Madeleine Albright Makes Hillary Rally Just That Much Brighter
CONCORD NH — In the Rundett Middle School gymnasium the Hillary Clinton rally started to look a lot like a middle school basketball game. There were wood floors, sweaty crowds, and loud support: “I believe that she will win, I believe that she will win.”
Before the main “she” that everyone was rooting for took the stage, there were many other “shes” that came to offer their support. Concord Congresswoman Ann McLane Kuster rose to the stage first. She started off by asking the crowd who planned to take time to volunteer for the Clinton campaign over the upcoming days. Many hands raised high. Kuster emphasized that Clinton is the president to get the job done, and even joked that “it’s cotton candy” to talk about something as unrealistic as free college — a key aspect of the Bernie Sanders’s campaign. As Kuster concluded her time on stage she polled the crowd again. This time, even more loud cheers and high hands were raised to show they were planning to volunteer for the Clinton campaign.
Several politicians took the stage to introduce Hillary Clinton, but by far, the most electrifying were New Jersey Senator Cory Booker and former Secretary of State Madeleine Albright. Albright, at 78 years of age, took the mic and made a wholehearted pitch for Clinton. Multiple times she referred to Clinton as “progressive,” taking a stab at Senator Sanders who has accused Clinton of not being as forward-thinking.
Madeleine Albright is as progressive as they come. As the nation’s first female secretary of state, she understands what it is like to make history. So as Albright stood arm in arm with Clinton, it was evident to all that she intends to do all she can to make history again.
Standing right beside Clinton, Albright gave a speech that was especially geared towards young women. She explained that the path for young women has been started, but is far from finished. Many young women think “it’s been done,” but Albright assured that “it’s not done.” Albright emphasized that Clinton will be there to continually help and defend young women, and if the nation wants progress for females, the nation must elect Clinton. At 4’10 Albright managed to stand particularly tall as she shouted, “Just remember, there’s a special place in hell for women who don’t help each other.” The crowd — which included many members of Planned Parenthood — erupted in applause, evidently in agreement that women can count on women. Albright’s approach to feminism and women in power seems to align with Hillary’s. Both women emphasize that women in power do not have to constantly reassure America they are on par with their male counterparts; there is no need to claim “I can do it too!” Both women do share a common idea that a female politician has a different lens than a male. In by no means does this imply that a woman cannot do everything a man can- far from it. But Albright and Clinton both do suggest that a female can bring something different — something our nation needs — to the table.
Albright’s pitch towards younger women seemed especially important after the Iowa Caucus results in which Sanders demolished Clinton in terms of the millennial generation. Though Hillary may have won the caucus, she lost voters under the age of 30 by a 70 point margin. Hillary’s mere 14% to Sanders 84 has put Hillary in a bad light with younger voters. Many speculate that Sanders’s so-called “revolution” is what captivates young Americans. Albright managed to reference this on stage today. People are discussing some revolution, she said with a laugh, “but what a revolution it would be to have a woman president.”
