by Cheryl Nuzum
Should women vote for Hillary Clinton?
Well, that depends. Do you agree with her politics? Do you think that the policies she puts forth, the bills she backs, the statements she makes, align with yours? Does she stand for what you stand for?
If the answer is yes – vote for her.
If the answer is no – don’t vote for her.
It’s as simple as that. That’s how politics (should) work. Our founding fathers didn’t grant us the right to vote (and women didn’t bust our asses until the 20th century) just to throw it away because of uneducated reasoning.
Whether or not you vote for someone should not be determined by their gender. Voting for someone because they are a woman is just as bad as not voting for someone because they are a woman. It’s the exact same as what women have been against for centuries, only flipped. True equality is weighing the respect and value of someone regardless of gender, race, etc.
We saw it in 2008 when Barack Obama was elected president. It was a huge step for the black community to go from having ancestors enslaved to putting a black man in office. That was a step towards equality, but should it have been? Should equality count as a minority group gathering together to put forth a candidate, or should equality count as a mixed group, made up of both minorities and majorities, gathering together to say “He’ll do a good job. He’s got my vote,” and have the color of his skin not even cross their mind?
Don’t get me wrong – I don’t think Obama was voted into office purely through the black community. But I do think there was a large portion that did so because he was black – just like there was a large portion of the population that refused to vote for him because he was black. Neither of which were okay simply because, it shouldn’t have mattered.
Hillary Clinton has had a huge decade-spanning political career. She’s been a Senator, First Lady, Secretary of State, and now Presidential candidate. Not to mention her many achievements outside of politics i.e. graduating from two prestigious colleges: Wellesley and Yale Law School. Now, maybe you think she did an incredible job at these roles. Maybe you think she flat-out sucked. Either way, you can’t deny that she did them. It would be shame if someone with a list of accomplishments that long to be judged solely on their gender.
As a woman, I would love to see another woman take office. Maybe I’ll vote for Hillary, maybe I won’t. I’ll make that decision during the upcoming election season. It won’t be made by deciding “Should I vote for a woman or not?” I’ll ask myself, “Who do I think will make the best president?” and that’s who I’ll choose.
It shouldn’t matter what community a person fits into, whether it’s a minority or a majority. We as a population, and especially a generation, should be able to look past those factors to simply choose the best person for the job. That’s what equality is.
About Cheryl:
Cheryl Nuzum is a sophomore English and Communications dual degree major. She is a lover of bad puns and all things Harry Potter. This semester she is also a contributor for The George-Anne!
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