"We wouldn’t be here — black gowns at the Golden Globes, sexual assault victims invited to the State of the Union address, a nationwide, woman-led voter-registration drive, timed to the anniversary of the Women’s March — without Mrs. Clinton’s defeat."
Hillary Rodham Clinton is a woman who does not need an introduction, but most definitely deserves one. To name just a few lines on her resume, she has served as the First Lady of the United States, a U.S New York Senator, the 67th United States Secretary of State, and most recently; the first woman to receive the presidential nomination for a major political party.
Since the start of her campaign, Hillary has been trying to "break the glass ceiling". A catchphrase that became synonymous with her campaign. Hillary Clinton has fought for the rights of women, children and yes, men too, since the beginning of her political career. She has played a part in Roe V. Wade, has been a pioneer for children's' education and advocacy, and has tirelessly spoken out against the sexism we as a country face.
During her time as the First Lady of Arkansas, she was the first female board member of Wal-Mart from 1986 to 1992. She was a leader on the American Bar Association's Commission on Women in the Profession from 1987 to 1991. In 1994, she played a pivotal role in the Violence Against Women Act. That provides financial and technical assistance to states to help them develop programs that stop domestic violence, sexual assault, and stalking. In 1995, she also helped create the Department of Justice's Office on violence against women. These are no small defeats for a woman you can find copious anti-feminism articles on.
In more recent times, Hillary has created a dialogue on the sexism our country faces. She opened this conversation when she lost the 2016 presidential election. She has been continuously been told to " shut up and go home " and had not been taken seriously as a political force even when she won the Democratic nomination. After losing the 2016 election, she was encouraged to stay out of the spotlight, stop talking about what happened (a question many of us still have), but she chose not to. Hillary chose to speak out and still fight for the same equality she has been fighting for her entire life.
Although she lost the election, she still recognizes her monumental achievement as the first woman candidate of a major political party. She has been quoted saying “Other women will run for President,” Clinton writes, “and they will be women, and they will have women’s voices. Maybe that will be less unusual by then. Maybe my campaign will have helped make it that way, and other women will have an easier time. I hope so.” You have to wonder how someone so qualified and an abundance of political experience lost to a reality TV star who has been accused of sexual assault and harassing women. Hillary's loss sparked a conversation to call out sexism and to not stand for it any longer. She inspired thousands of woman and men to create a peaceful protest around the country
You have to wonder what the narrative of our country would be like if Hillary won. Would we still be having these conversations about sexism and "me too"? Would people finally accept a woman as a serious political candidate and not a product of her husband's accomplishments? Yes, Hillary losing the election was devastating, but there is a silver lining. If Hillary had not lost the 2016 presidential election, we would not be angry. We would not know how much power we as a society have to fight back. We would not truly understand how outdated our ideals as a country are. We would not see how much hate we still have in our country towards anyone who is not a white man. Hillary Rodham Clinton is a woman warrior. She has proven that to be a fact during her time on top of the political food chain and also on her darkest days.
Amadeo, K. (n.d.). What Has Hillary Done? 14 Major Accomplishments. Retrieved from https://www.thebalance.com/hillary-clinton-s-accomplishments-4101811
Chozick, Amy. “Hillary Clinton Ignited a Feminist Movement. By Losing.” The New York Times, The New York Times, 13 Jan. 2018, www.nytimes.com/2018/01/13/sunday-review/hillary-Clinton-feminist-movement.html.
North, Anna. “Hillary Clinton's What Happened and Its Place in Feminist History, Explained.” Vox, Vox, 13 Sept. 2017, www.vox.com/identities/2017/9/13/16288034/hillary-clinton-what-happened-feminism.
During her time as the First Lady of Arkansas, she was the first female board member of Wal-Mart from 1986 to 1992. She was a leader on the American Bar Association's Commission on Women in the Profession from 1987 to 1991. In 1994, she played a pivotal role in the Violence Against Women Act. That provides financial and technical assistance to states to help them develop programs that stop domestic violence, sexual assault, and stalking. In 1995, she also helped create the Department of Justice's Office on violence against women. These are no small defeats for a woman you can find copious anti-feminism articles on.
In more recent times, Hillary has created a dialogue on the sexism our country faces. She opened this conversation when she lost the 2016 presidential election. She has been continuously been told to " shut up and go home " and had not been taken seriously as a political force even when she won the Democratic nomination. After losing the 2016 election, she was encouraged to stay out of the spotlight, stop talking about what happened (a question many of us still have), but she chose not to. Hillary chose to speak out and still fight for the same equality she has been fighting for her entire life.
Although she lost the election, she still recognizes her monumental achievement as the first woman candidate of a major political party. She has been quoted saying “Other women will run for President,” Clinton writes, “and they will be women, and they will have women’s voices. Maybe that will be less unusual by then. Maybe my campaign will have helped make it that way, and other women will have an easier time. I hope so.” You have to wonder how someone so qualified and an abundance of political experience lost to a reality TV star who has been accused of sexual assault and harassing women. Hillary's loss sparked a conversation to call out sexism and to not stand for it any longer. She inspired thousands of woman and men to create a peaceful protest around the country
You have to wonder what the narrative of our country would be like if Hillary won. Would we still be having these conversations about sexism and "me too"? Would people finally accept a woman as a serious political candidate and not a product of her husband's accomplishments? Yes, Hillary losing the election was devastating, but there is a silver lining. If Hillary had not lost the 2016 presidential election, we would not be angry. We would not know how much power we as a society have to fight back. We would not truly understand how outdated our ideals as a country are. We would not see how much hate we still have in our country towards anyone who is not a white man. Hillary Rodham Clinton is a woman warrior. She has proven that to be a fact during her time on top of the political food chain and also on her darkest days.
Works Cited
Amadeo, K. (n.d.). What Has Hillary Done? 14 Major Accomplishments. Retrieved from https://www.thebalance.com/hillary-clinton-s-accomplishments-4101811
Chozick, Amy. “Hillary Clinton Ignited a Feminist Movement. By Losing.” The New York Times, The New York Times, 13 Jan. 2018, www.nytimes.com/2018/01/13/sunday-review/hillary-Clinton-feminist-movement.html.
North, Anna. “Hillary Clinton's What Happened and Its Place in Feminist History, Explained.” Vox, Vox, 13 Sept. 2017, www.vox.com/identities/2017/9/13/16288034/hillary-clinton-what-happened-feminism.
I love how you commented on how Hillary's losing the election has shed more light on women's issues in our country. As for how she lost, I blame voter turnout in local and state elections. The next election is November 6. Be there or see the result remain the same come the 2020 election. Hillary has been a great inspiration for me personally, and I hope more people can see her in the way you've painted her here.
ReplyDeleteForgive my ignorance but as someone with little knowledge in American politics I was vastly unaware of what Hillary has achieved in her roles as First Lady and Senator. I liked the way you describe her as a "serious political candidate and not a product of her husband's accomplishments" because that is what she is. Women should be defined by their own achievements rather than their relationships with men.
ReplyDeleteI did not know that Hillary has accomplished so much as a woman. I sometimes wonder what we would be facing now if she would have won the election. I hope her political path will help other women in the future to become a candidate for president. As the years go by, I hope it wont be something scandalous or new that a women is running for president but it will be viewed as normal.
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