My New Rule: Talk Only About HER.
I’ve decided to borrow a (metaphorical) page from J.K. Rowling. I won’t mention “you-know-who.” I won’t talk about “he who must not be named.” I won’t be drawn into a discussion about the “lesser of two evils.”
It’s time we all acknowledge and respect the truth about Hillary Clinton. She is, arguably, the most qualified candidate to ever run for President. And yes, as First Lady Michelle Obama recently said, “she also just happens to be a woman.”
I’m done talking and writing about her opponent. I have better things to do: work with my clients, teach my students, laugh with my friends, and finish the work I started with Hillary Clinton in the cold winter days leading up to the Iowa Caucuses.
I’m often asked why I’m so passionate about politics. The answer is simple. This isn’t about politics. This is about how we treat each other and how we decide to move forward: all of us together or some of us alone while leaving others behind.
My connection with and support for Hillary Clinton is, above all, very personal. I first met Hillary Rodham Clinton when she spoke at the annual New York Human Rights Campaign dinner in 2000. She was the first sitting First Lady of the United States to speak to a gay rights group. As I listened to her speak of equality — not just for the LGBTQ community, but for everyone displaced by social norms and government bureaucracy — I decided to volunteer for her US Senate run.
A year later, I met Hillary Clinton again. This time in the wake of the 9/11 Terror Attacks. I, like so many New Yorkers, experienced first hand the all out assault on our city and nation. We were left dazed, confused and in need of leadership. Clinton was one of the first to arrive in the city, meet with victims and families and begin charting our path forward.
She led the effort to make sure 9/11 first responders who suffered lasting health effects from their time at Ground Zero got the care they needed and families of the victims received financial and medical support long after the attacks.
When she ran for President in 2008, I once again volunteered for her campaign. After her tenure as Secretary of State I spoke with her at an HIV/AIDS event. Our conversation was brief, but it left an indelible imprint. I disclosed my HIV status and my work as an HIV/AIDS educator for MTV and continued advocacy as a writer and proponent of HIV education, prevention and treatment.
Hillary leaned in and said, “Thank you for having the courage to share your story with me and, more importantly, with others. It’s people like you who make a difference every day.”
My reasons for supporting Clinton go beyond what she’s done for me. This election is about selecting a leader who understands that progress not only requires a compelling vision of the future, but also a realistic path to get there. This election is about selecting a leader who will move us all forward together because she understands that we are, and have always been, stronger together.
This is, perhaps, Hillary Clinton’s greatest strength: she combines a progressive vision of America with a demonstrated ability to achieve measurable and meaningful results. As she famously said, “I’m a progressive who gets things done.”
Here are a few more reasons #ImWithHer:
She’s qualified. Hillary Clinton has a combination of experience and achievement unlike any other candidate in history. She was Senior Class President at Wellesley College. She graduated with honors from Yale Law School and worked for the Children’s Defense Fund. She was First Lady of Arkansas, First Lady of the United States, US Senator from New York and served as US Secretary of State.
She’s shattered all but one glass ceiling. Not bad for a woman some people call ‘the establishment.’
She’s fights for the issues Americans care about. She believes in climate change, protecting our environment and continuing the Renewable Fuel Standard. She supports overturning Citizen’s United, advocates for veterans, and has detailed plans for fixing our broken criminal justice system. She continues to support American workers by protecting Unions and ensuring that the middle and lower classes are treated fairly under the tax code.
She has experience with and a detailed plan for protecting Americans and our allies here at home and around the world.
She understands the drivers of economic inequality and has a plan to fix it that goes beyond just breaking up the big banks and taxing the wealthy. Her plan also focuses on addressing the underlying long term social issues that drive income inequality, including racism, sexism and equal access to education and higher paying jobs.
She was the original architect of affordable healthcare and has been fighting for equal access to healthcare for over 20 years. As First Lady, Hillary worked with both Republicans and Democrats to create the Children’s Health Insurance Program that cut the uninsured rate of American children by half and today it provides healthcare to more than 8 million kids. She will not dismantle the Affordable Healthcare Act. She will work to improve it while ensuring that we have a way to pay for it.
She will ensure that millions of Americans with pre-existing conditions (like me) will continue to have access to affordable healthcare.
She stands up to the NRA, the gun lobby and Republicans who refuse to take any action to protect Americans from unprecedented and unnecessary gun violence.
She has a plan to work with Congress to both protect the Second Amendment and ensure better regulation of the purchase, ownership and carry of firearms.
She is the candidate with the most progressive record supporting women’s rights ranging from equal pay for equal work, funding for gender specific health research, access to reproductive healthcare and the right to choose.
When, as First Lady, she visited China and boldly proclaimed that “women’s rights are human rights,” it was clear that Hillary Clinton would not be bullied by anyone.
She is an advocate for LGBTQ Americans and people around the world. As Secretary of State, Hillary made LGBTQ rights a focus of U.S. foreign policy. She lobbied for the first-ever U.N. Human Rights Council resolution on LGBTQ rights. Here at home, she made the State Department a better, fairer place for LGBT employees to work, including extension of same sex marriage benefits to all employees regardless of location (two years prior to the SCOTUS ruling on marriage equality).
Her policies at the State Department became the blueprint for the Obama administration’s entire LGBTQ federal policy. Just as important, she opposes using “religious freedom” to justify discrimination.
She has the demonstrated capability to work with local, national and international leaders. Her work with the Children’s Defense Fund, stewardship as both First Lady of Arkansas and First Lady of the United States, and leadership a US Senator and US Secretary of State allow her to call on and work with leaders with whom she has had years of positive relationships. Hillary Clinton has also proven that she can successfully engage with the some of the most contentious leaders in the world, including those from Russia, North Korea, China and Iran.
Clinton has demonstrated that she is a thoughtful, hardworking public servant who has earned the respect of leaders at home and abroad.
She doesn’t require on-the-job training. As the Des Moines Register said in their recent endorsement of Clinton: “ The presidency is not an entry-level position. Whomever is sworn into office must demonstrate not only a deep understanding of the issues facing America, but also possess the diplomatic skills that enable presidents to forge alliances to get things done.”
I’ve attended many events with Hillary Clinton and have even had a few private moments with the former Secretary of State as she’s traveled across Iowa and our nation. At a recent event she smiled and waved as I approached.
The New York Times captured our moment together when Hillary said “You wear that bald look very well.” Privately she whispered, “Thank you for your work on my Senate campaign in New York and during my campaign here in Iowa.” Yes, she remembered me.
So yes, I’m voting for Hillary Clinton. I need someone who will be my champion…and yours. Hillary Clinton — on day one — stands ready to take on the most demanding job in the world.
I’ve always been on her side because she’s been on mine. I’ve got her back because she has mine. I’m fighting for HER so she can fight for US.
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Ryan Siskow is a People Capability Consultant, Social Media Strategist and Author. He lives in Iowa, but is ‘virtually’ everywhere.
Follow me on Twitter @ryansiskow.
