Hillary could be change America’s been waiting for
The minorities of our country are becoming the majority; women are no longer expected to just sit at home. People are learning to accept change as the 2016 presidential election looms ahead, and America may be in store for another historic election.
Former Secretary of State Hillary Clinton has announced she will be running for office again. In 2008, Clinton lost early on to President Barack Obama during the Democratic primary. But that wasn’t a bad result.
As Obama’s term comes to an end, one has to applaud our nation for how far it has come. The President of the United States is one of the most powerful positions someone can have, and that position belonged to a minority for two consecutive terms.
Obama’s election sparked a change for the United States, one where leadership positions will not be determined by race or gender.
Biology junior Devin Sanders said America is ready for a female president.
“I think a door has been opened that (won’t) make race and gender an issue when it comes to leadership positions for this nation,” Sanders said. “I loved the Clintons when they were in office. They were amazing. I am excited for Hillary and I will be voting for her. It doesn’t matter if she is a woman … it’s about what she can do it help the people. It’s about Hillary the leader.”
Many political positions are still predominantly controlled by men. According to The Nation, over the past two decades, despite composing a majority of the U.S. population, women still hold less than 20 percent of congressional seats.
Politics have historically been known to be run by men. The Nation also said the percentage of women holding statewide and state legislative offices is less than 25 percent, barely higher than in 1993. However, similar odds were against Obama because of his race, but he was able to still win the presidency two times in a row.
Texas has experienced the power of men in politics, as seen when Wendy Davis lost the Texas governor election.
According to CNN, Wendy Davis ran with the Democratic party almost entirely on an abortion rights platform; she accused Republicans of sexism for daring to scrutinize her, calling her biography inaccurate. Her opponent, Greg Abbott, won by 20 points, and Davis only ended up with 47 percent of the women vote.
Even with the U.S. evolving as a nation, some people will still be stuck in a different era. Clinton is a strong woman and will be fighting hard for the Democratic presidential nominee.
Of course, not everyone is excited about Clinton’s chances of winning the nominee. Some say her fame may get in the way of her winning the presidency. She was a well-known first lady for many reasons, but none of that has staggered her political career. However, everything is still fresh for Clinton, and she hasn’t won the Democratic nomination just yet.
Obama didn’t jump ahead of himself after hearing about Clinton’s announcement. He has not officially endorsed Clinton, according to White House spokesman Josh Earnest.
“There are other people who are friends of the president, who may at some point decide to get into the race,” Earnest said. “This will be the responsibility of Democratic voters to decide who should be the Democratic nominee for president. I think that Democratic nominee can be confident that they’ll enjoy the support of President Obama in their campaign.”
One thing is for sure: a leader has no race, size or gender, and Clinton is just as much as a contender for the presidency as any other candidate.
Opinion columnist Faith Alford is a journalism sophomore and may be reached at [email protected].
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