To start with, let me restate my rules: Be nice or I will delete you.
This is a very personal post for me, that someone in a group I am in asked me to write because they didn't know anyone who actually supported Clinton. (You do know them, by the way. But this election is wrought with abuse and a lot of us aren't talking. For me, that ends today.) This was my response as to why I do.
To start with, I am a Clinton supporter. I have been since 2008. I support her so much, that I was visibly upset when Obama won the nom. That isn't to say I didn't vote for him (I did, twice). That isn't to say he hasn't done an amazing job (he has). This is to say I know what it's like to not get the person you wanted.
Having said that, the question has come up as to why I like her. So here we go.
Before I even go into this, I need to state some things. I do my best to be politically active. I vote in EVERYTHING! I am best friends with the League of Women Voters website bc of their ongoing push towards the issues. I write my congressmen (even though he and I agree on nothing... red state). I volunteer at the UN, I went to Rwanda to work with Rwandan students as a teaching artist, I work with population to create empathy and dialogue. I work in a field of activism, and politics are part of that.
Why do I mention all that? Bc it matters to why I like Clinton.
I like Clinton, first and for most, bc she works well with others to get shit done. And make no mistake, she gets shit done. (The quick pity list is here:http://whatthefuckhashillarydone.com/ )
I would urge all of you who haven't to read her platformhttps://www.hillaryclinton.com/issues/ . I think you'll be amazed and what it is.
You can also read this primer that is slightly easier to read: http://www.armisticedesigns.com/blog/2016/4/21/the-quick-startup-guide-to-hillary
She first got my attention when I was in high school, when Bill was president. She took on universal healthcare as her first lady platform. She eventually had to back down from it, and narrow it to kids (more on that in a moment) but the fact she even said it was revolutionary.
And she continued to be revolutionary. The world then wasn't the world now. In 1995 she uttered the now famous line "Women's rights are human rights speech at the fourth ever Conference of the Status on Women than the UN hosted in Beijing. In a time in which that wasn't a thing that was said.
Speaking of more on that later, I actually love that she listens and learns and grows. I *want* that in a president. I want a person who understands they are human and don't know everything and can and have been wrong, and will be again. Honestly, the "Politics of Purity" that is happening right now is how we got a government shut down, no new Supreme Court Justice and Donald Trump. I don't care that you've made mistakes, I want to know if you own them and try again. And she does. All the time.
I love that she has taken Disability rights, and Autism rights and put it as part of her platform. I love that she has a box of papers of problems she still needs to work on. And she looks for people who can educate her on those issues. She doesn't assume she knows everything, she asks for help.
Speaking of asking for help, I think it's important to look at the people who have endorsed her. (full wiki list here: https://en.wikipedia.org/…/List_of_Hillary_Clinton_presiden… ) But let me point out a few meaninful ones to me: Human Right's Campign, Sierra Club, the Black Caucus of multiple states, so many labor unions, so many sentors, so many heads of state. Why is this important? Because these are the people she has either worked with, or will work with. These are the people with front row seats to what is happening in the political system. And they all see her as an asset. That means something huge.
Also, I like that she is so detail oriented. So detailed oriented sometimes you just want to slap her and say ENOUGH - tell me big picture. Except you don't. Bc the mere fact she knows all those facts means she cares enough to do *that* much thinking about it.
Alsoalso, I adore that she is clearly progressive, clearly interested in heading the country in a progressive manner. But is also clearly looking at where we are and how to accomplish that. Clinton is playing a long game. Some thing that politics gave up on years ago, and they shouldn't have. As much as I would like for everything to be fixed at one, it won't be. My friend Jef Rouner(a SJW writer for multiple things, but the Houston Press in particular. You should know him if you don't) said it best like this:
"Donald Trump is not a good enough reason to vote for Clinton."
The problem is not Trump. He's a single man, and even as president he can only mess up so much. However, at least a third of the country totally or partially agrees with him. The center of this country is NOT where some of my fellow liberals think it is. The social backlash we're in is not some vestigial bigoted organ that only needs a few more evolutionary mutations to be finally gone. It is strong, it is numerous, and it is dedicated to crushing what little we have managed to build. This is not a war between two wings of liberals. This is a war about shaking the country back into sense.""
That's my point. Trump didn't happen by accident. I believe that the arc of history is long and bends toward justice. I also believe that there is a difference between changes that can be implemented and a literal revolution. Clinton's plans can be implemented in the country we live in in 2016.
Also, she is fucking steel. She has taken more mudsling and character assassination than pretty much any candidate ever and is not only still surviving, but thriving.
There is more. There is so much more. But i've already written a book. So.. I'll stop now I guess. Feel free to ask my anything. I'm pretty open. Also, more links below.
Please ignore the inflammatory headlines on some of these, the info is good.
Her work on transgender rights: http://www.politico.com/…/hillary-clinton-2016-transgender-…
I mean, I have more. But I'll stop bc I've probably overwhelmed people by this point.
I'm not going to lie, feminism is a HUGE deal for me, and something I strive for everyday. And yes, I work on other problems as well. But if you are asking for a bottom line? I'm with her because she has done more for the international feminist movement than anyone else I can think of. She's actually pretty awe inspiring about it.
I know she isn't perfect, but no one is. She *is* the candidate who most aligns with my beliefs - from the beginning of the race until today - still true. I'm with her. #ImWithHer
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