The following is a political research paper assigned in my English 101 class this last semester. The purpose of this assignment was to discuss both sides of the argument, and then give our opinion. My topic was Hillary Clinton and her 2016 Presidential campaign. My research and opinions are as follows. I hope you enjoy, or at least learn something new!
Currently, the 2016 Presidential campaign is a popular topic amongst the American public. Hillary Rodham Clinton, a potential Presidential candidate for the Democratic Party, is one of the most recognizable and well-known figures in American politics. To begin, Clinton was born on October 26, 1947 in Chicago, Illinois. Her higher education includes attending Wellesley College until her graduation in 1969, and studying at Yale Law School until her graduation in 1973. Additionally, Clinton completed a year of post-graduate study at the Yale Child Study Center. Later, in 1975, she married Bill Clinton. Now, Hillary Clinton is best known for the various political positions she’s held. These occupations include First Lady of Arkansas from 1983 to 1992, First Lady of the United States from 1993 to 2001, US Senator from 2001 to 2009, and Secretary of State from 2009 to 2013. Although her most notable political positions are already impressive, they do not fully reflect the extent of her political career.
Initially, Clinton considered herself a Republican. In 1962, she was inspired by Reverend Martin Luther King Jr. to work in public service after hearing one of his lesser-known speeches in Chicago. Then, in 1964, she assisted Republican nominee Barry Goldwater in his Presidential campaign. She became a Democrat in 1968 and worked political jobs during her college summers. Clinton’s first political summer job, in 1971, was to assist US Senator Walter Mondale with his migrant worker’s committee. Then, in the summer of 1992, Clinton worked on the Presidential campaign for Democratic nominee George McGovern. Furthermore, Clinton became a member of Nixon’s impeachment inquiry staff during the spring of 1974. Finally, she worked on Jimmy Carter’s successful Presidential campaign in 1976.
Furthermore, Clinton attempted to run for President in the 2008 Democratic primary election, but conceded her nomination when it became clear that Barack Obama would win the majority vote. She announced her plans to run for US President again in the spring of this year, and has since led a popular campaign that’s consistently made news headlines. Clinton has run her campaign on several different platforms that are both important and controversial to the public. According to her campaign website, Clinton’s platforms include concerns with the education system, safety and security, economy, welfare, health, and various rights (Hillary for America). Naturally, these opinions bring about both supporters and opposers of Hillary Clinton’s potential Presidency.
Regarding Clinton’s supporters, there are many reasons some people hope to see her become the President of the United States. Some of the most prominent reasons amongst the American public involve her gender, qualifications, and the causes she supports. In American society, many are seeking to redefine gender roles. The idea of the first female President is very exciting to a multitude of citizens. In the Blue Nation Review article “5 Important Reasons to Vote for Hillary Clinton,” Brendan Quinn, who is a news research assistant, discusses why some may want to vote for Hillary Clinton to be President in 2016. He specifically points out that, “When a woman takes up the mantel of ‘Leader of the Free World,’ our nation will cross a line, never to return… by placing a woman as our Head of State, a new generation will grow up with an altered view of what a woman can do” (Quinn). According to Quinn, appointing a female as the leader of the United States would be a milestone for the country and for women, helping to raise American children to value females as capable individuals. This goes beyond the cause of equality by setting a standard for generations of women that can be encouraged to reach for their dreams without any limits. Some Americans also view electing a female President as a way to represent the diversity of the country, especially following the election and re-election of the first African American President of the United States.
In fact, this is not the first time Clinton has reached beyond traditional gender roles. According to a biography website, which thoroughly reports the candidate’s background and accomplishments, “Clinton became the first wife of a president to seek and win public office and the first woman to be elected to the U.S. Senate from New York” (Biography.com Editors). Besides her intention to become the first female President of the United States, Clinton is the only First Lady to run for and obtain a political position. Also, Clinton was the first female Senator from the state of New York. Clinton has consistently challenged the societal norm, and has often achieved what she’s set out to do. This displays unique courage, determination, and confidence, which are also important leadership skills.
In addition to the accomplishment of electing the first female President, many believe Clinton is uniquely qualified due to her extensive experience in politics. Hillary Clinton worked in various committees, campaigns, and other higher positions in the Federal Government. In the 2016 Presidential race, Clinton may be the most experienced candidate in both politics and public service. Lanny Davis’s opinion article called “Hillary Clinton Will Be President… Just Look at How Republicans Can’t Stop Attacking Her,” was published on the Fox News website. Davis discussed the immense negative attention Hillary Clinton has received from the potential Republican nominees. He suggested that Clinton must be receiving that scrutiny due to the fact that she is the biggest threat to the Republicans. He also went on to say that Clinton, “had experience advising a husband who was a six-term Governor and a two-term President, so she understands the importance of the executive branch in leading and executing policy” (Davis). He continued, saying, “Plus, she served in the legislative branch in the U.S. Senate for eight years, was respected widely by Republicans as well as Democrats, for her legislative abilities to debate issues and find compromises. And she has had extensive foreign policy experience as Secretary of State for four years” (Davis). Through this, Davis lists Hillary Clinton’s involvement in her husband’s terms as Governor and President, positive recognition by both political parties, and skills with affairs abroad due to her time as Secretary of State. Therefore, Clinton is experienced with all of the government branches. Besides her history of being involved with the executive and legislative branch, her education in and practice of law relates to the judiciary branch. Furthermore, Bill Clinton, Hillary’s husband of forty years, is viewed as a valuable asset to his wife because he was the President from 1993 to 2001. Hillary Clinton’s long political history provides her with the knowledge and capabilities essential to the role of President.
Finally, Hillary Clinton supports many causes that are currently popular amongst the American public. These platforms include increased minimum wage, economic equality, climate change prevention, equal pay, and diversity, as well as rights for the LGBT community, women, and domestic violence victims (Hillary for America). Supporting these issues may help Clinton obtain the popular vote as American culture has recently evolved to accept the aforementioned ideas. Clinton’s potential to be the first female President, extensive experience in American politics, and her popular opinions about various societal issues make her a highly supported and well-liked candidate.
Despite these qualifications, Clinton has her fair share of critics. Many claim that she opposes conservative values, has beliefs that contradict American freedoms, and is viewed negatively by many in the public. To start, a large portion of the nation believes in religious and conservative values. A general concern among these people is that Clinton’s liberal viewpoint would prevent her from protecting and preserving more conservative interests and rights that many citizens value. Additionally, some citizens are troubled by Clinton’s early mentorship by a political activist, community organizer, writer, and socialist Saul Alinsky (D’Souza, 74-84). According to political commentator and author Dinesh D’Souza, Alinksy was a radical leftist who intended to start a revolution in order to undo the work of Ronald Reagan and even the American Revolution. Interestingly, Alinsky also mentored President Barack Obama. In D’Souza’s book America: Imagine a World Without Her, he critiques progressive views of America’s history, as well as the backgrounds of some prominent left-wing political figures. As stated by D’Souza, “Hillary and Obama have both learned the Alinsky lesson that you should aggressively pursue power while pretending to be motivated by true altruism” (D’Souza, 86). In other words, Alinsky taught his students that, by portraying themselves as being selflessly concerned with interests of others, Clinton and Obama could gain the powerful positions they sought. This view portrays Clinton and Obama as dishonest, power-hungry, and dangerous because of Alinsky’s teachings. Additionally, D’Souza says, “If Hillary Clinton is elected in 2016, the baton will have passed from one Alinskyite to another. In this case, Alinsky’s influence will have taken on a massive, almost unimaginable, importance… Together, these two have the opportunity to largely undo the nation’s founding ideals” (D’Souza, 87). That is to say that if Clinton were to become President, the legacy of Alinsky would live on through her as it did in Obama’s views and policies. Therefore, Obama and Clinton’s combined terms have the potential to destroy the very principles America was founded on. Socialist views are threatening to liberty and democracy, so this causes a substantial concern for the American public.
Finally, both Conservatives and Liberals believe Clinton to be inconsistent, unreliable, and untrustworthy due to her contradicting views and unethical history. Some people may be concerned that Clinton is out of touch with the general public, due to her lifelong political career and wealth. Because she has not had a career apart from politics, as well as her incredibly high income, some citizens do not feel that Clinton is capable of understanding and assisting the interests of the working class. Furthermore, voters from both the Republican and Democratic parties believe Clinton is not completely trustworthy, despite her claims to support various causes. In the article “Why Many Liberals Don’t Trust Hillary Clinton,” CNN writer, Dan Merica, discusses Clinton’s reputation for having a close relationship with big banks, as well as her changing concerns that happen to coincide with what the majority starts to care about. He says, “There is also an overarching suspicion among liberals that Clinton is saying what she needs to get elected, but would govern differently” (Merica). That is to say that many left-wing voters feel the potential Democratic nominee would not follow through with her current campaign platforms. Citizens are wary of electing a person who is untrustworthy because, once the power is handed over, the President can do whatever they’d like with little immediate consequences. Therefore, Clinton may be saying what voters want to hear now, but may act differently if she were to be elected. Merica goes on to quote progressive activist and CNN contributor, Sally Kohn, stating, “If there was an actual, authentic ‘I am going to listen to you about your issues’ from Clinton, instead of kind of pounding the drum of inevitability and stampeding over the left on her way to assumed victory, that would be effective” (Merica). To clarify, Kohn is wary of Clinton because she seems inauthentic and unconcerned with the average citizens’ desires. Kohn believes Clinton may be getting ahead of herself, assuming that she will be voted into office, and therefore is disregarding left-wing voters and their opinions, which is an unproductive way to campaign. Due to some positive public opinion polls, and Clinton’s eagerness to point out her gender in her campaign, she may be overlooking the reality of this Presidential race, disregarding and alienating those from her own party. This could be disastrous for Clinton.
To add, she originally told the public that she supported traditional marriage between a man and woman. More recently, Clinton’s changed her position to being supportive of rights for the lesbian, gay, bisexual, and transgender community (Rappeport). Although everyone has the right to change their views, it seems that Clinton may adjust her stances as the popular public opinion evolves. Therefore, Clinton may be seen as unreliable due to her shifting stances and lack of firm views. Both liberal and conservative leaning voters are unsure of Clinton’s ability to lead the country because of her biased views, past mentorship by Alinsky, and her history of speaking and acting inconsistently.
After totaling the positives and negatives in her track record, Clinton seems to be an unqualified and unreliable candidate for the most powerful position in the United States. Furthermore, Hillary Clinton should be sent to prison, not the White House. The first reason for this proposal is that Clinton is currently under investigation for incidents referred to as the “email scandal” and “Benghazi attacks.” The email scandal concerns Clinton’s usage of a private family server to send emails as Secretary of State. This also includes the deletion of 32,000 emails that could possibly be incriminating. These actions may have violated many laws and regulations, and are therefore being inspected. Additionally, in the Benghazi attacks, Clinton and Obama neglected the pleas for help from American citizens in Libya. As a result, several people were killed by Islamic terrorists, including a US ambassador. Even though this happened in 2012, Clinton has recently received more criticism and could possibly be investigated over this scandal as well (Miller). Clinton’s actions, combined with her lack of transparency and honesty regarding these situations are significant concerns for voters.
In fact, it may be said that anyone under criminal investigation should not be allowed to run for public office until they are cleared. In addition to the wrongdoing that’s currently being scrutinized, Clinton has also been accused of being involved in countless other scandals and suspicious practices. Some of these scandals include “Chinagate,” “Pardongate,” and the Clinton Foundation (WND). These either have not been fully examined or punished. But if they had been taken more seriously at the time, it may have been discovered that Clinton engaged in even more illegal practices. With a past shrouded in uncertainty and suspicion, Clinton may not be the trustworthy leader that America desires.
Another concern involving Clinton’s past is her removal from the Nixon impeachment committee. Jerry Zeifman, who was a Democrat and former counsel to the House Judiciary committee at the time, claimed that Clinton was fired “because she was a liar… an unethical, dishonest lawyer. She conspired to violate the Constitution, the rules of the House, the rules of the committee and the rules of confidentiality” (West). In other words, Clinton was fired from the committee due to her supervisor’s complaints that she acted immorally, disobeying various rules of the impeachment committee and the country. Zeifman’s negative experience with Clinton is a blemish on her record that may be difficult for some voters to overlook.
Coupled with Clinton’s past, there are flaws in her campaign platforms. Being biologically born as a female isn’t a solid qualification to hold such an important position. It is understandable that the American public would want to give a woman a chance to run the country, but this must be coupled with the ability to lead and handle complex duties. In addition, Hillary Clinton is not the only female running for President. Republican nominee Carly Fiorina is also an accomplished, well-spoken candidate that is steadily gaining attention and legitimate consideration amongst the public. Hillary Clinton no longer holds the novelty of being the sole female Presidential nominee.
Next, Clinton does not seem to practice what she preaches, especially regarding female wage equality. In Hillary Clinton’s Senate staff, the median annual salary for men was $56,499.93 while the median annual salary for women was $40,791.55. With these figures, women were valued at over $15,000 less than men (Scher). This is a double standard, revealing that Clinton hasn’t put her public views of women’s rights and equal pay into practice. And although Clinton claims to support small businesses, her plans to increase minimum wage and taxes are often opposed by small business owners due to their potential to damage businesses and the economy. Therefore, some of Clinton’s campaign platforms are inconsistent with her claims.
To conclude, Hillary Clinton is supported as a Presidential candidate because of her experience in various political jobs, her stances on many current and popular issues, and her potential to break through gender barriers as the first female President. On the other hand, opponents of Clinton are concerned about her lack of support for conservative and religious citizens, early mentorship from a socialist, history of untrustworthy and unethical actions, current criminal investigations, and lack of accountability for previous unethical and illegal actions. In regards to Clinton’s potential to be President, the cons outweigh the pros. Clinton’s track record proves that she is not worthy of the title “President of the United States,” nor is she reliable enough to be entrusted with the tremendous power of the position.
Works Cited
Biography.com Editors. “Hillary Clinton Biography.” Bio. A&E Television Networks, n.d. Web. 20 Nov. 2015.
Davis, Lanny. “Hillary Clinton Will Be President… Just Look at How Republicans Can’t Stop Attacking Her.” Fox News. Fox News, 8 Oct. 2015. 22 Nov. 2015.
D’Souza, Dinesh. America: Imagine a World Without Her. Washington, DC: Regnery, 2014. Print.
Hillary for America. “Hillary Clinton on the Issues.” Hillary for America. Hillary for America, 2015. Web. 20 Nov. 2015.
Merica, Dan. “Why Many Liberals Don’t Trust Hillary Clinton.” CNN. CNN, 25 July 2014. Web. 20 Nov. 2015.
Miller, S. A. “Clinton to Face Tough Questions on Benghazi, Email Scandal with 2016 Bid.” Washington Times. Washington Times, 12 Apr. 2015. Web. 20 Nov. 2015.
Quinn, Brendan R. “5 Reasons Why Hillary Clinton Would Make a Great President.” Blue Nation Review. Blue Nation Review, 13 Apr. 2015. Web. 20 Nov. 2015.
Rappeport, Alan. “Hillary Clinton’s Changing Views on Gay Marriage.” New York Times. The New York Times Company, 16 Apr. 2015. Web. 20 Nov. 2015.
Scher, Brent. “Hillary Clinton’s War on Women.” Washington Free Beacon. Washington Free Beacon, 23 Feb. 2015. Web. 20 Nov. 2015.
West, Allen. “Hillary Clinton: Watergate vs Servergate ‘She Burned the Tapes’.” Allen West Republic. Allen West Republic, 13 Mar. 2015. Web. 20 Nov. 2015.
WND. “Here They Are: Hillary’s 22 Biggest Scandals Ever.” WND. WND, 18 May 2015. Web. 22 Nov. 2015.
Lady Liberty 