”

Studies have shown that young women are more likely to pursue politics later in life if they get involved in student government. It’s good training for later campaigns and it can actually be fun. But who wouldn’t cringe when your opponent might be the captain of the football team, has flunked U.S. History, and runs with a slogan like “Vote for Todd, He Rocks!” It makes your civic minded, way-more-mature brain cells want to just scream.

But hold on! You can still win!! The key to every political victory is knowing your target demographic. If you wouldn’t characterize yourself as one of the “popular people,” fear not! You just have to do some grassroots work. The best thing about not being one of the popular people is that you are actually in the majority. This means more votes for you if you know where to find them. You may not hang out with the band kids, the jocks, the art crowd or whatever other species exists in your high school’s ecosystem, but you all probably share one thing in common: you can’t stand people who assume superiority based on nothing more than their physical and behavioral “cuteness.” So unite with your peers and convince them that they have everything to gain by your representation.

One final thought about the whole popularity thing. Why shouldn’t a smart, articulate, responsible young woman be popular? You might not be giving yourself enough credit and you may be more popular than you think.

If anyone has had some student government election success, let’s hear about it! Post your experience!

Welcome

Welcome to the Running Start Blog. We invite young women everywhere to share their views on politics with us. As an organization, our mission is to educate girls and young women about the importance of being politically active.

Please feel free to share your views on politics. Left, Right, or Center we are open to all political opinions, provided that they are presented respectfully. To participate on the blog you can either respond to posts or request to be a blogger.

-Jennifer