By Richard Hughes ’16
With an incredibly fragmented Republican field, Democrats now have an opportunity to prove themselves as the party ready to move onto the general election and ready to serve the country, united. Even with two candidates still in the race, the discourse on the Democratic side has been dramatically tamer, likely caused by a much smaller and more ideologically similar pool of candidates. Even so, to truly capitalize on this opportunity, Democrats must stand behind a candidate soon, so that the nominee can begin crafting a general election message. Therefore, we turn to our two choices: Vermont Senator Bernie Sanders and Secretary of State Hillary Clinton.
It’s hard not to fall in love with Bernie Sanders. His thick Brooklyn accent perfectly compliments what feels like one of the most truly honest and principled messages in today’s political world. Bernie Sanders is for Campaign Finance reform and so he refuses to accept Super PAC money. He is against entering wars without exit strategies and so he voted against the war in Iraq. He is, like many liberal democrats, for Socialist ideals, and so he breaks political convention by calling himself a “Democratic Socialist”. He is consistent and seemingly incorruptible, no matter what political realities face him. What draws us into Bernie Sanders, however, is also what would make him a unsuccessful President. The liberties granted to a Senator, namely that of idealism, are not granted to a President. A Democratic President, especially one facing a Republican majority, could not force through a single-payer health care system. They could not force through free public college education. And they could not promote a Socialist agenda for more than four very unproductive years. A president has to compromise and make significant ideological sacrifices, a task that Bernie Sanders seems unable or, more likely, unwilling to do. It is one thing to be brave and fight for one’s political ideals, but in the end, this fighting must be done subtly, slowly, and with bipartisan action. Unless Bernie Sanders can turn his “political revolution” into an military revolution, then his ideas just won’t pass.
After looking at the passionate Bernie Sanders, Hillary Clinton starts to seem like an unexciting choice to settle on. She seems flip-floppy and desperate to please the focus groups, no matter where this takes her views. Hillary Clinton has seemed to be, however, unfairly branded. She has committed a crime which has only become a crime in recent years: being a politician. She tweaks her views to make herself seem more attractive, but has never abandoned a generally liberal message. And these tweaks are just proof that Secretary Clinton is a woman ready for the dirty job of President.
Hillary Diane Rodham Clinton was born in Chicago into a fairly conservative household. After graduating from Wellesley College (where she was originally the President of the Young Republicans Club before having a liberal awakening) and Yale Law School, Clinton served as a lawyer for the Children’s Defense Fund, fighting for the rights of children and calling for new laws giving them a more gradual process into adulthood. Afterwards, she served as a member of the impeachment inquiry staff, advising the House Judiciary during the Watergate Scandal. In Law School, Hillary met a charming young beau named Bill and after denying his first few proposals (not being sure if she wanted to settle down) finally said yes and the two were married in 1975. Hillary Clinton continued to fight for child rights and became the first female partner of the Rose Law Firm, while helping her husband climb the political ladder. As First Lady, Miss Clinton fought for substantive health care reform and weathered her husband’s sexual scandal with Monica Lewinsky with grace. After leaving the White House, Miss Clinton became a Senator of New York in 2000 and served until 2008, when she made her first Presidential bid. After losing in a famously close primary to President Obama, Miss Clinton was eventually named Secretary of State. As Secretary of State, Clinton showed diplomatic mastery by helping to ease tension with Russia, navigate a series of messy Egyptian protests, and impose sanctions and isolation to Iran, paving way for the current Nuclear Deal.
Hillary Clinton will not bring forward a political revolution. She will not attack or drastically alter the status quo. What she will is provide a steady, experienced hand to the helm of the American ship, which in these turbulent times is exactly what we need in a President.