The Hillary Revolution: Resources for Progressive Voters

IMPORTANT NOTE: This post was written by a member of my secret Hillary group. The author, Nancy, wishes to maintain a low profile. The group agreed that this was such a fantastic piece that it needed to be out there in the world, so here it is!

I am a self-identified leftist and I support Hillary Clinton for president of the United States. I want to help you understand why. -Nancy, age 53, California

Welcome to the HRC Revolution!

The 2015–16 Democratic Party primary election widely was framed as a choice between an uncompromising progressive, Bernie Sanders, and an establishment neoliberal, Hillary Clinton.

As a consequence of this narrative, many Sanders supporters feel reluctant to shift their allegiance to Clinton in the general election. This is in part because they were so inspired by him — a stance I fully respect — but also in part because they believe that Clinton lacks progressive credentials. It’s that last part that is problematic. It is not a reflection of who Hillary is.

I have seen Clinton compared to Margaret Thatcher. I’ve heard it said that she is “no different from Trump.” The truth is, Clinton is a liberal in good standing and very, very different from Thatcher and Trump! Others say she’s merely “the lesser of two evils.” Are you kidding me? Hillary Clinton, evil? The woman who has spent her life advocating for kids? The person who designed a universal healthcare system two decades before it was cool? Who linked U.S. foreign policy to gay rights and women’s rights? She is not only not a lesser evil, she’s a fucking badass progressive.

Do I all agree with everything she ever has done? Hell no!

But, perspective check: have I ever voted for a presidential candidate that I agreed with one hundred percent? Nope! Is Clinton really as progressive as Sanders? Yes, though they have different approaches and progressive priorities.

Her history shows a dogged commitment to children’s rights and women’s rights, while he is all about Wall Street reform. She’s far to the left of him on gun control, and also has garnered a broad, multi-ethnic coalition of voters behind her that, to me, speaks volumes about who trusts her, who sees her as an ally, and for whom she will advocate.

That “rainbow coalition” (to steal a term from Jesse Jackson’s historic campaign) is something I personally find deeply impressive about her.

We are soon to become a majority-minority nation, demographically, and Clinton’s supporters mirror that diversity closely. Clinton’s recent campaign video, “History Made” (embedded below), launching her general election campaign, is a stunning vision of intersectional feminism. Likewise, her first campaign speech, kicking off the primary, was dedicated to the theme of racial justice. She was endorsed, early and enthusiastically, by tons of progressive organizations that fight for social justice, equality, and other leftist causes, those on the front lines of such legislative and social battles who know how change gets made.

So if you consider yourself a progressive, I urge you to try to screen out some of the entrenched cultural bias against this woman. It has been fostered by the GOP for 25 years, since she first came into the public eye in 1992 and, sadly, has been recirculated on the left in the recent primary.

Below you will find a series of links that show that Clinton has every bit as much a claim to progressivism as does Sanders. I hope they will provide you with some fresh food for thought and tools for re-evaluating her. You don’t have to love everything about Clinton, but on balance, I believe anyone who calls him- or herself a progressive should be able to vote for her in good conscience next November.

And who knows? Maybe you’ll find yourself getting as excited about her as I am, and as so many other progressives are, as well.

Clinton is a strong feminist, a children’s advocate, an LGBT ally, a social justice advocate, and serious about gun control. She is, in other words, a progressive.

A few comments on the choice of links:

• Links are sourced; that is, they provide facts and evidence for the claims they make in the form of voting records, public statements, and so on, rather than making purely ideological points.
• This list is curated. My goal is to provide the most informative and well-sourced links, not to cover every issue or to overwhelm you with information. I’m sorry if I left off one of your priority concerns, but…
• …Since I cannot cover every issue (hey, I have a life!), I provide links back to Clinton’s formal platform, her voting record, and a lengthy interview conducted during the primary campaign. You can do a little research there on other issues if you’d like.
• I strove to find links that are pro-Clinton, not anti-Sanders. In a few cases where a link includes a valuable argument for Clinton along with a discussion of Sanders, I added it.

The GOP hatred of Hillary Clinton and how it skews perceptions

• This is an outstanding essay on how the GOP has created a cottage industry solely dedicated to creating faux scandals about Clinton, early on branding her as a liar and worse, without a shred of evidence. The genealogy of many of the negative things you believe about Clinton goes straight back to the GOP. Why do you think they hate her so much? Because she’s a progressive, that’s why! Don’t let them fool you.
• Here is a fascinating exposé on how long-term right-wing talking points against Clinton were repackaged for a leftist audience during the primary. I hope you read this one!
• This piece starts out with some stuff on Sanders but then moves to a discussion of the decades-long GOP vendetta against Clinton.

Macy, age 10: “She is just a good role model for girls because, you know, she is just sort of, like, to everybody, ‘Girls can be awesome, too.’”

Our broad cultural bias against women who seek power

Here is an excellent piece by Sady Doyle, on our implicit bias against women who seek power. Check out the other piece she wrote, linked below. It is useful to recognize that this bias exists, that it is widely shared (studies show that both men and women display it equally), and that it affects our perceptions of Clinton. It is not the same thing as sexism: implicit bias is subtle, pervasive, shared by both sexes, and totally unconscious. Unfortunately, it affects the way we all view men and women in public life.

America loves women like Hillary Clinton-as long as they're not asking for a promotion

Primary and national campaign kickoffs

In April 2015, Clinton’s first speech after announcing her run for president was dedicated to the pressing need for racial justice, setting a tone for her prioritizing of the issue.

Over the course of the campaign, she developed personal relationships with the “Mothers of the Movement:” a group of African-American mothers who have lost children to police encounters or gun violence.

Clinton unveiled the “History Made” video as the opening of her national strategy for the general election. It features only the voices of women, all of them radical activists in their day, and celebrates intersectional feminism. This link has the video and an analysis.

Basic Resources I: Her voting record

• Hillary Clinton was ranked as the eleventh most liberal member of the Senate during her tenure there. This places her to the left of Obama, who was ranked #23. Granted, Sanders was #1: that’s probably why you like him! But please recognize that the #11 spot is still far more liberal than any other major party nominee, historically. As you likely have heard, Clinton and Sanders voted in lockstep 93% of the time. Hillary Clinton is a liberal.
• An impressive list of the legislation she sponsored ~ shows her priorities.
• Her voting record.

Basic Resources II : Her campaign positions

• Her New York Daily News Interview (long)
• Link to her current platform (searchable by issue)

Basic Resources III: Compilations of accomplishments

• Fun link ~ clickable HRC accomplishments!
• A simple list of her accomplishments.
• Other Democratic politicians on her best accomplishments.

Her lifelong advocacy for children’s and women’s rights

• Children’s rights is the signature issue of Clinton’s career.
• She was the first primary presidential candidate ever endorsed by Planned Parenthood.
• Clinton’s plan to invest in childcare, so that no family should have to spend over 10% of their income on childcare costs. This would benefit working families in multiple ways, likely even more than higher-education reform.
• Actress America Ferrera described the benefits she received, as the daughter of a single mother in a Latina family, from programs that Clinton personally championed.
• From a Newsweek interview while Clinton was Secretary of State: “I have been working hard to integrate women’s rights as a cornerstone of our foreign policy.… They are often discriminated against, even brutally enslaved, or simply not able to contribute to society or realize their potential… We have an obligation to stand up for their rights.” This article, as well as this piece, assess this endeavor in an even-handed way, while noting that egalitarian changes necessarily are long-term battles:

Clinton’s famous 1995 speech in Beijing was delivered at a time when broad acceptance of women’s equal rights was still a radical idea:

“Women’s rights are human rights and human rights are women’s rights.”

LGBT issues

• This link chronicles Clinton’s evolution on marriage equality. For a long time, she supported “civil unions” for gay couples with the same benefits as marriage, before coming around to favor marriage equality. (Sanders underwent his own evolution on this issue and came out in favor of marriage equality in 2009, as opposed to Clinton in 2012.)
• Hillary Clinton, in spite of an evolving message on LGBT issues, has earned enthusiastic support from many in the community. She was the first First Lady to march in a Pride parade (2000), and her campaign manager, Robby Mook, is openly gay.
• Her embrace of the issue has convinced the Human Rights Coalition, a major activist organization dedicated to LGBT rights, that she is an important champion and ally. They endorsed Clinton in the primary and here share some of their favorite quotes of hers.
• As Secretary of State, Clinton pushed Obama to take a hard line against countries with anti-gay legislation on the books.
• As Secretary of State, she advocated for trans rights and changed passport requirements.

Climate and environmental concerns

• Tom Hayden, a prominent “fracktivist” and long-time social-justice organizer, published an articulate and urgent endorsement of Hillary Clinton in advance of the California primary. At the center of his change of heart from Sanders to Clinton is a recognition of the intersectionality of the issues we face, and the complexity and difficulty of achieving victories on environmental issues.

“I intend to vote for Hillary Clinton in the California primary for one fundamental reason. It has to do with race. My life since 1960 has been committed to the causes of African Americans, the Chicano movement, the labor movement, and freedom struggles in Vietnam, Cuba and Latin America. In the environmental movement I start from the premise of environmental justice for the poor and communities of color. My wife is a descendant of the Oglala Sioux, and my whole family is inter-racial.

What would cause me to turn my back on all those people who have shaped who I am? That would be a transgression on my personal code. I have been on too many freedom rides, too many marches, too many jail cells, and far too many gravesites to breach that trust. And I have been so tied to the women’s movement that I cannot imagine scoffing at the chance to vote for a woman president. When I understood that the overwhelming consensus from those communities was for Hillary — for instance the Congressional Black Caucus and Sacramento’s Latino caucus — that was the decisive factor for me.” — Tom Hayden

• The National Resources Defense Council (NRDC) made their first-ever presidential endorsement, and gave a clear summary of the reasons she has earned their support.
• Animal issues have been of special concern to Chelsea Clinton. She and her mother, along with the Clinton Foundation, have made stopping the ivory trade a particular focus.

Gun violence

Clinton is far to the left of Sanders on gun control, and made it a significant part of her message throughout the Democratic primary.

• Moms Demand Action and Everytown for Gun Safety, partner organizations that organize and lobby (successfully!) around issues of gun safety, endorsed Hillary Clinton.

“Hillary is the only candidate who has consistently stood on the side of gun safety. She’s the only candidate has stood with gun violence survivors. And she’s the only candidate who has shown the backbone to stand up to the gun lobby’s extreme ‘guns everywhere’ agenda.” — From the Moms Demand Action endorsement of Hillary Clinton

• Hillary Clinton will push for and sign legislation that would make our nation safer from the threat of gun violence. If Democrats can re-take the Senate in 2016, and at least gain more seats in the House (bringing us in range of retaking it in 2018), this becomes much more possible.

Right from the start, Clinton has been unapologetic about gun safety:

Hillary Clinton's push on gun control marks a shift in presidential politics

Higher education

I work in higher education. I really like Clinton’s plan for funding higher education, for multiple reasons. First, she has a means test, so taxpayers would not be funding higher education for children of the wealthy. Second, her plan takes account of secondary costs, beyond tuition, that can inflate student debt, like housing, book costs, and transportation. Third, Clinton has given special attention to the needs of students attending Historically Black Colleges and Universities (commonly called HBCUs), which provide an important educational and cultural tradition for minority students. The plan is funded by higher taxes on the very wealthy. You can check out the other details about veterans and returning students here.

Income, wealth, and equity

• Clinton has a record of action on workplace equity and income issues.
• She has a proposal to end the carried interest loophole, which enables CFOs to pay a lower tax rate even than regular workers. This can be done by the Treasury Department, without legislation; it would make this group of financiers pay their fair share; and it would raise lots of revenue.
• Her New York Daily News Interview provides insight into her thinking around economic issues, as well as the sheer depth of her knowledge on the subject ~ this also was linked above, but she discusses the economy and banking reform at length here, so I’m repeating it.
• The Clinton Foundation received an “A” rating from Charity Watch.
• Mothers in the U.S. are fully participating in the work force, but not many have access to paid leave. Clinton’s proposal to cap the cost of childcare at 10 percent of a family’s income is “monumental.”

Yeah, but I just.don’t.like.her!

• Here’s a profile of Clinton from (former critic) Rebecca Traister, which focuses on the contradiction between Clinton’s personal warmth versus her public defensiveness.
• She’s fundamentally honest and trustworthy.
• On the long-term, slogging work of building bridges and coalitions as Clinton’s distinctive political style, as opposed to reliance on “charisma.”

Finally, a good piece on the pitfalls of protest voting. In the year of Donald Trump’s candidacy, we need to do more than keep him from an electoral college win: We need to fully and soundly reject his dangerous ideology. It has no place in our diverse and pluralistic society.

I Am No Man.

Thank you for your time and attention. And don’t forget: progressive legislation happens at all levels of government! I hope you will cast your vote for Hillary Clinton in November, but please don’t forget to support liberal candidates in your down-ballot state and local races as well. The more progressives we elect to office, the more tangible changes we can make.